Woodstock, NB

July 1, 1963

1.   Mecimìw wasísok qecikesultúwok kèq weci-tuci-kiwattáqsit oqìm. Qospémok nipayìw=oc nìt eci-kiwattáqsit. ’Qocitpùhk=te=hc nìt èlŭwe. On nìt tŏké, nkotŭwakŏnùtŏmon weci- nìt -líhtáqsit oqìm.

      ‘Children are always asking why the loon makes such a mournful sound. At the lake they will make mournful cries in the night. Sometimes this will (go on) almost all night. So now I want to tell you why the loon sounds like that.’

2.   Píhce skinúhsis naka pilsqéhsis wisŏki-kseltúwok. Kŏma=lu kisi-nipŭwìwĭyok ’sami-wecŭwawakùtŭwok.

      ‘A long time ago a boy and a girl loved each other very much. They could not marry, though, because they were too closely related.’

3.   On nìt kŏma kiseltomŭwámuhk nisŭwìnĭya, eci-macehkawŏtíhtit sŏnucìw. Tamà nìt wisŏki-spáhke.

      ‘So then, when they were not allowed to marry, they walked down by the river. Somewhere where the bank was very high.’

4.   Nìt pòl mahkĭyèw, ’totŏlotemìnĭya. Mam=ŏte ’qisitáhatŏmònĭya, ’cuwapŏtoqhìnĭya, na nehpuhusìnĭya. Naka wòt=ŏna skinúhsis wapiskipepísu.

      ‘At first, they just cried there for a while. In the end, they made up their minds to jump into the water, and so to kill themselves. And this boy was wearing a white neckband.’

5.   On nìt cuwapŏtoqhíhtit askómot. Mam=ŏte sŏlahkìw muskiyácik nìsŭwok oqimúwok, pèsq=cel wapiskipepísu.

      ‘And then they jumped into the water forever. Then, all of a sudden, two loons bobbed up; and one even had a white band around his neck.’

6.   Nìt weci, weci- tŏkèc -líkit napáha oqìm. Mecimì wapéyu wiwŏnìw ’topskúhkek. Wiwŏnìw, wiwŏnìw ’topskúhkek wapeyù wiphùn.

      ‘That’s why the male loon looks like that now. He is always white around his neck. All around, around his neck, his feathers are white.’