xew’s nu sye’yu | My new friend
This is a story written by Randy Henry from Xinupsum with help from pul-qwuletse’ | Wayne Charlie and sp’aqw’um’ultunat | Donna Gerdts for our new stories project in February 2026. Thanks to Wayne Charlie for the Hul’q’umi’num’ recording.
xew’s nu sye’yu | My new friend
by Randy Henry and translated by Wayne Charlie
- ’een’thu Randy Henry tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ xinupsum.
I’m Randy Henry from Xinupsum. - qwul’qwul’ tsun tse’ kwthu ni’ nu sla’thut kwi’ yuse’lu sil’anum, ni’ yul ’ew’.
I’m going to tell a story about what happened to me two years ago. - tum’kw ’e’lus ’i’ nan ’uw’ kw ’e’lus tthu skweyul.
It was summertime and it was hot. - ni’ tus ’u tthunu shqwaluwun kw’unus ni’ tuw’ yu thuythut tse’, ni’ tsun yu ’i’mush ni’ ’u tthu stslhiqun’ yu hwu’alum’.
I decided that I wanted to train to become stronger, so I started walking up the hill and down the hill near my home. - ni’ ts’twa’ lhq’utssulhshe’ ’u kwunus ni’ yu ’i’mush ’i’ ni’ tsun kwun ’eem’ ’u tthu smeent ’i’ ni’tsun tuw’ lhelhuq’ ’u tuw’ mukw’ kwunus ni’ tusnamut ’u tthu nuts’a’ stslhiqun’.
It’s about fifty steps each way, and for every set I completed, I laid down a pebble to count each lap. - tthu ni’ nu xatsthut ni’ tsun t’unastulstuhw tthu smunmeent ’u kwunus ni’ tl ’e’ wulh hwu’alum’.
I figured out that I could line up the pebbles so I could count how many times I walked up and down. - mukw’ skweyul ’i’ ni’ tsun tsam, kw’iqun, nusuw’ nem’ t’ahw qul’et.
Everyday I’d go uphill and then downhill, again. - ni’ ts’twa’ yu st ’e ’ukw’ nuts’a’ tintun kwunus ni’ yu hwu’alum’,’i’mush, lhuhwulhshe’ kwunus ni’ yu hwu’alum’.
It usually takes me about an hour to finish thirty sets, climbing up the hill and down the hill, again and again. - kwunus hwun’a’ ’i’mush, ’i tsun saay’stuhw tthu ’apun smunmeent, nuts’a’ ’u kwthu nuts’a’ suxulhnet ’i’ ni’ wulh qul ’et ni’ tsun tl ’e’ wulh ts’hwat ’u tthu lhq ’etsus smunmeent ni’ tus ’u tthu lhuhwulhshe’ smunmeent.
The first week, I laid down 10 pebbles, and then I added 5 more pebbles each week until I got to thirty pebbles. - nuts’a’ netulh ’uw’ kw ’e’lus tthu skweyul ’i’ ni’ tsun yu ’i’mush ts’twa’ tus ’u tthu xu’athun kwunus ni’ yu hwu’alum’ ’i’ ni’ yu st ’e ’u kw’uw’ tth’ey’kw’the’lum’.
One morning, it was sunny and when I was walking down the hill, I was at maybe 4 sets and something surprised me. - ’aaa, taxw ’uw’ ni’ ’u tthu ’unwulh ’u kwthunu shelh ’i’ ni’ wil’ tthu stth’aqwi’ sxuy’us, sxuw’u, hilum tun’ni’ ’u kwthu tsitsulh, taxw ’uw’ stutes ’utl’ ’unthu .
Right in the middle of my path, suddenly a salmon head fell from the sky and landed in front of me. - “sha! lhwet yuhw ’a’lu kwthu ni’ sla’thut?”
“Shucks!! Who did this?” - ’i tsun ’uw’ yu sew’qt ’uw’ niis ’uw’ lhwet tthu ni’ xwum ’i’ m’i wensh ’i’ ’uwu te’ ni’.
I looked around but no one was there. - ’uwu te’ lhwet ’i ’i’ ni’ hwi’ wil’ kwthu ni’ hilum tun’ni’ ’u tthu tsitsulh ’uw’ lhwetus ts’twa’.
Then I wondered how the heck could this have happened to me if no one was around. - tuw’ hwun’ yu saw’qus ni’ tsun lumnuhw tthu ts’alha’ ni’ yu hi’lum’ tun’ni’ ’u kwthu tsitsulh.
Then I saw a leaf drifting down, and when I looked around. - [ni’] wil’ ’u kwthu tsitsulh ’u tthu ni’ tsun tl’uw’ tul’nuhw ’uw’ niis tun’untsu kwus wil’ kwthu’i ts’alha’.
It appeared from above and so I finally understood what was going on. - ni.i.i’ tsun ’uw’ ye’num’, ’uw’ ye’num ’ul’, hwqwul’qwul’iwun’ ’uw’ niis niin’ulh ’uw’ kwun’et tthunu tuw’tuw’uluquptsus— skw’ey kwunus tuw’ yu xuxaatth’usun’uq.
