snxʷmeneʔ nqʷlqʷeltn
6190 Agency Loop Road
PO Box 100
Wellpinit, WA 99040
509-258-4222
Spokane Tribe Language and Culture
sqʷiytops
Lucky Salamander
Narrarated by Patrick Moses
Illustrated by Cody Peone
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put dZezct n snpa/qcin hu JuLL Ye o/Ztelt, sEEi/tops ih, he/cyaF Ou/ huO didiy̓e, qn̓qene/ hu he/cyaF cJ/is lemtmntm! qxqaxe/, huO tetije/ nez cyifa/p. Za t swet hu cuti "eni/! aCxnt Ou/ supsc, hi Eay, hi PiD! heʔcya hu pspma/ys su/swi/lS "ha Za qs esdeni···?" łu tupye/s hu deSlS cuʔys. dmiS čnaqs o/Ztelt m hec Jul̓l̓ axl sispL spentd
t/e he/CiO, Nem xxstel̓ n sClalAm hu pN n̓em xest qs dSTmisti, Nem he/cya M dOyu/ztmiys Ou/ supsc m DO/e/Lms m dsZtupsntm. Ne cni/Oc qs xxsteLli n sClalEm.
Early one morning a baby salamander was born. All of the grandmothers and aunts were there to welcome the new baby. "eni..." one of the elders said, "He has a bright blue tail." The were all whispering, "What is wrong with him, look at his tail?" His t'upye stepped forward and said, "Only one child is born with a blue tail every seven generations. He will be lucky at stickgame, but he will have to be very careful because everyone will try to cut his tail off. They want his tail so they will be lucky at stickgame too."
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hoy, ge sqqpcilS, sDey, ge axl/a hm m mZup Ou/ huO sEiytops, ge ze/sjum t s/iOn zL s/istd hu put Ou/ sDlwes cntiytiySetjm, hu Ye nJa/ cndidS sCweNeYti qs nCl/isj/ey t sDlwes, hu he/c muslsi, Nem eMtmtm Ne ta, jwent Nem SeYs n dm/elzms he/cyaF! heʔmm, Ou/ huO sEiytops nOe/pt t qs dOTje/wsm t xam smOid Zl sCweneYti aymt hu Au/mOtm he/cyaF Ou sju/mciys
Zl s/istd "eni, qa/qs es/eSdeni," cuti Ou ilmi/zms?
It was late fall and after all of the salamanders had all of their food stored for winter, sc'weney'ti came through for the last salmon run. The salamanders forgot to leave him some salmon high in the tree so sc'weney'ti was mad so he went through all the teepees and took all of their food. The blue tailed salamander was busy playing stickgame he forgot to leave the salmon for sc'weney'ti. All of the people were mad, "Now what are we going to do, we have no food for winter," the Chief said.
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ez spilye DOpa/xntes hoy cuti "tMa, sEiytops Ou/ vosis, jent t sEiytops Ou/ qe/O gzupms Ou/ hecyaF qe/ s/iOn!!
hi hu he cuti dmiS dn ttwit lden m dn axilm!!" sEiytops Ou/ sewntm t sCwen̓ey̓ti "hu, t stem Ou ha qs TJum/" spilye cuntm "tm̓a hu sumeS Ou/ han sups Nem heO gzupnntz Ou/ qe/ s/istd sjumcn" "huy, cxlxlitnt ha qs dNSiS
"Let's ask Coyote what to do," the elders said. They told Coyote how sc'weney'ti took all the food they had for their winter supply. Coyote thought and thought, finally he spoke. "Since the salamander with the blue tail lost the food he will have to get it back."
"How can I get the food back, I'm just a young boy?" he said. Coyote told him that his blue tail was his sumes" and that he could never be beat at stickgame. "You will challenge sc'weney'ti to a game. Get your team together."
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sEiytops cuti "yeye/, swet Ou hi qs susewm? hi sups!" "sewnt szLotqs tMa xxsteL Ou/ sCuCu/Seys nez OaMaye/, sPrJaqs, xxsteyeʔ xestn sclaqʷm seʔw̓nt" yeyeʔ t cuys "sXʷl̓otqs Xʷuyš n xltusnt y̓e sCwen̓ey̓ti m heO gzupnt Ou/ qe s/etdene/ n sClalE m heO gzupnt he'/cyaF!! "SeY Ou/ cuys sCweNeYti ih!"
"yeye, who do I ask to be on my team to beat sc'weney'ti?"
"Ask rabbit, he has lucky feet. Frog, turtle, and skunk are all good players too, ask them" she said. "Rabbit, you go and tell sc'weney'ti that we will play him stickgame to win all of our food back." salamander told him.
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hi jejst hu he'cyaF zizeYuO J/is' la/qistm DOwi/scut/t qs Cla/lEi sEiytops Dawm, Ne qe/O gzu/pms Ou/ s/i/Ois, Ne ta qs nSe/Si/ti n s/istd!! ZL cniOc spsuye/s
All the animals got up early to take a sweat and prepared for the stickgame against the sc'weney'ti team. Salamander prayed that he could win back all their food. He was worried that his people would starve because of him.
