Ruby Peter
Transcribed and translated by Ruby Peter
Edited by Donna Gerdts and Janet Leonard
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- ’een’thu sti’tum’at.
- I’m Ruby Peter.
- nilh tthu ni’ sht’es kwsutst ts’its’uw’a’tul, ts’ets’uw’ut thunu sqe’uq, xul’altunaat Molly Joe tslelum’ ni’ ’u tthu Lakes Rd.
- And this is how we helped one another, my sister Molly (Muriel) Joe when she needed help; she had a house on Lakes Rd (at the border of the Quamichan Reserve and the City of Duncan).
- ’i’ nilh ’uw’ shni’sulh thu lelum’s thunu ten.
- It used to be my mother’s house.
- ’i’ ’uw’ niilh yu huy’aata’lum’ ’u thu ten tst kwsus kwikwun’tul’stum’ ’u tthu xut’ust-hwus tawn, Mayor.
- And Mother warned that Father and Mother had been fighting with the City, the Mayor.
- yath ’uw’ yu kwikwun’tul’stum’ stl’i’s kws kwunutewut tthu … hay ’ul’ tsakw ni’ shthxutewut (’u) tthu tumuhws kw’unu si’lu hwuneem.
- They were always taking the land, and they pushed my grandfather hwuneem right from the highway to Campbell Street, and then to Lakes Road.
- suw’ xut’us, “’uwu tseep ’a’unlhuhw ’uw’ nihw thxutalum, thxutewut thun’ sqe’uq.
- And she was telling me,“Don’t you ever agree; if they are going to start pushing the line again on us again, on your sister.
- yath ch ’uw’ ts’ets’uw’ut.
- Always help her.”
- nilh kwu’elh ni’ he’kw’me’teen’ tthu si’aam’s thunu ten.
- So I remember my mother’s warning.
- nilh tsun ’uw’ n’emustuhw thunu trailer hwuni’stuhw kwunus ’un’nehwstuhw tthu tumuhw.
- My mother had asked me to put my trailer just about where her old house was, and I did, just to hold the land.
- ’i’ nilh tthunu shuyulh ni’ sht’eewun’ kw’unus xwum ’i’ tswa’thut ’u tthu tumuhw ’i’ ’uwu nilh nuw’ yu sqwaqwul’s thunu ten.
- But it was my older brother who thought that I was going to take the land away from my sister, but it was my mother’s idea.
- “m’i ch tuyqt, mun’u, lhun’ trailer ’un’nehwstuhw ch tse’ ’un’sh hw’un’nehwstuhw tthu tumuhw.”
- [She said,] “Daughter, move you trailer and park it to keep the land from being pushed.
- nus niilh ’uw’ ne’mustuhw lhu nu trailer.
- So I brought my trailer there.
- ’i’ nilh tthunu shuyulh nilh ni’ thut-stam’sh kwunus xwum ’i’ …ni’ si’si’ ‘uw’ xwumun’ ‘i kwunut tthu tumuhws.
- But it was my older brother who told me that he was afraid they I was taking her land.
- nus nuw’ t’ukw’stuhw lhunu trailer, hwu’alum’stuhw ne’mustuhw ’utl’ kwa’mutsun.
- So I brought my trailer back to Quamichan.
- ’i’ ni’ wulh st’e’ukw’ hwyuxw tthu tawn, City of Duncan.
- And the City of Duncan was expanding.
- wulh hwunin’sum thunu sqe’uq ’i’ ’uw’ thut-st-hwus, “‘uwu, skw’ey kwunus [’aanthamu], ’uwu ’un’ swe’us ’un’ tumuhw.
- They were thinking about making a road approaching my sister told them, “No, I won’t let you, that is not your land.”
- nuw’ sxuxil’ ni’stum tthu map, sxuxil’stum’ ’iiw’ustum, nilh swe’ [tthu] tawun nilh swe’s tthu City, “’uwu nilh’us ’un’ swe’, nem’ tst kwu’elh tslhaqwt kw’ shelh.”
- They showed my sister a map that showed where a road would go through, an extension of Lakes Road, and they told her, “We’re going to put a road there.”
- wulh temutham’shus [thunu sqe’uq], “’e’ut wulh tiya’xwuthelum, shuyulh. m’i ts’ewuth.”
- And Molly, my sister, called me and told me what was going on: “I’m having trouble with the City of Duncan. Come help me.
