Little Wren

t̓ət̓emiyeʔ

Little Wren

(1)	təmx̌əyƛ̓ ʔi snet ʔi ɬəməxʷ.
	It was winter and dark and rainy.
	ʔəwɬ xʷe tθə sʔəɬtəns ʔəwɬ ʔəw̓k̓ʷ tθə sʔəɬtəns.
	The people found that they were running short of food and they were getting really hungry.
	ʔəxʷin̓ ʔəl̓ tθə sʔəɬtəns ʔi ni wəł ʔəw̓k̓ʷ.
	Because they had very little food to eat.

(2)	ʔəxʷin̓ sƛ̓iʔƛ̓qəł t̓ət̓emiyeʔ θə skʷixs.
	There was a little girl named t̓ət̓emiyeʔ.
	k̓ʷek̓ʷəy səsəw qʷel,
	She was hungry and so she spoke up,
	“nem̓ čxʷ wəyel̓x̌ k̓ʷ sʔəłtən.
	“Maybe you should go hunt for some food.
	ʔəwɬ xʷe yən̓a siyal̓əxʷə.
	The Elders are very hungry.
	tθe steʔexʷəɬ wəɬ sc̓ec̓ən̓ ʔəw xʷe.”
	The children are very hungry.”

(3)	hay tθe səwwəy̓qeʔ ʔəw xʷneneyəm ʔal̓ ʔe:ɬtən.
	But the men only laughed at her.
	“ʔəw ʔi:xʷ… ʔi:xʷ ʔəw̓ sc̓ec̓ən̓ ʔəw̓ k̓ʷek̓ʷiʔ, nəcim kʷəθ ʔəwəɬ nem̓ yəlx̌əm k̓ʷ sʔəɬtən tə nəwə.”
	“If you are so hungry, why don’t you go out and hunt for some food yourself?”
	sisəw qʷel θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ, “ʔəy.̓ ʔəwə cən ʔi:n siʔsiʔ.
	So Little Wren replied, “Good. I am not afraid.
	nem̓ cən ceʔ yel̓x̌əm k̓ʷ sʔəɬtən, ʔəɬtənəstəxʷ tθə steʔexʷəɬ ʔi tθə siyal̓əxʷə.”
	I will find some food to feed the children and the Elders.”

(4)	nəw̓ na:nc̓ə ʔal̓ kʷəs nem̓ he:w̓ə, ʔəwə kʷs siʔsiʔs.
	So she went out hunting all alone, not afraid of anything.
	ʔəwə ni:s yəcakʷ kʷəs yəʔim̓əx ʔiwɬ k̓ʷəcnəxʷəs tθə q̓əyiʔəc.
	She had not gone very far before she spotted a moose.
	sisəw ɬxiləx θə q̓em̓iʔ kʷeyx̌təs tθə t̓əlt̓eləw̓s.
	She stood in front of him and flapped her wings.
	θi tθə q̓əyiʔəc ʔi ʔəxʷin̓ q̓eq̓m̓iʔ.
	The moose was very large and the little girl was small.

(5)	səw k̓ʷəcnəxʷəs kʷəs kʷeyx̌təs tθə t̓ələw̓s.
	He saw this small thing, flapping her wings.
	səsəw ɬq̓el̓təs, “ʔi čxʷ ʔa: cəkʷtam̓ətʔ”
	And he asked, “What are you supposed to be doing?”
	sisəw qʷel θə t̓ət̓əmiyeʔ, “ʔi cən mə he:w̓ə!”
	Little Wren answered, “I’m in fact hunting!”

(6)	səsəw neyəm ʔal̓ wəneyəm ʔal̓ xʷnayəməs ʔal̓ kʷəs neyəm, neyəmətəs θə q̓eq̓m̓iʔ.
	The moose laughed and laughed, grinned and laughed, laughing at the girl.
	sisəw qʷəx̌ʷnamət θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ
	This made Little Wren very angry.
	“ʔəwə čxʷ ney̓əm̓əxʷ!
	“Don’t laugh at me!
	ʔi cən ʔi ʔə tən̓a kʷəns q̓a:yθamə.”
	I am here to kill you.”

(7)	səsəw štəyaθən tθə q̓əyiʔəc, sisəw θət, “sk̓ʷey, sk̓ʷey kʷəθ q̓a:yθam̓x.”
	And the moose retorted, saying, “No, you you can’t kill me.”
	sisəw xʷtəyaθən θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ, “heee ʔeq̓, x̌ʷəm x̌ʷəm cən q̓a:yθamə.”
	And Little Wren retorted, “Oh, yes, indeed, I can kill you.”

