This collection of Bak̕wa̱mk̓ala audio recordings and corresponding translations has been selected from oral history interviews with Gwa'sa̱la-'Nak̕waxda'x̱w fluent speakers, conducted from 2020 to 2024. Each story and memory connects listeners to traditional teachings and places of the Gwa'sa̱la and 'Nak̕waxda'x̱w nations. The nuya̱m are stories passed down from generation to generation. Mary recalls her parents inviting the storytellers to come at bedtime to help her fall asleep. The memories are personal accounts of the elders' experiences and observations growing up in their homelands. We are grateful to the elder speakers for sharing their knowledge and creating a rich cultural learning resource in their languages, Gwat̕sala and 'Nak̕wala. The English translations were provided by the elders, which were then read back to them for refinement and reviewed for accuracy. We are hopeful that this collection of audio and translations will be useful for a wide range of people, including those interested in similarities and differences with Kwak̕wala, which has been more widely documented. The next phase of this Ma̱lḵwa̱latła̱n's project will include transcriptions and grammatical analysis.

Robin Rosborough
Michelle Hinatsu

Thank you to the Gwa'sa̱la-'Nak̕waxda'x̱w Nations, First Peoples' Cultural Council and the Gwa'sa̱la-'Nak̕waxda'x̱w School for supporting this living heritage project. Thank you to Dusty Dawson for audio editing and technical support.

Ma̱lḵwa̱latła̱n's - We Will Remember

1:  G̱asg̱ana, Rowing Lady Nuya̱m

It's a story they told children at G̱igaḵ. The old people used to tell me stories to put me to sleep. G̱asg̱ana was rowing in the little boat, going to the place where the crabapples grow, Hana̱sgwani. She was singing as she went, "I'm going to the place where the crabapples grow, Hana̱sgwani du du du du du du du." She falls down (in the boat). She was a really small lady, a nice-looking small lady. She keeps falling down (in the boat). She gets up and starts again, "I'm going to the place where the crabapples grow, Hanasgwani du du du du du du du." When she gets to Neg̱i'ł she starts picking the crab apples. 
The end.

Ma̱lkwa̱latła̱n's: We Will Remember

G̱asg̱ana, Rowing Lady Nuya̱m

1:  G̱asg̱ana, Rowing Lady Nuya̱m

3:  The Little Bird and The Grizzly Bear Nuya̱m

The little bird came, bugging the grizzly bear. It was going around the head of the bear. The bear got very mad. "I'm going to swallow you now. I'm going to swallow you now." The little bird was really teasing and being mean to the bear. "I'm going to swallow you." The little bird was swallowed by the bear. The little bird said, "What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do? I got swallowed." The little bird took off his feathers. It lit them (the feathers) and there was smoke. The big bear was coughing a lot. It coughed. The little bird came out when he coughed.

3:  The Little Bird and The Grizzly Bear Nuya̱m

4:  Mary's Life

My name is Lak̓anidza̱mg̱a. I am from G̱igaḵ. My dad is from G̱igaḵ. My mom is from the Heiltsuk. My (maternal) grandfather, Xa̱lx'idi, is from Ba'a's. My (paternal) granny is from G̱igaḵ, Mary. She named me. I was born in Allison Harbour on my late dad's boat. No doctor. It was snowing... it was snowing when I was born in Allison Harbour. I grew up in G̱igaḵ. I didn't have much schooling. I didn't go to residential school. I really like the place I come from, G̱igaḵ. It was quiet. We used to get lonesome (for G̱igaḵ) when we first moved to T̕sa̱lgwadi. I wanted to go home. I like it now. I like... I like the water. I don't have to pack water. We had no bathtub, just the washtub to bathe (in G̱igaḵ). It really changed the things we did when we came and moved here.

I like it now, where we came. I wasn't old yet, when we came, 18 or younger than that. We had no house when we came. Nobody had a house. There were no houses ready. We are ok now. That's it.

4:  Mary's Life

5:  A Village Without Children

A lot of children went to Alert Bay, St. Mike's. There were just a little bit of children left at G̱igaḵ that didn't go there. I didn't really go to school.

5:  A Village Without Children

2:  Dzunuḵ̕wa and Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta Nuya̱m

The Dzunuḵ̕wa woke up from where she was on the mountain. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. She picked up her basket and walked down. She walked quite a long way and saw Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta, carving wood. She grabbed Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta and threw him in the basket. She heard lots of kids playing. She started throwing the children in the basket. Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta grabbed his knife and cut a hole in the basket. Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta fell through the hole first. Then all the kids fell through the hole. The Dzunuḵ̕wa thought it was the hemlock needles making noise as they were dropping. "Kwa̱p̓ala k̓amuma, kwa̱p̓ala k̓amuma" said the Dzunuḵ̕wa. She was walking along. She looked in her basket and there was nothing in there. It was empty. No children. The children were grateful for Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta cutting the hole so they could come out. 

Remember always to be nice and not be mean to people that look different. We are all the same. Don't make fun of people who are different. The end.

- Mary George (Henderson)

2:  Dzunuḵ̕wa and Tsa̱mga̱x̱sta Nuya̱m

12:  Getting Red Snapper, Lingcod and Seaweed by Canoe

I used to go on the water with my late grandfather Kwaxa̱tola on his big boat, on his canoe, getting seaweed, jigging for ling cod and red snappers. My late mom used to smoke the ling cod or red snappers. They're really good to smoke, too.

Gertrude Walkus (née Henderson)

12:  Getting Red Snapper, Lingcod and Seaweed by Canoe

An audio space for Gwat̕sala and 'Nak̕wala, languages spoken by the Gwa'sa̱la and 'Nak̕waxda'x̱w Nations.