Grandma Chases a Spring Salmon

by

Wayne Charlie | pul-hwuletse’

Recorded May 19, 2026

  1. ’een’thu pul-hwuletse’ ’uw’ tun’ni’ ’utl’ kwa’mutsun.
    1. I’m Wayne Charlie from Quamichan.
  2. ni’ tsun tuw’ he’kw’me’t kwutstulh ts’its’usum’ ’i’ yath tst ’uw’ tsetsulhtun’ ’u tthu sta’luw’.
    1. I’m remembering about growing up and we were also fishing in the river.
  3. ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ tst wuqw’ilum tuw’ nets’uw’t-hwum ni’ ’u tthu siiye’yu tst ni’ ’utl’ qw’umi’yiqun’.
    1. Sometimes we go downriver to visit our relatives at Comiaken.
  4. ’i’ nanulh ’uw’ ’uy’, ’uy’ tthu shelh stutes ’u tthu sta’luw’.
    1. And there used to be a very good path along the river. 
  5. nilh kwu’elh quxulh tthu mulousmus ’i ’utl’ kwa’mutsun.
    1. There were alot of cows here at Quamichan.
  6. ’i’ yath ’uw’ u hunum’ ’u tthu sta’luw’ kwus qa’qa’t tthu qa’.
    1. And they were always going to the river to drink.
  7. sis ’uw’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ ’uy’ tthu shelh tst kwutst nem’ wuqw’ilum tuw’ nets’uw’t-hwum.
    1. And our road was very good for going downriver to visit.
  8. nuts’ehw tum’kw’e’lus ni’ kwun’em’ ’u tthu s’unum tthunu si’lu’eelh tthu ni’ hun’utum’ “straight point”.
    1. Once in the summertime, my grandmother had a spear, the so-called “straight point”.
  9. ’i’ kwun’etus ’i’ ni.i.i’ tst hwi’ tuw’ wuqw’ilum tuw’ lumlumut kwthu ni’ tl’up ni’ ’u tu sta’luw’.
    1. She took it and went downriver looking at all the deep places in the river.
  10. ’i’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ we’wulhutum’ tthu stseelhtun tthu suw’waalus.
    1. And sometimes the young men would be chasing the salmon.
  11. ’i’ ni’ kwukweel’ kwthu stseelhtun ni’ plhet ’u tthu sta’luw’.
    1. And the salmon would hide where the river is wide.
  12. hwu skwekwul’t ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ tus  ’i’ tuw’ wi.i.il’ ’u tthu tun’ni’ tuw’ tl’up.
    1. They would be hidden and we’d get near and they’d show up in the deep spots.
  13. ’i’ ni’ lumnuhwus kwthu hay ’ul’ thimat-s stth’aqwi’.
    1. And she saw a really big spring salmon.
  14. sisuw’ ’a.a.ayum ’ul’.
    1. And she went really slow.
  15. hwu saay’st-hwus tthu s’unum ’i’ thq’utum kwthu stth’aqwi’ ’i’ nilh shun’tsu tst ni’ t’ukw’stuhw
    1. She held her spear ready and then she speared the spring salmon and caught it for us and brought it home.
  16. ’i’ nilh tthu nuts’a’ tuw’ yu he’kw’me’teen’ kwus … kwutst yath ’uw’ tsetsul’wulhtun’ ’u tthu sta’luw’.
    1. And this is one remembrance about fishing in the river.