skwuyxthut-sulh tthu hwulmuhw kws ’i yal’uw’uthut-s ’u kwthu shtun’ni’stuhws kwthu s’ulhtuns kws kwen’nuhws. The people used to busily travel around to various locations to get their food.
(tl’a) [nilh] tse ’ kwelh kws ’al’uxut-sulh ’u tthu stseelhtuns ni’ shhwunem’. This will be about how they used to catch their salmon.
tuw’ quxmat tthu shtuhim’s tthu ha’kwushus kws kwun’nuhws kwthu ni’ sew’q’tus stseelhtun. There were many ways of fishing, what they used to catch them with and where they looked for the salmon.
’i’ ’uwu ’i’ qux kws na’luts’tul’s tl’e’ kwthu shtuhim’s kws tstsetsul’ulhtun’s kwthu nuts’uwmuhw ’i’ kwthu nuts’uwmuhw musteyuhw [mustimuhw]. And they weren’t identical, the various ways that different people used to catch salmon.
tu’i ’u tun’a s’aa’lh shhw’i chhwmutth’ tu s’aa’lh qa’. Over here, where we are at, the water is very murky/muddy.
(tl’a) nilh kwelh kws stu’e ’u tthey’, suw’ nilhs tthu tqep ni’ s’aa’lh ha’kwushut m’i shkwunnuhw tst kwthu stseelhtun ’i ’u tun’a s’aa’lh ’i shhw’i. And because it was like that, we used a fish trap for catching salmon in our territory.
kws tskwel’e’tss tu’i tsetsuw’ swuqw’s tthu sta’luw’ tst ni’ tse’ nem’ tth’eem tthu qa’. The tidal beach that we have, where the river goes downstream, the tide goes down.
sis ’uw’ hwu ts’ey’hwun’up tthu thi tumuhw ’i ’u tu’i tsuwmun tst. The shore gets really wide where it dries off, at our beach.
nilh kwelh shni’sulh kws sihaay’stewut tthu tqep. This is where they prepared the trap.
ni’ nem’ hwtsakw tthu qa’ sis ’uw’ nem’ ’imush tthu tswuwe’ ’u tthu tqep. And when the water was far out, they would walk out to the traps they owned.
’i’ m’i’ q’putus tthu ni’ hwu sun’iw’ ’u tthu tqeps. And they would gather whatever was in their traps.
nilh ’u shus ’i ’u tun’a tthu hwulmuhw ’uw’ hiil’iq ’al’ kwthu shtu’estuhws kws m’is kwan’nuhwus tthu s’ulhtuns tun’ni’ ’u tthu qa’. This is the reason why the people live here, because it is easy to catch their food from the sea.
tthey’ kwelh ni’ ’u tthu shnuw’wilh shni’s kws hw’uyums tthu swe’s stulta’luw’s ’i’ skw’ey kws hakwush kw’ tqep. Over at shnuw’wilh their rivers are very clear, so they can’t use a trap.
suw’ nilhs tthu shxetl’ ni’ swe’s ni’ ha’kwushus ni’ shtuqust-s tthu stseelhtun kwus nem’ te’yul’ ’u tthu sta’luw’s ’eelhtun. So, instead of using a trap, they used the weir to catch the salmon, as they go up the river.
ni’ kwelh tqas tthu stseelhtun ni’ ’u tthu [tqep], nilh tthu shxetl’. So, instead of using a trap, they used the weir to catch the salmon when it goes up the river.
sis ’uw’ nem’ ’al’ ’i’ m’i hwqaaltus lhikw’utus ’uw’ tsustuhwus tthu stseelhtun tun’ni’ ’u tthey’ ni’ shni’s kwus shtqas. And they would just go where the water poured in and hook the fish from there, the place of the trap in the weir.
sq’a’s kws ni’s theq’tus ’eelhtun tthu stseelhtun kwus nem’ yu tey’ul’ nem’ ts’e’ ’u tthu ni’ sheshum’ ’u tthu sta’luw’. They also have another way of catching the salmon, by spearing it with a spear where the river was shallow.