(8)	sisəw ɬak̓ʷ, nem̓ tə məqsəns, kʷətxʷi-i-iləm nem̓ tθe məqsəns.
	And then she flew into his nose, right into his nose.
	heʔsəm, sisəw ɬxʷatəs θə sƛiʔƛqəɬ.
	Sneezing, he spit the little girl out.
	sisəw neyəm ʔal̓ wəneyəm ʔal̓ tθə qəyiʔəc.
	The moose laughed and laughed.
	“ʔəw̓ nan čxʷ ʔal̓ ʔəxʷin̓.
	“You are too small.
	sk̓ʷey kʷəθ q̓a:yθam̓x.”
	You cannot hurt me.”

(9)	“Oooo x̌ʷəm cən m̓eʔ q̓a:yθamə.”
	“Oh, yes I can kill you.”
	ʔəwə kʷs hays kʷs t̓ət̓aʔθəts.
	She wouldn’t stop trying.
	nəwɬ łəq̓əlləxʷəs kʷəs sc̓ec̓ən ʔəw̓ k̓ʷəlak̓ʷiʔ tθə siyal̓əxʷə.
	She knew that the Elders were really hungry.

(10)	sisəw ɬak̓ʷ kʷətxʷiləmətəs tθə q̓ʷi:n̓s tθə q̓əyiʔəc.
	So she flew into the moose’s ear.
	sisəw ƛ̓a kʷeyx̌təs ʔəl̓ tθə sx̌əy̓əss.
	And then he shook his head.
	sisəw mi hiləm θə sƛ̓iʔƛ̓qəɬ.
	And the little girl fell out.
	neyəm ʔal̓ tθə q̓ayiʔəc, “ʔi cən ʔəw xʷi:ntstamə?
	The moose laughed, “Whatever did I tell you?
	sk̓ʷey kʷəθ q̓a:yθam̓x.”
	You cannot kill me.”

(11)	sisəw štəyaθən θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ, “q̓a:yθamə cən!”
	But Little Wren retorted, “I will kill you!”
	ʔəwə kʷs hays kʷs t̓ət̓aʔθəts
	She didn’t stop trying.
	sisəw ɬak̓ʷ kʷətxʷiləm θə qələm̓s.
	So then she flew into his eye.
	sisəw ɬəpx̌nəxʷ sisəw mi hiləm θə sƛiʔƛqəɬ.
	And he blinked and the little girl fell out.
	sisəw neyəm ʔal̓ tθə q̓ayiʔəc, “sk̓ʷey kʷəθ q̓a:yθam̓x!”
	The moose just laughed, “You cannot kill me!”

(12)	sisəw štəyaθən θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ, “x̌ʷəm cən m̓eʔ! x̌ʷəm cən m̓eʔ q̓a:yθamə!”
	But Little Wren retorted, “Oh yes I can. I can kill you!
	səsəw ney̓əm̓, ney̓əm̓, “Ha, Ha!”
	The moose was laughing and laughing, “Ha, Ha!”
	θəw̓ t̓ət̓emiyeʔ xʷiyənem̓ətəs tθeʔ.
	This is what the Little Wren was listening for.
	sisəw ɬak̓ʷ nem̓ kʷətxʷiləm tθə θaθəns.
	She flew right into his mouth.
	sisəw ɬak̓ʷ, ɬak̓ʷ, kʷətxʷiləm, kʷətxʷiləm.
	She flew down, down.
	sisəw ƛ̓pil nem̓ tθə šxʷʔəθqəns.
	She went deep into his throat.
	ƛ̓pil ƛ̓pil sisəw kʷənnəxʷəs tθə t̓ᶿeləs.
	She went down his throat and grabbed his heart.

(13)	sisəw kʷən̓etəs sisəw ʔənəxʷ tθə t̓ᶿeləs.
	She held on and his heart stopped.
	sisəw “əəəx!” sisəw q̓ay.
	And he went “ARRGH!” and died.
	ni hiləm sisəw q̓ay.
	He dropped down dead.
	sɬeɬəq̓ ʔəl̓ niʔ tə θqət.
	He lay on the ground under the trees.

