Making a Story

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xut’eem’ ’u tthu sxwi’em’
Making a Story

1. Vocabulary

sxwi’em’ ‘story’
syuth ‘legend’
snuw’uyulh ‘cultural teachings’
xwi’em’ ‘tell a story’
xwi’xwi’em’ ‘telling a story’
xwi’a’must ‘tell someone a story’
xwi’a’mustham’sh ‘tell me a story’
hwulmuhwqun ‘Coast Salish language’
shhwunitum’qun ‘English’
hul’q’umi’num’stuhw ‘translate into Hul’q’umi’num’
hwunitum’qunstuhw ‘translate into English’
xul’ut ‘write, transcribe, draw’
xuxul’ut ‘writing, transcribing, drawing’
shxaatth’ustun ‘picture, photograph’
xtsut ‘figure out, plan’
xetst ‘figuring out, planning’

2. Sentences

(1) xetst kw’ sxwi’em’ tse’
planning what the story will be
(2) stem tse’ kw’ yushtu’es kw’un’ sxwi’em’?
What will your story be about?
(3) kwthu nu sxwi’em’ tse’ ’i’ nilh tthu spaal’ kwus qen’ ’u kwthu stseelhtun.
My story is about how Raven stole the salmon.
(4) kwthunu sxw’i’e’m’ ’i’ nilh tse’ kwthu ni’ shhw’uw’tsustham’sh kwthunu si’lu kwthu sht’es kwthu hakwusheen’ kwunus nem’ tseelhtun.
My story is about what my grandfather showed me to use when I’m going to catch salmon.
(5) tthunu sxwi’em’ ’i’ nilh kwus wulh lamtul tthunu shhwuw’weli, thunu ten ’u tthunu men.
My story is about when my parents met, my mother with my father.
(6) nii tse’ hul’q’umi’num’ kw’un’ sxwi’em’?
Will your story be in Hul’q’umi’num’?
(7) lhwet tse’ kw’u pte’mutun’ kws xwi’a’m’ustham’shs?
Who am I going to ask to tell me a story?
(8) pte’mut tsun tse’ lhunu si’lu ’uw’ xwumus ’i’ xw’i’em’.
I will ask my grandmother if she can tell a story.
(9) tun’ni’ ’u tthuw’ t’at mustimuhw tun’a sxwi’em’.
This story is from the ancestors.
(10) ha’ ch ni’ ts’elhum’ut kw’ kw’in sxwi’em’ tun’ni’ ’u kwthun’ shhwuw’wey’ ’i’ xtsut ch kw’ ni’ ’uy’st-hwuhw nilh tse’ kwunutuhw hakwushuhw. nilh tse’ xul’utuhw nilh tse’ hwun’ swe.
If you hear so many stories from your parents and you can figure out which one you like to take to use and make into your own.
(11) thuyt tsun tse’ ’ul’ kw’unu swe’ nu sxwi’em’.
I’m going to make my own story.
(12) nilh ’uw’ nu swe’ nu sxw’i’em’ nu sqwul’qwul’ ’i’ hul’q’umi’num’ tsun tse’.
It will be my own story and I will be telling it in Hul’q’umi’num’.
(13) ni’ tse’ hwunitum’qun tthu sxwi’em’ ’i’ yelh tse’ nus hul’q’umi’num’stuhw.
The story will be in English and then I will translate it into Hul’q’umi’num’.
(14) nii ch tse’ tun’untsustuhw kw’ shxaatth’ustun?
Where are you going to get your pictures from?
(15) lemut tsun tse’ kwthu shxaatth’ustun nus ’uw’ qwul’qwul’ ’ukw’ sxwi’em’s.
I will look at the pictures and I’ll tell a story about it.
(16) yuw’en’ tse’ kwunus xul’ut tthu sxwi’em’ ’i’ yelh nus thuyt kw’ shxaatth’ustun xul’ut kw’ ni’ yusht’es kwthu sxwi’em’.
First I will write the story and then I will make the pictures and then I will continue writing the story.
(17) thuyt tthu shhwunitum’qun.
Prepare the English.
(18) kwe’t ch tthu shhwunitum’qun ’i’ nilh tthu hul’q’umi’num’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ hakwushuhw.
Drop the English and then use only the Hul’q’umi’num’.
(19) ha’ ch ni’ xetst kwun’s ’uwus niis tl’ulim’ kwun’s ni’ qwal ’i’ tl’e’ ch wulh qul’et t’a’thut.
If you think that you are not saying the words properly, and you try again.
(20) xuxul’ut tthu hul’q’umi’num’
writing the Hul’q’umi’num’ language
(21) nilh tse’ xul’utuhw hwu ’un’ swe’.
Then you are going to transcribe it yourself.
(22) yath ch ’uw’ t’ut’a’thut ’i’ ’uw’ hwu tl’ul’im’ tse’.
You always try again in order to get it all correct.