Wishes Granted
Peter Lewis Paul
Indian Township, ME1
August 13, 1976
1. Nèqt=yaq, píhce, núhúwok skítapíyok naci-qíluhkŭwànĭya Kŏluskapíyol. Naci-kotŭwapemáwal. Ìpŏcol ìtŏmuk nékèt=yaq tánè Kŏlúskàp mácáhat, ítŏmùss=yàq, “Sŏláhkì wèn kílŭwàw wisŏki-kotŭwapemìt, kilúhkŭwic, cù kmoskuwípa.”
[Once, long ago, three men went to look for Koluskap. They went to seek his help. For they say that when Koluskap was leaving, he said, “If it should happen that someone among you deeply desires my help, have him look for me, and you will find me.”]
2. Malom=ŏte=yaq yùkt núhúwok macĭyahkenìnĭya. Elŏmahkeníhtit, elŏmahkeníhtit, on malom=ŏte, olŭwìkŏnok kehsìkŏton.
[Finally, they say, these three (men) set on the trip. They traveled and traveled, until finally seven years had passed.]
3. Sŏláhkì=yaq=ŏte pétkawŏtúwok yùt eli-milawi-íhik ktáhkŏmiq supékuk. Nìt wàht olŏmasqìw nìt éhtek wikŭwámsis. On=yaq nìt qihìw petápasíhtit ’conessultìnĭya, naka [tu]cìw ’kakálumànĭya yúhtol wénil lámìw eyilícil, “Qéy.”
[At that point, they came to a stretch of land that extended out into the sea. There, off in the distance across a meadow, there stood a little house. And then, when they had come close to it, they stopped; and at that point they called out to whoever was there inside, “Hail!”]
4. On=yaq nìt máhkĭyèw=ŏte=yaq sakhíkapŭwéssit wéna. Psìw yùt ’sísoq=yaq, ánsa pŏnapsqèy cèl pecìw=ŏte eli-psíki-íhik pŏnapsq sakhìkŏnul íyol, cacahqésol. Wòt=ya… yaq, nòt yá, Kŏluskàp.
[Then, after just a little while, out into view stepped some person. His whole face was like something made of stone; and where there was a crack in the stone, there were even strands of moss growing out. This, they say, was Koluskap.]
5. ’Tíyà=yaq, “Kociciyúlpa weci-petapàsĭyeq. Kéqsèy=op=ŏlu kisi-li-wicuhkemŏlópa?
[“I know why you have come,” he told them. “Would I be able to help you in some way?”]
6. ’Tiyáwal, “Ahà.”
[“Yes,” they told him.]
7. Wòt pèsq=yaq nihkanikapŭwéssit. ’Tíyal “Nìl, nìl npawàtŏmon ntaskomáwsin.”
[One of them stepped forward. He told him, “I want to live forever.”]
8. ’Tíyal=yaq Kŏluskàp, “Cù ktoli-psònŏmon. Ckuwì. Wiciyewìn.”
[“Certainly,” Koluskap told him. “So shall you receive. Come. Come with me.”]
9. Malom=ŏte=yaq wòt macéphan yùt eli-qesawéyik. “Nehè, yùt=te sehkèn.”
[Then he led him off to this point of land. “So! Stand right here.”]
10. On=yaq wíhqéllan wónĭyàkŏnok, naka=hc yùt táma=al=yaq eli-kspisílit, naka [tu]cìw ’pimosséllan. On éláhket yùt=tahk=yaq opòs séhket tàn wisŏki-mocináhat. Moci… moci… Mocahqémsu, naka ’posketqónit. Kŏma=oc=ŏte=hp wèn ’kuwhàwĭyol ’cìw keqsèy, cèl yùt, cèl yùt… Cèl=te=hp skà kisi… kisápemàw kotŭwéhkohòt piwsókul. Nìt wòt élíkit kci-opòs. ’Tíyal, “Níta. Yùt=oc tŏké séhkĭyon. Áskomìw=ŏte=hc yùt ktì. Ma=te=hc kmehcínew.”
