kw’et’un’ | Mouse
translated into Hul’q’umi’num’ by Ruby Peter

1. tl’eshun tthu smuqw’a’ ’u tthu hay ’ul’ thi stl’eshun’ palhe’ch.
Crane once gave a huge potlatch.

2. tssetum ’utl’ smuqw’a’ thu q’e’mi’, kw’et’un’ ’uw’ qw’uyulushus, kwus ’ula’ulh ’u thu snuhwulh, wulh m’i yu lhulheel’, tthu ’imushne’tuns.
Crane told the young lady to dance on board the canoe, when the visitors were coming to shore.

3. q’e’lup’utum ’utl’ smuqw’a’ tthu hulixwtun t’uyum’tum ’u tthu tse’lumun sus ’uw’ wenshus qwsutus, kwus wulh m’i lheel tthu ’imushne’tuns.
Crane tied fur blankets on poles and tossed them into the water, when his guests came to shore.

4. sus’uw’ tstl’um tthu ni’ qw’im ’u thu snuhwulh susuw’ kwunutum tthu hulixwtun.
So they jumped out of the canoes in order to catch the blankets.

5. kwus wulh hwu sun’iw’ ’u thu lelum’ tthu ’imushne’tuns, suw’ qw’uyulushs thu kw’et’un’ ni’ ’u tthu shnu’as ’utl’ smuqw’a’.
When the visitors came into the house, and then Mouse danced for Crane.

6. mukw’ tthu mustimuhw nuw’ wa’thut thu kw’et’un’ kwus yu qw’uyul’ush.
All the people watched Mouse dancing.

7. ni’ tl’e’ wulh qul’et mem’t ’u thu hulixwtun.
Then they distributed many blankets again.

8. kwus wulh kweyul ’i’ ni’ wulh nem’ huliye’ tthu ’imushne’tuns.
On the following day the people went back home again.

9. mukw’ lhwet nuw’ ’uy’stuhw thu kw’et’un’, ni’ hwu stl’i’.
Everyone had taken such a fancy to Mouse that many wanted to have her.

10. suw’ stl’i’s ’eelhtun kws nem’s huye’st-hwus.
And so they wanted to take her away.

11. ni’ chuchi’q’un’ ’uw’ t-sas ’ul’, sus hwi’ hakwushus tthu s’itth’ums tthu si’em’ yuwi’na’qw.
Mink who was a poor man put on a chief’s clothes.

12. suw’ hwi’ q’ep’utus tthu she’ituns thuytus susuw’ hwu sht’eewun’mutum’ kws thu’it-s yuwi’na’qw kws stun’tsakws.
And he tied back his hair with mountain goat wool so that he would be taken for a chief from a far country.

13. suw’ stl’is’ tthuw’ nilh chuchi’q’un’ kws tsta’lusth ’utl’ kw’et’un’.
Mink wanted to marry Mouse.

14. ’i’ ni’ wulh putnum ’utl’ kw’et’un’ susuw’ ’uwu ’ul’ kwus hwnu’iiw’unmutum.
But Mouse recognized him and rejected him.

15. hwun’ xut’u ’i’ wulh tetsul thu s-hwuhwa’us sus ’uw’ nilh ni’ nem’ ’u thu kw’et’un’, ’ay’i’thut.
Then Thunderbird came and courted her.

16. ’i’ ’uw’ thu’it ni’ tseelqum thu kw’et’un’, tseelqum ’ult’ s-hwuhwa-us nem’ nem’ ’u thu lelum’s.
Mouse followed Thunderbird back to his home.

17. suw’ wiwi’stun’uqs thu hwun’a sta’lus ’utl’ s-hwuhwa’us, qulst-hwus thu kw’et’un’, swiwi’stun’uqs.
Thunderbird’s first wife was jealous of Mouse and hated her on account of her jealousy.

18. nuts’a’ skweyul ’i’ wulh nem’ huye’ s-hwuhaw’us, yu kwun’atul ’u thu hwun’a sta’lusth.
One day Thunderbird had gone out with his first wife.

19. wulh kwuyxthut kw’et’un’ sus ’uw’ hwyuxwutus tthu le’tsus nilh shni’stewut ’utl’ s-hwuhwa’us tthu sul’e’st-hwus stl’i’s.
Mouse opened the chests where Thunderbird stored his precious things.

20. nilh ni’ shni’stuhws tthu ’anuw’s tthu p’q’ulqun, wulh lhuyxtus, lhuyxtus tthu ’anuw’.
And inside was his supply of mountain goat fat and she ate some of that fat.

21. kwsus wulh hun’umut tthu s-hwuhwa’us, wulh tul’nuhwus kwus tthu ni’ sla’thut-s thu kw’e’tun’.
When Thunderbird came home, he discovered what Mouse had done.

22. suw’ ’ulh t’eyuq’ ’ul’, numnusum kw’e’tun’ sus ’uw’ ’iit’ustum ’i’ ni’ wenshum, tun’ni’ ’u tthey’ hay ’ul’ tsitsulh ni’ shni’s sus ’uw’ tiqw’ ’u tthu tumuhw.
He got angry and he went over to Mouse and picked her up and flung her from his place up above and she crashed down to earth.

23. ’i’ nilh kwu’elh nuw’ shni’s ’ul’ kwis yath ’uw’ hwu qequn’ thu kw’etun’ ’u tthu s’ulhtuns tun’ni’ ’u kwthey’.
And that is why she still steals food today.

24. ni’ hay.
The End.

Transcribed and retranslated into English by Donna Gerdts.
Sound recording by Thomas Jones.
Sound editing by Heather Harris and Donna Gerdts.

This story was collected by Franz Boas in the 1890s from a Stalo speaker. Margaret Roome put it in a book of stories in English for the school children in the Cowichan Valley and so it became popular here. So we thought it would be nice to have a version in Hul’q’umi’num’.