A First Course in Haisla

Haisla Lessons Numbers

Sentences

Recorded by Hein Vink Read by Kay Grant and Nelson Grant

1974 Edited by Ab Morrison-Hayward & Megan Metz

July-August 2018 Kitamaat Village, BC

Follow along on the Haislakala2 SoundCloud page:

https://soundcloud.com/haisla-kala2/sets/a-first-course-in-haisla

Editor’s note:

I came across the audio files of these lessons in the Haisla archives and it appears as though these were

some of the first Haislakala lessons to be recorded. They were recorded by Hein Vink in 1974, more than

likely on audio tape and later converted to digital format and burned onto CD.

I felt that they could use some work so some noise removal was done as well as removing a few

mistakes and background noises. I also put the word lists for the exercises into 2 columns on the pages

to save room, originally each lesson was on a separate page.

I also discovered that the audio files came from 2 separate lessons. The first set of exercises come from

a collection called “A First Course in Haisla”, the rest come from a package called “Haisla Sentences and

Numbers.” I kept them all together in their original order.

This is not all of the lessons; there is more material in the original word lists but they do not appear in

the audio recordings. It’s not clear if the remaining audio lessons were lost or just not recorded, some

lessons are missing words and lesson 35 is missing completely. Similarly, there are 120 sentences not in

the recordings; what I’d like to do in the near future is re-record everything from the start. That way,

Haisla people will have access to the complete lessons.

This is the second Haislakala package that I’ve worked on so far, there are more. I’m hoping to revise all

the packages and put them all together into one collection. For the time being, I’m working on them one

at a time and releasing them for the Haisla public as I complete them.

I hope that everyone enjoys these lessons and practices them. We need to strengthen our language and

having these lessons available will help people learn.

The audio lessons are available the Haislakala SoundCloud page. This package will be a digital release

only because of the fact that there are so many audio files that they will not all fit on one CD.

Thank you to Megan Metz, one of our summer students who did a lot of the audio editing in this

collection.

Thank you for your interest and keep an eye out for more lessons to come.

Wa.

-Ab Morrison-Hayward,

Archive Assistant for Haisla Nation Council.

