by Ruby Peter
Recorded Dec 18, 2006 in Duncan, BC
Transcribed and translated by Ruby Peter and Donna Gerdts,
and edited by Janet Leonard
- ’een’thu sti’tum’at.
- I’m Sti’tum’at.
- nilh nu shhwuw’weli tthu xitsulenuhw ’i’ qwulsimtunaat, wuswasulwut.
- My parents were Xitsulenuhw and Qwulsimtunaat , Wuswasulwut [that was her childhood name].
- nilh kwthu ni’ulh nu shni’ kwunus yaa’yus, yaa’yusiilh.
- It was about the place where I used to work.
- ni’ ts’twa’ ni’ ’u kwthu ’apun ’i’ kw’ toohw ’i’ kwthu t’xumulhshe’ ’i’ kw’ tth’a’kwus, tum’qw’i’lus.
- It was in about 1967, summertime.
- ’i’ ni’ tsun yaa’yus ’u kwthu Channel 3 Television Station, xal’qthut.
- I was working for Channel 3 Television Station.
- ni’ hw’uw’tsusthelum kwunus thuyt tthu xal’qthut, kwunus kwoonstulstuhw tthu ’uw’ mukw’ stem, kwthu sht’es kwthu… kws nem’ hwu sxi’xlhem’s tthu mustimuhw ni’ ’u tthu television.
- I was taught how to work the television shows, how to connect all the movies that can go onto the television for the people to broadcast to the people.
- nus nuw’ thuyt, hwu t’uyum’t ’u tthu recording.
- And I made recordings and scheduled them.
- yath tsun ’uw’ yu saay’stuhw, yu they’t kwthu ni’ sht’es kwthu nuts’a’ skweyul.
- I had all the recordings set up for different hours throughout the day.
- ts’uhwle’ ’i’ nilh tthu news ni’… ni’ saay’st-hwun’ ’u kwsus wulh tus ’u tthu ’apun tintun ’i’ ni’ hwi’ nilh ni’ sqwul’qwul’ kwthu ni’ sht’es kwthu ni’ tstamut ni’ ’u tthu quw’utsun’, Duncan.
- Sometimes it was the news that I got ready, the local news around Duncan that went on the air at 10:00 pm, the stories about what was happening in Cowichan and Duncan.
- niis ni’ kwthu ni’ q’ay, yuqwyuqw, kwthu nuw’ sht’esul’ kwsus quxul’ sul’uthut-s tthu ni’ ’u tthu tawun, ’i’ nilh nuw’ sqwiil’qwul’, nilhkwu’elh ni’ sqwiil’qwul’ tthu ni’ sht’es kwthu ni’qul’qe’lum’, niis tiqw’tul ’uw’ niis yuqw, ’uw’ niis skweluws, ’i’ nilh ni’ nu sqwiil’qwul’ ni’ ’u tthu television.
- It might be a murder, fire, or any kind of news of what was happening in town Cowichan Valley that had to be reported to the people.
- niis ni’ kwthu ni’ q’ay, yuqwyuqw, kwthu nuw’ sht’esul’ kwsus quxul’ sul’uthut-s tthu ni’ ’u tthu tawun.
- It might be a murder, fire, or any kind of news of what was happening in town.
- ’i’ nilh nuw’ sqwiil’qwul’, nilhkwu’elh ni’ sqwiil’qwul’ tthu ni’ sht’es kwthu ni’qul’qe’lum’, niis tiqw’tul ’uw’ niis yuqw, ’i’ nilh ni’ nu sqwiil’qwul’ ni’ ’u tthu television.
- And I would be reporting, for example if there was an accident or a car crash or a fire, I would report it on television.
- ni’ wulh sxuxil’stum’, st’i’am’stum’ ’u tthu tape, ’i’ ni’ tsun ’uw’ t’uyum’tul ’u tthu shni’s kws nem’ wil’ ’u tthu televisions tthu mustimuhw.
- It was always written up and laid down on tape and I just had to make sure that it was scheduled to broadcast to people’s TVs.
- ni.i.i’ st’ut’in’ kwunus ni’ the’yt ’u kwthu mukw’ skweyul.
- I had to set all these programs up every day.
- ’i’ nilh ’uw’ sht’es kws xetstus tthunu shsi’em’ ’uw’ ni’ut tse’ tstamut ’u kwthu nuts’a’ skweyul.
- The director, who was my boss, had to set up all the plans for each day.
- ha’ ni’ tuqnamut ’u kwthu [sqwul’qwul’] ni’tse’ ni’ slul’uthut-s, st’e ’u kwthu ni’ sht’es kwsus wulh wil’ kwthu weir ’i’ niilh thuytum ’i ’utl’ kwa’mutsun, thu shxetl’.
- He always looked for news, like when he heard the story that was about the weir that was built in Quamichan.
- lumstunuq tthu kwa’mutsun hwulmuhw kwthu niiilh sht’es tthu shxetl’s tthu mustimuhw.
- The Quamichan people decided to demonstrate how the weir used to be.
- sutst nem’ ’uw’ ’aalh ’u tthu truck, yu kwun’et tthu cameras, yuse’lu camera, nem’ ’imusshtuhw xlhem’ ’u kwthu ni’ hwu saay’stum’ ni’ they’tum’ weir.
- So, our television crew went there in a pickup truck bringing along two cameras to take pictures of the weir that was being built.
- ni’ulh ’uw’ ’iyus kwthey’ kwsutst lumnuhw, nem’ ’uw’ hwxaatth’ust.
- It was very interesting to that and we took pictures of it.
