The Origin of the Maliseet Family Called Bear

[Source: Chamberlain, Montague. 1880. Melicite (Malisit’) vocabulary, pp. 106–109. MS 13, National Anthropological Archives, Suitland, MD.]

1.   Ksihkéhe skinúhsis. Malom=ŏte wmihqi-ksihkáhan muwínĭyol naka wnicàns. Pisessultúwok msqikŭwámok, elŏmi-íhit nqocípun.

[A boy became lost. At length his wanderings brought him together with a bear and her cubs. They all went into the den, where he stayed all winter.]

2.   Wmawi-ihìnĭya kakéhsŏnul pepúkil. Wtolawsìnĭyal msí kehkikkíkok keqsimínsol punìw, on nípok nŏmèhs wtolawsìnĭya.

[They stayed together for many winters. They lived on all kinds of berries in the winter, and in the summer they lived on fish.]

3.   Kci-wskinuhsŭwìw meskuwùt. Ítom muwìn wkisi-ŏsánal weckuwihalícil skàt nehpuhukuwŏníya.

[He was a young man when he was found. He said that the bear had turned away someone who was coming toward them so that he would not kill them.]

4.   Pésqon pépuk eyultíhtit msqikŭwámok, kci-muwìn ítok, “Wòt tŏkèc weckuwíhat, ntolitahàs knatkakùn. Ntoqeci-=ehta -ŏsánan.”

[One winter when they were in the den, the old bear said, “This one who is coming now, I think he is coming right toward us. I will try to turn him away.”]

5.   Ítok, “Katékon nkisi-ŏsanàw. Knokkahtuhukùn. Kìl téhpukt wetawsíyon.”

[She said, “I cannot turn him away. He will kill all of us. You alone will survive.”]

6.   “Kénuk ktíhul, musà=hk nehpaháhkoc núsesq elŏmawsíyon. Nehpohòt núsesq, knehpahà=hc kúhkŏmoss. Nehpohòt kúhkŏmoss, kàt=oc àpc knehpahàw muwìn.

[“But I tell you this, never kill a female bear as long as you live. If you kill a female bear, you will be killing your grandmother. If you kill your grandmother, you will never again kill a bear.”]

7.   “Tŏkèc ktíhul, elŏmawsíyon, sipkawsìyon, kŏtunŏlòt muwìn li-nutahàyon spasŭwìw, knomihtŭwanòl=c wpoktéwal. Tàn piqi-pkotènŏmat, nòt kmúhsums; wahkaci-pkotènŏmat, nòt kúhkŏmoss. Nòt musà=hk nehpaháhkoc.

[“I tell you now, as long as you live, if you live a long time, if you hunt a bear when you go out in the morning, you will see their (columns of) smoke. The one from whose chimney thick smoke comes, that is your grandfather; the one from whose chimney hardly any smoke comes, that is your grandmother. Do not ever kill her.”]

8.   Katáma nusésqol wnehpahàwĭyol malom=ŏte kiskátom. Wnisŭwihtícil wtihúkul, “Nkotúpa núsesq. Ktahcŭwi-nehpáhtŭwin núsesq.”

[He did not kill a female bear until he got married. His wife told him, “I have a craving for female bear. You must kill a female bear for me.”]

9.   Malom=ŏte wtahcŭwi-nehpahtŭwánol. Nìt wecehtakémok, katáma wnehpahàwĭyol muwínĭyol. Nekèt=ŏlu mèsq, uci=nŏmíhal ’qahakŏnúmok, wtolihánol kiyahqìw wnehpáhan.

[Finally he had to kill one for her. From that point on, he didn’t kill a bear. But before that time, he would see one from his door, go straight to it, and kill it.]

10.   Nìt wòt wskitàp weci-sissaháhtit muwinewakùtŏkik.

[It is this man from whom the Bear family (those who are related to the bear) are derived.]