Kenuk mecimi-te eci-musqitahatom But I always hated it here
yut amsqahs yut peciyay, 'sami eli... when I first came, because
ma-te wen nenuwuk. I didn't know anyone.
Ma-te wen knonuwaw? You didn't know anyone?
Tehpu nonuwahpon nikuwoss, I just knew my mother,
ma tahk qin nonuwaw. and I didn't even know her very well.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tehpu nomiyahpon I just saw her sometimes when
anqoc sakhi-ksahat nuhkomossok. she'd show up at my grandmother's.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Apc macahan. Then she'd go away again.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Cel neket nwewitahatomon amsqahs And I remember the time when I
nmihtaqs kisi-nonuwuk, first got to know my father,
on npeciptakun, sakhi-milit kaltoluhk. I... and he brought me a quarter. Wow...
nit-te nil ntolomi-qasqin Mehkok. I ran right away. To Mack's store.
Ntapiptuwan nmuhsums sokas. I went and got my grandfather a cigar.
'Sami nkocicihtun eci-wikuwaci-sokasi- Because I knew that he loved to
wtomat tan eci-peciyat. smoke cigars when he got home.
On ntolitahasin eluwehk-otehc And I thought, I guess
nmonuhmuwewan sokas, naka iyey I'll buy him a cigar, and when
peciyat kotuwahsontek nmilan. he comes on Saturday I'll give it to him.
I... nil elomiyay nikonuk naka Well... When I got back to my house and
weckuwi-paliphuk not sokas, came in carrying that cigar so proudly,
tehpu qeni-wihqehtuwit ntatat. my father just took it away from me.
Elapomuk, on nkossahan, I looked at him, and I went in
ntiyahpon nuhkomoss, ntiyahpon, and said to my grandmother,
"Tehpu not qeni-wihqehtuwit "He just took Gramp's cigar
Gramp 'sokasomol." away from me."
Itom, "Litahasu kal kotuwiwtom." She said, "He must think you're going to smoke."
Itom, "Kmihtaqs not." She said, "That's your father."
Ipa, nit-ona apc ma-te nkociciyaw Hey, and I didn't know what that meant,
eli-minuwik nil not nmihtaqs. that he was my "father."
'Sami nil nikihkuk nmuhsums Because my parents were my
naka nuhkomoss. grandfather and my grandmother.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Nit-te meciwiw That's how it used to be,
eleyikpon kakawiw. very much so.
Kmuhsums naka kuhkomoss niktok Your grandfather and grandmother were
ankeyask nikk tepinask, ahsomosk. the ones who took care of you and looked out for you, fed you.
Iya. Yes.
Nakahc kmihtaqsonnuk naci, iyey, And our fathers would go
yalayyawolotiniya. play around.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Iya, mecimiw. Yes, that's the way it was.