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"cifa/p Ou' huO sc̓wen̓ey̓ti suzCLLa/lEm cwe/m Ou/ sCwen̓ey̓ti. "steM Ou/ ha qs cTuj, Ou ZL ha s/iOn?" hi qs TJum Ou/ hin xsstel sEiytops m Se/ heO gzupm Ou/ he/cyaF qe/ sjumcn s/istd
Soon the sc'weney'ti team arrived. "Salamander, what are you putting up as a bet for the food?" sc'weney'ti chief asked. "I will bet my blue tail, and I will win back our food."
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hoy Oa/qq Ou/ cQsipi, esl/upn heO nJu dsyenmn/aLE Ou/ ClClnte/s dmlJma scLa/Em hoy, dlje/ce/Ne/m dJlJu/LsLJpm t ze/Yit, hi P/e/z, jent Ee//c Ou/ tN s/urSict ih, Oa?E'cin xxsteye/ n EelMs. "heh heh, PaPiE! heh heh, Pa PiE!" ngxcin, ih! dodoSi/m heO ti/zO nJalE Ou/ huO sEiytops
They played the old style using twenty one sticks. The two teams played all day and into the night. Campfires were built all around so they could see and stay warm. The salamander team was winning and it was skunk's turn to sing his song. "heh heh p'a p'iq'w, heh heh p'a p'iq'w" he sang loudly. "E-eh, E-eh, E-eh," they all shouted! The salamander team won another stick.
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ziCSc Ou/ JNJiN D szLotqs wiʔs wekʷm sXʷlotqs, hu c̓oq̓ntm č̓ scc̓hečscnc̓q̓mn̓ čnečstm sXʷl̓otqs wičntm t sCweneYti hec weʔis łu szLotqs. "jEilm"
It was rabbit's turn to hide the bones. He held out his hands and sc'weney'ti pointed to the right, and at that moment rabbit switched the bones. sc'weney'ti caught him and yelled, "hanwi kwec qwili, rabbit you are cheating!" "I seen him switch the bones after I pointed."
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szLotqs, ta pi/stem jqs ClalAi nez han stMm/elis Teye/ Ou/ sEilm gejS se/wis hmhuYe qs OaqlSi szLotqs, C/eS, nEnimist hu ti Se zist
"Rabbit, you and your people can never play stickgame again, t'ey'e7, xwuysh, Coyote told him. The salamander and the sc'weney'ti both agreed, xwuysh rabbbit!" They asked raccoon if he would take rabbit's place on the team. Rabbit walked away in shame.
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nda/O/a xxLpuL/z, jeNt puti/ hec Cla/lEi sEiytops hi n YeYls, D dmiS NNJa/qm, hu pN hec je/sc Ou/ JNJiNm.
On the third day the sun rose and they were still playing stickgame. Salamander was worried. Their side was down to one stick but they had the bones.
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sEiytops CQCQmiys Ou JNJiNm D sPrJaqs hu D OaMaye/ xxstweye/ njnen t njne/ms ih! heh heh PaPiA! heh heh PaPiA! ngxciscy/t sCewNeyti CoAm nyifleWm! Si/Dntm D selm ih! yi hah! he/cyaF do do Si/m heh!heh! PaPiA! ti Se/ ngxciscu/t. ih! gzu/pm t /asl/alE!
Salamander threw the bones to turtle and frog and skunk began singing his family song. "heh heh p'a p'iq'w, heh heh p'a p'iq'w" he sang loudly. "E-eh, E-eh,E-eh," they all shouted. sc'weney'ti pointed down the middle and missed them both. E-eh, E-eh, E-eh," they all yelled and began to sing even louder. "heh heh p'a p'iq'w, heh heh p'a p'iq'w," the salamander team began winning back stick after stick until they were down to the kick stick.
hoy Sgpa/Oq! l/e/mt Zl sEiytops's sups hu xxsteye/s Eelm yoyot Eelm hu Sgpa/Oq
Salamander and raccoon had the bones and sc'weney'ti pointed to the outside and missed them both. "E-eh, E-eh, E-eh," the salamander team won the game! Thanks to the powerful song of the skunk and salamander's lucky blue tail.
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CZum spilye Nem hecyaF sEiytops spsu/psc m hi Eay Ne j jnnunm t sEiytops, m Ncqmdnedstms Ou/ sups jent Nem j sisyus n sClalqm m n ha szlzilt. sCeneYti hu szLotqs ta pi/stem heO Oa/ O/a/A
SeY hu hoy!
From that day on, Coyote said that all salamanders' tails will be blue and anyone who possesses one will be lucky at stickgame. sc'weney'ti and rabbit never showed their faces in the village again.
That is all!
jeNt SeY Ou/ sn/unnxwe/ne/s Ou/ qe? PZPZut Ne jnn/untz sEiytops hu nCqmnedstimis Ou supsc n han delS jeNt Nem j sisiyus n sClalEm! qe/MeMeye/Ols t qe/ PZPZut.
jeNt he/cyaF Ou qe/ ziy