Seining for herring (Autobiography Part 2)

Written out by Arnold Guerin and typed and edited by Donna Gerdts (This version October 3, 2025) 
Arnold Guerin
Recorded 21 July 1986 in Vancouver, BC. 

1. hwuw’e tsun niin’ ’apun ’i’ kw’ t’xum sil’anum ’i’ ni’ haystelum kw’unus skwool’kwul’.
   I wasn’t 16 years of age yet when I was let go from the school [it actually came to an end]. 
2. nus niw’ nem’ yaays ’u tthu tslhelhuw’ut’, tl’utl’lhe’mul’s ’u tthu slhewut’.
   And I went and got myself a job with the herring salteries, salting herrings. 
3. chupuni tthunu shsi’em’.
   The Japanese were my bosses. 
4. lhthuluq tthu chupuni, ’i’ tl’uw’ lhthuluq tthu hwulmuhw ’i’ tthu hwunitum’ kws yaay’uss ni’ ’u tthey’.
   Half of the people were Japanese, and the other half were First Nations people and white people that worked there. 
5. ni’ kwthu ni’ ’ula’ulh ’u tthu ’uxwuy’un’uwulh, ’i’ ni’ kwthu ni’ slhelhul’t, tl’utl’lhem’ut tthu slhewut’.
   Some were on the seiners, and some were on shore, salting the herring. 
6. quxulh thulh tthu slhewut’.
   But there were a lot of herring. 
7. ts’uhwle’ ’i kw’in sul’lits’ scow tthu hun’lhultnum ’u tthu nuts’a’ skweyul.
   Sometimes, a number of scows loaded with herring would be brought in, in one day. 
8. thum’t-hw tthu tl’elhum’ew’t-hws tthunu shni’ kw’unus yaay’us.
   The people that I worked for had two herring salteries.
9. xu’athun nets’uw’uts ton tthu shnuw’ums tthu nets’uw’t-hw, ’i’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ mukw’ ’uw’ luts’.
   Each one would hold 400 tons of herring, and sometimes they were both nearly full. 
10. nilh shtu’es kws quxsulh tthu slhewut’.
    That’s how much herring there used to be. xu’athun skweyul kws 
11. stl’etl’ulhum’s tthu slhewut’ sun’iw’ ’u thu tank.
    The herring were put into a tank for four days. 
12. ni’ tse’ hwu squqa’, sis ’uw’ hwi’ hwqw’imut tthu tank ’u tthey’ slhewut’.
    After four days it would have water, because of the salt that was put in, and then you will throw it out of the tank. 
13. nilh tse’ sis ’uw’ tuw’ ts’uy’hw, sis ’uw’ hwi’ hwnuw’us ’u tthu xthum.
    You’ve thrown it down onto the floor so that the water drains away, and when it’s dry enough, then you put them in boxes. 
14. ni’ ch tl’uw’ wulh qul’et tl’lhemt kw’us ni’ xuthum’t.
    You’re putting more salt with it again, another sack or more. 
15. hwu saay’ ’i’ ni’ lhq’etsus nets’uw’uts poun tthu s-hwutuss tthu nuts’uqun xthum.
    When you are through, each container will weigh five hundred pounds. 
16. m’i tse’ tetsul tthu nem’ huye’stuhw tthu ni’ wulh sxuthxuthum ’i’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ lhq’etsus nets’uw’uts xthum thu ’aalhstuhwus.
    When the boat comes in that will take the herring away, it’ll take away a shipment of 500 of those 500 lb. boxes in one shipment. 
17. ’uwu te’ nu shhwhe’kw’ ’uw’ kw’inus sil’anum kw’unus ni’ tslhelhuw’ut’ sq’uq’a’ ’u tthu chupuni.
    I don’t remember how many years I worked in the herring salteries with the Japanese people.
18. ’uw’ ni’us tth’a’kwus ’i ’uw’ te’tsus sil’anum.
    Either it was 7 years, or it may have been 8 years. 
19. October ’i’ kwunthat tthu tslhelhuw’ut’, ’i’ February ’i’ hwtuq. The herring fishing started in October, and it was closed in February. 