- susuw’ nem’ tus sus nem’ tus wulh, ni’stum thu Caterpillar wulh nem’ thxutum tthu q’ulexutstuns ne.e.em’ yu thextum.
- They already have a caterpillar here. They’ve already started pushing the fence down.”
- ’e’ut tl’uw’ tetsul ni’ tl’uw’ q’a’ tthu xut’ustum’ AIM m’i tl’uw’ ts’ewulhtun.
- The group called AIM came and participated because it almost became a very big issue with the City of Duncan.
- nilh ’uw’ tsulel ’i’ ’uw’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ tiy’a’xween kwthey’, niilh kwulushtum kwthu shhwul’mastuns ’u kwthu .22, nilh kwu’elh shusulh q’a’ kwthu AIM m’i ’ewu kwsus wulh tul’nuhwus kwsus kwulushtum sus ’uw’ ts’ewutalum.
- Her front window was shot, and that’s when AIM came in, when that happened, when somebody shot the window; they were helping us.
- nuts’a’ suxulhnet kwsutst kwa’yut ’un’uhwstuhw ’i’ ’uwu, wulh m’i tl’lim’ ’uw’ ’ulh timuthut tthu ni’ yu ye’yuq’ut kwthu q’ulexutstun.
- We were there for about one week, stopping that bulldozer, and they had already pushed down all the fence.
- nusuw’ kwunut lhu nu snuhwulh nus nem’ ’uw’ …
- And I took my car and I parked right in front of it.
- wulh m’i yu thextus tthu yu they’tus tthu shelh, wulh xta’stum tse’ kw’ shelh.
- Where they were making a road, putting in where the access would be.
- nusuw’ ne’mustuhw thunu snuhwulh, nusuw’ hwts’e’nutsum nem’ ’u tthu q’lhans kwunus ni’ hwu shts’unets.
- I put my car there, and I sat on the hood of my car.
- tssethelum ’uw’ ’uyqtun thunu snuhwulh nus ’uw’ thut-stuhw, “’uwu, nilh s’aal’h tumuhw ’i’ ’uwu stsekwul’us kwunus ’uyqthut.”
- The man on the bulldozer told me to get my car out of the way, and I told him, “No, this is our land, and I’m not going to get out of the way.”
- wulh tstl’um thu na’nuts’a’ nu sqe’uq sus tl’uw’ hwu ’ula’ulh hwu shts’unets ni’ ’u tthu sq’lhans tthu snuhwulh.
- My younger sister jumped up and sat on the hood of the car.
- sis tl’uw’ ’ewu thu sa’suqwt nu sqe’uq tl’uw’ q’a’thut sutst ’uw’ hwu lhhwelu shts’un’ts’un’ets.
- And then my youngest sister [Muriel] join and so there were three of us sitting there.
- wulh thut-stalum, wulh q’i’untalumulh, nem’ tse’ thxutalum.
- They told us that we had been warned and we would be pushed out of the way.
- nus ’uw’ xut’ustuhw, “ha’ ch p’e’ m’i thxutal’hw ’i’ qiq’ ch.
- And I said, “If you push us you will go to jail.
- ’i’ ’uwu ’uw’ thut-stalum ’uw’ q’iq’un’ata’lum’.
- We weren’t informed.
- ’uwu stsekwul’us kws qw’im tst.”
- We are not going to get off of the car.”
- ni’ tsun hwi’ lhxilush hwi’ hwu hulq’elh ’u thunu snuhwulh nilh ’uw’ nem’us thxutum.
- And then I stood in front of my car so they would push me.
- ’i tsun sht’eewun’, ha’ tsun me’kwulh ’i’ wuwa’ hay ’ul’ thi telu, telus wuwa’ nilh shsi’si’s ’i’ kwe’tham’shus, kwe’talum, ’i’ ’uw’ thu’it ni’ [kwe’talum] kwunus ni’ hwu lhxi’lush ’u tthu tumuhw.
- I was thinking if I got injured that would cost them a lot of money so tmaybe they would be afraid and they would let me alone, let us alone.
- ’i’ ’uw’ thu’it ni’ [kwe’talum] kwunus ni’ hwu lhxi’lush ’u tthu tumuhw.
- And it was true, they left us alone when I stood on the ground.
- nus ’uw’ thut-stuhw, “’uwu stsekwul’us kwunus ’uyqthut.”
