Section 14.4 Gitxsan - TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI GANHL GWILA’L’T SIM MAA’Y
Written by: Veselin Jungic, Bethani L'Heureux, and Betty Willson
Illustrated by: Bethani L'Heureux
Gitxsan translation by: Jeanne Harris, Barbara Harris Sennott, and Catherine Blackstock
G̲AN WILA HA’TAG̲UM T’IHLXW’S TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
GII’IHL GWINEEKXW’M SA AHL MAADIM IIT YEEX̲SDIS TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABIHL TS’IITS’T
One cool winter day, Small Number visited his Grandma.
HANII G̲OOTS TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI JI’T AP TS’IITS’T K̲’AYA AMA JAMI’T LAX HANII JOK̲
For Small Number (he thinks), his Grandma is the best cook in the world (earth).
WILAAYIS TS’IITS’T TSUUSXW’M G̲ABI WIL’T IXSTATINHL IIJAM ANAAX II SAG̲OOTXWS’T DIM’T JAPHL IIJAM ANAAX, DIMX̲ SILKXWSA DIIT
Grandma knows that bannock is Small Number’s favourite treat, so she decides to make bannock for lunch.
ALG̲AL’T TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI YUKW’T TWA’LIXS TS’IITS’T ANAAX, MO’ON GANHL ESPOWDA TS’IM ‘WII WO’OS
Small Number watches Grandma as she mixes the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
IIT LUU TAHLIHLS TS’IITS’T T’ILIX T’SIM SA ANAAX’T IIT LUU’T SAG̲AY’T TWA’LIXS’T IIT HOX HAX̲SMAX HUGWIL’Y LUU ‘TAHL DIT T’SIM AKS IIT TWA’LIXS’T
Then Grandma adds oil into the mixture (bread) and whisks the ingredients together (with a fork), gradually adding water and stirring.
TS’IITS, HINDAHL WIN GAN WIHL NEMDIIN GYA’AHL GABIHL G̲ASG̲OOHL ANAAX, MO’ON GANHL ESPOWDAS LUU ‘TAHL DIN T’SIM WO’OS
“Grandma, how come that you didn’t measure how much flour, salt, and baking powder you put into the bowl?”
HINDA NA WIL HLIMOO’S NOX’Y AHL JAM HASAK̲’T NEEDIM DIIN TAK DIM’N LUU ‘TAHLIHL DAHL LIGI AGWI GILBIL AH DIM DIP WIL LA LUU YUXWHL ALGAX DII YA’T TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI
“When I help my mom with cooking, she asks me to measure everything two times so that she is sure that we follow the recipe” says Small Number.
MUMK̲’T TS’IITS
Grandma smiles:
AP LIP WILA’Y
“I know it myself”
WILAA’YHL G̲ASG̲OOHL ANAAX GANHL G̲ASG̲OOHL MO’ON DIM HO’Y AHL LIGI GILBIL, LIGI XWSDINS , LIGI K’AP II LIGI X̲BIL GYAT
“I know how many handfuls of flour and how many pinches of salt I need if I am making bannock for two, five, ten, or fifty people.”
ANSIWILAAKINSXW’Y NIM JAPHL ANNAX AHL WILA WIS NOX̲’S NOX̲’Y – DII YA’T TS’IITS
“I learned how to make bannock from my mom’s mom,” continues Grandma.
MAHL DIT LOO’Y DIM WIL XWSDINS ANAAX DIM HO’Y, II SGIDIM TX̲ALPXHL AN’ON’M ANAAX NII’Y
“She taught (told) me that (to make) for five pieces of bannock, I would need four handfuls of flour.”
NEEDII HUGWAHL DII SA’ ANAAX’Y AHL DII JAP’T
“My bannock is not half as good as hers were.”
GIDII HETXW’T TS’IITS IIT GY’A’S TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI
Grandma stops and looks at Small Number:
SIM GYAA SIIP’IN’IIT TS’IITS IIT HOTI’T SIIP’IN’S TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI
“I loved my Grandma very much and she loved me the same way I love you, Small Number.”
‘NII MANIS TS’IITS ANAAX LAX HANII TOS’T IIT ‘NII MAAGAHL WO’OS’M ANAAX LAX HANII TOS
Grandma dusted a part of the kitchen counter with flour and moved the dough from the bowl to the counter (cupboard).
IIT HUGWIL’Y ‘TISHL ANAAX
Then she started to gently knead the dough.
NEEMA AM G̲OOHL LIXS T’AA GY’A’M G̲OOHL WILPS GIMXDII YUKW DIP SIL JOK’T GI SINT AA?
“Do you remember the island that we could see from the porch of my sister's house when we stayed with her last summer?”
