hɛhəw ɬaχɬaχtɩn mənat̓ᶿɛ. hɛɬ kʷ ƛ̓aχƛ̓aχs ʔəxʷ nɛʔs kʷ t̓ɩšosəm.

Menaťey was very mischevious. His parents lived in Tla'amin.

hɛ kʷ tawən ʔəxʷ nɛʔs šɛ nuɬs. kʷukʷhatəs kʷ tiwšɩms.

His sister lives in town. She is furthering her studies.

ʔuk̓ʷ t̓ᶿok̓ʷ ʔəxʷ qaqsɛms mənat̓ᶿey hega čɛnwa kʷ ʔasqič. ʔuk̓ʷ čɛ ʔəxʷ k̓ʷʊnk̓ʷʊntəs. θiyɩč kʷ nuxʷɛɬ. χʷoχʷoɬmot č̓ɛ nɛʔəs tan̓.

Every day, Menaťey and Chenwa play outside. They were looking around everywhere. They found a canoe. It must have been there a long time.

ʔi k̓ʷʊnʊxʷəs ʔaǰu tihmot… tihaymot təχəmay. ʔi k̓ʷʊnʊxʷas ʔaǰu tə χʷoχʷoɬmot χat̓k̓ʷ nɛʔəs tə q̓ʷɛt.

And they also saw the biggest cedar tree. And they also saw an old totem pole on the beach.

“čɛʔmas səm θuxʷəns k̓ʷʊnʊxʷat tin̓ ƛoqʷowi,” hoθot k̓ʷa mənat̓ᶿey ʔə čɛnwa. θo χaʔapχapi nɛʔs tə ƛəmstən.

“I wonder how many more discoveries we will make this summer”, said Menaťey to Chenwa. They were going back to the village.

čɩgɩtəmšt kʷi ʔɛɬtən natəm šɛ tans mənat̓ᶿɛ. qasqasɛm k̓ʷa. “ƛ̓ɛga t̓ᶿoχʷoy̓ɩm. hoy ga, qʷol̓čʊxʷ kʷanačɩm tə θɛwθɛtən.”

“It's almost time for us to eat”, said Menaťey's mother. She was smiling. “Hurry and wash your hands. And come sit down at the table.”

“qʷol̓ hɛwt šɩθ nuɬ. χaƛ̓ kʷʊms ʔuk̓ʷ toχʷoxʷ kʷ yeyɛθots kʷ p̓ap̓ɛm səm.”

“Your sister just arrived. We want to know everything she will be doing at work.”

“hotᶿəm qamɛt tičɛ hega tᶿ qəmqəm. hošt θɛq̓ʔəm. t̓ᶿɛt̓ᶿɛyʔəmšt nams kʷ čɛʔows kʷs χʷoχʷoɬ. χaƛ̓ kʷʊms toχoxʷ xʷ nəms kʷ t̓ᶿat̓ᶿaɬawumoɬ. hega kʷ qaqəmsaʔamoɬ.”

“I'm going to join my professor and friends. We will dig. They are searching for things like tools from long ago. We want to know how they gathered food. And stored it.”

“ʔuk̓ʷ ʔot tam hayhitaʔmoɬ. χaƛ̓əw kʷʊms toχʷoxʷ kʷʊnəs tamaɬ čɛʔow.”

Everything that was made. We want to know what kind of tools.

χaƛ̓os mənat̓ᶿɛ. “čɩm̓ θuxʷəns toχnɛxʷ kʷ χʷoχʷoɬʔos tə čɛʔow?”

Menaťey looked puzzled. “How can you know how old a tool is?”

qasqasɛm Sosan. “χat̓ᶿčɛt ʔi q̓at̓ᶿagatšt. hɛhəw χaƛ̓anən kʷʊms čɛʔow kʷʊms sχʷoχʷoɬ. xʷačɛp θahap θɛθɛq̓nač.”

Sosan smiled. “We measure and calculate. The tools from our past are very precious. You guys don't go digging around.”.

ho k̓ʷʊtəm Mənat̓ᶿɛ čɛnwa šɛ paʔa qəǰi kʷi.

The next morning, Menaťey went to see Chenwa.

tawtəs čɛnwa, “nɛ θɛθɛq̓ʔəm kʷ qaymɩxʷ kʷ nɛʔ ƛ̓ɛkʷanəm. kʷayimotštəm tə ʔayigən ʔi ǰɛqanɛtštəm.”