- qux ni’ sul’uthut tst kws … [kwutst yaa’yus].
- We did many things.
- ts’uhwle’ ’i’ nilh kwthu July first, ’i’ ni’ tl’uw’.. nilh ni’ tl’uw’ q’a’ kwthu floats kwsus wulh nem’ ’imush.
- We also covered the July first events; we covered the floats that went around in the parade.
- ’i’ kwthu exhibition, ’i’ nilh ni’ tl’uw’ q’a’, hwxaatth’ust ’u tthu television.
- The exhibition was also covered for television.
- ’i’ ni’ tsun ’uw’ hwu ni’ ’u tthu camera, kwunus ni’ tl’uw’ hw’uw’tsusthelum kwunus ha’kwush thu camera.
- I was taught how to use a movie camera and take pictures of events that were going on.
- hay tthunu shsi’um’ hay nilh tthu qw’uyilush ni’ shnu’asstuhws thu swe’s cameras ni’ [hwxaatth’ustus].
- My boss was filming the dance group that was dancing.
- ’i’ hay tthu ’een’thu, ni’ tsun shlhq’a’th, ’i’ hay nilh tthu mustimuhw nu shnu’asstuhw thu nu swe’ nu camera.
- And my camera was covering the people that were watching the dance group.
- tssethelum, “ne.e.em’ ch ’imushstuhw thun’ [camera] , xlhum’stuhw tthu ’e’ut ’aa’mut ni’ sul’uthut-s kwus … sht’es kwsus xi’xlhem’ ’u tun’a.”
- I was told, “Go sweep your camera around the audience to show their actions and expressions as they were sitting there watching.”
- nus ’uw’ nem’’imushstuhw thu nu camera, wulh kwunnuhw tthu na’nuts’a’.
- Then I moved my camera, sweeping the crowd until I found someone.
- ’i’ ni’ tl’uw’ swi’wul’, swi’wul’ ’u tthu swe’s kwthunu shsi’em’, nus ’uw’ thut-stuhw, “’i tsun kwunnuhw tu’i.”
- And I told my boss, “I found someone over here,” because he can also see through his camera what I was covering.
- ’e’ut ts’ats’uhwuthut tthu swuy’qe’, ts’ats’uhwuthut, ’i’ ni’yu we’wun’shus tthu popcorn ’u tthu thathuns kws yu ts’ats’uhwuthut ’i’ yu qw’uyul’ush ’u tthu ni’ xi’xlhe’mutus.
- The man was bouncing around to the tune of the music, bouncing around, and throwing popcorn into his mouth at the same time.
- ’i’ nilh nuw’ yu shsul’iq’s kwsus yu we’wun’shus tthu popcorn kwsus yu lhey’xtus, ’i’ ni’ yu ts’ats’uhwuthut, ni’ tl’uw’ yu qw’uyul’ush ’uw’ stsekwul’us tthu ni’ sht’es.
- He was keeping in time with the music as he was throwing the popcorn into his mouth, and bouncing at the same time, and he was dancing like that.
- ’uy’st-hwus tthu ni’ xi’xlhe’mutus!
- I guess this man was enjoying the music so much!
- ’i’ nilh tthu Russian dance, kwthu hwulunitum’ ni’ yu qw’uyul’ush, hw’a’mutnuts.
- And this was the Russian dance that the white people were doing, in a squatting position.
- ’i’ nilh ni’ sht’es… nilh kwu’elh sxi’xlhem’s tthey’ ni’ yu we’wun’sh tthu popcorn ’u tthu thathuns, yu sul’iq’st-hwus kwsus yu ts’ats’uhwuthut.
- And this is what that man was watching, and he was throwing popcorn in his mouth, keeping time and bouncing around.
- thut tthunu shsi’em’, “ni’stuhw ch ’ul’ ’u tthey’, xi’xlhe’mut ch ’ul’ tthu ni’….
- My boss said.“Just hold your camera on that man.
- ’uy’ tthu ni’ xi’xlhe’mutuhw.
- This is a good one to watch.
- nilh niilh sht’es kwutst nem’ ’i’mush.
- And this is what we covered.
- nilh tthu nuw’ ’iyus ’ul’ nilh ni’ yu kwukwun’utus nem’ sxi’xlhem’stuhws tthu mustimuhw.
- We looked for something that was nice to watch, and covered it for the people to see what was going on around the area, in Duncan.
- ni’ kwu’elh hay ni’ hwi’ nemustum ’u thu television, nem’ xlhum’stum tthunuw’ ’aa’mut mustimuhw.
- Then copies were made to be shown over the air for the people at home, so they could see what events were going on during the July 1st holiday.
- tuw’ quxul’ tthu ni’ sht’e’s kws yu… yu wi’wul’, nem’ yu hwuxaatth’usun’uq.
- There were many things that were covered by the movie camera.
- nilh niilh nuts’a’ nu syaays kwthey’… niihw lhihwus lhqelts’ kwunus ni’ ni’, ’uwu ni’us hith ’i’ ’i tsun hwuq’aq’i’, hwi’ double pneumonia, nus nuw’ kwe’t kwthey’ syaays.
- I was there for only three months, and I got sick with double pneumonia, and I had to let go of that job.
- niilh tsun ’uw’ ’uy’stuhw kwunus yaay’us ni’ ’u kwthey’, ’i’ nilh thulh kwunus ni’ hwuq’aq’i’, nus nuw’ hay.
- I really enjoyed working for the TV station, but I had to let it go because of my health.
- ni’ hay.
- The end.
- The end.