20. mukw’us qwse’yun ’i’ tl’lim’ ch ’uw’ xuytl’utsusthaam ’u kw’us ’uw’ wulh hwkw’e’yun.
    Every time that you put the net out, your hands got very cold, falling in the net. 
21. ’uw’ hay shthuthi’s kw’us tl’lim’ ’uw’ stitum’ kw’us hwukw’iyun’, suw’ tuw’ xwums kws p’ulhs tthun’ tsultselush.
    The only way that you could do it was to work real hard when you hauled the net in, so that your hands would come to a little bit sooner. 
22. suw’ hwi’ yit’ums tthun’ syaqw’um.
    And then your sweat would just pour down over your face. 
23. ts’uhwle’ ’i thima’tum tthun’ swultun suw’ skw’eys kw’us qwsut.
    Sometimes, your net will become frozen, and you cannot throw it out. 
24. tl’lim’ niw’ hwu nuts’umat tthun’ swultun kwus hwu sthithuma’.
    It becomes just one great big, big pack of ice, your net does, when it freezes. 
25. ha’ ch t’a’thut qwsut suw’ suq’suq’s.
    So, if you tried to throw it into the water, it would all tear up. 
26. ’uw’ hay ’ush thuynuhw kw’us lheel nem’ ’u tthun’ tl’elum’uw’t-hw ’us ’uw’ ’iyeluwut qw’imut.
    The only way you could get the best of it is to take it, take your boats, run your boats back to the salteries, and just try to manage as best you could to get it out of the boat without tearing it. 
27. ni’ ch qw’umnuhw ’us ’uw’ yu tl’utl’lhum’t tthu swultun kw’us yu hwu’a’lum’stuhw, ’a’ulhstuhw ’u tthu pout.
    After you get it broken apart, you put it back in the boat, and you start throwing salt between the layers of web that you are laying down. 
28. ’uwu kw’s thimatewut tthu swultun kws stl’etl’ulhum’s.
    The net does not freeze if there is salt thrown in between [the layers], as you are pouring it in. 
29. mukw’us hwkw’e’yun ’i tl’uim’ ’uw’ tunun’ulhtum tthun’ tselush ’u tthu xuy’tl’ qa’.
    Every time that you haul the net in, your hands go numb from the cold water. 
30. ni’ ch tuw’ kw’astthut suw’ hwi’ stu’es ’uw’ ni’us yuqwthut, yuqwtum tthun’ tselush kw’is yu p’up’ulh.
    After you’re warmed up, it’s like your hands start to burn. 
31. hay ’al’ thi syaays kw’us ni’ ’uw’ tselushum’et ’al’ tthu swultun kwus ’aalhstuhw.
    It’s a very, very big job when you haul a net, one of those herring seines, onto a seiner by hand. 
32. ’upeenu ’i’ tthu lhq’utsse’lu tthu ’ula’ulh ’u tthu nets’uhwulh ’uxwuy’un’uwulh.
    There are 15 people on each boat. 
33. ’i’ themuhwulh tthey’ thithu pou’ult ha’kw ’u tthu nuts’a’ ’uxwuy’un.
    And there are two of those boats to carry that one seine. 
34. lhthuluq ’u tthu swultun tthu ni’ ’ula’ulh ’u tthu nets’uhwulh, ’i’ tl’uw’ stu’e tthu nets’uhwulh.
    Half of the net is in one boat, and the other boat is the same way. 
35. nilh tthu s’ululans tthu swultun ni’ stun’ni’s kw’us ’aalhstuhw ’u tthu nets’uhwulh pout, ’i’ tl’uw’ stu’e tthu nets’uhwulh.
    You pull in the loose ends of the net into each boat, so that the middle is what’s left, where you will throw it out, and the other boat the same.
36. ni’ ch kwelh lumnuhw kwthu sq’uq’ip slhewut’ suw’ yuxwutuls tthu pou’ult ’i sul’ts’tus tthu shni’s tthu ni’ lumnum slhewut’.
    Now, you will see a school of herring, so you untie the two boats, and they will just spread out and circle where the herring are seen. 
37. nilh tthu s’unwulhs tthu swultun shtun’ni’s kw’us qwse’yun.
