Peter Mitchell
1975
Note:
DL: Delores Louie, PM: Peter Mitchell
- ni’ ts’u p’e’ thi.i.i skounu ’u tthu p’e’ tsuw’tsuw’ sus ’uw’ wulh hwehwi tthuw’ne’ullh sus ’uw’ tl’e’tl’in’hwus tthey’, xut’u kws skwthe’s tthey’ p’e’ thithu skounu (xut’u kws skwthe’s,) ni-is ts’twu nutsim’ ’u shush m’i wuqw’utum tthey’ skwthe’.
- There was a big schooner out in the middle of the water, and when they woke up, they were very perplexed by it, saying that that really big schooner might be an island and wondering why that island drifted there.
- nilh sqwal’qwul’sulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw ’ulh kwthu t’at ’ulh mustimuhw.
- This is what the old people from the original tribe were saying.
- ’i-i m’i q’iilt ’i’ m’i lheel tthey’ p’e’ hwulunitum, hwun’a’ m’i qw’i’qw’uletus tthu p’e’ hwulmuhw su.u.uw’… m’i ’e’um ’u tthu mu.u.ukw’ stem.
- Later in the morning, those white people came ashore, when they first tried to get acquainted with the natives, and they gave away many things.
- tthu piskut, [sun’iw’ ’u] tthu xuxithum m’i ’amustum tthu hwulmuhw s’ulhtunstewut ’i’ ’uwute’ shtatul’stuhws tthu p’e’ hwulmuhw [kws s’ulhtuns].
- The biscuits in boxes were given to the natives to be eaten by them, and the native people didn’t know that what they were given was food.
- nuw’ hwu siw’a’lum’s ’ul’ sisul’utus, tthey’ p’e’ piskut; we’wun’shus ’u tthu p’e’ tumuhw sus nem’ ’uw’ xu.u.ul’ts’thut.
- They were just rolling it like a toy, that biscuit; they were rolling it on the ground and rolling it.
- (’uwute’ nushtatul’stuhw ’uw’ niis ts’t’wa’ ’uw’ sxuxil’ ’u kw’u p’e’ ni’ hut’u tthu…)
- (not transcribed)
- m’i ’amustum ’u tthu p’e’ sqw’qwum tthu p’uw’ne’ullh.
- They were given an axe.
- kwthu ni’ulh ’utl’ snuneymuhw, kwus hwun’a’ m’i tet-sul kwu hwunitum.
- Those people at Nanaimo, the original people were there.
- [Brief discussion between DL and PM was not transcribed.]
- yuh, sht’esulh kwu t’at ’ulh mustimuhw.
- That’s how it used be with the old people.
- kwusuw’ ni’ ’u kwthu shni’s tumuhws kw’uw’ mukw’ nuts’uwmuhw.
- At the place where they received visitors.
- suw’ net kwus wulh net ’i’ ’uw’ ’iyus ’ul’ tthuw’ne’ullh mustimuhw.
- And when it gets dark at night, the people would have a good time.
- suw’ kweyul kwus wulh kweyul ’i’ wulh ni’ tthu thi.i.i skounu ’u tthu tsuwmuns tsuw’tsuw’ ’u tthu snuneymuhw.
- And when daytime came, there was this big schooner on the shore out in middle of the water at Nanaimo.
- suw’ tl’e’tl’in’hwus tthuw’ne’ullh, xut’u kwsus wuqw’utum kw skwthe’ ’u shus hwuni’ kwthey’ skounu.
- They were all perplexed, saying did that island drift there, about that schooner that got there.
- tl’lim’ nuw’ tstl’i’stum tthu hwulmuhw ’uw’ niis tsukwul’im’.
- The Indians were very perplexed about how it got there.
- m’i’ q’iilt ’i’ wulh nem’ hun’lhelt tthu hwunitum tus ’u tthu hwulmuhw.
- Mid-morning, the white man came ashore, came to the natives.
- ’ehwe’tum ’u tu s’ulhtun ’i’ ’uwute’ stem shtatul’stuhws ’uw’ stemus [tthey’ ni’ s’ehwe’s], sus ’uw’ siw’a’lum’s tthey’ piskut ’u tthu tumuhw, sisul’utum.
- And they were given some food, and they didn’t even know what it was that they were given, so they played with those biscuits on the ground, rolling them.
- ’i’ m’i qul’et hun’lhelt.
- And they came ashore again.
- ’uwu niis nem’ huye’ tthey’.
- They hadn’t gone away.
- kweyul ’i’ tl’e’ wulh nem’ lheel, ’i’ wulh hiiw’a’lum tthu hwulmuhw ’u tthey’ piskut sisul’utum’.
- The next day, they came ashore again, and they saw that they natives were playing with the biscuits, rolling them.
