tthunu sil’u ’i’ tthu mi’mulhu mustimuhw
Grampa and the longhouse dancers
By Meaghan Walker-Williams and Delores Louie
’een’thu Meaghan tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ s’amuna’ ’i’ kwa’mutsun.
I'm from Somenoes and Quamichan.
’uwu nilhus tthunu siiye’yu ni’ kw’umutham’sh.
I wasn't raised by my relatives.
nilh kwthu hwulunitum’ ni’ kw’umutham’sh tun’ni’ ’utl’ sqwxwa’mush.
I was raised by a family in Vancouver.
ni’ tsun tskw’ush ’i’ lhq’etsus sil’anum yelh nus ni’ hun’umutnamut
I was 25 years old, when I came home.
ni’ tsun hwun’ qeq ’i’ ni’ ’ikw’ lhunu ten.
I was still a baby when mom passed away.’uwu tsun niin’ yu lumnuhw.
So I never got to see her.
kwunus ni’ wulh hun’umut, ’i’ yath tsun ’uw’ ne’nuts’uw’t-hwum’ ’u kwthunu si’lu hun’utum’ Doug Williams ’i’ kwthu shuyulhs Ken Williams.
After I came home, I got to spend a lot of time with my Grampa Doug Williams and his brother Ken Williams.yey’sul’u kwthu hwsyaays mustimuhw, nilh tthu hun’utum’ longshoreman ’i’ tthey’ hun’utum’ loggers, kwthunu sul’si’lu.
The two, (people) They were both workers— longshoremen and loggers.
tthey’ hulelum’s tthunu sul’si’lu ni’ ’u tthu s’amuna’ tumuhw, shlhq’a’th ’u tthu thi lelum’.
They both lived in S’amuna’, right across the street from the S’amuna Big House.
’uw’ hay ’ul’ ’uw’ kws ts’uhwle’s ’i’ ni’ nem’ ’u tthu thi lelum’, nilh tl’lim’ ’uw’ st’e ’uw’ niis sht’unuxun’s tthu thi lelum’.
My family only sometimes attended big House, even though they live right beside the big house’i’ nu stl’i’ kwunus tl’lim’ ’uw’ hwu stutuleen’u ’u tthunu shtun’aalhtun.
But I still wanted to know about my heritage.nus ni’ ’uw’ numnus tthunu si’lu Doug nus nuw’ ptem’ut.
So I asked my Grampa Doug.
nilh kwu’elh shni’s ’i’ ni’ tuleen’utham’shus qwul’qwul’ ’u tthunu shtuhiim’ ’uw’ niin’ tun’untsu.
He told me this story about the origin of where I was from.
nilh kwu’elh kwthey’ nuts’a’ sil’anum, ’u kwun’a wulh hith, ni’ ’u tthu mi’mulhu ’i’ tthuw’ sht’es tthu mi’mulhu mustimuhw niis kw’inus lhqel’ts’ kwsus tsuy’wun’ ’eelhtun.
One year, many years ago, the longhouse people had been going on for many months doing their spirit dancing.suw’ yaay’us tthunu si’lu Doug, mukw’ skweyul kws yaay’usth, ’i’ nilh tthey’ thi lelum’ sht’es kwus mi’mulhu ’i’ ni’ s-hwuhwi’stum’ skw’ey kws ’itutnamut–s.
Grampa was a working man and he had work every day, and so the big house songs would keep him awake.
ni’ st’e ’u niis tus ’u tthu nuts’a’ yuse’lu tintun ’u tthu netulh yelh sus ’unuhw tthu mi’mulhu.
It would be 1-2 in the morning before the dancing would stop.
nilh kwu’elh ’u kwthey’ nuts’a’ sil’anum wulh lhtsiwsme’tus tthu mi’mulhu.
Well, one year, he got tired of waiting for the spirit dancing to end.wulh lhtsiwsme’tus tthu mi’mulhu ’i’ they’ nuts’a’ suxulhnet sus nem’ ’uw’ nuw’ilum ’u tthu thi lelum’.
He walked into the big house the next Sunday.
kwsus nem’ nuw’ilum tthunu si’lu ’u kwthey’ thi lelum’ yu kwun’etus tthu skw’a’wus sul’its’ ’u tthu wuxus.
He walked right out onto the floor and he had a bucket that was full of tree frogs.sus ’uw’ kw’lhetus tthey’ skw’a’wus ni’ ’u tthu ’unwulh ’u tthu lhuxunuptun kw’lhetus tthey’ wuxus suw’ ’utl’qul huye’.
Then he dumped the frogs and then he left.suw’ sht’ewun’s kws ts’elhum’s tthu mi’mulhu mustimuhw ’u tthey’ wuxus suw’ hwu ’un’nehws tthu smilhu ’u kwthu nuts’a’ sil’anum.
He was hoping that people would hear those frogs, and know that it was time for the work to be finished for the year
susuw’ hwthtiwun wuwa’ yelh tse’ sus ’itutnamut.
And maybe then he could get some sleep.kw’unelh kwunus ni’ ts’elhum’ut tthey’ sqwul’qwul’ ’u kws shhwun’um’s kwthey’ wuxus.
I have heard this story a few times about what happened with those frogs.suw’ nanumtuls kwthey’ yey’sul’u qw’uqw’itul’
And the two siblings were discussing it.
kwsus nanumtul ’i’ nilh kwthunu si’lu Doug nilh ni’ xte’ ’u tthey’.
And they discussed that it was Grandpa Doug that did that.
’i’ ni’ qwal kwthu na’nuts’a’ nu si’lu ’i’ ni’ thut, “’uwu! nilh tthu na’nuts’a’ ’un’ si’lu Ken nilh ni’ wensh tthu wuxus sun’iw’ ’u tthu thi lelum’.” nuw’ na’num’tul’ ’ul’. hiyuna’tul’ ’ul’ ’eelhtun.
But that one grandfather said, “No! It was your grandfather Ken who threw the frogs into the longhouse.” And they kept arguing and blaming each other.
hay tthu ’een’thu ’uwu tsun niin’ lumnuhw. ’uwu te’ lhhwut nu shtatul’stuhw ni’ wensh tthey’ wuxus ni’ ’u tthu thi lelum’
As for me, I didn't see it. I don’t know who it was that threw those frogs in the longhouse.ni’ hay.
The end.