snxʷmeneʔ nqʷlqʷeltn
6190 Agency Loop Road
PO Box 100
Wellpinit, WA 99040
Spokane Tribe Language and Culture
509-258-4222
ƛ̓uxʷ šey̓ lʔe n šiyulexʷ We have always walked this land
Albert Sam
łuʔ tn̓ q̓sípiʔ sqʷel̓lum̓t
A Long Ago Legend
Narrated by Orten Ford
Illustrated by Annette Peone
łuʔ tn q̓sípiʔ u qe cułlt
From long ago we were told
hi kʷen̓t u xʷrip łuʔ st̓úlixʷ. pspast! hi mtmutlš, mtmutlš, mtmutlš! šʔit u č̓ ʔec̓éwt.
Suddenly the ground shook. It was astounding! It bubbled, bubbled, and bubbled! From the first to the last.
šétmiʔst łiʔé sqélixʷ. hec caʔcaʔcáʔi, hec coʔcʔóti.
The people ran helter-skelter. They were sobbing and wailing.
kʷen̓t łx̣ʷłx̣ʷpúleʔxʷ łiʔe st̓úlixʷ, y̓e hec mq̓ʷmoq̓ʷ.
Then the ground and mountains tore apart.
kʷen̓t šeʔ u hec nt̓itipmí, nexʷ y̓e xʷixʷey̓úł, hec c̓lc̓il, hecyáʕ̓ stem̓.
Then they were all falling in, also the animals, the trees, everything.
kʷen̓t łiʔé hec st̓rt̓réʔi, hec ̓uwéčnti, hec t̓ipéysi, hoy per̓t łuʔ st̓úlixʷ.
Then it was thundering and lightening, it was raining, and the earth flooded.
y̓e č̓ ʔec̓éw̓t, mis ttwit u mis šéšutm čcnweʔxʷ u č̓n̓šic n čq̓ʷulsmn. tl̓ s̓e u hec ʔáʔac̓c̓x̣.
In the end, and older boy and an older girl met each other and reached Mt. Spokane. From there they watched.
hoy weʔ t̓ʔul̓. hec nsoʕʷ łuʔ sewłkʷ.
Things improved. The water drained.
u wíʔičis č̓ ʔišút u hec mʕʷop. xʷuy u wíʔičis y̓e qʷamqʷmt st̓ipmétkʷ hu łuʔ sƛ̓x̣etkʷ.
They saw flowing water down below. They went and saw this beautiful waterfall and its rapids.
"heh, ʔení! stem̓ łišéʔ nt̓yšetkʷ? smłič! snxʷméneʔ! "
"Oh! What is that crawling in the water? A salmon! A steelhead!"
še huł smłič u xʷlʔil. u kʷen̓t tl̓ še čsel uł sic łuʔ snxʷméneʔi, łuʔ sntuʔtʔúlixʷi, u łuʔ scqescíłni.
From those salmon they got life, and from those two arose the Middle Spokane, the Upper Spokane, and the Lower Spokane peoples.