Morning visitors
Morning Visitors – tun’netulh ’imushne’tun
hwuw’e tsun ’iin’ ’umut, hwun’ ’i’tut.
I was still in bed, still sleeping.
tahw tsun ’uw’ ’umut ’u tthunu shhw’a’mut ’i’ hwyuxw tthu shelh.
I was just starting to sit on my bed and the door opened.
“mam, ’i ch ts-’imushne’tun.”
“Mom, you have visitors.”
“ah shah,” I said thutstuhw lhunu mun’u, sti’tum’atul’wut.
“Oh shucks,” I said to my daughter Sti’tum’atul’wut.
nusuw’ qwlhi’shenum nem’ ’u kwthunu bathroom tuw’ thuyt tthunu she’itun, stitux tthunu she’itun.
So I put on my shoes and went to the bathroom to fix my hair, my hair was standing up.
nus nuw’ nem’ ’u kwthu nets’uw’t-hw.
And then I went into the other room.
wulh m’i yu hun’wulum’ ’eelhtun.
They were all walking in.
o-o-o qxe’luts.
There were a lot of them.
wuwa’ te’tsselu, ’i’ ’uhwiin’ kwthunu shni’.
There were about eight of them, and my place is very small.
’i’ ’uw’ lhuxlhuxi’lush ’ul’.
So they just had to stand.
yey’sul’u kwthu hwswunwenum.
Two of them were orphans.
yu tth’itth’uhwuthut ’u kw’u nem’ yaay’smut kwthu shni’s tthu xulhus ni’ ’utl’ snuneymuhw.
They were requesting if we could go and bless the dining hall there in Snuneymuhw.
nilh niilh shni’stewut lhu tens kwus q’ulum’stum ’u kwthu nuts’a’ snet.
That’s where they had the wake for their mother for one night.
suw’ yu tth’itth’uhwuthut ’eelhtun kwus nem’ tst hwqw’uqwwiils.
So they were asking for our family to go do a burning.
nusuw’ ts’i’ut ’eelhtun ’uy’s ni’s sqwals yaat kwthu hwswunwenum ’uw’ la’lum’uthutus.
So I was praising them for following the traditional practice of looking after those who are orphaned.
qux yu ’al’mutst kwthu shhw’a’qw’a’s ’i’ kwthu shuyulhs ’uw’ yu ’al’mutstum’ kwthu hwswunwenum.
There were many of them that came along, the siblings and cousins who were supporting the orphans.
(nus nuw’) ts’i’ut kwus ni’st-hwus ’u kwthu shqwaluwuns kws hwulmuhws kwus kwukwun’utus tthu syuw’a’numa’.
I praised them for observing the native ways of their ancestors.
nilh ’uw’ ’un’ syuw’en’ulup tun’a ’iin’ sul’uthutulup.
“What you are doing now follows the teachings of your ancestors.
’imush ’uw’ tseep ’uw’ yu tetul’ ’u tthu ni’ yu s-huy’thusta’ult.
You are following what you have been told to do.”
hay kwus qwaqwul’ ’i ni’ huliye’ ’eelhtun.
After that, they all left.
nusuw’ ts’i’ut, “hay tseep q’a’.”
I was thanking them, “Thank you all.”
ni’ hay.
The end.
Some Vocabulary
’imushne’tun
visitor
kwuhwtsum
knock on the door
kwakwuhwtsum’
knocking on the door
hwswenum
orphan
hwswuwenum
orphans
tth’itth’uhwuthut
making a request
la’lum’uthut
looking after oneself, be careful
ts’i’ut
thank him/her/them; praise him/her/them
ts’iit
thanking him/her/them; praising him/her/them
yat
warn him/her/them; advise him/her/them
yaat
warning him/her/them; advising him/her/them
syuw’a’numa’
ancestral teachings
Some Sentences
1. nii ni’ kwthu ni’ kwakwuhwtsum’ ’u tthu shelh?
Is someone knocking on the door?
2. nem’ lemut ’uw’ nilhus lhwet.
Go see who it is.
3. nem’ hwyuxwut tthu shelh.
Go open the door.
4. te’, ’i tst ts’imushne’tun.
Mother, we have visitors.
5. m’is ch p’e’ nuw’ilum.
Have them come in.
6. m’i ch p’e’ nuw’ilum, si’em’.
Please come in, sir/ma’am.
7. ’ii tseep yu titiya’xw?
Do you have some business?
8. ’i ’uw’ tseep qiqul’us.
You are in mourning.
9. ’i tst m’i yu tth’itth’uhwuthut.
We came to make a request.
10. nilh tthu hwswuwenum yutth’itth’uhwuthut.
It’s the orphans that are making a request.
11. nilh tthu hwswuwenum yutth’itth’uhwuthut ’u kwthu shni’s tthu xulhus.
It’s the orphans that are making a request concerning the dining hall.
12. ’uy’ kws la’lum’uthut-s tthu hwswuwenum.
It’s good for the orphans to take care of themselves.
13. ni’ tsun yaat ’eelhtun ts’iit ’u tthu ni’ shqwaluwuns.
I advised them, thanking them for their thoughtfulness.
Credits
Hul’q’umi’num’ story by Ruby Peter, Quamichan Elder, May 2, 2016.
Sound recording, editing, transcription by Donna Gerdts