sis ’uw’ thq’utum ’u tthu te’ulh, te’ulh tthu swe’s ni’ ha’kwushus ’u kwus stu’e ’u tthey’. And they used the spear that has two prongs, that was their way of doing that.
nilh kwelh sht’es kwus nats’tul tthu nuts’a’ hwulmuhw ’u kwthu nuts’uwmuhw ’i’ kwthu nuts’uwmuhw. And that’s how it differs in many ways with our people in different places.
ni’ kwelh hwu ’uwu ni’us tl’e’ ni’ hwu sq’iquq’ kws ha’kwush tu tun’ni’ ’u tthu shnuw’wilh mustimuhw tthu sxetl’. Now, the shnuw’wilh people are forbidden to use the weir today, prohibited.
sis ’uw’ t-hway ’al’ tthey’ ni’ shtheq’t-s tthu stseelhtun tthu te’ulh, t-hway ’al’ ni’ ha’kwushus shtstsetsul’ulhtun’s ’u tthu sta’luw’s ’eelhtun. So now, the only thing that they use is the spears to catch the salmon that go up the river.
’i tu’i ’u tun’a s’aa’lh shhw’i, ’e’ut kwelh wil’ tthu swultun ni’ ha’kwushut kws ni’ tst qwuqwusiyen’ ’u tthu stseelhtun. While over here, where we are at, now that the nets are used, we do gillnetting to catch salmon.
nilhs qe’is ni’ hwu shsaay’s kws m’i tst kwan’nuhw tthu s’ulhtun tst. This is the new way of catching salmon.
kws ni’s q’ulq’ tthu stseelhtun ’u tthu swultun tst, nilh ni’ sht’es kwutst m’i kwan’nuhw. The salmon are entangled in the nets—this is the way they are caught.
hay tu qwtaaythun thitheelh ts’u tu qwtaaythuns tu’i ’u tun’a. It is said that the sturgeon used to be really big around here.
sis ’uw’ xut’ustum’ p’ep’utl’ tthu ni’ nem’ ’a’luxut tthu qwthaaythun. And this is what’s called “feeling” when they go to catch the sturgeon.
ni’ yu ’i’shul’ kwthu na’nuts’a’ ’i hay tthu na’nuts’a’ ni’ ni’ ’u tthu sq’lhaans tthu snuhwulh, yu kwuneem’ ’u tthu tl’eqt sxwuqw’tun. They used to paddle, and someone would be at the bow, holding a long pole.
saay’ tthu lhukw’tun ni’ ’u tthu s’ulaans tthu ni’ tl’itl’up ’u tthey’ kwus nem’ yu p’ep’utl’utus ’u tthu tl’itl’up ’u kw’i qa’. The gaff hook would be ready and have the pole in the water to the depth of the water, feeling (for the sturgeon).
ni’ kwelh thuq’nehwus kwthu qwtaaythun ’i’ niw’ statul’st-hwus kws tsqwtaaythuns ’uwu nilhus tthu tumuhw, ni’ wa’lu nets’ kwu ni’ sht’es kwus ts’e’ ’u tthu qwtaaythuns. They must have known how it felt when there is a sturgeon there, and then the person would spear it, and then another person would hook it on the gaff to pull it in with.
ni’ kwelh xte’ ’u tthey’ sis ’uw’ lhikw’utuss. And then another person would hook it on the gaff to pull it in with.
sis ’uw’ sq’eq’up’ tthu xwi’lum’s ’u tthey’ sxwuqw’tun nu’een’ ’u tthu snuhwulh. And he would tie the rope to the pole at the end of the canoe.
ni’ kwelh hith kws ni’s ’i ye’luw’utus kws q’uynuhws tse’ tthu ni’ shun’tsus. They struggle with it for a long time until they managed to kill their catch.
sis ’uw’ nem’ maan’thut wa’ yelh sis nem’ lheelust-hwus, ni’ hwlheelust-hwus kws q’aayt-s ts’e’tus ’u tthu ni’ shni’s tthu ni’ sheshum’ ’u tthu sta’luw’. And the sturgeon gets weak, and they bring it to shore and kill it in the shallows of the river.
