Events & Calendar

Ye7éne te mégcen m-k̓iyéyes re tmicw. Ta7ús kekewílcwes re Secwépemc te c7es7ístkten̓s. M-kepk̓épmes ell re m-cwetcwít̓mes. Yerí7 re m-élksenses re swet̓menél̓qs ell re t7el7él̓kstens.

This is month the land was freezing. They didn’t venture too far from their winter homes. They tanned hides and cut it in preparation for buckskin clothing. They worked on their buckskin clothing and equipment.

Nerí7 re m-ts7em7émelcwes te ctseptsípwen̓tens. Re sqélqlemcw me7 t̓ekstés re sqeq̓7úms, spexpíxems ne sts̓exlí7ems ell re stllg̓wúsems. Re s7i7llcw te sqélqlemcw te m-llwélentem es lleq̓mentés re stsmémelt ne sk̓úlens re t7el7él̓kstens.

They depended on their cache pits for their winter sustenance. The men continued trapping, hunting on snowshoes and ice fishing. Some men remained in the village to teach the children how to make weapons, hunting, trapping and fishing implements.

Ye7éne te mégcen nerí7 wes re tsímtes re swucwt ne ctsetém̓. M-tsétsk̓wmes te sgwígwle ne setétkwe. Nerí7 wes re tsímtes re swucwt re m-tskítscwes re qwets te snewt. Nerí7 re m-cwtépes re sq̓7úm.

During this month, the snow melted in the valleys. The people fished by torchlight for Steelhead in the river. The snow begins to melt as the warm winds arrive. The trapping season ended.

Ye7éne te mégcen wes re yectwílcwes re sitq̓t ell m-tsímtes re swucwt, yem ell ne tsqumqúm. Re qelmúcw, m-kúmes ell pexpíxmes te ts̓i7 ne sqeltús, ell m-ell7é7llq te Ts̓wéw̓ye, Qwléwe ell Tséts̓elq. Tspelq̓ílcwes re segúgw. M-tsecwmínses re Sqepts, te m-t7ecwtnúcw.

During this month the days got longer and the snow melted, even in the mountains. The people moved to higher elevations to hunt for deer in the mountains, and dug Yellow Buttercups, Wild Onions, and Balsamroot. The thunderstorms return. They celebrate spring, surviving the winter.

Ye7éne te mégcen re Secwépemc m-yews re s7e7llqs te Skwenkwínem ell te Tséts̓elq, ell m-t7iq̓wél̓qwmes. M-yews re snesnést.s te t7íweltk e syéwems tek ximésell. M-tsmémeltmes re ts̓i7. Llq̓úmes tek qwllin es k̓úlems tek mecmím̓c ell te xqwllentíl̓e ell m-Txwtéllpmes.

This is the month the Secwépemc dug the Mountain Potatoes and the Balsam Root and scraped the cambium from the trees. Then they would go up the high mountains and dip net for the big trout. Deer start having their babies. They start to strip birchbark and make baskets and birch bark baby baskets and they gathered Wild Rhubarb (Cow-parsnip).

Ye7éne te mégcen re Secwépemc m-kúmes es píxems, q̓ít̓ems ell m-q̓wléwmes stém̓i tek speqpéq k tqwelq̓wél̓t. Qwetséts es cw7usts es siséysus, qweqút̓e7cnems, es tegwéy̓es, ell re m-c7elcetwécwes.

This is the month that the Secwépemc would start going to the higher levels to hunt, fish and pick whatever berries were ripe. They start celebrating horse racing, foot racing, trading goods with our neighbours.

M-tqwelqw̓él̓tes re xwexwéyt te speqpéq: xetéqs re Tqítq̓e, Sxúsem, Stséqwem, ell m-yews re Wenéx ell re Sesép. M-setsetsínmes ell m-tit̓éyes te speqpéq ell te spíxem te csetsín̓tens. Me7 kwílelcwes es wéwlems tek sqlélten.

All the berries got ripe: first the strawberries, soapberries, River Saskatoons then the Huckleberries and the Blueberries. They sang and danced berry picking and hunting songs. They started preparing for salmon fishing.

M-yews ri7 re syéwems te sqlélten, m-cwekcwík̓mes ell m-keck̓écmes. M-cw7éllqwes te Tkwlóse7 ell te T̓nis. Éytsell put m-cw7úses es siséyses.

Then they fished for salmon, and dried their salmon and dried meat. There was lots of Chokecherries and Cranberries. They continued celebrating and gathering.

Ye7éne te mégcen re Secwépemc m-llwélenses re setétkwe, nerí7 re éxwelcwes re sqlélten. M-elk̓wenstsíllens te scwik̓s ell m-nes te tsqumqúm cú7tsem te m-pexpíxem ell te m-k̓écem. M-s7i7llcw m-nes te pespésellkwe es íq̓wems tek Keknécw.

This is the moon the Secwépemc began to leave the river, the salmon are spawning. They cached their dried salmon and moved into the mountains to continue hunting and drying meat. Some people gathered at the lakes to fish Kokanee, using the dragnets.

M-yews re spíxems ell re sk̓écems cú7tsem, ell e sk̓épems. M-yews re ctsecéllcws ne c7es7ístkten̓s ell ne ctsípwen̓tens. Qwets̓t re ctseptsípwen̓tens te sk̓ec, scwik̓, ell re xewt te speqpéq ell te s7ell7é7llqs. M-ell7úllcwes re kenkéknem ne stsiqllcws/ckenméllcw

Again, they hunted and dried meat, then they began to tan hides to make buckskin. They fixed up their winter homes and cache pits. Their cache pits were full of dried meat, dried fish, dried berries and roots. The bears enter their dens.

Yerí7 re txetéqs te mégcens re Secwépemc. Ye7éne te mégcen m-c7ellcw7úllcwes re Secwépemc ne c7es7ístkten̓s. Re sqélqlemcw m-tsecentés re t7el7él̓kstens ne spíxem, swéwlem, sqeq̓7úms ell re nexwnúxwenxw m-élksens re stsyexs, e stskwils ne s7istk.

This is the first moon of the Secwépemc. This is the month the Secwepemc entered their winter homes. The men were fixing their hunting, fishing and trapping implements and the women were working on clothing, they were preparing for winter.

M-téq̓mes re mégcen re m-yews re syectwílcs re sitq̓t. Yerí7 lu7 le m-ts7écwes te m-pwupúm ell te m-qwiq̓wyílc re Secwépmc. M-lé7es k stscéllcwens re c7es7ístkten̓s. Re Stet̓ex7é7em m-tsptekwllcts re stsmémelt. Me7 tllgw̓úsem ne pésellkwe ell m-qeq̓7úmes.

This is the month the days got longer. The Secwepemc were happy and they drummed and danced. They fixed up their winter homes good. The Elders told lots of legends to the children. They started ice fishing and trapping.