- ’i’ ’uwu suw’a’lum’us, s’ulhtun s’ulhtun [tthey’], suw’ yuthustum kws ’uwus suw’a’lum’us.
- But it wasn’t a toy, it was food; that was a food, and so they told them it wasn’t a toy.
- suw’ q’ikw’utus tthu hwunitum suw’ lhuyxtus.
- So, the white man bit into it and ate it.
- ’i’ yelh sus tul’nuhwus tthu hwulmuhw kws s’ulhtuns kwey’ ni’ s’amustewut.
- And the natives finally realized that what they were given was food.
- suw’ ’amustum ’u tthu mulesus tthuw’ne’ullh, qux yu sun’iw’ ’u tthu q’uxq’ux.
- And they gave them molasses, lots of it, in cans.
- sus ’uw’ kwunnuhwus tthey’ sus ’uw’ hwkwa’qutus ’i’ xut’u kws snasth.
- And when they got it and opened it, they thought it was grease.
- sus ’uw’ kwunutus tthey’ mulesus suw’ kwounst-hwus ’u tthu tselushs, suw’ yatl’a’qwum, yatl’utus tthu sxuy’usth, ’i’ ’uw’ ’uwu ’ul’ niis hith kwus p’e’ ni’ tthey’ ’i’ ni’ hwu slhululhex tthu p’e’ she’ituns ’u tthu mulesus xut’u kws snasth.
- So, they took that molasses and took in in their hands and rubbed it on their heads, rubbed it on their heads, and it wasn’t too long after that it was on there, and their hair got stiff from the molasses, what they thought was grease.
- nilh kwelh ni’ sht’esulh kwus p’e’ st’e ’uw’ niis s’i’kw’ kwuw’ t’at ’ulh mustimuhw (kwuw’ t’at ’ulh mustimuhw).
- This is how it was; the original people were just kind of lost.
- suw’ ’amustum ’u tthu sqw’qwum ’uwu te’ hen◊uls ’uw’ sqw’qwum ’ul’.
- And then they were given the axe, but there were no handles on them, just the axe head.
- suw’ ’amustum yuthustum nilh swe’s kws huyqwul’tsups, seq’tus kwu p’u syalhs ’i’ ’uw’ ’uwute’ ’ul’ ni’ tul’nuhwus, kw’uw’ nuw’ ’uwu niis tatul’uthun’ ’u tthu s-hwunituma’lh sqwal.
- And they were given them and were told that it was for their fire, to split the wood with, but they didn’t even understand; they never understood the white man’s language.
- sus ’uw’ taal tl’e’ tthu hwunitum, ’i’ ni’ wulh ’e’um ’u tthey’ sqw’qwum.
- And the white men went out to their ship, and it was after they gave those axe heads.
- ni’ nem’ (laughs) [qul’et] hun’lhelt ’i’ hwi’ s’a’kw’us tthu hwulmuhw ’u tthey’ p’e’ sqw’qwum ni’ sq’eq’up’stum ’u tthu tupsum suw’ sxexutl’ tthu sqw’qwum, xew’s sqw’qwum ’u tthu p’e’ ts’xemuns.
- When they got back to the shore again, the natives had those axes hanging; they tied them around their necks, dangling the axe, and it was hanging on their chests.
- suw’ hwi’ xut’u kwus nilh hwu si’em’ ’u tthu hwulmuhw, nilh hwu yuw’en’ ’u tthuw’ mukw’ kwey’ ni’ ’amustum ’u kwthey’.
- And they were told that they would be bosses of the natives, and those were the first of all to be given those.
- nilh kwu’elh ’ushus sts’uqw’nis ’u tthu sqw’qwum.
- That’s why they had strung the axe through its hole.
- suw’ nem’ hwunin’sum ’u tthey’ hwunitum suw’ thut-stum kws ’uwus niis st’estum ’u kwthey’ ni’ ’u tthu sts’xemuns, ’i’ yelh sus kwounstum ’u tthu p’e’ hen◊ul[s].
- And when the white man arrived, they told them that what they had on their chest wasn’t supposed to be like that, and then they put a handle on it.
- suw’ lumstum sq’etum tthu p’e’ syalh ’i’ yelh sus tul’nuhwus.
- And they showed them how it’s used to chop wood, and that’s when they found out.
- nilh kwu’elh ni’ sht’es’ulh tthu mustimuhw kws tl’lim’s nuw’ na’kwus’ulh ’u kw’uw’ mukw’ stem.
- That’s how it was with the people, who were really not familiar with everything.
- ni’ kwu’elh ’uw’ wulh hith ’i tthu hwunitum ’i’ ’uw’ skw’ey kws tl’lim’s ’uw’ ’ulhtun ’u tthu s-hwunituma’lh s’ulhtun, ’uw’ huy’ul’ tthu swe’s s’ulhtuns fis-h [stseelhtun] ’i’ tthu s’axwa’.