    You have thrown the net out, say from the middle of the net, and you pull out to the ends. 
38. ni’ thulh yu st’it’um’stum tthu pou’ult kwus nem’ ’u tthu shni’s tthu slhewut’.
    The boats are going at full speed when they go to where the herring are sighted. 
39. ni’ tus suw’ yuxwutewut tthu xwulxwi’lum, suw’ kwa’ituls tthu pou’ult ’i’ hwsul’ts’nutstum tthu slhewut’.
    And when they get there, the ropes are let go, and the boats part and come around, and then the boats move apart and circle the herring. 
40. ni’ tse’ kwelh q’uq’a’tul tthu pou’ult suw’ q’ap’utuls.
    When the boats come together, they are tied together again. 
41. suw’ wintshtewut tthu hun’utum’ ’ukw’ “purse-line.”
    And then the purse-lines are winched in. 
42. nilh m’i se’t kw’i shuteluquns tthu swultun, tthey’ sxte’ purse-line.
    That is the line that lifts up the lead line, bunches it up and brings it up in a bunch; it’s what the purse-line is all about. 
43. ni’ hay tthey’ nuts’a’ syaays, sis ’uw’ hwu sqaqul’ tthu slhewut’ sun’iw’ ’u tthu swultun.
    When you have that purse-line up then, the herring are inside the net. 
44. ni’ hwu stu’e ’u tthey’ yulhus m’i hwkw’at tthu swultun.
    After they’re like that, then you start pulling in the web, onto the boat.
45. m’i ch se’t kw’i tl’itl’up ’u tthu swultun sis ’uw’ hwu tuqw tthu ni’ shni’s tthu slhewut’.
    You lift up what’s down in the bottom, the net that is down, way down deep, that part of it, and you take the herring up into a boat. 
46. ni’ wulh sq’eq’up’stum tthu scow ni’ ’u tthu corklines tthu swultun.
    There’s a scow tied to the corkline outside of the boat. 
47. ni’ wulh stu’e ’u tthey’ ’u suw’ ’aalh ’u tthu scow ’u suw’ scooped tthu slhewut’ ’aalhstuhw ’u tthu scow.
    After it’s like that, you go aboard the scow, and you begin scooping the herring onto the scow. 
48. ni’ ch st’ut’in’ kw’us shts’unts’unets ni’ ’u tthu s’aliyuthuns thu scow.
    You are lined up straddling the edge of the scow. 
49. ni’ ch yusyey’sul’u ’u tthu thi scoop kw’us qaqul’ut tthu slhewut’.
    There are two of you to each big scoop that you are using to scoop the herring in with. 
50. ’uwu kws hiths ’i’ luts’ tthu thithu scow.
    It doesn’t take long to load a scow. 
51. kw’us ni’ qxe’luts kw’us ni’ st’ut’in’ ’u tthu shtu’es kw’s tl’eqt-s tthu scow, kw’us hw’a’ulhstuhw.
    You are lined up, a whole bunch of you, the whole length of the scow, while you are loading it. 
52. ni’ luts’ tthu scow suw’ hwlhuqnetstewut ’u tthu ’uw’ tswe’ yaay’us kws nem’s ’e’muqtus nem’ ’u kwthu tl’elhum’ew’t-hw.
    When the scow gets loaded, it is taken in tow by the ones whose work it is to deliver them to the salteries. 
53. ni’ huye’stum tthun’ shun’tsu, ’i’ ni’ ch tl’uw’ wulh qul’et suw’q’ ’u kw’ slhewut’.
    Your catch is towed away, and you are on your way again, looking for more herring.
54. ’uwu kw’us lheel, yath ch ’uw’ tsuw’tsuw’ ’al’.
    You don’t go ashore; you are always out on the water. 
55. nilh shtu’esulh tthu tslhet’uwut’ tthey’.
    That’s how the herring seining was done at that point. 
56. February 5th ’i’ hwtqetum tthu slhewut’ syaays, suw’ hwu ’uwus te’s tl’e nu shna’usum kw’unus suw’q’ ’ukw’ syaays.
    The herring work was closed on the 5th of February, and then there wasn’t anywhere that I could look for work.