Wolverine

Nełtseeł

Illustrated & narrated by the students of Ella B. Vernetti School
Narrated by Eliza Jones

Credits

Ella B. Vernetti School Book Slam Participants

Students
Alexis M.       Grade 4
Braydon D.   Grade 4
Milla H.          Grade 4
Alec M.          Grade 5
Christian M. Grade 5
Evan J.           Grade 5
Dazlyn D.      Grade 6
Morgan M.   Grade 7
Damien D.    Grade 8

Narrator/Storyteller: Eliza Jones

Thanks To
Principal/Teacher Michael Day and Superintendent Kerry Boyd for their leadership in making the Koyukuk Book Slam possible.

Book Slam Project Management
Steve Nelson, Project Coordinator
Consortium for Digital Learning
Association of Alaska School Boards
Cheryl Bobo, Site Facilitator

Nełtseeł (Wolverine) was adapted from K’etetaalkkaanee, The One Who Paddled Among the People and Animals, The Story of an Ancient Traveler, Catherine Attla.

© 2019 Yukon-Koyukuk School District

Ts'ʉh kkʉdaa yoogh koon ghehoł, ghegoł, ghehoł. Kkʉdaa nedaats'e neenok'eedeyo. Huyeł hʉn doogh hʉn ts'eneeno łonh. Doogh ehu denaa kk'e taalyo. Doogh ehu ghehoł. Huyeł go hʉn ggaagge kkenh ghedatlaatl łonh. Ts'ʉh go eet hʉneeł'aanh. Ts'ʉhʉ doogh zeeyʉh eet lehaanh dehoon doogh hʉneeł'aanh. Nedaa do'o hʉn yʉh nełtseeł ghoo kkenh kk'e dol’onh.

Once again, he walked and walked and walked. He had been walking for a long time again. He came upon a trail that looked as if people had been moving on it. He began to follow the people. He walked on their trail. Then he came to a place where someone had been chopping on a beaver lodge. He looked at it. He stood there and looked around. There was a wolverine’s tooth lying on the lodge.

1.

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“Hʉdaa! Koon dogheet’ aa’ee?” yeneelenh. “O, go ło eeydee go kkenh gheetlaadlee taaltlaatl eehu łonee,” yeneelenh. Ts’ʉh yoolneek. Ts’ʉh yoogh dehaałłel yee yeghee’onh. 

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He thought, “Hmm, I wonder where that came from?” Then he thought, “Oh, maybe he was the one who started to chop the beaver lodge, then quit.” He took the tooth and put it in his pack. He followed the trail.

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2.

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Huyeł donł hʉn kk’ʉdaa hʉdaalkk’un’. Ts’ʉh gheel kk’ʉdaa eet kkun’ gho neeyo. Ts’ʉh et’eeylo go hʉn bedenaa’ kkaa lonh. Sołt’en kkaa koonh yeh daadletl’ee. Eet gheel hedoneeyo hee. Yoogh kkun’ aaneeyo gheelhee. Huyeł hʉn, “Nʉgh neeyonenh oho k’eno’ohłneyhtl!” ts’ednee. Kk’ʉdaa nonle sołt’en kkaa baabe ghʉ kk’otaałeneek. 

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Then he saw a fire ahead and he went to the camp. It was a family with many women and children. He entered the house and sat down by the fire. The man said, “Cook something for the visitor!” Then the women began to cook.

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3.

Dehoon go sołt’aanh k’eełekk’enh gheel, “Yeey! Yʉhtsey ent’aa nʉgh betlaatleel ehoolneghee,” nee. “Yendenaa’eełdleen’ ent’aa nʉghʉnee,” ts’ednee. Kk’ʉdaa heyek’egheełon’. Et’eeyło debedetaaghsnee’ yełnee dehʉgh go, “Neeyonenh oho k’eno’ohłneytl,“ nee go denaa.

One of the women said, “Your grandpa there just broke his axe. That person will starve us,” she said. They fed him. The man wanted to ask a favor of the visitor and that is the reason he had said, “Cook something for the visitor.”

4.

Huyeł hʉn, “Dotoneel go neets’e tlaatleeł ent’aa go seyeł behoolneghee. Baadenh dohʉtoneelee?” nee koon kk’ʉdaa, ʉdenh.

“What are we going to do about this axe that’s been in the family for so long? It broke on me. What are we going to do without it?" the man asked.

5.

Huyeł hʉn, “Haa! Dʉhʉdnee denh. Hmn! Dzaan eneets’e ghesoł de go hʉn kkenh ghedetlaatl łonh. Go hʉn eet nełtseeł ghoo’ dol’onh.”

“Oh! Now that you mention it, when I was walking today, I came upon a beaver lodge that someone had been chopping on. I found a wolverine tooth there.” 

6.

See ent’aa eey neelneggʉde yoo ghʉ tlen tleehoontltluh. Go baabe aahaa yʉh hebetlen haa kk’e dehoot’aa hʉlnee ts’e gheelhee. Go hʉtaadle’o ts’e solt’en ek’etlłonh nee ts’en’.

“I am the person who keeps the path from the door of my wives’ house yellow,” said the man. What he meant was that he provided for his wives so well that the path was yellow with grease. That was his way of saying that he fed his wives well.

7.

“E! Hʉnedaats’e helłde dehaasnee. Kk’ʉdaa yʉh k’etlekk’aa seyeł hootaan denh,” koon nodednee. Ts’ʉh kk’ʉdaa yetl’onoyeghee’onh łoghʉne. Ts’ʉh kk’ʉdaa, “Tlaa tlaa zo dotoneeł? Tlaa nʉgh zee eetengheełaan’,” beeznee.

K’etetaalkkaanee said; “Oh! What am I talking about? I’m not myself because I’m hungry.” He gave the tooth to the man. The man said, “What good is it to me like this? Why don’t you just look at it, even if you might not be able to fix it?”

8.