A Ceremony

Start Time Passamaquoddy-Maliseet English
00:01 Nahahte koti-yuhul, akonutomun I was just going to ask you, tell about
00:05 Claude O'Bear wikuwak. [that time] at Claude O'Bear's house.
00:06 I know, oh my God! I know, oh my God!
00:09 Etuci... It was...
00:10 mec-al tutakin nit pokhulakon. It must have been this big around, that drum.
00:12 Mec-al twenty-five pounds It must have weighed 25 pounds,
00:14 li-tkiqon. it was that heavy.
00:15 Itom Claude, Claude said,
00:17 sakhiptuwit, "I want you to sing a song." when he brought it to me, "I want you to sing a song."
00:19 Ntiyahpon, "Claude, I told him, "Claude,
00:21 etutalokittiyetkiqahk yut pokuhulakon, this drum is so huge,
00:23 kat-tehc nkisintu." I won't be able to sing."
00:26 Itom, "Cu." He said, "You can do it."
00:28 On ehta nwihqehtun. So I took it.
00:29 Itom naka, "Musa And he said, "Don't
00:30 sici-punomuhkoc hokek." put it next to your body."
00:33 Itom, "'Sami kmoshunon." He said, "Because it's our heart."
00:35 Ma-te, ma-te tama, No... nowhere,
00:37 tehpu yuktok eliwisihtit... just these [strings] that are called...
00:41 On kal. Tan wen 'toliwiyan? I don't know. What would one call them?
00:43 On, kat-olu, nkociciyak niktok. And, that's right, I know what those are.
00:47 Veins. Veins.
00:47 - Veins. - Veins.
00:48 U, cehcisok. Oh, veins.
00:49 Cehcisok. Veins.
00:50 Itom ma-te niktok tama, iyey... They're not anywhere...
00:52 Tehpu 'qotuhkayiw tama opuwok. They are just by themselves somewhere.
00:55 Itom nikk... ktahcuwi-sakolonomon He said you have to hold
00:56 nit pokhulakon, itom, naka the drum that way, he said, and
00:58 ktolapekhomon. play it.
00:59 Itom cu-oc peciyewiw. He said it would come.
01:02 Mec-al newonul nkisintuwatomon lintuwakonol. I must have sung four songs.
01:05 Naka eci-tkiqahk. And it was so heavy.
01:05 Naka cel skat nit, ipa nit, And it wasn't even, hey,
01:07 cel-al-ote skat, ansa wiphun. it wasn't even heavy; it was just like a feather.
01:11 Etutalokittiyekat Tiyena. Deanna danced up a storm.
01:13 Mec-al 'taspalokittiyekan. She must have danced this high.
01:15 Tihkehpute-ote nit lamikuwam, The house was just shaking inside,
01:18 naka wot ehpit, yut-te sehke, and this woman, she stood right here,
01:20 ahtoli-tpinuwinokot etolintuhtiyek. she kept watching us singing.
01:24 Naka nihtol, ihil, And those ...
01:26 wampum, wampum,
01:27 cel sehkomessik. that even stood right up.
01:30 Etutahtuwek! It was so bright.
01:31 Etutahtuwek nihtol. They were so bright.
01:32 Etutahtuwek nit lamikuwam! It was so bright inside the house!
01:35 Etutalosultiyek, We were sweating so much,
01:37 etolintu, etolokat Tiyena. me singing, Deanna dancing.
01:38 Tiyena-ona etutalokittiyentaq. Deanna was singing her heart out, too.
01:40 Psi-te ntukcokpawolotipon-ote. We were all soaked with sweat.
01:41 'Sami nit wampum... Because that wampum...
01:43 Ceste pomawsuwik. Just as if it were alive.
01:45 Sehkomu-ote. It stood right up.
01:46 Nit elessik. That's what happened to it.
01:49 Nil kahk-te wahte tama nutalokittiyha pihcetu, But I was somewhere really far away,
01:51 ma-te nkocicihtuwon tama nuci. I don't know where I went.