- And now the white man has been here for a long time, and we can’t really eat the white man’s food; it’s only their own salmon and clams.
- ’uw’ huy’ul’ s’i’lhtun’s kwthu xut’ustum’ se’uq ’i’ nilh s’ulnutssth tthu suqeen’.
- And it’s only what’s called se’uq, the root of the bracken fern.
- nilh kwu’elh xut’ustuhwus wa’lu kwthuw’ t’at mustimuhw _ _ suplils kwthey’ tthey’, nilh suplils; ’uw’ huy’ul’ lhey’xtus tthuw’ t’at ’ulh mustimuhw ’i’ muw’ ’ulh hwu’i tthu hwunitum ’i’ ’uw’ hith kwus ’uw’ st’e ’u tthey’.
- That’s what the first peoples used for their bread; that’s the only thing the old people would eat, when the white man came here, and it’s been like that for a long time.
- qe’is kwu’elh tun’u qe’is stl’ul’iqulh, st’e ’uw’ niis ’ikw’utus tthu s’ulhtuns tthu sts’a’lum’uqwsulh.
- But recently, the children of this new generation, it’s like they gave up the food of their great grandparents.
- nilh kwu’elh kwus ’uw’ulh hay kwey’ tul’nuhwus kwey’ ’i’ yelh sus st’e ’u kw’ hwu ha’kwushus kwus wulh m’i tetsul kwthu hwunitum, ’i’ yelh sus tskwul’eshnamut, tsqw’qwum ’i’ kw’uw’ mukw’ stum nuw’ ha’kwushus.
- It was after that that they only learned that, and they finally started using what the white man arrived with, and they finally got guns, axes, and other things to use.
- nilh kwu’elh nuw’ shn’exun’s ’ul’ kwey’ niilh syuthustheelt ’u kwey’ niilh ni’ ’utl’ snuneymuhw.
- This is as far as I remember about what I was told about what happened at Nanaimo.
- nuw’ st’e ’ul’ ’u tthey’.
- It was just like that.
- DL: nilh kwu’elh ni’ ’untsu kwthey’ nilh ni’ shni’s tthu hwuhwilmuhw kwthu hwun’a shtusth hwulunitum’ulh
- Where was that place where the native people were when the white men first came?
- ’uw’ tsuw’tsuw’ ’ul’ ’u tthey’ kwey’ skounu kwus slhqun’e’ hwun’a.a.a’ smeent st’e ’ukw’ ’ewu ’u tthu hwulmuhw.
- The schooner was out in the middle of the water, anchored with a rock, and that’s when they came to the natives.
- nilh kwu’elh shhw’e’ums ’u kwthu piskut ’i’ ni’ hwi’ ’uw’ siiw’a’lum’s ’ul’ tu hwulmuhw.
- That’s when they gave the biscuits and that’s what the native played with as toys.
- DL: nilh ’u kwu’elh mukw’ ’uw’ hwulmuhw kwthu ni’ shni’s tthu snuneymuhw?
- Where they all natives that were over at Nanaimo?
- PM: nilh ’uw’ mukw’ ’uw’ hwulmuhw tthu ni’ shni’s tthu tawun, nilh tl’lim’ ’ulh ’uw’ lelum’s tthey’, skwthe’ ’ulh ’ul’ kw’u’i, suw’ hwpunutum sus tl’lim’ ’uw’ hwu tumuhw ’ul’ suw’’ st’e ’uw’ ’iis ’uw’ hwu s’uthnuts ’ul’.
- That was all natives where the town is now—that was their real home—and it was an island then, and it was filled in, so it became a peninsula.
- skwthe’ulh kwthu niilh ’unwulh.
- But it was an island then in the middle.
- ni’ tsun ’uw’ yu lumnuhw qe’is kwu’elh kwus st’e ’uw’ niis punutum, ’i’ tl’lim’ nuw’ st’e ’uw’ niis hwu s’uthnuts kwey’ p’e’.
- I saw it, so it is just recently that it was filled in, and it really became a peninsula.
- nilh kwu’elh nuw’ sht’esul’ kw’unus ni’ ts’elhum’ut yuthusthelum ’u kwey’ sxwi’xwi’em’s kw’unu men kwey’ ni’ nu sqwul’qwul’.
- That’s all I heard, what I was told of that story by my father, what I’m talking about.
- kwu sht’es kwus sqwiil’qwul’s kwuw’ t’at ’ulh mustimuhw ’utl’ snuneymuhw kws hwun’a’s m’i tetsul tthu hwunitum.
- What was said about the original people at Nanaimo when the white man first came.
- nilh kwu’elh nuw’ sht’es’ul’.
- That’s how it is.
- That’s how it is.