The Old Indians at Work

Arnold Guerin

Told and translated by Arnold Guerin
Transcribed and edited by Donna Gerdts
(This version October 3, 2025)

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1. ’uweelh kws ’uw’ ’a’mut-s ’al’ kwthu pun’e’luxutth’ s’ul’eluhw ’u kws m’is yuqw’iqw’ul’as.
   1. The old people of Kuper Island did not stay home when the weather began to get better in the spring of the year.
2. tuw’ thuy’thiqtululh tu thithu tuwtawun kws hiw’a’lum’stunuqs ’u tu May 24, ’i’ tu July lst, ’u kw’un’a wulh hithulh, suw’ teti’stun’uqs.
   1. The various towns around the place took turns to hold sports days at the 24th of May and the 1st of July, a long time ago; they used to put up canoe races at those sports days.
3. yathulh ’uw’ teti’ tu stth’amus (Victoria), ni’ ’u ’utl’ q’um’asum (Gorge).
   1. There were always races in Victoria, at the Gorge.
4. ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ ’utl’ snuneymuhw (Nanaimo), ni’ kws hwi’is ’utl’ Vancouver.
   1. Sometimes, it was at Nanaimo, and sometimes, it was here in Vancouver.
5. tl’e’ulh ’uw’ stu’e tu pestun ’u kws 4th of Julys kw’unus tuw’ hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh.
   1. The same things happened in the state of Washington when it was the 4th of July when I was quite young.
6. teti’stun’uqulh tu Coupeville (Whidbey Island), ’i’ tu Anacortes, ’i’ Lake Washington (Seattle).
   1. Whidbey Island used to put on canoe races too, at a place called Coupeville and at Anacortes, in Lake Washington, Seattle.
7. hwun’a’hay kwthu 24th of May shhw’uw’alum’ ’i’ hwulh tl’q’uthut tthu mukw’ tun’unutsu hwulmuhw suw’ huliye’s suwq’ ’u kwthu stsyaysnamut-s.
   1. As soon of the 24th of May sports thing was finished, many people left home; they gathered their things up, and they prepared to leave, and they would go, go away to find a place where they could find a job.
8. ni’ kwthu ni’ kw’ooyukw’iilh nem’ ’utl’ yuqwulhte’x, ’i’ ni’ kwthu nem’ tl’pestun kws tstsi’yus.
   1. Some took their boats and they headed up to Cape Mudge, [that’s up at the Seymour Narrows area] [to trawl], and some went to the States to pick strawberries.
9. ts’uhwle’ ’i t-hway tsun ’a’mut ni’ ’utl’ pun’e’luxutth’, ’u kws ’uw’ wulh tulhws tthu mustimuhw xte’ ’u tthey’.
   1. Sometimes I was the only one left at home on Kuper Island, when the people scattered like that.
10. nilh thulh kw’unus hay ’uw’ tsyays nush ’uwu kwlh tsaalqum ’u kws ’uw’ wulh xte’s ’u tthey’ tthu mustimuhw.
    1. It is because I had a job that I didn’t follow when the people began to move like that.
11. yelh tse’ kwelh sste’us ’eelhtun, hwu nem’ kws hays tse’ tthu ts-’apul’s ni’ ’utl’ Wenatchee, ’i’ Omak.
    1. Now, they would be gone for a long time, until a time when the apple picking in Wenatchee and Omak, in Washington, were finished.
12. ni’ wulh nem’ tuw’ yu xaytl’thut tthu skweyul, yelhs m’is tuw’ hun’um’ut tthu ni’ulh nem’ tl’pestun.
    1. The days would then be getting quite cold, before those that had gone to the States started filtering home again.
13. ni’ ’uw’ yu tuy’ti’qul’ ’eelhtun ’u kw’i pestun.
    1. They just moved from place to place, down in the state of Washington.
14. ni’ hay kwthu ni’ulh shni’s kws yaay’uss, ’i’ ni’ qw’ul kwthu nets’ stth’oom, suw’ hwi’ nilhs shnem’s kws yaayss.
    1. They would finish up wherever they were berry picking, and some other variety of berry would ripen, and they’d move there to pick berries.
15. ni’ ’uw’ yu xut’u ’al’ ’u tthey’ ’i’ ni’ ’uw’ tus ’al’ ’u kwthu apples ’i’ kwthu hops.
    1. They would be doing this all the way along until it came time to pick apples and hops.
16. ne’ tse’ hay mukw’ kwthu slhumts’els syaays yelhs t’a’lukw’s ’eeltun.
    1. It’ll be only when all the harvesting work is finished before they would come home.
