’een’thu yuxwule’ | I am eagle

Story by Ruby Peter & Cim MacDonald

Photos by Cim MacDonald

Voice by Delores Louie

Sound recording by Leona Louie

Sound editing by Donna Gerdts, Leona Louie, & Lauren Schneider

eBook production by Michelle Parent

Hul’q’umi’num’ language editing by Donna Gerdts & Ruby Peter

Produced by Donna Gerdts & Lauren Schneider

’een’thu yuxwule’. 

hay tsun ’ul’ kw’am’kw’um’ thuhiws.

xisul’ tsun ’i’ tl’i’stelum.

ni’ ch lunnam’sh kwunus nem’ lhalukw’ tsitsulh ’u tthu hwthuthiqut.nem’ tsun tseelhtun ni’ ’u tthu sta’luw’ ’i’ tthu kw’atl’kwu.

I am a great bald eagle. 

I am a big and strong bird. 

I am very fierce and important.

You will see me flying above the forest and fields.

I fish in the rivers and the saltwater.

lemut tthunu shlhekwul’s.

’e’ut luluts’alus ’i’ ’e’ut spuy’qsun’.

nilh ni’ ha’kwusheen’ kwunus lhishut tthunu s’ulhtun.yuse’lu tthu shqwuqwe ’u tthunu shlhakwul’s.

Look at my beak. 

It is yellow and hooked at the end.

I use it to tear my food.

My beak has two nostrils.

kw’am’kw’um’ thunu quqi’lum’.

tsakw tthu ni’ le’lum’nuhween’ — lhihw xut’ustum’ kilometers.

xelu thunu shlhepnuhw ni’ st’i’am’ ’u thunu qulum’

tthu shhw’unuhws tthu spkw’um, stsuhwum.

My eyes are very sharp. 

I can see very far—3 kilometers.

I have a special film that slides across my eye 

and it protects it from dust and wind.

hay ’ul’ ’uw’ ’i’ya’th tthunu qw’xwa’luw’tsus.

nilh ni’ nu shxixumut tthunu shun’tsu

’i’ nilh nuw’ yu nu shkwun’et kwunus ni’ yu lhalhukw’.

ni’ tuw’ skw’akw’uhwum’ tthunu qw’xwa’luw’shun 

nilh ni’ nu shkwukwun’ut tthu lhixwum’ stseelhtun.

My talons are sharp like a razor.

I use them to grab my prey 

and hold them while flying.

On my toes there are rough bumps 

that help me hold on to slippery salmon.

hay ’ul’ tl’eqt tthunu t’ult’eluw’, t’xum sxun’u kws tl’eqt-s.

nilh tthunu t’ult’eluw’ ni’ ha’kwusheen’ kwunus ni’ yu ya’yul’uqwal’s, sel’ts’. 

hay tsun ’ul’ xwum kwunus lhakw’.

ha’ tsun ni’ tulshun ’u tthu stsuhwum, 

’i’ ni’ te’tssulhshe’ kilometers tthu nuts’a’ tintun.

My wings are very long–when I spread them out, they are six feet long.

I use my wings to hover and circle. 

I can fly very fast.

When I ride the wind, I can go 80 kilometers an hour.

’i tsun wulh kw’ey’. ’uy’ kwunus nem’ tseelhtun.

nem’ tsun lhakw’ yu stutes ’u tthu qa’.

nilh tthunu qw’xwa’luw’shun m’i nu shximut thu stseelhtun tun’ni’ ’u tthu qa’.

nilh tse’ nu shtahw shkweyulqun.

I am hungry. It’s time to go fishing.

I fly low over the water.

I grab a little fish out of the water with my powerful talons.It will be my lunch.

huye’stuhw tthunu shun’tsu nem’ ’u tthu thqet kwunus lhuyxt.

nilh tthunu shlhekwul’s ni’ nu shlhishut, hwu mumun’lh.

’ee hey! tl’lim’ thu’it nan ’uw’ ’uy’.

nilh hay ’ul’ ’uy’st-hween’ nu s’ultun tthu stseelhtun.

ni’ tsun thulh tl’uw’ lhuyxt thu sqw’ulesh.

I take my catch to a tree to eat it.

I tear the fish into small pieces with my beak.

It tastes very good, indeed!

Salmon is my favorite food, 

but I also eat birds.

’i tsun tstsetsuhwum’ ’u thunu sta’lus.

’i tsun sxixum’stuhw thunu stsehwtun.

’i tst yu lhakw’lhukw’ kwust yu sal’q’tul’ ni’ ’u tthu skweyul. 

ni’ tst tse’ ’uw’ kwun’atul’ kws thuyuw’t-hwum tst.

I am courting my mate.

I grab her with my talons.

We swirl around and around in the sky.

We will soon build a nest together.

hay ’ul’ thi’ tthu ni’ thuythut tun’ni’ ’u tthu shts’ustutsus.   

’i’ ni’ ’u tthu hay ’ul’ tsitsulh ’u tthu thqet.

mukw’ sil’anum ’i’ ’uw’ nuts’us ’ul’ thu tth’utth’uxals, ts’uhwle’ ’i’ yusa’lus. 

ni’ tst ’iya’qtul ’i’ thunu sta’lus kwutst le’lumuy’lh ’u tthu yuxwule’allh.

We build a really large nest made up of branches. 

And it is very high up in the tree. 

Each year there will be one egg—or sometimes two.