Haisla Lessons

Exercise 1

Thick ems

Stop elka

To cook hemgila

A big river waa

Salmon (fish) mia

Soapberry uss

Mouse aasgani

House cat mayas

Tame (never wild) sala

To sing hena

To hide haya

To breathe has hasa

To smell hasela

Black cod hadani

To blow (like wind) yuala

Aunt anis

Exercise 2

Mouth sems

Salt dums

Name duent

Heart wasem

Rattle yaden

Cedar bark denas

Baby crawling gela

To wish/long/desire mesela

Creek wagilsela

Marten kenkem

Exercise 3

Snow nai

Shingle (shake) saiks

Tallow (animal fat) yekwsemai

Small emai

Here it is hida gada

Bait tilai

Copies older dances hiligitdemai

Give daid

To beat a drum meksemai

Exercise 4

Potatoes gusi

Tooth gig

Man wisem

[Deep] sea fish magelis

Native love song lin

Earthquake nininia

Floor cover sagelilem

Inlaws ninegup

To blow (like the wind) yubis

Exercise 5

Father aup

Toy aulem

Kelp waudi

Waterfall wauyala

Lumber hawas

Nine muxwaus

Question humaulem

Club yanu

Skinning knife sabayu

Exercise 6

To feel numb dusa

Landslide enuya

Inlaw negup

Balsam fir mudulas

To guess kuta

Hit in the eye mexsdukw

Hit on the chest menbud

North wind gaiyuyala

History of the tribe nuyem

Exercise 7

Dry cusa

Flesh or meat elc

Small black rock cod cilikela

Hi, hello yauc

Eating utensil hemcanu

Aim at somebody melcela

Rock slide/land slide enca

Exercise 8

Seal harpoon zan

To dig cockles zusa

Stepfather/mother uazau

Sun gizua

Kitchen/cafe humzilas

Flat emzuala

Cockles zuali

Sandy beach igizewis

Exercise 9

What? maas

Chief himas

Big umas

Cheek umia

Bed covering mamam

Carpenter’s square menzem

Fish trap amala

Willow tree dimalas

Breasts zami

Glacier nuyema

Same/similar mamenaks

Exercise 10

Water wap

Crabapple tree ciwas

Douglas fir mawas

Thin (fluid mixture) wapela

Mountain wawais

Canoe gelwa

Deep (water) puwais

Coho salmon zuen

To go across lawis

Tame goat dawai

Where? (Which place?) lewi

Catch, imprison wata

How are you? sesweila

Belt wesigem

Beard weswesum

Exercise 11

Labrador tea puyas

Veins hayas

Hair sia

Sick, sickness yagem

Fox (lynx, bobcat) meduyu

Dishrag dizuyu

Middle of something uyua

To fish mamia

Canvas cloth yayuazem

Exercise 12

Shine a light mela

Weasel gelem

Rosebush bulas

Ring finger sali

Point of land ubaila

Why? What’s wrong? wailas

Cross a road lawils

A twin malezi

Back eddy hiluala

Exercise 13

Pick berries naa

Yes enna

Baby’s head, soft spot nasnap

Poison nudeli

Herring wani

Hips aunuzi

Older brother/sister nulasel

Exercise 14

To disappear xesa

Rib xaka

Grizzly bear saax

Good aix

Bad yaax

Fast hixala

Potlatch yaxa

Heat pexela

Beat a drum mexela

Hit on the face mexem

Slow (late) wixala

Strong wind xemtela

Sweetheart wanai

Moose wezik

Rabbit dexwdus

Salmon eggs xulais

Sharp sesexba

Exercise 15

Baby crawling on bum lhuta

A flooding river palha

To swim malhela

Work together malhelaa

Message dootilh

To groan lhanisela

Window curtain lhemsdua

Tired, stiff body lhalasa

Dead lhel

To faint, black out lhelkalaud

Cedar bark mat lhiwi

Recover, get well hilha

Eyelashes habililh

Yesterday lhancixga

Husband lhawenem

Cave lhalagalh

Exercise 16

To arrive at night nikwela

Different lekwela

A wound yalekwi

Members of village gukwelut

Steam kwencela

To gather food bakwela

A strong person lhaukwimas

Build a home gukwila

Yellow cedar kwanalas

Bed kwilhdema

Exercise 17

I (me) nugwa

Who? engwas

Person begwanem

Leg gugwi

Rain yugwa

To get hurt yalekwa

Hair seal sagwem

Mountain blueberry sikwsgwis

Sea otter hengwista

Earth, land ugwels

Butterfly lalagwedai

Exercise 18

One nauxw

House guxw

Mother ebuwx

How many? gencuxw

Moving continually xwasela

Mittens sanexw

Nettles duxwa

A drop of water caxwa

Messenger yabexw

Oolichan zaxwen

Strong lhauxw

Have an equal share haxwela

Four muxw

Cold stream of water xwenis

Drop overboard mekwsda

Marriage hisekw

Rice xukwem

To burn xwelta

Stomach puxwems

To go home lainaxw

Get a headache lhaxwmecuaqiala

Exercise 19

To drink naqa

Smoke qapela

Deer qamila

Spring salmon qabes

To fry cenqa

Dark zaqela

Hat qait

Cut wood with saw qaqa