(14)	sisəw mi ɬak̓ʷ təl̓liʔ tə sɬəlnəc.
	She flew out the moose’s butt.
	sisəw ɬak̓ʷ nem̓ sc̓əc̓eʔ tə q̓ayiʔəc.
	And she flew over and stood on the moose.
	“Ahh! ni cən q̓a:yt kʷθə q̓ayiʔəc.”
	“Holy cow! I really did kill the moose.”

(15)	sisəw nem̓ ɬak̓ʷ nem̓ t̓ak̓ʷ θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ
	Little Wren flew home.
	“mi čxʷ c̓əwəθam̓x nem̓ t̓ək̓ʷstəxʷ kʷθə ni:n q̓a:yt.”
	“Please come and help me carry home what I’ve killed.”
	sisəw neyəm ʔal̓ tθə səww̓aləs.
	The young men just laughed.
	“ʔi scekʷəl kʷθəθ q̓a:yt ʔi ni nan ʔəw̓ ʔəxʷin̓ʔ”
	“How could you kill anything when you are so small?”

(16)	sisəw θət tə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ, “ni cən ʔəw̓ sc̓ec̓ən̓ ʔəw̓ q̓a:yt.
	And Little Wren said, “I really killed it.
	ni cən q̓a:yt.
	I killed it.
	mi čxʷ k̓ʷecət kʷəs wəɬ q̓aq̓iʔ.”
	Come see that it’s dead.”

(17)	sisəw neyəm ʔal̓ tθə səww̓aləs.
	The young men just laughed.
	sisəw xʷtəyəθən tθə sɬənɬeniʔ sisəw yəθəstəs θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ,
	And the women retorted and told Little Wren,
	“ʔi cən ʔəwɬ q̓el̓θamə. ʔəw̓ θəʔit čxʷ. ni čxʷ q̓a:yt.
	“I believe you. You’re telling the truth. You killed it.
	nem cən ceʔ cəkʷələl̓qəm̓.”
	I will follow you.”

(18)	θə sɬeniʔ, sisəw nem̓ k̓ʷecətəs kʷθə q̓ayiʔəc sɬeɬəq̓ niʔ tə təməxʷ.
	That lady, she saw the moose lying on the ground.
	sisəw nem̓ x̌ʷənxenəm nem̓ t̓ak̓ʷ.
	And so she went running home.
	“ʔəw θəʔit! ʔəw θəʔit. nə q̓ay! nə q̓a:ytəs!
	“It’s true! It’s true! It’s dead! She killed it!
	niʔ q̓aynəm ʔəƛ̓ t̓ət̓emiyeʔ!”
	Little Wren has managed to kill it.”

(19)	sisəw nem̓ cəkʷələl̓qəm̓ mək̓ʷ tθə səww̓əyqeʔ.
	So all the men followed her.
	sisəw ni ʔə tθey̓ ɬxiləx θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ, sc̓əc̓eʔ kʷθə ni q̓a:ytəs.
	There was Little Wren standing on top of the thing she killed.
	sc̓əc̓iq̓ mək̓ʷ ʔe:ɬtən kʷs nans ʔəl̓ ʔəw ʔəxʷin̓ θə t̓ət̓emiyeʔ ʔi ni q̓a:ytəs kʷθə θi q̓ayiʔəc.
	Everyone was astonished that tiny Little Wren had killed a big moose.

(20)	sisəw hakʷəxəs ɬə ɬəc̓təns sisəw ɬic̓ətəs sisəw t̓əkʷstxʷəs.
	And they used the knives to cut it up and take it home.
	k̓ʷin sweyəl kʷəs ʔəɬtənnamət.
	They were able to eat for many days.
	k̓ʷəm̓k̓ʷəm̓ šxʷqʷeləwəns kʷs q̓a:yts kʷθe.
	She had to be really determined to kill that.
	sc̓ec̓ən̓ ʔəw ʔəxʷin̓ t̓ət̓emiyeʔ ʔi k̓ʷəm̓k̓ʷəm̓ kʷəs c̓ec̓əw̓ətəs ʔe:łtən kʷs ʔəɬtənnaməts.
	Little Wren was really small but was strong enough to help them have food to eat.

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Hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ story translated by Josephine Good (2 August 2013) from the English version of a story by Mel Bailey. It was transcribed by Donna Gerdts, Mercedes Hinkson, and Barb Joe, edited by Donna Gerdts (June 2014), and proofread by Delores Louie. The sound file that accompanies this story was edited by Donna Gerdts (1 July 2014).

Revised 2014-07-10. .