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Htsast'a Ghu Nał T'qighit'ach'

A description of traditional Dena'ina life, as told by Andrew Balluta in 2004.
Ghu shqizdlan qech' ghu iqilch' qech' shughu na'eł ninuhdelzex.
Since I was born times have changed for us.

Htsast'a ghu nał tqighit'ahch' ghu q'udi guhdi hk'uch' shughu nał tqit'a da.
How it was in the past is much different for us now.

Htsast'a shtutda'ina łuhghidił, ha shi k'i dghełchek' ha qeveł łuhenshyu.
Long ago our fathers traveled, and when I was small I too went with them.

Heyteh qilan ha hetl q'ech' łik'aha k'i el łuhetlhghidił.
When it was winter they went around on sleds with dogs.

Nan Qelah k'i qenq'a qighila.
At 'moss place' [on Lake Clark, north of Miller Creek] there was a house.

Eyeqech' q'uhdi Tuvughna Ten hdi tinitun hqul'an.
From there they had a trail to 'Tyonek people's trail' [trail to north of Kijik River].

Nan Qelah qech' q'u' K'ilghech' di jan ts'ił jan ninuhdulggesh.
They went from 'moss place' to 'gap' [valley south of College Creek] in one day.

Iyehdi k'ak'ighalnik ha t'qighit'ah ha iyehdi ninułhdulyak.
And there was a tent pitched there, and they stayed there several nights.

Iye qech' q'u hdi K'aka'a qenq'a qilan hqugh hdi ninuhdulggesh.
From there they stopped at 'big opposing place' [valley on Upper Chilakadrotna River] where there was a house.

Iy qeghe'ut hdi k'iłkedi hghiluh.
They had traps in various places.

Iy ghu K'ilghech' qech' q'u Dilah Vena qenq'a qighila'i k'i qech' tus tusnuhdulggesh.
From 'gap' they also went through the pass to 'fish run in lake' [Telaquana Lake].

Yeh k'i k'iłkedi qezdlu ha yeh k'i łuhetłhghidił.
They also traveled with sleds where they had traps.

Iy Dilah Vena q'atl'a qech' yeh shughu Tuvughna tustihghiłtun ha t'qighit'a.
At the head of 'fish run in the lake' [Telaquana Lake] there was a pass to the 'beach people' [Tyonek people].

Dghili teh tinitun ha t'qighit'a.
The trail was in the mountains.

Ey qech' q'u Ch'akaja Vena vunu hdi niqatidighitun iy qech' ghu Tuvugh Tuvughnen ch'atinitun t'qighit'a.
From there the trail went around the shore of 'tail comes out lake' [Chakachamna Lake] and it came out at 'beach land' [Tyonek area].

Dilah Vena qech' ch'u Vatutnutl'ech'a Vena k'i ch' łuhghidił.
They also walked from 'fish swim in lake' [Telaquana Lake] to 'black water in lake' [Two Lakes].

Yeh k'i k'iqu qul'ih Vatutnutl'ech'a at k'i niggiday hghiłchix.
They also would hunt there at 'black water in it' and they made skin boats.

K'etnu t'ech' hkanahehnitdeł Qeghnilen yeh hkanahetlnitdeł ha t'qut'ih.
They would come back in a group downstream, coming back downstream to 'current flows through' [Canyon Village on Stony River], coming back in a group downstream there.

Qeghnilen k'i qayeh qighila ha yeh k'i nił'egh hdults'ih.
At 'current flows through' there was a village, and they stayed together there.

Qizhjeh hch'adełna k'elduna yeh k'i qeł shan qedeh.
Sometimes some people coming from Kijik spent the summer there.

Łiq'a tl'eghit hnuyu Vałts'atnaq' yeh tuhtedeł ha yeh k'i k'iqu qul'ih.
After salmon (fishing) then they would go to Mulchatna River to hunt there as well.

Ye qech' q'u Qizhjeh ch'anahdelggesh ha t'qut'ih.
From there they would come back out to Kijik.

K'eldunteh Qizhjeh qut'ana Nila Vena qech' k'i nuqudeł ha t'qut'ih nił'eł chiqul'ił.
Sometimes the Kijik people went to 'islands lake' [Iliamna Lake] and they would play sports with one another.

Niłqettitl' ha t'qut'ih k'eldunteh hdi ch'enlahi k'i eł chiqul'ił ha t'qut'ih.
They would potlatch together and also play the hand game with one another.

Iy chi'ul chi'ul ghu hq'ahghetnux ch'u yaqech'ghu nuti vunu qech' k'i shtunhghidił.
When they ended the games, they would go hunt over there on the seashore.

Nuti at veqilani hdi iququl'ih.
They hunted for ocean fauna.

Hutsighił'iy nihidi quyushi nihdi k'i iqu qul'ih.
They hunted seals or belugas.

Yeqech' ghu nutih qayeh qilan ghu nił'egh hdults'ih ha shtunhghidił ha k'i chiqul'ił.
In this way the two villages [Nondalton and Old Iliamna] lived together, went hunting, and played.