Trip to Victoria

by

Eugene Harry

Recorded on November 10, 2012
Transcribed and translated by Donna Gerdts

  1. tun’[a] kweyul ’u tu sthumunt-s hwuythelum ’u tunu sts’a’muqw, “hwuythut! hwuythut! nem’ tst ’imshasum’.”
    1. One day, on a Tuesday, I was woken up by my great-grandparent, “Wake up! Wake up! We are going traveling.”
  2. hii’lukw tunu shqwaluwun kwunus lumnuhw they’tus tu stuluqiw thuytus tu xwi’lum’, xwan’chunum’, huqilum ’u tu stuqiw tunu sts’a’muqw.
    1. I was very happy to see him fixing the horses, fixing the rope, running around under the horse.
  3. they’tus tu xwi’lum’, q’ep’utum ’u tu wekun.
    1. Fixing the rope, tying them to the wagon.
  4. luts’utum tu wekun ’u tu sts’alha’ s’ulhtuns tu stuqiw.
    1. They filled it with leaves for the horses.
  5. ’i’ ni’ tst nem’ nem’ ’u kw’ mutouliye’.
    1. Then we went to Victoria.
  6. yuw’en’ kwutst yu ’i’mush, mu-u-ukw’ lhwet ’i’ taantal’hw ’u tu snuhwulh…’u tu snuhwulh.
    1. We were walking ahead; everyone left us behind in their cars.
  7. tl’uw’ yu taantalum ’u tu ’i’ ha’kwush tu spay’sukul’.
    1. We were left behind even by the ones on bicycles.
  8. tl’uw’ taantalum.
    1. They also left us behind.
  9. mu.u.ukw’ tst t’al’q’us, t’al’q’us ’u tu siiye’yutst, ts’uhwle’ t’al’q’us.
    1. We were waving, waving at all our friends, sometimes waving.
  10. ’i’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ putnalum, putnalum, “nem’ ch ’a’lu hwtsel?”
    1. And sometimes they recognized us and asked, “Where are you going?”
  11. “ne.e.em’ tst yu hunum’ ’u kw’ mutouliye’.”
    1. “We’re going to Victoria.”
  12. ’i’ niit [ni’ tst] qewum ’u tu… qewum ’u tu xatsa’ xlhastum tu stuqiw yelhtst tseelqumtst xlhastum stl’ul’iqulh shhwum’nikw ten.
    1. Then we would rest at the lake, feed the horses, and afterwards we would feed the children, aunt, mother.
  13. qul’et netulh lumnuhw tu si’lu thuyt tu stuqiw.
    1. The next morning, grandfather would be preparing the horse.
  14. ’i’ ni’ tst tuyqul q’a’thut ’u tu shelh, hunum’ ’uwutst ’iit tsakw ’i’ ni’ tuyqul ni’ ni’ nem’ nets’uw’t-hwum qul’et, nets’uw’t-hwum tu suliy’eyus ni’ kw’ Cobble Hill.
    1. And we would move again and get on the road; we wouldn’t go very far, and then they would visit someone, visit the relatives at Cobble Hill.
  15. ’i’ tst st’e hay tsulel ’i’ net ’i’ ni’ tst tus ’u tu shelh tus qul’et ni’ nem’ ’u kw’ Shawnigan Lake qewum tu snet ’itut.
    1. And it was almost night time before we got back on the road, and we would reach Shawnigan Lake where we would rest for the night, sleeping.
  16. kweyul qul’et ’i’ ni’ tst hwu’alum tus ’u tu shelh ’i’ nem’tst ’u kw’ Langford.
    1. The next day, we would return to the road, and then we would go to Langford.
  17. siiye’yutst ’itut t’ahwtum ’uwu ’iis yu wil’ tu skweyul ’i’ ni’ tst qul’et thuyt tu stiqiw kw’utst nem’ ’imush.
    1. We’d sleep at our relatives and then go down the mountain before dawn, and we would prepare the horse and start travelling.
  18. nem’ tst ne-e-em’ nem’ ’u tu tawun ts’ilum ’u tu tawun.
    1. Then we would go to town, go right past the town.
  19. mukw’ lhwet t’it’al’q’us t’al’q’ustalum tl’li.i.im’ tsun ’uw’ stslhiws kwunus ’i’ t’al’q’us, [inaudible] nem’ kweel.
    1. And everyone was waving at us; I got tired waving and ducked my head down to hide.
  20. ni’ tst tus ni’ ’u tu xut’ustum’ Parliament Building.
    1. We arrived at what’s called the Parliament Building.
  21. ’i’ ni’ tst qewum.
    1. And we rested.
  22. qu.u.ux mustimuhw ni’ nem’ [hw]xaatth’ustum tunu shhwum’nikw, ’uw’ xaatth’ustum tunu shhwum’nikw.
    1. A lot of people came to photograph my uncle; my uncle was photographed.
  23. ’uwu nu stl’i’us kwun’s xatth’us.
    1. I didn’t want to be photographed.
  24. ’uw’ ni’ tsun kweel, kweel.
    1. And so, I hid.
  25. tus ’u tu tahw skweyul, xlhastalum, xulhust tu stiqiw.
    1. Lunchtime came, and the horses were fed.
  26. thuythut tu nu shhwum’nikw, thuytus tu sq’umul’.
    1. My uncle prepared, fixing a paddle.
  27. nem’ tey suq’a’ ’u kwu xut’ustum’ Mt. Prevost snuhwulh tl’hwunuq tunu si’lu.
    1. He went to do canoe pulling on Mt. Prevost (canoe), and my grandfather won.
  28. tth’a’kwus tth’a’kwus telu kwus ni’ kwunnuhwus kwus nilh tl’hwunuq.
    1. Seven dollars is what he got when he won.
  29. hay ’ul’ thimat telu kwus ni’ tl’hwunuq st’e ’uw’ ni’hw ni’ hulituns.
    1. That was a lot of money when you won, just like uplifting your spirit.
  30. hay, hay kwu t’aqw’tum’ tl’uw’ qul’et ’u tu suxulhnet kwus nem’ tey.
    1. That was on Saturday, and on Sunday they went to race again.
  31. qewum ’u tu nuts’a’ skweyul tl’uw’ qul’et t’akw’.
    1. Then they would rest for one day also on the way home.
  32. suxulhnut ’i’ ni’ tst hwu’alum’ ’uw’ yuse’lu ’ul’ skweyul kwutst [ni’] yu hunum’, kwutst t’akw’.
    1. It was a week before we returned—two days going along to get home.