Delores Louie | Swustanulwut shared this story with Chris Alphonse and Thomas Johnny on July 4, 2019. Transcribed and translated by Donna Gerdts (this version March 14, 2023)

(1) ’een’thu swustanulwut, s-hwulnitum’a’lh sne Delores Louie.
I am swustanulwut; my English name is Delores Louie.

(2) nilh tse’ kwthu s-hwulmuhwa’lh slhexun’ nu shhwunum’,
I am going to talk about a native herb medicine,

(3) tthu hun’utum’ sxu’enhween.
what’s called plantain.

(4) hay ’ul’ xelu ’i’ hay ’ul’ ’uy’ slhexun’ tthey’ sxu’enhween.
Plantain is a very effective medicine.

(5) nilh tse’ kwthu thethi’un yuw’en’ nu shhwunum’ tthey’ sxu’enhween.
What I am going to talk about is regarding using the plantain for bleeding.

(6) lhits’ lhunu ’imuth, hay ’ul’ tthu thethi’ens kwus wulh lhits’.
My grandaughter got cut and the blood was spurting.

(7) tun’ni’ hwtth’xwwiil’s ’i’ ni’ yakw’um kwthu lupat.
She was washing dishes and a cup broke.

(8) nus nem’ ’uw’ ’ul’ kwunut kwthey’ sxu’enhween.
So I went and got some plantain.

(9) nu suw’ hay ’ul’ xwum kwunus ni’ tth’e’t wuwa’ lhihw xu’athun tthey’, tuw’ mumun’lh.
And I picked 3 or 4 little pieces and chewed it really fast.

(10) mukw’ ’untsu ni’ shni’s kwus ts’its’usum’ tthey’ sxu’enhween, sus nem’ ch ’uw’ ’utl’q ’ul’ ’u tthun’ lelum’ ’i’ nilh ni’ shni’s.
The plantain grows everywhere, and you just go outside your house and it’s there.

(11) nus nuw’ tth’e’t st’e’uw’ niis tl’lim’ ’uw’ hwu smimutth’.
You chew it until it is really mushy.

(12) nus nuw’ t’uyum’t kwthey’ shni’s kwus slhilhuts’ lhunu ’imuth suw’ hwulukw’t ’u thu patun.
I applied it to my granddaughte’rs cut and wrapped it.

(13) qul’et kweyul ’i’ ni’ tsun ’uw’ hwu’alum’nus lemut.
The next day I went back to see her.

(14) ’uw’ suwq’tus kwthey’ ni’ shni’s kwus lhits’, tl’lim’ ’uw’ hwu ’uwu te’ st’e ’uw’ niis p’etth’, p’etth’ tthu shni’s kwus slhilhuts’.
And when she unwrapped it, she couldn’t find the cut; it was like the cut was sewn up.

(15) suwqtus ’i’ ’uwu te’, hay ’ul’ sts’uts’eq’ kws wulh tul’nuhwus kws hays ’ul’ ’uy’ kwthey’ slhexun’.
My granddaughter was looking for the cut but couldn’t find it and was surprised it wasn’t there.

(16) ’i’ kwthey’ nuts’a’ qul’et ni’ tl’uw’ shhw’uy’s kwthey’ sxu’enhween, kwu nilh kwthu tsts’uphwun’, tsts’uphwun’, hun’utum’ warts.
There is another thing it is good for—warts.

(17) stl’i’tl’qulh kwthu hay ’ul’ sul’its’ ni ’u tthu kwum’tth’ul’exuns elbow.
There was a child that had the warts was all over his elbow.

(18) kws hays ’ul’ sul’its’ tthu tsts’uphwun.
His elbow was full of warts.

(19) xut’us thu shuyulhs, “hay ’ul’ quliima’ tthey’ tsts’uphwun.
And the older sibling was saying, “ Warts were so ugly!

(20) yuthusthelum ’u tthu s’eluhw ’uw’ niin’ tth’e’t kwthey’ sxu’enhween t’uyum’t tthey’ ’u tthun’ kwum’tth’ul’exun.”
And the old lady told me to chew the plantain and apply it to your elbow.”

(21) sis ’uw’ thu’it tuw’ ’aan kwthu stl’i’tl’qulh.
And the child agreed.

(22) hay ’ul’ qux kwus t’uyum’tus ni’ ’u tthu…. suw’ hwulukw’ hwulukw’tus ’u kwthu patun.
She put a real lot of the plantain on his elbow and wrapped it up with a cloth.

(23) ’itut kwthu stl’i’tl’qulh.
The boy went to bed.

(24) qul’et netulh ’i’ stitiya’xw lhu shuyulhs stl’i’s kws tul’nuhws ’uw niis ’uw’ thu’it ’uy’ kwthey’ slhexun’ ni’ tth’e’tus.
Next morning his older sister was rushing around, wanting to find out if it was really true about the medicine she had chewed.

(25) me’sh lemutus kwthey’ patun ’i’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ ’uwu te’.
They looked for the warts on the cloth but there wasn’t anything there.

(26) They had how would you say… disappeared…

(27) suw’q’tus tthu tsts’uphwun ’uwu te’ ni’ ’u thu patun.
They looked on the cloth but there weren’t any.

(28) suw’ lemutus tthu shhw’a’mut-s ’uw’ niis shni’s tthey’ kwu s hay ’ul’ quliima’ kwthu tsts’uphwun ’i’ tl’lim’ nuw tth’uw’ hwu ’uwu te’.
So she went to look on the bed to see if it was dirty with warts and there was nothing.

(29) hay ’ul’ sts’uluts’eq’.
They were all surprised.

(30) suw’ hay ’ul’ hwum kwthey’ kwus st’e ’uw’ niis ’uw’ niis stsekwul’ kwthey’ sxu’enhween kwus suwawulh ts’ewutum kwthey’ stl’i’tl’qulh ’ushus tl’lim’ ’uw’ tth’uw’ ’ul’.
They were all surprised about the plantain had helped the boy and caused all the warts to disappear.

(31) ’aa nuw’ st’e ’ul’ ’u tthey. ni’ hay.
And that’s what it’s like. The end.