Wolastoq Amsqahs Peciyat 

April 25, 2025
Fallen tree

Aputomkon totoli petkunomoenhpon psiw samaqan skitomiq weci skat wolastoq kisi- wolicuwinok, naka qospemol naka kispaessuwol naka mawsuwinuwok mace- mehcinhotiniya eli-kotuwossomultitit kisi-pcitakalawa wenil weci kolusomuwaot naka weci wihkutok Samaqan.

[Aputomkon kept back all the water in the world; so that the rivers stopped flowing and the lakes dried up and the people everywhere began dying of thirst. They sent a messenger to him to ask him to give the people water.]


Ma kenoq ciksotuwawiyol yuhtol peciptoq kolusuwakon. Kekesk tehpu miluwat samaqan. Yut piyemiyak weci kosspalosit…Mawsuwinuwok siwaceluhkaniya kisi pcitakalawa keluwossilicil skitapiyol (Koluskap) weci apc qecimat Aputomkonol…. ‘Puwatomuwaniya cikitomon samaqan ‘ciw masuwinuwok kenoq apc is aputomkun ma cisotomu.‘Puwatomon-yaq-ote nekom weci kisi-wolassit.

[but he refused and gave the messenger only a drink from the water in which he washed… then the people began complaining, a great man was sent to aputomkon to beg him to release the water for the people. Aputomkon refused, saying that he needed it himself to lie in.


Nutacomit-yaq kisi-kiptahal oposiyik nit eli siktuhu Aputomkun. Nit Wolastoq eli ihi… Yuhtol pskethunol eli sipelkik, nit toke samaqan eli- pecicuwok mipiyil-olu toke Qotasquwisol woniyakon eli pokosok nihtol nit toke spihsol.

[ then the messenger felled a tree, so that it fell on top of the monster and killed him…this tree became the main river… and the branches became the tributary branches of the river, while the leaves became the ponds at the heads of streams.]

Jeremy Dutcher

Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained Wolastoqey musician and vocal artist from Neqotkuk. His formal education includes a dual Bachelor of Arts in Music and Social Anthropology from Dalhousie University, where he also received classical training as an operatic tenor. In 2024, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Education from Nipissing University for his contributions to Indigenous language revitalization through music. Jeremy blends archival recordings of Wolastoqey Elders with contemporary music to bring the language to life. His Polaris Prize-winning debut album sparked international conversation about Indigenous language and identity.