I was laughing and laughing and I wished I had my cell phone to take picture. - tthu ni’ lumnuhween’ ni’ ’u kwthu tsitsulh thi.i.i yuxwule’ ni’ ’a’mut ni’ ’u tthu thqet, thuhiws.
What I saw was a bald eagle, a large eagle. - hwu sye’yu kwthu ni’ wil’, shts’un’ets ’u kwthu thqet ’i’lhtun’ ’u kwthu shnetulhquns, hay ’ul’ thi stth’aqwi’.
My new friend was perched in a tree above me, eating his breakfast, a big spring salmon. - ’i tsun ’uw’ yu le’lum’ut kwthu stth’aqwi’ sxuy’us ’i’ tl’uw’ tsun ’uw’ ye’num’ ’ul’.
I looked closer at the salmon head and couldn’t help but laugh. - tl’li.i.m’ tsun ’uw’ ’uy’stuhw tthu stth’aqwi’ sxuy’us.
The salmon head is my favorite. - ’uw’ hay ’ul’ tthu slhqwun’u ni’ lhey’xtun’ tthu ni’ ’u kwthu sxuy’usth tthu stth’aqwi’.
I only ate the cheeks of a fishhead. - tl’lim’ ’uw’ yu hilukw’ tthunu shqwaluwun tthu ni’ yu kwun’nuhween’ kwthey’ yuxwule’, p’uq’ tthu sxuy’usth tsq’ix tthu smustimuhws ’i’ p’uq’ tthu shtl’p’i’snutss.
I felt grateful that this came from a powerful bald eagle, the eagle with the white head and black body and white tail. - tl’li.i.im’ tsun ’uw’ yu setssum’ hwunem’ ’u tthu yuxwule’ ts’uyulhnamut hwunem’ ’u tthunu xew’s nu hwu sye’yu, yuxwule’, ’amusthelum ’u tthu shnetulhqun, sxuy’usth tthu stth’aqwi’.
I raised my hands and thanked my new friend, Eagle, for sharing breakfast with me, the salmon head. - skw’ey kwunus yu me’mul’qt tthu ’uy’ skweyul ’u tun’a kweyul ni’ sle’theelt.
I will never forget this special day. - ’i tsun ’uw’ hwun’ yu ’i’mush ’ul’ ’u tthu kw’e’lus skweyul ’uw’ hwyan’umus ’ul’ hwqwul’qwul’i’wun’ ’u kwthu ni’ hay ’ul’ thimat shqwaluwuns tthu yuxuwle’ kwus ’i ’amusthelum ’u tthu sxuy’usth tthu stth’aqwi’ nilh nu shnetulhqun.
Then I continued my walk under the warm sun, smiling at the thought that a large powerful bald eagle had provided a salmon head for breakfast for me that day. - ni’ tsun hwqwul’qwul’i’wun’, “xwum ’u tsun ’i’ yu t’akw’stuhw tthu sxuy’usth kwthu stth’aqwi’ ’i’ qwul’st.
I asked myself, “Do I take the fishhead home and cook it? - ni’ tsun ’uw’ ye’num’ ’ul’, nan ’uw’ thi syaays kwunus t’akw’stuhw ’i’ qwul’st.
I was laughing, as it’s a lot of work to take it home and cook it. - ni’ tsun ’uw’ ye’num’ ’ul’ ’uw’ hwqwul’qwul’i’wun’, ’i tsun ’uw’ ni’stuhw ’ul’.
I laughed more, and I decided to leave it there for him. - wa’wu ni’ tsun ’uw’ hwu’alum’ ’ul’ kwunutus kwthu sxuy’usth kwthu stth’aqwi’.
Maybe by the time I return he will have taken that fishhead. - ni’ wulh ’usup’ tthu ni’ nu .. ni’ yu sthuythut lhuhwulhshe’ kwunus ni’ yu hwu’alum’ ’i’mush le’lum’ut ’uw’ niis ’untsu kwthu sxuy’usth kwthu stth’aqwi’ ’i’ wulh ’uwu te’.
By the time I finished my thirty sets, the fishhead was gone. - ’u tun’a kweyul ’i’ hwun’ ’uw’ ’iyus tthunu shqwaluwun kwunus ni’ yu ’i’mush ’uw’ yath, thuythut.
Today, l still enjoy my walks on the hill. - ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ tsun ’uw’ le’lum’nuhw tthu yuxwule’ ni’ yu lhalhukw’ ’i’ hwqwul’qwul’i’wun’ ’uw’ nilhus yuhw tthu ni’ ’amustham’sh ’u tthu sxuy’usth tthu stth’aqwi’, tthu ni’ ’amustheelt ’u kwthey’ nuts’a’ skweyul.
Sometimes I see the bald eagles flying high in the sunny sky above me and I think of that fishhead that was shared with me. - tl’lim’ ’uw’ thu’it tthunu sqwul’qwul’ ni’ sle’theelt ’u kwthey’ yuxuwle’.
This really happened to me, it’s a true story. - hay ch q’a’. ni’ hay.
Thank you. The end