Luke Marston and George Seymour

This is a story laid down by Luke Marston and George Seymour. This version was created and edited by Delores Louie and Donna Gerdts in March 2023.

---

(1)

’u kw’un’a wulh hith 
     ’i’ ni’ tu na’nuts’a’ swiw’lus 
                   tun’ni’ ’utl’ thuq’min.

suw’ ts’elhum’ ’u tu sqwaqwul’s tthu mustimuhw 
     xwte’ ’u tu na’nuts’a’ ni’ tusustus tu hwulmuhw, 
           ’uye’qtus, hwu smeentst-hwus.
             hun’utum’ xeel’s.

A long time ago there was a young man from Shell Beach.
And he heard talk about one guy who was going around harming people, transforming them into stone.
He was called  Xeel’s.

(2)

’i’ qulst-hwus tuw’nilh swiw’lus tu xeel’s 
       suw’ xtsuthut-s kws q’aay’t-s tse’.

suw’ nem’ t’ahw ’u tthu tsetsuw’ ni’ ’utl’ thuq’min 
     suw’ kwunutus tu tl’eqt smeent. 
suw’ yuq’utus ’u tu tl’uxw smeent, 
                   hwu shishupqstus.
suw’ thuytus hwu st’e ’u kw’ shuptun, 
                 hay ’ul’ ’uy’a’th.

thume kws sla’thut-s suw’ thuytus tu yuse’lu tl’eqt shuptun.

And this young man didn’t like Xeel’s and he decided to kill him.
And he went down to the beach and he took a long rock.
And he used a hard stone to sharpen it into a point.
He made it into a sharp dagger. 
He did this two times, making two long knives. 

(3)

susuw’ ’a’mut tuw’nilh, thq’elhxe’ 
          yaay’us ’u tey’ she’luptun.
  ’i’ hwuni’nsum ’u  tey’ swuy’qe’, lhxi’lush, 
         xi’xlhem’utum’  tuw’nilh swiw’lus.

He was sitting there kneeling down working away making those knives.
And a man came over to him, walked up behind him, watching him.

(4)

suw’ pte’mutum,  “’i ch tsukwsta’mut?”

“’i tsun they’t tu she’luptun, yuse’lu tl’eqt she’luptun.

nu stl’i’ kwunus q’aayt tu xut’ustum’ xeel’s. ’uw’ q’aayt tsun tse’.”

After a while the man asked, “What are you doing?”
“I am making these daggers, two long knives.
I’m gonna kill the one they call Xeel’s. I will kill him.”

(5)

“nutsim’ ’a’lu ’un’sh q’aayt tu xeel’s? 

suw’ hwtulqun-s tuw’nilh swiw’lus, 
     “qulstuhw tsun tey’ xut’ustum’ xeel’s 
                 ’u tthey’ ni’ yu sul’uthut-s.

     ni’ yu ’ey’e’qtus tthu mustimuhw, 
           ni’ hwu smeentst-hwus. 

“Why do you want to kill Xeel’s?”
And the young man answered, “I don’t like Xeel’s because of what he is doing.
He’s going around transforming people into stone.