A Long Ago Legend

łuʔ tn̓ q̓sípiʔ sqʷel̓lum̓t

łuʔ tn q̓sípiʔ u qe cułlt

From long ago we were told

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hi kʷen̓t u xʷrip łuʔ st̓úlixʷ. pspast! hi mtmutlš, mtmutlš, mtmutlš! šʔit u č̓ ʔečéwt.

Suddenly the ground shook. It was astounding! It bubbled, bubbled, and bubbled! From the first to the last.

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šétmiʔst łiʔé sqélixʷ. hec caʔcaʔcáʔi, hec coʔcʔóti.

The people ran helter-skelter. They were sobbing and wailing.

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kʷen̓t nlq̓ʷlq̓ʷpúleʔxʷ łiʔe st̓u.lixʷ, y̓e hec mq̓ʷmoq̓ʷ.

Then the ground and mountains tore apart.

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kʷen̓t šeʔ u hec nt̓itypmí, nexʷ y̓e xʷixʷey̓úł, hec c̓lc̓il, hecyáʕ̓ stem̓.

Then they were all falling in, also the animals, the trees, everything.

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kʷen̓t łiʔé hec t̓rt̓réʔi, hec ̓uwéčnti, hec t̓ipéysi, hoy per̓t łuʔ st̓úlixʷ.

Then it was thundering and lightening, it was raining, and the earth flooded.

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y̓e č̓ ʔecʷéwt, mis ttwit u mis šéšutm čcnweʔxʷ u č̓łčic n čq̓ʷulsm. tl̓ s̓e u hec ʔáʔacx̣sc.

In the end, and older boy and an older girl met each other and reached Mt. Spokane. From there they watched.

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hoy u eł t̓ʔul̓. hec nsʕʷo łuʔ sewłkʷ.

Things improved. The water drained.

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u wíʔičis č̓ ʔišút u hec mʕʷop. xʷuy u wíʔičis y̓e qʷamqʷmt st̓ipmétkʷ u łuʔ sƛ̓x̣etkʷs.

They saw flowing water down below. They went and saw this beautiful waterfall and its rapids.

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"heh, ʔení! stem̓ łišéʔ nt̓yšetkʷ? smłič! snxʷméneʔ! "

"Oh! What is that crawling in the water? A salmon! A steelhead!"

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šey̓ huł smłič u xʷlíʔil. u kʷen̓t tl̓ še čsel u x̣cic łuʔ snxʷméneʔi, łuʔ sntuʔtʔúlixʷi, u łuʔ scqescíłni.

From those salmon they got life, and from those two arose the Middle Spokane, the Upper Spokane, and the Lower Spokane peoples.

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