17. hay tthu ni’ulh nem’ kw’ooyukw September yelhs m’is hun’um’ut.
    1. But those that went away to trawl would be getting home in September.
18. hay tthu qwusi’yun mustimuhw ’uw’ qe’is ’al’ kws nem’s kwooyukw.
    1. Those that are gill net fishermen, would go trawling for a short while.
19. nilh suw’ hwyuxw kws qwse’yuns ’u tthu sthuqi’, suw’ huliye’s tiwutasum.
    1. But when the sockeye season opened, they would leave and go north.
20. ni’ kwthu tl’ Skeena River, ’i’ ni’ kwthu ’uw’ ’ewu ’al’ ’utl’ Rivers Inlet.
    1. Some [went] to the Skeena, and others would just go up to River’s Inlet.
21. ni’ thulh ’uw’ ni’ tthuw’ ’ewu ’al’ ’utl’ Steveston kws qwse’yuns ’u tthu sthuqi’.
    1. But some would only go to Steveston, and fish sockeye there.
22. hay tthu ni’ulh tl’tuywut, ’usup’ kwthu August lhqel’ts’ ’i hulun’umut.
    1. For those that went north, they would get home at the end of August.
23. tahw ’al’ ’uw’ tl’umnuhwus tu exhibition ’utl’ Vancouver kws hwyuxws, ’i’ m’i hulun’umut, suw’ hwu’is ’al’ ’u tun’a kws qwusiyun’s, hwu nem’ kws hays kwthu kw’a’luhw.
    1. They would just be in time for the opening of the Pacific Exhibition in Vancouver when they got home, and then they would start gill netting around here on the Fraser, up until the time that the dog salmon was finished.
24. yelhs halis.
    1. Then, they would quit.
25. tum’xuy’tl’ suw’ hwi’ t’ut’hwa’ulh tthu pun’eluxutth’ mustimuhw.
    1. In the wintertime, the Kuper Island people would go clam digging.
26. snet ’i’ tsukwtsukw tthu qa’ ’u kws tum’xuytl’s.
    1. The low tides are in the nighttime throughout the winter.
27. suw’ snet-s kws t’ut’hwa’ulh tthu mustimuhw ’u kws nis wul shem tthu shni’s tthu s’axw’a’.
    1. So, then, the people would dig their clams in the nighttime during the winter, when the clam beds would go dry.
28. ha’ ch ’utl’qul ’u kws snet-s, kws tahws ’uw’ ’eey tthu t’ut’hwa’ulh kwus sleeluxs tthu shni’s kws t’ut’hwa’ulhs ’eelhtun kws quxs tthu huli’qwoon’s.
    1. If you went outside at night and looked out, about the time that the clam digging was on, the lights would almost be flickering off in the distance, on the clam beaches, while they’re clam digging with all the lights that they use.
29. hay ’al’ xuy’tl’ syays tthu t’ut’hw’ulh ’i’ thi syays.
    1. It is a very cold job, the clam digging, and it is hard work.
30. ’unni’nus tthu mustimuhw kws t’ut’hwa’ulhs.
    1. Those that go clam digging would be out there, man and wife, in the night.
31. ha’ ni’ kwthu ’umumunlh kwthu me’mun’us ’i’ ’uw’ ’ula’ulh ’al’ ’u tthu pout tthu stl’ul’iqulh.
    1. Those that had little children would leave them asleep in the boats, while they were out clam digging on the beaches.
32. ts’ouhwle’ tthulh ’i’ ni’ ’uw’ shem’tum ’al’ tthu pout ni’ ’u tthu shni’s kw’us t’hwaalh.
    1. But there were times when they would beach their boats, anyway, on the clam bed where they would dig their clams.
33. ni’ ch kwelh hay, ’u kws nis ’uw’ wulh tsulnaam ’u tthu squm’ul.
    1. Then when you were finished at night, the rising tide has caught up to you.
34. ’us ni’ ’uw’ thuyt ’al’ kwthu ni’ ’ush nu’emustuhw kwthu ’un’ shun’tsu, kws ’uw’ li’luqs ’al’ kw’us ’aalhstuhw ’u tthun’ pout ’uw’ ni’ ’uhw tse’ wulh ’ullhule’tsum.
    1. Then you would gather up your clams in sacks and pile them up somewhere that you’d be able to find when the tide was in, where it’d be easy to load them into your boat when it comes time to load up the boat.
35. ni’ ch thulh ni’stuhw ’u kwthu shni’s kws ’uw’ sqwuqwiss ’al’ ’uw’ ni’us tse’ luts’luts’ kwthu squm’ul.
    1. You will leave it in a place where it’ll be just in the water from the rising tide.
36. ni’ tse’ kw’in skweyul kwus ni’ t’ut’hwa’ulh ni’ tl’am tthun’ shun’tsu ’us ’uw’ nem’ hwayum nem’ ’utl’ Sidney.
    
