hwsteli hwulmuhw – Cowichan Valley Museum: Willie Seymour welcomes youth to the exhibit, June 24, 2015

Willie Seymour gives a short welcome in the Hul’q’umi’num’ language to the youth who are visiting the Cowichan Valley Museum exhibit hwsteli hwulmuhw Coast Salish canoe pullers. Duncan, British Columbia. June 24, 2015

 

’aa sii’em’ nu ts’lhmustimuhw, sii’em’ nu smun’eem,
Oh, my respected fellow-people, respected young people,

hay tseep q’u kwus ’i m’i tetsululup ’u tun’a kweyul, hwu’inamut.
thank you all for coming today, for managing to get here.

ts’elhum’ut tseep tse’ tthu sxwi’em’s tthu t’at mustimuhw.
You are going to hear the stories of the Elders of the past.

tthu sht’esulh kws ’i’shul’s ’u tthu sunihwulh,
how our people used to paddle on the canoe.

nilhulh snuhwulhs tthu t’at mustimuhw.
That was the vehicle in the olden days.

’uwu te’ shelhs.
There were no roads.

tun’a kweyul ’i’ nilh tthu snuhwulh ha’kwushut, s-hwunitum’a’lh.
Today, we use the white man’s vehicle.

 

Hul’q’umi’num’ Language and Culture Collective

2015