xulsilum | Crawford Seymour, read by Wayne Charlie
thuxwum “Petroglyph Park” ni’ulh shhwunum’ tst. thuxwum “Petroglyph Park“ is a place we used to go.
ni’ tsun hekw’ kwunus hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’i’ ni’ulh tst yu hunum’ ’i’ hiw’alum ni’ ’u tthey’. I can remember going there to play as a kid.
mukw’ulh stem sul’uthut tst kwutst ’uw’ hwun’ ts’its’usum’. We used to do a lot of crazy things when we were growing up.
ni’ tst ’uw’ yu ’i’mush ’ul’ ’uwu niis nan ’uw’ tsakw. We would walk to different places within walking distance.
Petroglyph Park nilh ni’ nuts’a’ ni’ yu shhwunum’ tst kwutst hwun’ ’uhwiin’. Petroglyph Cliff Park was one of those places we went to when we were still kids.
ni’ tl’uw’ ni’ ’u kwthu ni’ sqwuqwe shni’ tst kwutst hiw’alum ’i’ nuw’ilum. We used to go there and play in the cave areas.
ni’ ch ’uw’ yu le’lum’nuhw tuni’ sqwuqwe tun’ni’ tthu shelhs tthu hwulunitum’. You can see the caves from the highway.
ni’ ’uw’ ni’ ’u kwthu smeent ni’ tst yu ha’kwush kwutst yu qiquxuthut. There’s a rock that we used as a slide.
tthunu men kwusulh hunuum’ut kwusulh xixul’ux 1945 ni’ nem’ ’u tthey’ smeent sisuw’ xul’utus tthu snes [skwishs] t’uyum’shus ’u kwthu smeent. My father after he got back from the war in 1945 carved his name into that rock.
kwutstulh sq’uq’ip ’i’ mukw’ tst ’uw’ yu hunum’ ’i’ wa’wu yu ’i’mush ’ul’ i’ ’u tthu Petroglyph Park kwthu ni’ hunutum’ class. We, as a class of students, should go up there together and just wander around at Petroglyph Park.
’uwu tsun niin’ lumnuhw tthu snuhwulh ni’ ni’ kwthu sxwi’em’ nilh kwthu xeel’s ni’ ’uye’qtus ’i’ hwu snuhwulh kwthu smeent. I never did see the canoe that was turned into a rock by Xeel’s.
ni’ tsun lumnuhw ni’ kwthu pipu hun’utum’ poukw nilh ni’ qwul’qwul’ ’u kwthey’ snuhwulh smeent, snuhwulh. I have a book that talks all about that canoe rock.
’uw’ niis ts’twa’ ’untsu. It’s there somewhere.
nilh ’uw’ ni’ kwthu shelh ’uw’ yu sul’sul’ts’t tthu Petroglyph Park quxulh tthu smunmeent ’i’ ni’ulh yu st’i’am’ tthu xul’xul’um’ tun’ni’ ’u tthu s’ul’eluhw tst. There is a path you can walk around at Petroglyph Park that has a bunch of stones with carvings of the ancestors.
ha’ ch ni’ nuw’ilum ’u tthu ni’ sqwuqwe ’i’ ni’ tl’uw’ ni’ kwthu ni’ sxt’ekw’ ni’ ’u tthu t’amuns tthu sun’niw’ ’u tthu smeent. Also, some of the caves have carvings on the walls.
kwus hwuw’e ni’ they’tum’ kwthu ni’ hun’utum’ parking lot ni’ tthu Petroglyph Park, quxulh tthu smeent ’i’ ni’ sxuxil’ tun’ni’ tthu s’ul’eluhw tst. Before they built the parking lot at Petroglyph Park, there were stones with ancient carvings.
ni’ kwu’elh huya’stum kwthey’ smunmeent ’uw’ yu st’i’am’ kwthu sxuxil’stum ’u tthu smeent. The stones that had carvings on them were removed.
mukw’ ’uw’ sxwi’em’ tthu ni’ sxuxil’ ’u kwthu smeent tun’ni’ ’utl’ Gabriola ’i’ ’uw’ tus ’utl’ snuneymuhw tumuhw. The stones that were removed had carvings on them, and those carvings tell stories from Gabriola and all around the Snuneymuxw territory.
ni’ tuyqstum tthu smumeent namustum ’u tthu ni’ hun’utum’ Museum. Those stones that were removed are now at the Museum.
ni’ ch xwum ’i’ ’uw’ lumnuhw ni’ ’uw’ ni’ ’u kwthu museum ni’ ’utl’ snuneymuhw. They can be viewed at the Museum in downtown Nanaimo.
ni’ stl’i’ kwunus lumnuhw tun’a snuhwulh nilh tthu xeel’s ni’ ’uye’qt ’i’ hwu smeent. I plan to find the canoe that Xeel’s turned to stone.
nuts’a’ skweyul ’i’ xwum tsun ’i lumnuhw, xwum tsun ’i’ stl’i kwunus lumnum kwthey’ smeent, snuhwulh smeent. One day I might see it, as I really want to see that rock, the canoe rock.