My mate and I take turns watching over the eaglet.

yath ’uw’ kw’ekw’i’ tthu yuxwule’allh ’i’ xwum ts’isums.

ni’ tsun xulhust tthu yiy’xwule’ ’u tthu stseelhtun.

’i’ ni’ tsun ts’ut’qw’ulhtsut.

ni’ yul’ew’ kwthu yusa’lus lhqel’ts’ ’i’ ni’ wulh lhakw’.

Our eaglet is very, very hungry, and grows very fast.

I feed salmon to our eaglet.

I have to tear it apart for him.

After two months, the eaglet will learn to fly.

kwunus ’i’ ’uw’ hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’iilh ’uw’ sma’mul’uqw ’ul’ tthunu stl’qeen, tumlhalus ’i’ tthu p’uq’.

tun’a st’e ’u tthey’ ’i’ ni’ tsun hwu tsq’xalus. ni’ tsun wulh yuse’lu sil’anum ’i’ yelh sus hwu p’uq’ tthunu sxuy’us.

When I was young, all my feathers were mottled,

 brown and white.

Now my body is all dark.

I was two years old before my head turned white.

 kwunus ’i’ ’uw’ hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’iilh ’uw’ sma’mul’uqw ’ul’ tthunu stl’qeen, tumlhalus ’i’ tthu p’uq’.

tun’a st’e ’u tthey’ ’i’ ni’ tsun hwu tsq’xalus. 

ni’ tsun wulh yuse’lu sil’anum ’i’ yelh sus hwu p’uq’ tthunu sxuy’us.

When I was young, all my feathers were mottled,

 brown and white.

Now my body is all dark.

I was two years old before my head turned white.

kwunus ’i’ ’uw’ hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’iilh ’uw’ sma’mul’uqw ’ul’ tthunu stl’qeen, tumlhalus ’i’ tthu p’uq’.

tun’a st’e ’u tthey’ ’i’ ni’ tsun hwu tsq’xalus. 

ni’ tsun wulh yuse’lu sil’anum ’i’ yelh sus hwu p’uq’ tthunu sxuy’us.

When I was young, all my feathers were mottled,

 brown and white.

Now my body is all dark.

I was two years old before my head turned white.

tun’a lhnimulh yuxwule’ ’i’ ’uy’stuhw tst kws kwikwun’tul’ tst.

ni’ tst tl’uw’ kwintulstuhw tthuw’ mukw’ sqw’ulesh.

kwintulstuhw tsun tu’i stl’i’tl’qulh.

nilh tse’ shkw’am’kw’um’s ’i’ xisul’.

We eagles like to fight each other.

We fight with all kinds of other birds.

I will fight this young one. 

This will prepare him to be fierce.

tun’a lhnimulh yuxwule’ ’i’ ’uy’stuhw tst kws kwikwun’tul’ tst.

ni’ tst tl’uw’ kwintulstuhw tthuw’ mukw’ sqw’ulesh.

kwintulstuhw tsun tu’i stl’i’tl’qulh.

nilh tse’ shkw’am’kw’um’s ’i’ xisul’.

We eagles like to fight each other.

We fight with all kinds of other birds.

I will fight this young one. 

This will prepare him to be fierce.

hey’! nilh nu swe’ nu st’epi’!

kwintalu tst kwu’elh ’u tthey’!

m’i tsun meq’um tun’ni’ ’u tthun’ slhuq’we’lh.

nilh kwthu tl’hwunuq, nilh hwu tswe’ ’u tthu st’epi’.

Hey! That is my snag! 

We’ll fight for it! 

I swoop down on your back.

The one who wins owns the snag.

yath tst ’uw’ q’aptul’ ni’ ’u tthu sta’luw’ ’u kws wulh tetsuls tthu stseelhtun.

qux tst shts’unets ’u tthu thuthiqut.

tum’kw’a’luhw ’i’ ni’ tst ’aluxut tthu kw’a’luhw ’u kwsus wulh m’i hwiwul.

kwus wulh yu qw’iqw’ul’us ’i’ ni’ tst ’aluxut tthu stth’aqwi’ ’u kwsus wulh m’i hwiwul.

We gather together along the river when the salmon arrive.

Many of us are sitting in the trees.

In autumn, we catch the dog salmon when they are going upriver 

In the springtime, we catch the spring salmon when they are going upriver.

hay tsun ’uw’ ’uy’stuhw tthu stseelhtun.

tl’lim’ tsun ’uw’ ’aw’kw’t tthu stseelhtun.

ni’ ’uw’kw t-hway ’ul’ tthu stth’am’.

yu qutl’umul’ tthu stth’am’ ’u tthu tumuhw.

I really like salmon.

I eat every bit of the salmon.

There is nothing left but bones.

The bones fall to the ground.

lhnimulh yuxwule’, thithu tst ’i’ kw’am’kw’um’.

lhnimulh ’uw’ shsi’em’s tthu hwthuthiqut.

’uy’stuhw tst tthu lelum’ tst ni’ ’u tthu s-hwulmuhwa’lh tumuhw. 

nan ’uw’ xe’xe’ tl’i’stalum ’u tthu hwulmuhw mustimuhw

We eagles are big and powerful birds.

We are the rulers of the forest.

We love our home in the First Nations territory. 

We are a sacred bird to the First Nations people .

ni’ hay.

hay steep q’u.

The end.

Thank you.