snxʷmeneʔ nqʷlqʷeltn
6190 Agency Loop Road
PO Box 100
Wellpinit, WA 99040
509-258-4222
Spokane Tribe Language and Culture
Oi Ye nJasQt, ez spilye he/c zstlwisi, ta D deN hec zuyi, dmiS he/c zstlwisi.
One day Coyote was walking along not going anywhere in paritcular, he was just walking around.
hi jeNt hu DO ne/DnuMt----- “hayo! miO hi gil!” ta he/c MMe/cnMisti Ou/ huO isCD, ta he/c njne/Yi Ou/ huO sxaxND hoy, ntels--- “tam hin xmend---- Oi Ye---- hu he/CSde ?!?”
Suddenly he realized there was no noise, no sound, oh my. The squirrels were not chattering, the robins were not singing, he thought to himself, "I don't like this and was wondering what the matter was. What is wrong?"
hoy, SeY qs gu/g/u/sms spilye Ou/ D snlSlSe/tis Ou/ zizeYuO. g/u/sis Ou/ huO JeJTNe/--- hi DuDu/uw; nez Ou/ huO heWt, hi DuDu/uw. zuy Ou/ D huO sxaxND -- nez hi DuDu/uw; Ou/ huO OaMaYe, DuDu/uw Ou/ tN COQLi/.... hayo, D DeN Ou/ hecyaf!?!
Coyote went to the homes of of the birds and animals. He looked for the in their holes and they were gone. And the rats, they were gone. He went to the trees and checked on the Robins and they were gone. Next he went to the lake to see if he could find the frogs, and they were not at home. Oh my, where is everyone?
zu...y hu Ye njest hu WeWidi/s sqleW------ ti he/c wejisti... spilye sewis sqleW---“ZL steM hu ta je/c JuLOzli, tMa qe/s Di/tmiOls t s/istd, hu Ye Cyu
j he/c wiyfeOz ?!? hu jeNt D deN Ou/ hecyaF zizeYuO ?!?”
Coyote kept walking, suddenly he heard something in the bushes, It was Beaver. He was hiding. Coyote asked Beaver, "why aren't you building your winter home and getting ready for winter? The cold weather is getting close and you are not fixing your winter home. Where are all the other people?
ta qs eCiNNt sqleW, dmiS hu he/c CEaEi, hu jeNt
heO wejist n he/c YYiL------ cuys sqleW t spilye-- “ta
Eu qs nxelmntz, tam j hi qs eSdenm, dmiS hu hin
xmend hi qs miypnunm D deN Ou/ hecya
zizeYuO....”
Beaver didn't say anything, he just began to cry and went back into the bushes to hide. Coyote told him, "Beaver you don't have to be afraid of me I am not going to do anything to you." I just want to know where all the other animals are at. Do you know what happened to them?
ho....y cuntm t sqleW---- “qe NdiciOlt Ou/ Ye t n/aOisqeliztn, hu EmEmntes he/cyaF! hoy, Nem nez qe/ WeWidOLt m nez qe/ EmEmip!” jeNt heO CEaA! hoy, DOpa/xnte...s t spilye “hoy, DucnS, sqleW, qa/qs DOpa/xem ldeN m qe/ axilm m qe/ pulstm Ye n/aOisqeliztn m qe/ trtrntem Ou/ qe/ sLxLaxt- -”
Beaver told him a A Giant People Eating Monster came among us and he killed everyone. I am scared he will find us and kill us too. He began to cry some more and crawl back into the bushes. Coyote thought and thought, 'how can we kill this giant people eater so we can get our friends back?'
ho---y cM sqleW dNSic spilye hu Ju/Lm t ZiyZiyt sSens NiNDMN-- hoy, Se/s gu/g/u/sms Ou/ n/aOisqeliztn. hayo!!
Coyote convinced Beaver to help him kill the monster. They satt down and made a sharp flint knife. Beaver and Coyote began their search for the giant people eating monster.
sewne/ t ngxcin Ou/ D DSuAtidN n hec
mAmoA, nxeO sqleW! “Ze/Oe, qa/qs wjwejisti!” CAaA sqleW, cuntm t spilye---- “tam! Eu dlDlDntez
Ye n hec mAmoA jeNt Ne hi dn Can! Can!”wi/s Canmstm t sqleW, hu we/is Oi Ye n/aOisqeliztn---.