Bug diqau

Misty rain xiaqela

To growl heniqela

An old man nuaqela

Ghost aziq

Mad/angry kwixqa

Driftwood kwakweqawa

Exercise 20

Woman genem

Night ganutl

That there guda

Eye geges

Old giala

Salmonberry gulali

Trout gulisdi

Flying squirrel megani

Louse gin

Mask gigemi

Porcupine nulagemi

Exercise 21

To crush something qwena

Firewood leqwa

To fold, postpone liqwa

Robin; to ask/demand cuqwa

Dirty teqwa

To brood on eggs heqwamilh

To throw, hammer mekwa

The world, daylight naqwela

Shade, fog enqwela

To gamble yaqwap

To deny ulaqwa

Paid in full qwelhdua

Exercise 22

Red huckleberry gwadem

Powdered copper gwams

Grass sagwan

Finished, stop gwalh

Window nagwas

Colour gwisdu

To make camp legwasila

Like this gwaligada

Underwear telgwabua

Build a fire indoors legwilha

Hammer megwayu

Enemy, opponent lalagualut

Exercise 23

To slap tlasa

Wrong mitla

Bird’s wing tlilebem

To fly tlepela

Smooth, slippery tlesa

To help guatla

Give birth to a child mayutla

Weak person waitlimas

To boil mutla

Funeral, to bury qwelatla

Tomorrow lhansdlac

Exercise 24

Wedge dlanut

Thick (like a tree) dlegwid

Single-pointed arrow hendlem

Right now, this day isdlam

Smallpox, 7 year itch dlemai

Tree; standing outside dlawes

Standing inside dlawilh

Serving spoon suxwdla

Putting pot on a fire kaxdlelaud

Nephew dlul

Again dluela

Exercise 25

Outside xas

To go onboard laxs

Hail celxa

Few, a little xena

Flour, baked bread gwixem

Nose xumaq

Green tixsdu

Canary tatixsem

Frog kwikwenaq

You yexsu

Goose hengax

Raven gaax

Bird’s eggs qelxem

Naked xanala

Person with big mouth eqexda

Red cedar; stick kwaxdlau

Bone xaax

Canoe crosspiece dlexexs

West wind xaayulhela

Haisla xaisla

Warm weather kuxwexdala

Exercise 26

Further on, farthest xwisala

Seal fat, animal fat xwel

Rainbow mesaqw

To climb haxwa

Fire xweldexw

Soft telqw

Crabapple cixwa

Cottonwood xwayas

Child xwenukw

White muxwsdu

Uncle xwelhaab

Swan gaguxw

Exercise 27

To work pala

Cotton, wool palem

Blind paaxw

Echo sepa

Salty taste dempa

To float pexwai

Sweet taste ixpa

1 year old bear cub kwapiga

Sour taste cixwpa

Woodpecker tlixpiga

Blueberry pipexsem

Ear pespiu

Exercise 28

To fish tepa

Clay tegens

Rock, stone tisem

Sliced salmon talexw

Black bear tixwa

Forehead teqiwa

Backside (human body) tegiga

Wild lily temc

Tree laying on ground kates

Wave tuxwa

Full moon; satisfied quta

Tall (person) geltexd

Exercise 29

Index finger cem

To fool somebody casa

Hummingbird (kinglet) cebedi

Wren cesgen

Clams cikwa

Tree stump cekwimut

Very old salmon, large sacem

Coat dadcua

Short cekw

Iron, knife culha

Intestines ciem

Mountain goat caag

Fireweed caxem

Tough cexa

Winter cuenx

Flounder qecit

Bird’s nest qelxaci

Sleepy begwec

Exercise 30

Skin tlis

Animal fat tlaas

Cooked tlup

Spark tlemsa

Flat patla

Oil, oolichan grease tlati

Elbow tlakwani

Potbellied putles

Island tlekai

Hard (wood or iron) tlenxa

Tree branch tlesena

Stiff, hard tlex

Ice tluxw

Steelhead tlaxwelamas

Calf (leg) tlitleka

Absent-minded tletlelxtam

Exercise 31

Little finger kida

Rat kili

Tongue, language kelem

No ku

Spine, keel of ship kuzu

Axe kugwayu

Raw kelx

Spruce sesekas

To close your eyes kexela

Luke warm, hotspring kuxwsda

Beaver’s den keqaan

Crow kanqas

Humpback salmon kapi

To break your neck kupexu

Tug of war kuqwap

Five sekaukw

Rock cod dlakala

Fifty sekapena

To be glad, happy ikaiqela

Right hand hilhkutkani

Exercise 32

Mussels kwaas

Inside gills of a fish kwenzi

To snow kwisa

Animal sisakwimas

Wet kwenq

Wild man, monkey bekwes

Skunk cabbage kekukw

Bow lhekwis

Skin, leather kwec

Shallow cekwais

Stranger lekwiaulh

Tree bark xekwem

Exercise 33

Right, correct qapa

To bite qeka

Lake qus

Too bad qai

Cottonwood qamiqas

Awl qenem

Abdomen, belly tek

In-outside cedar bark daqina

Saucer, basin lhuqw

Seaweed lhaqesg

Heavy qelcela

To admit hilhqa

Saltwater eel cemqaudi

Bunchberry, dogwood tlemqauli

I don’t know kun qala

Fence qelaxen

To explode tiqegalh

To scold kwiqala

Mud tliq

Yew tree tlemq

Jealous tlayeqa

Land otter kwelsqaixda

