Bears
Fred Tomah and Simon Gabriel
Peter Dana Point, Maine
FT Àpc=ŏte nekè muwínĭyik ĭhík, yèt olŏqìw ĭhík… Siqŏnì nekèt.
[Then another time there were these bears, out there toward… It was spring at that time.]
SG Ahà.
[Yes.]
FT Ú, tàn=al nekèt tucéyu March. Well, spaqáhte=te mèc. Nìt=al spaqáhte.
[Oh, it was some time in March. Well, the snow was still deep. The snow was about this deep.]
SG Yá, yá.
[Oh, yes.]
FT Ntotŏli=huppulsihkèpon, nilùn yá, Williámsis. Mecimí=te ntoliwíyoq “Nít.” Sesŏlahki=te mete=kakálŭwet wàht pihcetù. Ítom, “Ckuwì!” Ítom, “Ckuwì, yèy, muwinalŏkíttis wótta!” Ntiyáhpon, “Muwìn?” Nwesŭwe=kakalúman. On nìt yèy, nmacáhan sakù. Nìt nkisèls=ŏte. Snowshoes=ŏkahk nposkuwánnuk.
[We were cutting hoop=pole wood, William (Sockabasin) and I. He always called me “Buddy.” All of a sudden I heard him hollering from a distance. He said, “Come here!” He said, “Come here—there’s a damn bear here!” I said, “A bear?” I hollered back to him. And then, you know, I set out accordingly. I made my way out there. We were wearing snowshoes, you see.]
SG Yá.
[Oh.]
FT Nemàht peciyày, on=ŏtahk…
[When I got there, there was…]
SG Àkŏmok.
[Snowshoes.]
FT A—ákŏmok, ahà. On nìt yèy, nìt peciyày, nìt=tahk, nìt=al tutálŏkot wáloq. Nìt=al=ŏte. Tètt=tahk olŏqálŏkot olŏqìw. Sehpal tètt olŏqìw elŏqalŏqàhk. Cèl yùt olŏqìw stick. Cèss=ŏte=hp tètt elŏqalŏkàhk naka yùt ’toláqopin opòs. Ntiyáhpon yèy, ntiyáhpon William, “Mehtalŏkittiyenĭya wakàt.” On nìt elóssit. Nìt=te wóli=te nute=lóssit. On nsaméhlan wíhtŏnok, yùt=te qonasqìw. Kinalŏkittiyéna, sakhamihkápit. Oh boy! Níta, on ntolitahásin, “Wòt=ŏkahk skàt mehtŏliqenèw!” Níta. On=ŏte níta. Ítom, “Ú, nsiktoliqehtáha=hc yèy ntomhíkon ewehkì.” Nìt=te eli=tókŏmat yùt wŏniyákŏnok. On yèy… On wòt stick pemáqŏpit, on pokosson axe handle tòmk=ŏte. See.
[Huh? Snowshoes, yes. So then, when I got there, there was a hole, about this big a hole. About like this. The hole went in this way. It was as if the hole went in this way. And over here was a stick. It was just like the hole went in this way, and this tree was sitting here. I told William, you know, “This damn thing is dead.” And there she lay. Right there she lay sticking right out. So I touched her on the nose, right here on the tip. Holy smokes, she reared up and looked around. Oh boy! Well, then I thought, “This damned thing isn’t dead after all!” Well! Well, then! He said, “I’ll kill the damn thing with my axe.” Then he hit her on the head. And then… This tree lying there, the axe handle landed on that first. See.]
SG Ksiktoliqehtáha?
[Did you kill it?]
FT Ahà—no, táma, yèy… Utŏmeyákun=ŏtahk blow, tahálu. Yá. Téhpu stunnedŏmúwyal cípŏtu=al second. Stunnedŏmúwyal téhpu, kámŏtuk=ŏte sakhamihkéssit. Kinalŏkittisalŏkittiyéna. Mèc=al six feet qonenskósu.
[Yes—no, no, uh… The blow just bothered her, like. Yeah. He just stunned her for maybe a second. He just stunned her, then she suddenly reared up. Holy smokes. She was some six feet tall.]
SG Téhpu unatŏminehtáhal?
[He just made him crazy?]
FT Ahà. On nmacĭyalŏkittiyephúwan tètt olŏqìw. Yùt olŏmússok olŏqìw íywok nísŭwok. Péskuhs téhpu wàht ’talŏkittiyessuwà yùt olŏqìw. Nòt=ŏlu Airedale kŏtáma. Oh, golly. Nìt=ehta weci=macetqíhit. Qìn nospi=wŏlam nìt=al ’qonŏtóqqin tókki yèt áwtik. Cèss=ŏte téhpu nìt elamìt. Níta. On ’tolŏmi=koti=tqátŭwan ópŏsik. Ú, nìt=ehta nìt yá, opòs nìt=al ’tutáqsin. Nìt wàht petátŭwe. Ú, on nìt=al ’taspópin, on ’pomalŏkittiyetqíhin nòt Airedale. Yùt=te ’tutalŏkittiyéphal nomŏcinìw. On uckuwi=pŏneqalŏkittíyhan, nòt muwìn, On=yaka nilùn nomiyukunèn.
