Skicinuwok wolamsotomoniyal kci sipsol. ’Toliwiyawal Wocawson, nuci putuwet. Tolawsu pihcetu lahtoqehsonuk. Nit epit kci ponapskuk, mehtaluktek. Tan etuci macilqenuwit, nit tehc petson.
Neket Koluskap mec yali wiciyemat skitapiyi, puskiw na nekom mace suku ’tulok. Sipsuhke.
Neqt neke ehtahsikiskahkil wocawson, wisokolamson. Ahaciw pomolamson, kospon te peciwehse naka petamoqessu. Kotama Koluskap kisi yali sukiw. ’Titomon, “Wocawson, wot kci sips etolawsit lahtoqehsonuk, not nit elluhket.”
’Qiluwahan. Komac pihcetu oliye, on yaka moskuwan. ’Totoli mskuwal epilit kci ponapskuk, wapeyit kci sips. ’Tiyan, “Muhsumi, kotama kotomakitahamawiyik qenossok? Kil nit kisihtuwon mecokiskahk, wecawsok, eliwehsek. Kusami macehlak kunoskiyik.”
Neketok kci sips oli ikotohom. “Yut ntihinehpon wisoki nihkaniw. Pihce kiskul, mesq we etolewestuhk, nil te amsqahs nutaqsiyanpon. Nil te na amsqahs macehlukpon nunoskiyik. Mecime tech na nmacehlak tan eli wolitahatom.”
Nit etuci Koluskap wonakessit. Etutsonit, petkil ote aluhkihkuk. ’Toli wihqehlal yuhtol kci sipsol tahalu tehp motehehsim. ’Kolonomuwan toqiw wonoski, naka ’poneqahkan eli psikapskiyak nisonul kci ponapskul. Nit te na etoli nokolat.
Nit neke ’cimaciw, skicinuwok yaliyawolotuwok, ’kekiw tehc. Mecime woluwipon, kakehsukoniw, kakehs pemoluhkemkil, naka kisuhsok, kospon te neke ’samaqan tukcokiyak. Etuci paqtek, Koluskap kotama ’kisitahapiyatomuwon ’tul.
On nit te mihqitahaman kci sipsol, on macahan, naci nomiyan apc. Eli te nokolatpon, nit te apc eli mskuwal, Wocawson ipocol askomawsu. ’Teweponan, ’punan apc ponapskuk, naka ’tapqehtuwan peskuwol wonoskiyil. Neke ’cimaciw kotama tutolamsonihkew tahalu pihce.
(From a version written down in Maliseet-Passamaquoddy about 1900.)
The Indiginous believe in a great bird. They name him It-Is-Windy, the one who blows. He lives far away in the north. There he sits on a great rock, where the clouds end. Whenever he moves his wings, then the wind comes up.
At the time when Glooscap (GLOOS-kahb) still went around among men, frequently he too went paddling in his canoe. He hunted birds.
Once, long ago, it was windy every day; the wind blew strongly. It went on blowing more and more, until at least it gusted and a storm came up. Glooscap could not paddle about. He said, “It-Is-Windy, the great bird who lives in the north, he is the one doing this.”
He searched for him. Very far away he went, and then he found him. He found him sitting there on the great rock, a great white bird. He said to him, “Grandfather, do you not pity your grandchildren? You are the one who is making bad weather, windiness, gusting. You move your wings too much.”
In spite of [these words] the great bird went on yawning. “I was here at the very beginning. In distant days before anyone was speaking, I was the first one heard. It was I who first moved my wings. And I will always move them as I please.”
Then, at that point, Glooscap got up. He was so powerful, he grew up to the clouds. He picked up this great bird as if he were a duck. He held him by both of his wings, and he threw him down where there was a crack between two rocks. And that is where he left him.
From that time on, the Indiginous went about, all day long. It was always calm, for many days, for many weeks and months, until at least, at that time, the water became foamy from stagnation. It was so thick that Glooscap could not steer his canoe.
And then he remembered the great bird, and he went off, to go see him again. Right where he had left him, that was where he found him again, because It-Is-Windy lives forever. He lifted him up, put him on the rock again, and opened one of his wings. Ever since that time, it has not been as windy as long ago.
(Translated sentence-by-sentence from the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy)