[Then he took him by the head, and then here, about where he wore his belt; and at that point he twisted him. And when he let go of him, here stood a tree, one that was terribly crooked. Its grain was bad, and it was full of knots. No one would cut it down for any purpose. Nor would you be able to get anything useful from it if you wanted to use it for firewood. That’s the kind this big tree was. He told him, “Well! This is where you will stand now. Forever you will be here. You will not die.”]
11. On=yaq àpc weckuwí-wesŭwéssin yúhùht nísù sehkélit. ’Tíyà=yaq, “Well…”
[Next he came back to where the (other) two were standing. He told them, “Well…”]
12. On=yaq kótok àpc nihkanikapŭwéssin. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Nìl=lu npawàtŏmon ehpícik, psì-te ehpícik nkoselŏmókun.”
[And then another (of the men) stepped forward. He told him. “As for me, I want women, all women to love me.”]
13. ’Tíyal, “Ú, ’kómaséyu níta. [Nì]t=ŏna ktoli-psònŏmon.”
[“Oh,” (Koluskap) told him, “that is easy. So shall you, too, receive.”]
14. “Kìl=lu?” yéhtol nuhuwewéyal ’tíyal.
[“What about you?” he asked the third one (still standing at a distance).]
15. ’Tíyal, “Nìl=lu npáwàtŏmon mécimìw nulelŏmóqan. Tàn=ŏte eci-naci-kotunkì, npáwàtŏmon nulelŏmóqan. Nìt=te eli, eli-pawàtom.”
[He told him, “As for me, I want always to be lucky. Whenever I go out hunting, I want to be lucky. That is what I want.”]
16. ’Tíyal, “Nìt=te=ŏna ’komaséyu. Tàn=te=hc eli-psònŏmeq.”
[He told him, “That, too, is easy. You shall both receive as you just as (you have wished).”]
17. ’Tíyà “Nìt=oc=ŏlu wesŭwehkawŏtiyèq, músà lihkaw… olŏqíhkawŏtíhkeq weci-petkawŏtíyeq.” Nìt=te yéta olŏqì olŭwíke. “Nìt, nìt ktoloq… ktoloqihkawŏtìnĭya. Cù kpétkawŏtípa=hc weci-macehkawŏtiyéqpon.”
[He told them, “When you go back, do not walk in the direction from which you came.” Then he pointed off in the distance. “You should go in that direction. Then you will arrive at the place from which you set out.”]
18. Kéhtol=ŏte macehkawŏtìnĭya. Malom=ŏte… Nìt=yaq=ŏte, olŭwìkŏnok kehsukŏnìw, sŏláhkì=yaq sakhíhkawŏtícik yùt weci-macehkáwŏtihtítpon, kìs ólŭwìkŏnok kehsìkŏton.
[Sure enough, they started out. Then, they say, after seven days, they suddenly came walking in, here where they had set out seven years before.]
19. Nìt=yaq=ŏte yùt elí-nŏmiyùt uckuhkawŏtìnĭya, psì=yaq=ŏte éhpícik nutĭyámkessúwok yùt utenehsísok. Wŏlìw ’tassíhtehkŭwáwal yúhtol, wòt péwatŏkópon ksèlŏman. Wiwŏnahpeláwal, áyùt alŏcemáhtit, áyùt wisŏki-kselŏmawal=ehtá=te.
[Then, when they were seen approaching, all of the women came out in a mob from the village. Right away, they ran up to greet him, the one who had wanted to be loved. They surrounded him and even kissed him all over; and then, indeed, they even made love to him fiercely.]