[Yes. And then I ran like hell over in this direction. There were two dogs over this way. One of them just took off like hell from out there and headed this way. But not that Airedale. Oh, golly. He just jumped up and headed out (in pursuit). I swear he jumped as far as it is to that road. It was just like he was sailing through the air. Well. Then she (the bear) tried to get away up a tree. Oh, that tree was about this big around. She climbed well up there. Oh, then she was up about this high, and the Airedale took a hell of a leap. He grabbed her right on the damn side. And she came tumbling the hell down, that bear. And then she saw us.]
SG Yá.
[Oh.]
FT Yá. Weckuhqekapŭwéssit. Yúhtol=ehta ’sískul tahálu=te=hp two flashlights wèn eyìts, apèq spotèw=ŏte. Nìt=al ’tutalŏkotunéwin. Eltáqsit kakálŭwet ánsa éhpit. Ah, boys! Ntah… Ntahsun… Ntahsósŭwon ahtŏli=ewepéssik. Nekèt=te nìl nuckuwalŏkittiyháhpon. Níta. On petkawŏtinèn yúta, on naciptunèn peskuwátĭyil nísŏnul, shotguns. Níta. On nìt=ŏlu wàht petkawŏtíyek ápca, nkisi=peskhikanèn nìt yèy… Ma=te=na nsehkèhpon wecŭwaw. Nkisi=tqatŭwèpon ópŏsik.
[Yeah. She turned and stood facing us. These eyes of hers shone as if someone had two flashlights, even though it was daylight. She opened her mouth wide like this. She cried out, hollering like a woman. Ah, boys! My hat kept going up and down (from running). Then I made it the hell back here. Well. We arrived here, and we went to get two guns, shotguns. Well. But then when we got back out there again, and we took our shots there, you know… We didn’t stand close. We climbed up a tree.]
SG Ú, kpoltelŭwáwa?
[Oh, did you miss her?]
FT Ahà. Toqí=te yèy, two barrels, yèy, toqí=te. Nkisi=peskhikanèn, on sŏlahkìw wèn mete… metetútok lamìw. Ítom yá, William, “Nìt nihkankulìn=ehta.” On npisahseníkan, match ewehkì. Túci=tahk=ŏte pisiptinewì, kinalŏkíttis ntutalŏkittiyéphoq péskuhs muwinesísok. Nìt=al ’qoneyínĭya. Yùt ntoli=kisi=montehsíma yúta.
[Yes. With both, you know, two barrels, with both. We took our shots, and then suddenly we heard something moving around inside (the hole). “You go on ahead of me,” said William. And then I shined a light in, with a match. Just as soon as I put my hand in, what the hell, one of these damn bear cubs grabbed me. They were about this long. I just knocked if off right here.]
SG Yá.
[Oh.]
FT Psí=te nokkaliqehtelŭwánnuk=kenoq. Yá, three kéhsŭwok. Tahálu=hp nìt=te lahqáqĭhik, sehpal nìt olŏqìw.
[But we shot all of the damn things. Yeah, there were three of them. They were laid out like that, just like over that way.]
SG Yá.
[Oh.]
FT On kci=muwìn ihitsopòn, on=op npahkikalŏkittiyálkun.
[And if the big bear had been there, she would have grabbed me.]
SG Ú, kisi=macehpawŏláwa?
[Oh, you guys had scared her away?]
FT Ahà, kìs maceliqephúwe.
[Yes, she had already run the hell away.]
SG Ú, níta.
[Oh, well then.]
FT Well, anyway. On npeciphanèn nìkk muwinesísok. Yèy, nìt àpc next day ntolkawŏtinèn. Nìt muwìn wàht=te npetalŏkittyephoqalkunnùss yèt ĭhík ’cimacìw nìt ĭhík, Gordon Island on ĭhík wahsìw.
[Well, anyway. Then we brought those cubs here. The next day we walked back there again. The bear had followed us the whole damn way from out there to Gordon Island and beyond.]
SG Ahà.
[Yes.]
FT Nìt nìt nahtokayìw. Wàht=te npetaphukùn milawìw=ŏte ĭhík pqómik. That night.
[That was on the shore. She followed our tracks out to the middle of the ice. That night.]
SG Yá?
[Yeah?]
FT Yá.
[Yeah.]
SG Tàn nìkt ktolehlánĭya muwinesísok?
[What did you do with those cubs?]
FT Ú, nkisi=psehlánnuk naka nsipelektahanèn ĭhík…
[Oh, we skinned them and stretched out the skins there…]
SG Ú…
[Oh…]
FT Yeah, yeah. Psí=te nokkaliqehtelŭwánnuk.
[Yeah, yeah. We shot all of the damn things.]