“n/aOi>>>sqeliz>>>tn! eS>>des>>tz Ou/ qe/ sLxLaxt/!/! ----PgPge/cstmntz!!!” ih! choYncut Ou/ n/aOisqelZtn
cuti----.
They heard a loud noise coming out the other side of the mountains, Beaver cried, "Hurry let's hide ourselves." "Come here and tie me up, bind me up tight and I will wait for the People Eating Monster to find me" Coyote told him. Coyote began to yell, "Giant People Eating Monster what have you done to all of our friends? Turn them loose!" He laughed at the Giant People Eating Monster. He said...
“jeNt j nte j swet? hu lSe/ hu Eu/ ezjuntz? cuti spilye-- “dn spilye, Nem nDNiDncn, Ne ta s Pgpge/dstmntz Ou/ hecyaF qe/ ZiZeYuO!” heO
chaht Ou/ n/aOisqeliztn---
"I am coyote, who do you think you are? I will cut you up if you do not turn all of the animals and birds loose." The Giant People Eater Laughed...
hu cOo....pm t ngxcin---- yo----, CxiO t yoyot
sneWt--- yoyoscu/tddNdNi/m n Ye sSNSeNS hu ta s
nOo/mtm. hi jeNt hu heO cOopm Ye n/aOisqeliztn hu
Tu/Twaq Ou/ facsqa/xe/ti/s -- hu CxiO TzTu/zt hu
Ou/ D nTJTJJa/OALt n n/aOisqeliztn, hu
QmQmntem!
and he drew a very loud breath. It was like a very strong wind. Coyote held on to the rocks and trees. The Giant People Eater inhaled again and the ropes that tied Coyote began to break. Coyote broke loose as the Giant People Eater inhaled him. He went inside the Monsters mouth who then inhaled and swallowed both Beaver and Coyote.
ez tL Se/ CEaE sqleW “hayo! qe/ nyifa/pmist---
ldeN m qe/ axilm--”, cuti spilye----- “ta lSe/ m j qs
n/axlels, Nem puti/ qe/ Sgpnuntm Ye n/aOisqeliztn.”
Beaver began to cry harder, "oh my we are going to be here forever." Coyote told Beaver to help him we can beat him.
hoy, AaA/a/p Ou/ D stxends n/aOisqeliztn--- pnhe/wsm t smxeYdn, cOomLS--- “Nem iOistmn, p JiJiYuMe/ zizeYuO – Ne d hi qs yoyotwiLSi – ta s nxeO spilye, Puti qa/ qs Sgpnunm Ye
n/aOisqeliztn--- “ zuy hu nsPaqsis Ye jtunt smxeYdn--- hu ZL SeY YetOZa hi plpil Ou/ sPsPa/qsc huO smxeYdn.
and then they moved down to the stomach. In where they met Grizzly Bear, who roared at them, "The two of you are so small but I will eat you so I will get stronger." Coyote was not afraid of Grizzly and he hit really hard on the nose. That is why Grizzly's nose is flat
tL Se/ AaA/a/p Oi Ye huO lxteLis. hi jeNt hu
se/wne/ hi “s-s-s-s!” ih, ne/J x/ule/z ccu/ntm----
“Nem J/eyncn m p glil!” ih, spilye, hi jeNt hu
dqLutapqis Ye x/ule/z hu ZL SeY hu Ne j widm t
x/ule/z jeNt hi plpil Ou/ spOpOqifys!
From then on they became friends. Suddenly they heard a hissing sound, it was Rattle Snake. He told them "I will bite you and all of you will die." Coyote walked over and stepped on his head that's why today the Rattlesnake's head is flat.
ho..y, DODi/dS Ye n stxenxs Ye n/aOisqeliztn---- ha—yo---, ENpiYe/wt Ye zizeYuO--- hecyaF hu he/c cEa/Ea/Ei/ -- he/c c/o/ti, jeNt Ou/ hec dmSqnmisti—
nhe/h/e/Lisntm t spilye----- “p he/CS/eSdeni/! dmiS hu p he/c co/c/oti -- D/upwi, DNStweZi, Ne p qs trtrpmi!” Cris cuti “ldeN m qe/ axilm---miO De qe/c
ZupptwiLSi---!” spilye cuys----
Finally they reached the stomach of the Giant People Eater. There were all of the animals they were pitiful & crying. Coyote scolded the ones who have given up, "What is the matter with all of you why have you all given up, shut up & quit your crying. Help each other so you can get free." Kingfisher said "We have become weak & helpless what can we do?" Coyote Told Him...
