snxʷmeneʔ nqʷlqʷeltn
6190 Agency Loop Road
PO Box 100
Wellpinit, WA 99040
509-258-4222
Spokane Tribe Language and Culture
spilye hu sZoZo
Coyote & Fox
sncʔeʔw̓s łuʔ spilye hu sx̣ʷox̣ʷo. cuʔpsew̓s łuʔ huł sk̓ʷuʔys, kʷen̓t x̣mnčeʔw̓s, nk̓ʷeʔłxʷ.
Brothers were Coyote, and Fox. Sisters were their mothers, so they liked each other so they lived in one house.
ye sx̣ʷox̣ʷo hi xʷuk̓ʷ, xʷuk̓ʷ- hecyaʕ̓ stm̓tem̓s hu x̣est hec elʔelk̓ʷ--
The Fox was clean, very clean all of his belongings were well put away
hayo, p̓n łi y̓e spilye, hunexʷ l̓al̓iw̓aʔ---płewt łuʔ stm̓tem̓s. n̓e pulsm t sʔiłn, kʷen̓t qmny̓ewt łuʔ stx̣enč, łuʔ sc̓m̓c̓om̓.
Ah ha but this Coyote, truly very careless strewn about were his things. If he killed something to eat, then laid about were the guts, and bones.
k̓ʷiƛ̓t ƛ̓e heʔc nʔaq̓ew̓s-- ta stem̓ hec x̣ʷelsc. sx̣ʷox̣ʷo em hec nheʔhʔeneʔsc spilye qs esʔisk̓ʷlms łuʔ ƛ̓e čstwilšs stm̓tem̓s--ta!--
Some were already getting rotten even he throws nothing away. Fox in vain would scold Coyote to throw away what’s already spoiled of his things NO!
ne heł pulstm t stem, kʷen̓t cnc̓q̓miys m č̓ sx̣ʷox̣ʷos snšč̓tełc̓eʔs t̓k̓ʷuk̓ʷ--ih, t sx̣ʷox̣ʷo heł cłt̓č̓iysc č̓ spilye, cuti···"ax̣!"
When he’d kill something, he’d just toss it into Fox’s side of the house the fox would flip to Coyote’s with a stick he’d say “yuck!”
n̓e k̓ʷul̓sncut spilye ta heʔc ntel̓enčm, hi milk̓ʷ m nt̓pusis, kʷ̓en̓t łuʔ ciʔtxʷs puxʷpnweł t č̓sałq hoy, łiy̓e nkʷ̓a čsq̓meʔmeʔltn, c̓spʔiʔłn.
When Coyote would cook he does not pull the guts out, he would boil the whole thing, Then their house would get an awful smell, oh but this one day they grew very hungry, they had ran out of food.
y̓e n yihew̓sm hu hepł ur̓uʔs, č̓selm hunhec nmnčnmnweʔxʷ, heʔc qʷeʔciʔsti kʷen̓t qs esčeni?!
Here in the middle of their house they had a fire both of them had their backs turned to each other, they were warming themselves so what were they to do?!
ih, exʷ spilye heʔc nłek̓ʷl̓sncu··ti lčen̓ m tiʔxʷł sʔiłn, m kʷen̓t ƛ̓uxʷ ta mił qs čsw̓iw̓iʔtmiʔstm.
Boy Ol’ Coyote was busy scheming and plotting how will they get food, but then not to expend too much energy doing so.
hayo, hi kʷen̓t hu łt̓t̓pn̓um̓t spilye-- "či ep scntels! cxʷuyš sx̣ʷox̣ʷo qaʔqs t̓oʔt̓qʷal̓qsi t sxʷpxʷapx̣n··· t čyil̓yal̓xʷqs." ih, nłuxʷłuxʷpaʔlqsm---čq̓ccq̓c̓peneʔm, čyilyaʔlxʷqʷnm, yuʔc̓iys łu spl̓iʔmciys, łuʔ sč̓łč̓m̓m̓ʔuʔsc.
Ah ha, suddenly he jumped up did coyote “I have an idea! Come on Fox, let us sew up clothing, some wingdresses with matching head kerchiefs.” Boy, they slipped the dresses on, they braided their hair, tied on their head kerchiefs, they rouged their lips, their cheeks.