He told Chanwa, “There are people digging at ƛ̓ɛkʷanəm. We'll hide in the bushes and watch.”

ƛ̓aqƛ̓aqəm mənat̓ᶿɛ: “hanəm q̓aq̓ƛ̓əm. qəǰiyaθottᶿəm təsθot.”

Menaťey whispered: “They are too thick. Let me try to get closer.”

ho ƛ̓ɛʔɛgən kʷ saʔa q̓aƛ̓əm… ʔi k̓ɩl̓t̓šɩn!

He squeezed between two bushes… and tripped!

θo kʷa palɛkʷʊtəm. θo kʷa ʔə taʔa.

He rolled down. He landed over there.

k̓ʷʊnosʊxʷəs tə tumɩš. nəm̓ kʷ čəqɛt tə gɩǰɛ tə tumɩš.

He looked into the face of a man. The man looked like he was stuck in the mud.

č̓iyʊxʷəs ga Sosan χaɬɛtqɛn. “čɩm̓ θ qʷol̓ təsoɬ? ot səm toχʷnom təms ƛ̓aχƛ̓aχ ʔi hɛhəwčxʷəm maʔaxʷ kʷ ɬaχ.”

He heard Sosan's angry voice. “How did you get here? If our parent's find out, you'll be in trouble.”

“ɬaʔq̓əm Sosan!”, natəm tə tumɩš. qəǰi ʔot nɛʔ č̓ɛq̓ɛqɬa. “k̓ʷʊtsxʷ ʔit mənat̓ᶿɛ kʷʊnəs ʔot ʔi. ʔi k̓ʷənasčxʷ ga kʷ ʔuk̓ʷ taməs tɛʔɛ. k̓ʷʊnʔəmsčxʷ kʷ ʔuk̓ʷ maʔaxʷatuɬ skʷiǰoɬ.”

“Wait Sosan!”, said the man. He was still kneeling. “Check if Menaťey is ok. And show him everything here. You can show him what we got this morning.”

“tat kʷa qʷaqʷaq̓əm təms ƛ̓aƛ̓aχay,”, natəm Sosan. θo ʔɛʔɛmaš tə seylawtxʷ.

“Our ancestors used to hunt seals and sea lions”, said Sosan. They were walking to the tent.

qəǰi ʔot saysiyəm kʷ moʔoss mənat̓ᶿɛ. “hɛhəw titihmut tə titačuwmɩxʷ. hɛhəw səm χaƛ̓ɛt kʷʊθ maʔaxʷ.”

Menaťey was still dizzy. “They are such big animals. They'd be hard to get.”

“ʔotčxʷ maʔaxʷ kʷ paʔa ʔi qaχmot məǰɛθ kʷ maʔaxʷʊxʷ.”

“If you get one, you get a lot of meat.”

χɛč̓itəm Sosan tə ʔaǰumiš χaǰiys. “məsis tita. hɛɬ yiq̓ašɛʔmoɬ kʷ hiyt kʷ ɬoq̓ʷ.”

Sosan pointed to a beautiful rock. “That's slate. They used to use it to make arrows.”

maʔtəs šɛ məsis ʔi papalkʷʊtəs tə čeyišs. “xʷa qaχas qaymɩxʷ kʷinatoɬ tan̓ moʔos tə ɬoq̓ʷ.”

She took the stone and rolled it in her hand. “Not many people have held an old arrowhead.”

papkʷatəs tə ɬoq̓ʷ. hɛhəw t̓ᶿamɛtmot. xʷaʔ č̓ayč̓iyɩtəs tə nuɬas.

He watched the arrow. He was really amazed. He didn't hear his sister.

qəǰi č̓ɛ ʔot kʷayit čɛnwa. ƛ̓aqʷosəm mənat̓ᶿɛ.

Chanwa must be still hiding. Menaťey slapped his forehead.

“hoč ʔit ǰu. čɛʔəttᶿəm k̓ʷʊnomɛ.”

“I have to go. I'll see you.”

p̓ɛt̓ᶿostəs tə nuɬas ʔi θohit. suwosɛm Sosan. “χaƛ̓nomɛč nɩgi tᶿ qɛχ.”

He hugged his sister and left. Susan shook her head. “I love you little brother.”

gayɛɬtɛnč ga: čɩm č̓ɛ θuxʷəns χʷoχʷoɬs tə χaǰiys?

I ask: How old is the rock?