thuqulshunum’ | Rainbow
Jordana Seymour and Donald White are canoe pullers in the Rainbow canoe club, Stz’uminus, British Columbia. Delores Louie translates their story into Hul’q’umi’num’, a Coast Salish language.
thuqulshunum’ | Rainbow
by Jordana Seymour, Donald White, and Delores Louie
01. ’uy’ skweyul. ’een’thu Jordana Seymour, tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ shts’uminus, ’i’ ’een’thu Donald, tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ snuneymuhw.
Good day, I’m Jordana Seymour from Stz’uminus, and I’m Donald White from Snuneymuxw.
02. tthu sqwul’qwul’ tst nilh tthu shtuhim’s kwthu hwsteti’ hwulmuhw.
Our story is about Coast Salish canoe pullers.
03. ’i tst yu teti’ ’ula’ulh ’utl’ thuqulshunum’.
We paddle on the Rainbow.
04. st’ee ’uw’ niit hwu nuts’a’tul—tthu suw’wuy’qe’, slhunlheni’ ’i’ tthu stl’ul’iqulh.
It’s like we are one big family—the men, the ladies, and the young people.
05. mukw’ skweyul ’i’ ni’ tst t’uta’thut, ’i’ nem’ tst yu kwun’atul’ nem’ ’u tthu steti’.
Every day we train, and we go together to the canoe races.
06. tthu ’een’thu Donald ni’ tsun ’u tthu q’lhan sq’uq’a’ ’u tthu suw’wuy’qe’.
I, Donald, sit on bow for the men.
07. ’i’ tthu ’een’thu Jordana, ni’ tsun tl’uw’ ni’ ’u tthu q’lhan sq’uq’a’ ’u tthu slhunlheni’
And I, Jordana, sit on bow for the women.
08. tthu ni’ ’u tthu q’lhan nilh stsi’elh mustimuhw.
The person who sits up front is very important.
09. nilh tthu ni’ ’u tthu q’lhan nilh yu we’wutth’ ’u tthu snuhwulh ’u kws nem’s xatl’uthut.
It’s the bowsman who uses a prying stroke to help turn the canoe.
10. tthu ’een’thu Jordana ’i’ Donald ’i tst teti’ kwun’atul’ ’u tthu sma’muluqw hwyey’sul’u.
I, Jordana, and Donald race mixed doubles together.
11. tthu shtuhim’s tun’a teti’ ’i’ hay ’ul’ qux tthu snuw’uyulhs.
Paddling comes with a lot of important cultural teaching.
12. kwutst yu tetul’ ’u tthu syuw’en’ tst, hay tst ’ul’ tl’i’stuhw tthu snuw’uyulh.
We are following our family’s tradition, and we give the cultural teachings our highest respect.
13. hay tseep q’u, sii’em’ nu siiye’yu.
Thank you, my respected friends and relatives.