“ta p qs dmSmSqnmistwi!” hu jeys Oi Ye s JuLOs NiNDMiys hu Se/s nteLenciy Ye n/aOisqeliztn sn/isteOCe/s!
"Don't you give up" and then he took his flint knife, and began to chop away at the Giant People Eating Monster insides.
hecyaF hu dodoSi/lS hu jeNt SeYs dNSi/tms spilye. Ni---Dm hu DOdi/cis Ou/ sp/usc n/aOisqeliztn. CxiO Ye t sSNSeNS—hi Tas--Tas--- hi giC! “huy, AiOmi/stS sqleW, Eu dNSit!”
All of the animals begin to holler and help Coyote. Coyote cut & cut until he reached the heart. The Monster's heart was as hard as stone. He yelled at Beaver to come help him.
ho--y, hu cntlpend, cTJuJ Ye jtu--nt sp/us, hu glil Ye n/aOisqeliztn--- ih!
Finally the heart breaks loose and the Monster dies.
cOZOZPi/m Ye zizeYuO he Ce...wt hu spilye c/ocqe/
All the animals rushed out of the openings of the Monster. The animals ran and the birds flew as fast as they could. Coyote came out last.
hu cuti... “hoy, qa/qs JuLm jeNt ne ta qs he/O zlil!” xxsteYe/ suse/wis Ye huO zizeYuO --- Jigt nyiStule/z nte/ m qs la/Qms.
Skunk said, "now we must fix it so it never comes alive again. Some thought we can cut him up and bury him."
Jigt qs nCQmne/tjms n COQli/, tMa xemt jeNt Nem n/ost ZL pentd;
Then others thought that they could throw his parts into the water. He is so heavy he would sink to the bottom.
Jigt nte/ Ne Ye t ClCil, Ye t ylyolE m COxle/ne/is---- sZiye/Opi--- sanpoilS--
We could cover him with trees. Big thick ones said the Lakes People.
sqleW hu cuti--- “Ne qe/ nDniDntm m qe/ is/isJlntm Ye n sTuliz, jeNt Nem ta le/deN he/ CxiO m heO zlil, Ou/ Ne ta hepO sqeltd! “SeY xest”, Spilye--- cuti “Nem qe/ lujlujteLisntm.” Ne DOniDis
steM t spilye-- jeNt D ljut hu CQmiys! Ou/ TJuJ sqeltds n/aOisqeliztn,
The Keller People said that we could cut him up and throw his parts all over the land, then he will never come alive again because he will have no body. Coyote cut him into pieces and began throwing the parts in different directions.
jeNt Oilt Ou/ snzuls Ou/ sqeltd JuLL t /e t Tuzleliz, Oi Ye t huO s/haptni-- t huO sdi....cuWi...t...huO qLispeL, -----t huO snzmene/ey,---t huO scqesciOni, NQ/eWsi--- ---sZiye/Opi---sanpoilS---
Then he splashed his blood. The body part turned into different tribes. This one will be the Nez Perce, This one will be the Coeur D'Alenes, and this will be the Kalispels. The heart will be the Middle Spokanes and the Little Falls People. Throw this to the West and it will be the Colvilles.
hecyaF! Ou/ sOilc Oi/ snZuls n/aOisqeliztn---- jeNt JuLL t sqeliz, yaFpqiN TuZTuZleliZ sqlqeliZ –
jeNt puti/ lSe/ hu he/ CxiO YetOZa!
The blood was thrown in many directions and it became many, many different tribes.
hu pN Ou/ huO zizeYuO----- hi heO huO npiy/els--- S/it le/mtmiys Ou/ spilye ZL scJuLsc, ye pulsc Ou/ n/aOisqeliztn--- hu jeNt SeY hu DeTeLmziLS!
The Animal People were happy again. They all thanked Coyote for killing The Giant People Eating Monster. But that was the end of the Animal People. Coyote had made way for the Humans.