KWOO DI YEE’IST DIP TS’IITS ‘NII’Y GOOHL LIXS T’AA. HOX DIITHL ‘MAL DIM HLIMOODIIT DIM WILA’T TAAHL DIITHL MAA’Y: NISK̲’O’O, II SIM ‘MAA’Y, II MII GUNT, II TS’UUSXWA SIM MAA’Y , GANHL ‘MIYAHL
“When I was your age, my grandma and grandpa (grandparents) would take me in their canoe to the island to help them collect all kinds (the) of berries: thimbleberries, huckleberries, wild strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.”
BASAG̲ANS TS’IITSHL ANAAX TSIM K̲’OO’LT DIM HLIT’
Grandma divided the dough into six balls
IIT SIT’A DIM’T BAHLX̲’N AHL TS’IM AN’ON’T
and started flattening the first ball with the palm of her hand.
KWOO WOK’T NU’UM GOOHL LAX LIXS T’AA
“We would stay overnight on the island.”
GUU ANT’IMAHLASXW DIP YE’E GANT TS’IITS
“Both my Grandpa and my Grandma were great storytellers.”
AM G̲OOT’Y WIL KWOO WAN’M ‘K̲AP STI DIIT LAX TS’EEHLX AKS (BESIDE THE WATERS EDGE) YUKW NA GYA’YHL BILUST, II YUKW NA LAX NIHL ANT’IMAHLASXW’N AHL WILA WIS DIP G̲ANI YE’E
“I remember sitting (with them) between them on the beach, staring (looking) at the stars and listening their stories about the ways of our ancestors.”
LUU TAHL DIS TS’IITS ‘TILIX ANDA IIJASXW II’T SA MIHL DIHL SDUUP
Grandma put the oil in the frying pan, turned the stove burner on.
TSUUSXW’M GIB’Y’T DIM WIL GYAMPHL ANDA IIJASXW IIT LUU ‘TAAHLIHL K̲’OO’LT’ TSIM ANAAX
(She) waited a few minutes and then placed each of the six pieces of dough in the pan.
II HLAAT XSI DOOX’TS TS’IITS ANAAX IIT LUU DOOX’T TSIM ANDA IIJASXW
When Grandma took the bannock from the frying pan
II’T NII DOOX’T LAX HA’GYMGYASW SA’WNSXW TS’AK’
and put them on a paper towel lined plate
SIM W’ALK̲A ‘NITHL IIJAM ANAAX MOOJA X̲SLOGA LO’OPXW’T
each piece of bannock looked golden brown.
HANEEK DIS TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI IIJAM ANAAX II’T AATIX WIL A YEEHL GOOT’T
Small Number could smell the freshly fried bannock and he felt his heart beating faster.
II YEE’T G̲OOS TS’IITS’T II’T LUU DA’MIHLXWSHL TS’IITS II HET “HAA’MII’YA TS’IITS’Y”
He went to Grandma and gave her a hug, (and said) “Thank you, Grandma.”
SKIDIM DIP GIBA DIM WIL TS’UUSXW’M GWINEEK̲XWHL IIJAM ANAAX
“We need to wait a bit until the bannock cools down.”
II YUKWHL GIBE’ESXW’M, GWI DIM LISEEX’M AHL GWIDIM GITAG̲ASXW’M AS TS’IITS NAGWAT GI
“So, while we are waiting, let’s think about a question that my Grandma asked me a long time ago.”
HLO’OHL BAGADIL’THL NIGWOOT’M SMAX GANHL BAGADIL’THL HLGUUHL’M GYAT’M SMAX II SAKS DIIT TSIM SPAGYAT G̲AN DIM DIIT AN SIM’MAA’Y SUUDIIT AM KI’I’THL MII’YAHL
“Two father bears and two son bears go to the bushes (forest) to get a (huckle) berry each.”
AM GWILALHL MAA’IHL MANIT II DIM’T GUBHL MAHLA KI’I’HL SMAX AM KI’I’HL MAA’Y
“There are only three berries left, but each bear gets to eat one.”
HINDAHL WILA HUGWAX’T AH, TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI?
“Small Number, how is that true?”
YUK’T AM GOOS TS’UUSXW’M G̲ABI’HL GITAG̲ASXW’M. IIT LAX NIIHL AME’S TS’IITS’T
Small Number was still thinking about Grandma’s question when he heard Grandma’s voice:
AM JI DIP GUPHL ANNAX GANHL ‘MII GUNT’M MANASXW (TO SPREAD)
“Now, shall we snack on some bannock with strawberry jam?”
HINDAHL G̲AABIHL AN’ON’M ANAAX DIM HOY’M DIM DIP JAPHL K̲O’O’LTHL ANAAX
Question: How many handfuls of flour did Grandma need to make six pieces of bannock?
HINDA DIM ‘T WILA BA SA G̲ANHL BAG̲ADIL’THL NIGWOOT’M SMAX GANHL BAG̲ADIL’THL HLGUUHL’M SMAX GWLAL’THL SIM’MAA’Y
Also, how could two father bears and two son bears share three (huckle) berries equally?