neʔkʷ sx̣ʷox̣ʷo łuʔ qs swiʔnumti łccʔups. cuys łuʔ łccʔupsc qs čxʷuʔyms y̓e huł sisiyus n sčłip, n sq̓q̓m̓ey̓eʔm, y̓e č̓ thilahičn̓-- "kʷen̓t ne qeʔ yiʕap, ta kʷ qs ec̓in̓n̓t n̓em čmiš qʷuyʔe łuʔ či qs uwewlši. n̓e qeʔ npilš y̓e n stuxʷtxʷuʔsc q̓eym̓uʔtyeʔs, kʷen̓t n̓e łuʔ č̓ nx̣lenč m kʷ qs čssox̣ʷsox̣ʷpusi, kʷen̓t kʷ heʔł čʔeʔep̓ʔep̓sn̓cu··t." sx̣ʷox̣ʷo cuti, "aʕ." "hu ha, qeʔs xʷixʷuyi···" hunexʷ lšeʔ hu ax̣iʔl̓m--npiʔlš,
Apparently Fox was to be the beautiful little sister. He told his little sister they were going to see these smart, industrious in hunting, in fishing, here over the hill “Then when we get there don’t you say a word let only me do all of the talking.” “When we go in there, in the sisters teepee, then to the pantry you will sit over there. You’ll be teary eyed, then you will keep wiping your eyes.” Fox said “ok.” “Come on, let’s get going”, sure enough that’s how they done it they went in.
cuti spilye··· "qeʔ ckʷulłlt t qe p̓x̣ʷp̓x̣ʷut··· qeʔ c̓spsʔiłn, qeʔ heʔc nšěiʔti··· qeʔ cułlt n̓e qeʔ cq̓ʷłq̓ʷełt t sʔiłn x̣ʷl̓ čaʔłla, kʷen̓t łuʔ n mosq̓t m n hi łccʔups m qʔeł cʷicʷuy, qeʔ cʔim̓š m n han huł łqaqceʔ·· qeʔ nx̣ʷnx̣ʷew̓sm em̓sm̓ him łccʔups putiʔ sk̓ʷuk̓ʷim̓l̓t, ta heʔc miyscut t sqlqltmixʷ-- hu pn̓ qʷn̓cinš, qeʔc ckʷulłlt t qeʔ p̓x̣ʷp̓x̣ʷut---"
Coyote said “we were sent here by our old parents, we are out of food, we are all starving they told us when we carry back some food for 3 days, on the 4th day me and my little sister will be back.” “We will move here and with your brothers, we’ll become their wives…oh my poor little sister is yet but a child, she doesn’t know the men. Oh but alas, we were told to come here by our elders.”
łi y̓e č̓sel pełpłk̓ʷiʔ···suʔsw̓iʔlš, hu cuʔti "ƛ̓e x̣est n̓e qeʔ huł łqaqceʔ tiʔxʷł nox̣ʷnox̣ʷ." ih, npukʷpkʷntes łuʔ n sq̓ʷłq̓ʷeʔłc t scqiy̓ełc̓eʔ, t scqi̓esł, łx̣ʷłox̣ʷ, t hec yaʕ̓ stm̓tem̓.
These 2 women whispered together, and said “that’s good if our 2 older brothers get wives.” Boy, they began to fill the backpacks with dried deer meat, with dried salmon, choke cherries, with every kind of food.
łuʔ heł yiʕaʔp n sx̣ʷox̣ʷo·· šey̓s q̓m̓m̓aleʔm! wkʷweʔkʷis sčʔiłiʔstis,p̓ap̓ʔanteʔs łuʔ sc̓m̓c̓om···łuʔ n aslʔa lšeʔ heł k̓ʷuʔl̓m čałlʔa nexʷ heʔc̓x̣ił, hu łuʔ heł yiʕaʔp wulnteʔs łuʔ x̣cnuʔmtis, c̓uc̓eʔw̓sm̓ heł hoš hosqiʔnm hu··y, hu heł nkʷel̓eʔnčm̓···
So when they got back he & Fox, boy they pigged out! They hid all their seeds they burned up the bones. Then on the 2nd day the same was done, the 3rd day also the same, but when got home again, they burned all their clothes, washed their faces, unbraided their hair combed it, then they laid in front of the fire again.
ho···y, hu tiʔxʷł sčiccn·· spilye cuʔys-ye č̓sel sqlql̓tmixʷ "aʕ· cnpilšwi, ta qʷay hu qeʔ hec tiʔxʷł sčiccn, y̓e qeʔ lkʷut tn̓ heʔcyaʕ̓ sqelixʷ···" "i··" cutiʔ čnaqs, "qeʔ hec ƛ̓uʔƛ̓ʔuʔsm č̓sel swiwiʔnumti huł ššew̓šuʔtm̓, ƛ̓m q heʔł c̓xʷixʷuʔy, kʷen̓t qaʔ qł nox̣ʷnox̣ʷ, uc wiʔčntp?" spilye čp̓iʔqsčšncutm, hu cuti··· "ta···, ta swet heʔ sc̓xʷuʔy, tm̓a qeʔ mił lkʷut-- kʷen̓t x̣ʷa tʔe č̓ čeʔn"
Finally they got some visitors. Coyote told these 2 men “hello, come on in, it’s rare for us to get visitors, we are so far away from all other people.” “Yes…” said one of them, “we are looking for 2 beuatiful little teenage girls, who were supposed to again come back to us, to become our wives, have you seen them?” Coyote pinched his leg, and he said “no…, no one comes here, you know we are too far away, but then maybe you try a different direction…”