Kusi Kwändür

Kwadąy du ha ch’ew hazhan

Dak’àan dats’ān ye lhu ka hakeyi tambäy yū ayet haye.

A long time ago a man and his wife would sit by the shore fishing.

—

Mats’ān nech’u ga dedan ntl’e neya däw lhu ka dech’ar ak’ą tl’e,

dedan nech’u mats’ān ayetäw adäw

lhaka hech’u lhach’i nech’u ule ch’i

The man’s wife sleeps at night while he sits and fishes, when he sleeps his wife fishes, one at a time they sleep.

—

Lhach’i k’e lhu ka adäw ayū

Ayet hazhe dak’àan adäw ahäw ntl’e dak’àan dats’an kenye shana!

hak’e hanäw "dan ch’en nch’en ’you know’"

While the man sits at night catching one fish at a time, a young person comes to him, and that’s when the young man says, “what are you doing?”

—

Hak’e hanäw ayet dak’àan k’e ayet gali k’e ye nch’enäw?

That’s when the young man said, “what are you doing?”

—

galį or dak’àn ayetäw ade lhu ka,

“lhu ka ich’i dazhąw ídäw! Lhu ich’ar k’e"

hak’e, "ayet t’äw ich’e kwayinji’u "

The old man says, “I sit here to fish so that we two can live.”

—

Hak’e ’I know how, you know’

"Ttth’e nch’įą? tth’e nch’įą? Nenāl ūsi ni, you know"

Then he says “I know how you know, do you have sinew, do you have sinew? I will show you how to make it."

—

"Aghāy tth’e ich’i."

“Yes I have sinew.”

—

"Nda da męl ulhe ni ayet lhu ye daghäy"

"Come with me, I’ll show you how to make a snare to catch fish.”

LISTEN TO RECORDINGS BELOW

Painting, Spiders Morning, by Däk’älämą, Jocelyn Joe-Strack

As told by Tuduwat / Polly Frazer and translated by Khâsha Reid and Chughāla Allen of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

‘you know’ ntäy ye chų man kų ts’àn ayetäw ayet,

chemęl daghą asi lhu uye gha katl’u k’e ayi tthe hu ha shäwthan chemęl yeghą asu

He took him to the brush camp and there the man made a net for him. He made floaters and tied rocks for the bottom, he made a good net for him.

—

Hak'e yaläw "Juk dazhan chedítl'u nghą

“Then, go. I will set it for you.”

—

ayetäw utlʼäy lhu k’edínlel aju aju ntl’e nedíndal ahu ak’ą,

akų natsi da chemęl chemęl uye ch’e, you know"

“There you will net lots of fish, no more sitting up at night, now you know how to make it. It’s called a fishnet.”

—

hak’e yeghą chintl’u ayet

jųts’e’i  ch’ets’etl’u  jų het’ą k’e ntl’e ch’u

That’s when he showed him which way to set the net.

—

maghą nan zha ultäy lhu maku dadal

Early tomorrow morning when you check the net, there will be lots of fish.

—

ultäy lhu k’edínyel̨ nenu k’e aghāy dakuchʼe

“Yes it’s a fishnet”, he told him, “youʼre going to net many fish.”

—

hak’e hanäw "meyenjia mą ich’enäw?"

That’s when he said, "do you know who I am?"

—

hak’e hanäw, dak’àan k’e "Aju mą nch’en?"

That’s when the man said, “no, who are you?”

—

"I am, kusi ích’e anu kusi íchʼe kwaka, ích’e a’an

jąw kʼanída achemęl niʼenäw ayet tsʼu gada atl’u yenitthʼäy

"awww nan ch’i na yenu gunischiss"

yeʼen nachʼetlʼäw ayet

“I am spider, I saw you from my spider web on that tree,” he said. Holy, so it is you! Thank you. Then he went back.