20. Wòt=ŏlu kótok noqcúhsan. Mam=ŏte wìkŭwak pecíyat… Ìpŏcol qènŏtaq ma mícŭwákon ihíwi. Wáhka kisawsù ’sìwi. On wíhqéhtun yèy, peskuwàt… Nìt nutáhan naci, naci-wiyuhsúhkan. Nìt=yaq=ŏte nutékapŭwéssit wáhsì wiksísok, nìt=yaq séhket ŏtúhk. Nìt=te etoli-psahkŏnahtèlŭwat. On=ŏte ’posséllal. Ktánáqot wíyuhs éyit.
[But the other one walked straight on. When he finally
arrive at his home… For there had long been no food there. His relatives
could scarcely live. So then he picked up a gun. Then he went out to go hunting
for meat. As soon as he stepped out behind his little house, there stood a deer.
He shot it right there, and it fell over. Then he skinned it. He had a lot of
meat.]
21. Nìt ’címacìw níta, tàn=ŏte eci-nací-kotúnket wŏlì=te=hc nókŏsayìw nehpáhta. Nìt=te=na punáwet, kéhsuhtóhok metèkŏnik.
[Then, from that time on, whenever he went hunting, he soon made a kill. In just the same way, when he trapped, he collected lots of hides.]
22. Wòt=ŏlu kótok, mèc=ŏte ehpílicíhi wisŏki-ksi-iyàku. Ma=te táma kisí-liyèw ’qotuhkayìw. Mécimìw=oc ’tali-núhsuhkàku ehpilicíhi. Malom=ŏte élŏmíyak nìt kìs ’síwellòku nékom. Ma=tahk, ma=tahk ’kisi-conellàwi. Pésqon=ŏte mèc eli, eli-ksi-íyaht.
[But as for the other (man), still the women loved him passionately. He could go nowhere by himself. They would always follow him around. Finally, as time went on, they had made him weary (of them). He just couldn’t stop them. They still loved him just as intensely.]
23. Malom=ŏte sŏláhkì mace-ksinúhka. Ma-te keqsèy… kisi-ihi… ’qotúhkayìw táma kisi-liyéwi. Mécimì=te ehpílicíhi ’talamkìpha. Malom=ŏte nìt elŏmíyak, sikte-íyu, ’siktiya… ’siktiyamkumkù yúhùht ehpilicíhi. Nìt etŏli-mehc… etŏli-mehtapéksit.
[Finally, at one point, he begun to grow ill. He couldn’t… go anywhere alone. He always had a crowd of women around him. Finally, as time went on, he was done in—the mob of them rode him to death, these women did. That was the end of him.]
* * * * *
24. Yùt… Yùt nìt tŏkèc nìl elí-nutŏmánpon yùt elákŏnimqósit wòt nuhúwewèy skitàp, wòt síkte-ksèlŏmiht ehpilicíhi. On=yaq=ŏte élíyat ehpílicíhi, nìt=te wetamkessílit. Nuhsuhkàku, cèl=yaq ma apcokuhkéwi kòsŏna apiskìw. Ma=te ’kisi, ’kisi-pcóculàwi yúhùht ehpilicíhi. Malom=ŏte nìt élŏmíyak, malom=ŏte sikte-kotŭwocŏkúhke kòsŏna=al sikte-kotŭwísku.
[This now is how I heard the story told about this third man, the one that the women loved to death. Wherever he went, they say, that’s where the women went. They followed him, and he couldn’t go and shit or go and piss. He couldn’t get rid of these women. Finally, after some time, finally he died from his need to shit, or died from his need to piss.]
* * * * *
25. Cuwítpot yùt wasisŭwi-pŏmawsuwinúwok utŏkehkimsultìnĭya eli skàt cuwítpotúnuhk kèq wèn wihkùtŏmon skàt kèq wŏleyaku… skàt kèq wèn kisapètŏmuhk.
[Young people are to learn from this that they
shouldn’t ask for something that won’t do them any good.]
1Peter Lewis Paul (1902–1989) was a Maliseet elder from Woodstock, NB. This story was recorded on one of the many occasions when he came to visit friends at Indian Township.