01:54 Ntahtolapotomon skitkomiq, I kept looking at the earth,
01:57 ntolapotomon skitkomiq naka I looked at the earth and
01:59 kisuhson, our sun,
02:00 psi-te keq naka kuhkomosson. everything and our grandmother.
02:02 Wahte tama nti, pihcetu. I was somewhere far off.
02:04 Mam-ote nkisi-wicuhkemoq not Lillian. Finally, that Lillian helped me.
02:06 Ah, Lillian... Ah, Lillian...
02:08 Aha, iya, nutsihpiluwet ehpit. Yes, she's a healer.
02:11 She, iyey, brought me back down. She brought me back down.
02:14 Nil, wotta ehpit ahtolikapuwit With me, this woman kept standing there
02:16 ihik yet oloqiw... over that way...
02:17 Cuwihc. Cuwihc.
02:19 Nama, ma kahk Cuwihc. No, not Cuwihc.
02:20 Ma-te nit ihiwihpon Cuwihc. Cuwihc wasn't there.
02:22 U, qin-ote? Oh, really?
02:22 Nama, tehpu nit kilun. No, just you and me.
02:24 Naka Lillian. And Lillian.
02:24 - Naka Lillian. - And Lillian.
02:25 Naka Claude. And Claude.
02:26 'Sami ktihiponuhpon ihik Ottawa. Because we were in Ottawa at that time.
02:30 On not ehpit weckuwikapuwit And that woman that was standing
02:32 nit ihik oloqiw khakonok. over by that door,
02:35 Ntolitahasin, I thought,
02:36 neqt nkisi-lapoma, I looked at her once
02:37 nit-te etoli-miwessit. and suddenly she disappeared
02:39 Apc nmihqitahasin yuktok and then I remembered that these
02:42 'pisunuwi-pomasuwinuwok, itomuhtit. were medicine people, they say.
02:44 Tan ci lapomot When you look at
02:45 cocahq tama etoli-wicuhkemosk, a spirit somewhere where they are helping you,
02:47 musa ahtoli-assokapomahkoc, you must not look at them too long,
02:49 kat-tehc kisi-wicuhkemku. they won't be able to help you.
02:51 Saku ntolitahasin ma-tehc apc ntolapomaw. Nit-te So I thought I won't look at her again. Right then
02:54 nomiya nit ahtolikapuwit naka Right there, I saw her just standing there and
02:56 etutalokittiyentultiyek. we were singing up a storm.
03:00 Cel nomiya -- I even saw -
03:01 cel pitiyahtuwepu Lillian naka, iya, Claude, wahte ihik... Lillian was all aglow and Claude, way over...
03:05 Pihcetu... pih... naka.... Far off... far... and...
03:07 Ya, pihcetu... Yeah, far off...
03:08 Ceste pihcetu eyihtit naka Like they were far off and
03:10 yut-te ktiyultipon. we were all right here.
03:13 Tuci-al, Yes, it was about ...
03:14 ma-te nkosicihtuwon I don’t know how long
03:15 tan nqoni-iyultinen nit waht, we were there,
03:17 tama-al ntiyultipon. wherever we were.
03:20 Naka psiw-ote, elinaqahk, ihil, And they had put all
03:24 yuhtol, ihil, kisi-punomuhtit yut ihik… tahalu psi-te keq… these things there …
03:29 Aha, knickknacks. Yes, knickknacks.
03:30 Ma-te nit keq skicinuwey. That’s not something Indian.
03:31 Ma-te yaqa ktihiwonewin nit Because we don’t have anything
03:32 eliwihtasik. called that.
03:33 Psi-te keq poneqamu Everything fell down
03:35 ’sami eli-tihkehputek lamikuwam. because of the vibrations inside the house.
03:39 Wihqalokittiyaceyu neket, init? It was fun that time, wasn’t it?
