Title: Halq'eméylem / Story: Making a blanket

hal: lam
english: to go

hal: x̲éyx̲eq'els
english: scratching

hal: léts'e
english: one

hal: yutl'ó:lem
english: them, they

hal: hókwex
english: to use, to wear

hal: laléx̲wtel
english: blanket

hal: thíyt
english: to prepare, to fix, to make it, prepare

hal: hélem
english: be going, be on one's way

hal: thiytíl
english: design, pattern

hal: shxwch'á:yxwels
english: fish-drying rack

hal: mekw'
english: all, every

hal: swōqw'elh
english: mountain goats-wool blanket

hal: kwíxet
english: to read something, to name him/her

hal: skwíx
english: name

hal: tloqá:ys
english: now

hal: p'q'élqel
english: mountain goat

hal: ch'ach'íxwt
english: drying a bunch of things

hal: yewá:l
english: first

hal: mesíl
english: machine

hal: léx̲wtel
english: blanket

hal: lhíts'eqwt
english: to cut his/her hair

hal: lhíts'et
english: to cut (it)

hal: skw'á:y
english: can't, can't be, impossible

hal: hémax
english: taking something off

hal: metúelqel
english: sheep wool

hal: qéx̲
english: much, many, a lot

hal: lhílhéts'eqwem
english: to get your hair cut

hal: tskwí:m
english: red

hal: x̲éyq'et
english: scratch it (itch)

hal: tl'álx
english: put it on (design), attach it, fasten it

hal: smámelet
english: mountain

hal: smált
english: rock, also mountain

hal: metú
english: sheep

hal: theqá:t
english: tree

hal: sá:y
english: wool, animal hair

hal: stl'epláts
english: deep bottom

hal: th'ex̲wót
english: wash it, wash (tr. v.)

hal: thá:yt
english: preparing, fixing, making something

hal: tl'ép
english: low, deep

hal: stl'epólwelh
english: under, underneath

hal: siyelyólexwe
english: many elders

hal: Kw'e welhíthelh thá:ytes te selyó:lexwe te swōqw'elh teli te sá:ys te p'q'élqel teli te smámelet.
english: Long time ago the people used to make blankets out of goat's wool.

hal: X̲éyq'thet li te theqát ye p'q'élqel osu me háme te sá:ys.
english: The goats scratched themselves on the trees and the woold would come off.

hal: Loye hókwexes yutl'ólem kw'es léxwtels. Su kwíkwexetes álhtel kw'e swōqw'elh.
english: That was the only thing they used to use for blankets. They called them swōqw'elh.

hal: Lóye te tskwím thiytíls li te stl'pólwelhs tútl'o léxwtel ew lóyò.
english: All they had was a red design along the bottom, that was all.

hal: Skw'áy kw'es qéx̲s kw'e thiytíls lámexw tl'ál, ew loye te léts'a.
english: You can't put too much design on them, just the one line along the bottom.

hal: Tloqá:ys tset hókwex te sá:ys te metú.
english: Nowadays we use sheep wool.

hal: Yewál kw'as lhíts'eqwt te metú qeyálhes le má:x mekw'.
english: You gotta cut the sheep first, and then you get all the wool off.

hal: Th'ex̲wót te sá:y. Th'exwótchexw yewál qeyálhes ch'íyxwt.
english: Wash the wool, you wash it first and then dry it.

hal: Ch'íyxw yélhes texqé:ylt.
english: It dries and you start to comb it.

hal: Texqé:ylt te sá:y su les xwa hó:y qasu qálets't.
english: Comb the wool and everything, and when you've got it all combed then you start spinning it.

hal: Iyólem kw'as qálets't te sá:y tloqá:ys.
english: You can spin the wool now.

hal: Lóye te p'áp'eth'els-mashíl lheq' o le hókwex kw'els qáqelets' te sá:y.
english: I only use my sewing machine sometime, I use it to spin the wool.

hal: Qéx̲ mekw'stá:m hókwexexw kw'as les xwa láts' te shxwtó:mexs te sá:y.
english: There’s all different kind of stuff that you could use, to dye the wool different colours.

hal: Qex̲ p'elyíws te chewōlhp qas te x̲pá:yelhp kw'es hókwex, hókwex kw'es shxwtó:mexs te sá:y.
english: You use cedar-wood bark and alder bark, and that's what you use for dying your wool.

hal: Mekw' tselets'lóts'tel ch'ích'esem hókwexexw te shxwelís ew stámes.
english: All the different kinds of weeds and stuff you can use, to make different colours.

hal: Tskwím...qas te tsqwá:y...qas te skwíkwemel.
english: Red...and green... ...and pink.

hal: vSu qálets't, qálets't te léxwtel.Osu tl'álx li te shxwelís kw'as qálets'tcha tútl'ò.
english: So you weave, you weave your blanket . You put it on (your board) where you're gonna start weaving.

hal: Yelíkw mestíyexw qáqelets' teli te tl'ép kw'es mes iyó:thet, qe éwe lis éy. Ewe lis x̲wem syó:ys.
english: Some people start from the bottom, but that’s not good. It’s not fast work.

hal: Lóye kw'es ew telí se te chíchelh kw'es e me thíyt qesu me stl'epíl.
english: Only start from the top and work down to the bottom.

hal: Kw'xát mekw' te x̲wéylem yewál qeyálhes thíyt te sx̲éles.
english: You count all the threads and then you start your design.

hal: Lets'elóts'teles kw'a thíytexw éwe chexw lámexw t'eqw'ót ta' sá:y.
english: If you're gonna use different colours, you're not supposed to cut your wool off, 'cause you'll make an ugly look on your blanket.

hal: We lámexw ye t'éqw'et we les xwa chílheqw ta' syó:ys.
english: Chilheqwt' means 'busy head'. That's the way your work will look if you start cutting it off in little pieces.

hal: Lulh hó:y kw'as má:x.
english: After it's finished you take it off.

hal: Lámes hó:y qesu t'eqw'ót osu lhíkw'et kwálx te álqsels te sá:y.
english: After you're finished you cut the end of the wool off and then you tuck it in, so nobody can see it.

hal: Le hó:y ta' léx̲wtel!
english: Your blanket is finished!