Six qetlaukw

Sand qebqebis

Exercise 34

To cry, to weep qwasa

Forest qwasela

Hemlock tree luqwas

Fat, stout qwenk

To beg cayuqwa

To heal, healed wound qwetila

Rotten qwilha

Ashes qwalhbis

To crush something qwicud

White man qwemksiwa

Dust teqwem

Onions megweci

Dawn nanaqwa

Shark qwagwis

Throat qwengwaas

Bracelet, handcuffs quqwes

Front of neck quqweni

Alder tree tlaqwetalas

Red meat salmon tlatleqwexd

Underbrush qwexqwiukwes

White salmon mumeqwexd

Relative, family wawexkwawa

Haisla Numbers

One naukw

Two maelaukw

Three yudukw

Four muxw

Five sekaukw

Six qetlaukw

Seven malhaus

Eight yuduxwaus

Nine muxwaus

Ten qapu

Eleven naxwegiu

Twelve malhegiu

Thirteen yudexwegiu

Haisla Sentences

What are you doing? mas pali axws

Nothing yus ma

What is your mother doing? mas palis abuxwus

Nothing yus ma

I don’t know yun q’ala

What are you doing tomorrow? mas palatlus lhansdlac

Nothing yus ma

I don’t know yun q’ala

What is your mother cooking tomorrow? mas hamgilatls abuxwus lhansdlac

I don’t know what mas qwidec

Fish I think myatl xendec

Where does your father work? weli p’al opus

I don’t know yun q’ala

He works for Alcan p’ali qun Alcanaxi

Where did your brother find your coat? weli qa menesutus dadecua yus

I don’t know yun q’ala

Where we were walking qi latum nuxw qalthla

Where is your house? weli qus qukw

Over there, far away gida qlalixi

Don’t be a bad person keci yaxs begwanem

Yes, I’ll try wa mensitlen

Don’t work on that keci pal qu

Why? weli su

Don’t lie to your mother keci qaxwid la abuxwus

I did not yu nugwa

“Don’t fight”, said mother keci zebul xela nix abuxwa

We aren’t ku nuxw

“Don’t go out”, said father keci lawels nix oppa

Yes/okay wa

Why can’t I go out? weli genc

Did your friend leave? smi la axci mayalha yusa

Not yet yu’sem

Is your sister done/finished? smi gwalh waq’wa yusa

Yes, she is done/finished ‘nna le gwalhina

Is your mother almost finished with her work? smi ixal gwalh abuwxs p’alisi xa

Can I go over there? sen iku laka la gida

Go ahead wasio tla

No k’u

Can I go eat at my friend’s house? sen iku hamsa la’es mayalha yanc guxw xa

Go on winexws

No, you can’t k’ucu ikuya

Can I wear this? sen iku sakels gada

No, you can’t k’ucu ikuya

Can I give this to my friend? sen iku ded mayahla yanc hais gada

If you want to inaxws saxk

Can I wash this? Sen iku palhdot gada

No, you can’t k’ucu ikuya

Go ahead wasio tla

Go give this to your mother xi det abuxwus gada

Go over there qi laka la gida

Go look over there qi naka la gida

Where is your father’s car? wilai qwil gilsic opus

I don’t know k’un q’ala

Don’t touch that keci dak qu

Where are you going? wix itlas

I am going over there lakatlen la gida

Where are you going tonight? wixitlas ganutlac

I am going to grandmother’s house lakatlan la’as mama’o guxw

Can you come with me? sas iku lalhen tla

No, I can’t k’u k’un ikuya

What is your name? angwtlas

My name is Sam Sam tla nugwa

Can you do this for me? sas iku p’al gaq nugwa

Yes, I can wa ikuya nugwa

How far are you going? wiwalaxid tlas

I am going to Prince Rupert lakatlen la Prince Rupertaxi

What colour is your jeans? wisdui zambi axws

It is a dark colour culhu lax

What are you going to do to that? wiwata tlas qu

I will try to fix it mensitlen palatl ix

What is that smell? mas haseli xu

I don’t know yun q’ala

I really don’t know yun emais q’ala

I don’t care yun luxwela

I am worried luxwela nugwa

Who did this? angwi yatl gada

He did (right there) hida’u

Don’t erase that keci diaxud qu

This is father’s drill es op salem gada

Father began to speak bukwgalh oppa

Two hearts ma’loxws wasem

Mother’s cooking tastes bad yaxwp’a hamgilis abuxws

“How was it done?” said nephew wigweli nix dlul iya

It was well done ix waqwi

My aunt is stingy yagis anisenc

My dishrag is twisted xelpa dizuyu ganc

My nephew stole gelutla dlulel ganc

I said “father has a pot belly” putles oppa nix nugwa

I forgot tlisda nugwa

I got burned tlubelh nugwa

Grandfather said “are you crazy?” wolha sa nix baba’ua

My hair ribbon broke alhizi gapi ganc

Stop that! gwalhc qu

Mother said “stop that” gwalhc qu nix abuxwa