03:41 Ya, init? Yes, it was, wasn’t it?
03:43 Kiluwaw tehpu? Just the two of you?
03:44 Nilun tehpu. Just us.
03:45 Ntotoluhkepon nilun. We were working.
03:46 Ya, ntapoluhkepon. Yes, we had gone there to work.
03:48 And this was our break. You know, And this was our break. You know,
03:50 dinner naka wampum naka, dinner and wampum and
03:52 iyey, teachings. teachings.
03:54 Sakhiptuwan wot pokuhulakon. The drum was brought to her.
03:58 Keqsey pokuhulakon nit? What kind of drum was it?
04:00 On kal. I don't know.
04:00 Medicine drum anyway. Medicine drum anyway.
04:01 Ya, metey kahk-olu. Metey… Yes, metey it was. Metey…
04:04 Metey. Metey.
04:08 Medicine drum. Medicine drum.
04:14 Nil apaciyay, When I came back,
04:17 you know, literally-te you know, I literally
04:18 npokossin like pemsokhasik. fell on the floor.
04:21 Poneqalokittiyamu knickknacks. The knickknacks fell down.
04:28 Took a trip. Took a trip.
04:29 From singing. From singing.
04:31 Way up in the heavens. Way up in the heavens.
04:32 That’s what you call… That’s what you call…
04:33 Spirit. Spirit.
04:35 It took you up there. It took you up there.
04:37 Keq nit liwihtasuwiw What do you call that when you
04:38 wen skat keq wihqehtuhk naka don't take anything and
04:41 qinotewey-ote. it’s the real thing.
04:42 Qinotewey nit wen... It’s the real thing when...
04:44 It’s a vision. It’s a vision.
04:45 Espiyat... Ya! So high... Yeah!
04:46 Tan nit toli-skicinuwihtasu? How do you say that in Passamaquoddy?
04:49 Gee, on kal. Gee, I don’t know.
04:51 You’re just as clear as a bell and ... You’re just as clear as a bell ...
04:52 Transference. Transference.
04:54 It’s like a spiritual high. It’s like a spiritual high.
04:58 On kal. I don't know.
04:59 Ma kahk wen piluwapiqahat. It's not someone hallucinating.
05:01 No. No.
05:01 - No. - No.
05:03 Npiluwapiqaha kahk-ona. I’m also seeing things, as well.
05:05 Well-ona. Well that, too.
05:05 Yeah. Yeah.
05:07 But with all your faculties. But with all your faculties.
05:09 Traveling. Traveling.
05:10 Aha. Yes.
05:11 Spirits take you, Spirits take you,
05:13 oliyat wen. if you go along.
05:14 Ma kahk motewolon? Not the devil?
05:17 On kal. I don't know.
05:19 Well, Well,
05:21 on kal, ma nihtawi- I don’t know how
05:22 skicinuwiwihtomuwon. to say it in Passamaquoddy.
05:23 It’s like a high. It’s like a high.
05:23 It is a high. It is a high.
05:25 But natural. But natural.
05:26 It’s a natural ... It’s a natural ...
05:27 It’s a natural high. It’s a natural high.
05:28 Lintuwakon from, from ... A song from...
05:31 Olotahkewakon. A ceremony.
05:32 Ya. That’s what it is. Yes. That’s what it is.
05:33 Olotahkewakon. A ceremony.
05:34 Ceremony. - Ceremony.
05:35 Olotahkewakon. Ceremony.
05:39 ’Sami nit, iyey… Because that’s…
05:41 It’s a natural high. It’s a natural high.
05:43 Olotahkewakon, ya. A ceremony, yes.
05:46 Nit nit kcitpot. That’s sacred.
05:48 Aha, kcitpot, iya. Yes, it is right up there.
05:55 Nit ehta toke eyultiyiq. That’s where we’re at now.
05:58 Nwewomotomon. I feel it.

Information

Capture Date 2010-09-30
Video Length 06:02