ZALMAI ZAHIR

Zalmai ʔəswəli Zahir ti dsdaʔ. ʔaciɫtalbixʷ čəd. Lou Stears Matheson tsi sdaʔ ʔə tsiiɫ tudsk’ʷuy. Nakota tsiʔiɫ yəxʷ pastəd. Asif Zahir ti sdaʔ ʔə tiiɫ tudbad. tul’al Afghanistan tiʔiɫ. Don Matheson ti sdaʔ ʔə tiiɫ tudčəɫbadəb. puyaləpabš tiʔiɫ. ʔuləhaydxʷ čəd ti txʷəlšucid tul’al tiiɫ tudčəɫbadəb yəxʷ tiiɫ ləliʔ tuʔaciɫtalbixʷ tudʔiišəd. ʔəsɫaɫlil čəd ʔal tə činčaftən (Eugene, Oregon). ƛ’uǰuʔilab čəd ʔə ti dsutxʷəlšucidəb bək’ʷ sləx̌il. ʔal kʷi ƛ’usgʷiic ʔə ti dʔiišəd tul’al wašətəb čədə tibicut txʷəl kʷi gʷədskʷaxʷdxʷ.

My name is Zalmai ʔəswəli Zahir. I am Native. My mother’s name was Lou Stears Matheson. She was Nakota and Caucasian. My father’s name was Asif Zahir. He was from Afghanistan. My step-father’s name was Don Matheson. He was a Puyallup Tribal member. I learned txʷəlšucid from my step-father and other people who were my people. I live in Eugene, Oregon. I enjoy speaking txʷəlšucid every day. When my people from Washington ask me to do something, I try to help them.