Gwelgwelgwelen

Gwelgwelgwelen

Def: to be fired up to find what you are good at, to be moving so fast that you are setting the ground on fire. Used as a metaphor to describe the amount of area you covered: Gwelgwelgwelenlhkan ti tmicwa kwen nscwilem kwen sn7ama, I am covering a lot of land looking for something that I am good at and travelling so fast that it seems like I am setting the world on fire.

“Gwelgwelgwelenlhkan ti tmicwa kwen nscwilem kwen sn7ama

I am covering a lot of land looking for something that I am good at and travelling so fast that it seems like I am setting the world on fire”

pl̓ukw:

smoke rising from fire or ashes

my eyes are burning

pouring out tears

a thousand each for ones who have passed

who suffered at the hands of greed and fear

my aunties and uncles

my cousins

my grandmas and grandpas

the unborn

nkakúsent:

star

ashes of the nkakúsent that burn brightly

they shine on me

they guide me

pl̓ukw

rising from their ashes

cuystwí malh ít̓em, pulák7am múta7 saq̓úta!

come, lets sing, drum and dance

oh ne na

oh ne na

hey na ha

the loon on the water!

see how she dances

there is life in us yet

there is still water and earth

there are still songs and dances

gwelgwelgwelenlhkan ti tmicwa kwen nscwilem kwen sn7ama

like I’m setting the world on fire

k̓éxám-em

the wind blew on me

so I won’t go out

so we keep burning

qeptsaka7

sgaptnaka7

sutikaka7

dance with the winds

look at the grass

see how she grows

there is still wind and fire

there are still songs and dances

and the world keeps turning

gegp!

move me fast!

wá7lhkalh q̓wezílc!

we are dancing!

with the winds

k̓éxám-em

so I don’t go out

qeptsaka7

sgaptnaka7

sutikaka7

dance with wind in the meadow

wá7lhkalh q̓wezílc!

move with your ancestors

pl̓ukw

rise from their ashes

from nkakúsent

so we will never be left in the darkness

dance like grass in kexem in the meadow

wá7lhkalh q̓wezílc!

tsukwkalh kelh lhkakwassasa

we will quit when evening falls

nkakúsent, give us light while we sleep