Jacob's Quileute words = Easter egg

What did Jacob say to Bella? Among Quileutes, mum's the word

By Paige DickersonQuileute tribal members say Taylor Lautner, who depicts Jacob Black in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," spoke the tribe's language well, but they won't translate.

In the movie, Lautner's Jacob leans in for a first kiss with Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, when he murmurs a phrase in Quileute.

"I love you" seems to be the most popular translation chosen by blogging fans of the four-novel saga set in Forks, LaPush and Port Angeles.

But the tribe isn't saying.

"Please know we would love to translate the phrase for you, but out of respect for Jacob and his feelings for Bella, we are going to keep that private for now," Jackie Jacobs, tribal publicist, said in a prepared statement.

"We are very excited that Jacob's 'Quileute whisper' has generated worldwide interest in our beautiful and very unique language."

Lautner also has stayed mum on the phrase and told MTV that it was an "Easter egg that only the most hard-core 'Twilight' fans will be able to crack."Comment:  Respect for the feelings of a fictional character? Sound more like a clever marketing ploy to me. Don't tell people what the words mean; keep 'em guessing and thinking about the Quileute language.

Good strategy on publicist Jackie Jacobs's part. Keep the words secret "for now." Reveal them at the most opportune time--perhaps when interest in the Quileute tribe is starting to flag. You probably could build a whole weekend event around the revelation: "Come learn the secrets of the Quileute, including the words Jacob said to Bella!"

For more on the subject, see Native Aspects of New Moon and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Below:  "Terra Sheriff, Page Foster, Taegan Counsell and Chelsea Jackson--all members of the Quileute tribe--arrive in style in a limosuine to the Los Angeles premiere of 'New Moon' on Nov. 18. The group were treated to the premiere as a result of the tribe's prominent spot in the movie. At the event the girls met many of the celebrities in the film--including Taylor Lautner, who plays the Quileute teen Jacob Black in the movie--as well as author of the books Stephenie Meyer." (Photo by Quileute Tribe)