Wayne Charlie | pul-hwulets’e’
Recorded May 19, 2026
- pul-hwulets’e’ ’uw’ tun’ni’ ’utl’ kwa’mutsun.
- I’m Wayne Charlie from Quamichan.
- nuts’a’ skweyul ’i’ ni’ tst tl’hwuthut nem’ ’imush hakwush tthu s-hwunitum’alh shelh, ts’uw’xilum shelh.
- One day we got dressed and we took off walking on the town road, Tzouhalem Rd.
- ni’ tst ’uw’ huye’ tun’netulh ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ wulh yu huy’u nem’ ’uw’ wuqw’ilum tus ’utl’ qw’umi’iqun.
- We left early in the morning heading downriver to Comiaken.
- nilhulh ni’ thu na’nuts’a’ s’eluhw yathulh ’uw’ shtutusth, Big Annie hun’utum’ thu slheni’ (I don’t know if that’s Kathy’s Martin mom?), Big Annie nets’uw’t-hwum ’i’ lhtistalum ’i’ hayuqun ’i’ ni’ tst qul’et ’imush huye.e.e’ tus ’utl’ lhumlhumuluts’.
- Our destination was one elder, Big Annie, and we would visit and she would give us tea and when we were finished eating we would head off walking to Clemclem.
- ha’ ni’ ’amut tu na’nuts’a’ nu si’lu Dan George ’i’ ni’ tst nets’uw’t-hwum, nilh shhw’a’qw’as thunu si’lu’eelh.
- And if my grandparent Dan George was home we would visit him, he was my grandmother’s sibling.
- ’uw’ stutes tthu swe’s lelum’s ’u kwthu theew’t-hw ni’ ’utl’ lhumlhumuluts’.
- His house was near the longhouse at Clemclem.
- ’uw’ niis ’uwu niis ’a’mut ’i’ ni’ tst wil’ut kwthu ni’ hun’utum’ Mildred tl’uw’ s’eluhw yath tst ’uw’ na’nuts’a’ ’ul’ nu swe’s mousmus.
- And if he wasn’t home then we’d go to Mildred’s, she was an elder who always had her own cows.
- ’i’ ni’ tst nets’uw’t-hwum ’uw’ niis ts’twa’ kw’in tintun ’i’ ni’ tst … ’uwu stl’atl’um’ nem’s huye’ ’i’ tst m’i qul’et ’imush xwte’ ’utl’ xwul’qw’selu tus ’utl’ s’amun’u.
- And we would visit her for a few hours and then we thought we’d better leave and so we took off walking toward Koksilah and got to Duncan.
- nem’ ’u tthu lelum’s ni’ ’utl’ hun’utum’ Fred Thorne ’i’ nilh swe’s sta’lusth.
- We’d get to the house of Fred Thorne and his wife.
- ni’ wa’lu tus siiye’yu tst thunu swe’s nu si’lu.
- And myabe we’d get to my grandmother’s relatives.
- hi.i.ith kwutst tl’uw’ wulh lhtistalum, hayuqun ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ wulh qul’et.
- We’d stay for a while and they would give us tea, and when we finished we would head off again.
- “’uw’ wa’lu ’uy’ kwutst nem’ t’akw’.”
- “Maybe we should head on home.”
- sitst ’uw’ yu t’at’ukw’ ’uw’ tus ’u tthu shelhs tthu kwa’mutsun ’i’ ni’ hekw’mutus kwthu na’nuts’a’ nu si’lu Amelia Bob.
- And we’d be heding home and get to Quamichan Road and then she would remember my grandmother Amelia Bob.
- “’ilhe! nem’ wil’ut lhu Amelia.”
- “Let’s go see Amelia.”
- “’oo, ’uy’.”
- “Oh, okay.”
- ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ qul’et ’imush tus ’utl’ lelum’ ’utl’ Amelia.
- And we’d head off again walking to Amelia’s house.
- ’i’ tuni’ tst wuwa’ tsulel ’i’ tahw snet ’i’ ni’ tusnamut.
- And it would be almost midnight by the time we reached there.
- ’i’ ’uw’ hwun’ s-hwuhwi’ thunu si’lu, tl’uw’ hwun’ s-hwuhwi’ tthunu shhwum’nikw, my uncle Lloyd–I used to hang out with uncle Lloyd Bob, got to see his late brother Tony Bob.
- And we’d see if my grandmother Amelia was still awake, and also my uncle Lloyd –I used to hang out with uncle Lloyd Bob, got to see his late brother Tony Bob.
- ’i.i.i’ yul’ew’ tahw snet ’i’ ni’ tst hakwush tthu shelh, shelh tun’ni’ ’utl’ Amelia ’i’ tus ’u tthu lelum’ ’utl’ Ruby.
- And it would be past midnight and we’d use the road to get from Amelia’s to Ruby’s house.
- ’uwu niis nan ’uw’ tsakw, tl’lim’ ’uw’ lhets, skw’ey kwus lumnuhw tuw’ stem ’ul’, qux tthu thqet.
- It wasn’t very far, but it was very dark, and you couldn’t see a thing, there were so many trees.
- ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ ’imush ’ul’ ’a.a.ayum ’ul’ kwutst yu ’i’mush.
- And we’d walk very slowly.
- tus ’utl’ Ruby ’i’ hwu si’lukw’we’ tthu shqwaluwun tst.
- We were very happy to get to Ruby’s.
- ’aa, ni’ tst tslhuqwnamut ’u tthu hay ’ul’ lhets shelh.
- Oh, we managed to get through on that very dark road.
- ’i’ ni’ tst’ hun’umutnamut qul’et tuw’ lhti qul’et yelh tst qewum tst tum’itut.
- When we managed to get home we again had some tea before we went to bed.