- And I told them, “I will never get out of the way.”
- ni.i.i’ wulh lhtsiws tthuw’nilh hwunitum’ kwus qul’qul’na’lum’ wulh tus tthu mayors sus ’uw’ kw’uyetum thut-stum ’uw’ kwe’taalt.
- The man [running the bulldozer] got tired of being mad at us and then the mayor got there and told him to leave us alone.
- sus ’uw’ kwe’talum sutst ’uw’ tl’hwut tthuw’ne’ullh.
- So they left us alone and so had beat them.
- ’i’ niihw wulh nem’ ’u tthu chif ’i’ tthu kawnsul
- The mayor must have gone to the Chief and Council.
- ’i’ kweyul ’i’ ni’ tsun nem’ huye’ nem’ nem’ tl’sqwxwa’mush.
- And next day I was going to go to Vancouver.
- ni’ tsun sht’eewun’ nuw’ sthuthi’ thunu sqe’uq ni’ wulh st’e ’ukw’ yul’ew’ kwthey’ tiy’a’xween.
- I thought my sister was all right, no more problems.
- ’i’ ni’ yuhw nem’ tthu Mayor ’u kwthu kawnsul susuw’ ts’uyulh ’uw’ niis tstamut.
- And the mayor must have gone to the Council to consult them on what to do.
- ni’ p’e’ ’uw’ hith kwunus ni’ heew’u ’u kwthey’, niihw st’e ’ukw’ nuts’a’ suxulhnet.
- I was gone for a few days must have been a week.
- ’i tsun tetsul ’i’ tl’e’ wulh hiiyaay’us ’u tthu ’iilh kw’uy’utut.
- And when I got back and the ones that we had blocked were working
- nus ’uw’ putum’ut thunu sqe’uq, “ni’ tstamut?”
- I asked my sister, “What happened?”
- [thut thunu sqe’uq,] “’a-a-a ni’ tsun p’e’ xul’ut kwthu pipu.
- [She said,] “Oh, I had to sign the paper.
- ni’ tsun kwe’t tthu tumuhw.
- I let the land go.
- ’i’ tetsul kwthu chif ’i’ kwthu Band Manager ni’ thut-stelum ha’ tsun tse’ ’uwu xul’utun’ tthu pipu ’i’ nilh tse’ suw’ ’unuhwstewut kwthu qa’s tthu lhumlhumuluts’ mustimuhw ’i’ tthuw’ mukw’ ’i ’u tun’a hwulmuhw mustimuhw nilh tse’ ’unuhwstum tthu qa’s.
- Because the Chief and Band Manager came and told me if I didn’t sign the paper, they were going to shut off the water to Clemclem and they would cut of the water to all the First Nation people.
- ’uwu kwu’elh nu stl’i’us ’een’thus kws tun’ni’s ’utl’ ’een’thu ’i’ hwu ’uwu te’ qa’s tthu mustimuhw nus nuw’ xul’ut.”
- And I didn’t want to be the reason our people lost their water, so I signed.”
- “’a.a.a sha! nus ’uw’ q’iq’un’utha’mu ’ul,” suw’ xut’ustuhw, “’uwu te’ p’e’ ’un’ stsle’t.”
- “Oh shucks, I advised you,” I said to her, “they wouldn’t do that.”
- “shuyulh, ni’ tsun wulh hwu sxuxil’stuhw.
- “Sister, I’m sorry. I already signed.
- ni’ tsun kwe’t.”
- I let go of it.”
- ’i ’uw’ ’uwu thulh ni’us tslhaqw kwthu niilh st’ee kw’uw’ sthuthi’st-hwus tthuw’ne’ullh City of Duncan.
- But the road didn’t go through like the City of Duncan approved.
- ’uw’ hay ’ul’ kwthu q’ulexutstun ni’ tuw’ ’uhwiin’ ’ul’ kwsus thxutum, ’i’ ’uwu niis tslhaqw kwthu shelh ni’ ’ulh xut’ust-hwus tslhaqwtus ’eelhtun.
- It was only the fence that was moved a little bit [four feet], so the road didn’t go through like they said it would.
- nilh kwu’elh nuw’ sht’es ’ul’ tthunu sqwul’qwul’ ’u tthu sht’e kwsutst kwikwun’tul’ ’u tthu tumuhw.
- And that’s my story about how we were fighting for the land.
- hay ch q’a.
- Thank you.