    
    
    1. It will be a few days that you will be digging clams, and you’ll have enough to load your boat, and you would make your trip to go and sell your clams in Sidney.
    
    
    1. ni’ ’uw’ kw’in ’al’ skeyul kw’us t’ut’hwa’ulh ’i’ lukw tthu qa’.
37. You would be digging clams only for a few days, and the tide would break.
38. ’us ’uw’ ’ulmutsun kws qul’et-s hwu sthitsam’ yelhus qul’et t’hwaalhnamut.
    1. And you would wait for a time when the tide gets good again and then you would start clam digging again.
39. nuts’a’ sxuxulhnet kw’us t’halh, ’i’ silew’ nuts’a’ sxuxulhnet kwus ’unehw ’al’mutsun kws qul’et-s thuytsum, tthu qa’, yelhus qul’et t’hwaalh.
    1. You would be digging clams for something like about a week, and then for maybe a little over a week you would be at home waiting for the next good tide, before you could dig clams again.
40. ha’ lhuqults’ kw’us t’ut’hwa’ulh, ’i’ qul’et tse’ hwu sthitsam’ ’i’ hwi’ sthu’et.
    1. If it was a moonlit night during the time that you were digging clams, the next clam tide you would have a darkened moon.
41. nilh stu’es tthu qa’.
    1. That is the way the tides work.
42. sqelux tthu s-hun’ut-s tthu hwulmuhw tthu sht’ut’hwa’ulhs.
    1. The instrument that the First Nations people use to dig clams, a clam fork they called it, sht’ut’hwa’ulhs.
43. ’i’ pi’kwun tthu shh’a’kw’us tthu huy’qwoon’.
    1. What you hang your light on is called a pi’kwun. 
44. Now, that same sqelux, most of the people, when they’re speaking English, they would call the clam-fork a clam-gun.
45. Gaslight, tthu huy’qwoon’s tthu t’ut’hwa’ulh.
    1. The clam diggers used gaslights.
46. ni’ tsun thulh ’uw’ lumnuhw kws ’uw’ ’un chumuxsulh ’al’ tthu huy’qwoon’s tthu t’ut’hwa’ulh.
    1. But I, myself saw the day where they used pitch-wood for their lights, those clam diggers.
47. slhu’exstum’ ’u tthu wulh s’ikw’ul shch’ekw’xul’s tthu tsumuhw, suw’ s’a’thstewut tthu shkwumaam’e’lus kw’us ’uwu kw’ustsusuhw ’uw’ teyqtuhw tthun’ huy’qw.
    1. They take little pieces of pitch-wood, and they light them and put them in a frying pan, and they would then lengthen the handle with some other object, so that when they moved their light, they wouldn’t burn their hands.
48. ni’ ch sun’iw’stuhw tthu huy’qw chumux ’u tthu shch’ekw’xul’s kw’us tuy’ti’qt ’u kwthu ’ush ne’mulmun kw’us t’hwaalh.
    1. You had the burning pitch in the frying pan wherever you felt you wanted to dig clams.
49. ni’ ch ’uw’ nu’emustuhw ’al’ tthun’ pout ’u tthu ni’ ’ush ni’stuhw tthu ni’ slilisek ’un’ shun’tsu s’axwa’, kws ni’s ’uw’ wul’ tl’am tthu squm’ul kw’us nem’ tusnehw tthun’ pout, ’us ’uw’ lhikw’ut ’al’ ’u tthu pike pole tthu lisek ’us ’uw’ se’t ’i ’aalhstuhw.
    1. You brought your boat right up to where the sacked clams that you dug were piled when the tide was high enough for you to get your boat up to that place, and you would just hook up the sacks with a pike pole and lift them up and pull them up on board.
50. nilh kw’us ’uwu tstl’i’uhw kws q’ay tthun’ s’axwa’ ’ush ’uw’ sqwuqwisstuhw ’al’, hwu nem’ ’u kw’us nem’ tse’ huye’stuhw tshwayum.
    1. It’s because you don’t want your clams to die in the sacks that you leave them where they would be underwater when the tide comes in; you would leave them there until the time that you would lift them up to load your boat and take them to sell them.
51. ha’ ’uwu te’ ’un’ pout ’us ’uw’ qwulstuhw kwthu spouput kws nem’s ’e’muqulhtstham ’u tthun’ s’axwa’, nem’ ’utl’ Sidney.
    1. If you are one of those that does not own a boat, you may speak to a friend of yours and ask him to deliver your clams for you, to Sidney.
52. m’i tse’ kwelh hun’umut suw’ ’amusthamut ’u tthu shlhuq’elh kwthu ni’ shwayum ’un’ s’axwa’us ’uw’ te’unt ’u kwthu shtu’eewun’stuhwuhw stl’atl’um’us q’ewut.
    1. When he gets back, he would give you all the money that your clams were bought for, and then you would take that money and give him whatever you thought that the favour was really worth to you.
53. m’i thulh ’uw’ ni’ tl’e’ tthu tsq’eq’oowum kws ’e’muqt-s thu s’axwa’s tthu ’uwu te’ pout-s.
    1. But there were those too that would go around to those that have no boats and ask them if they wanted their clams delivered; they’d do that for a price.
54. kwatu tthu stsq’eq’oowum’s tthu xut’e’ ’u tthey’, ’u tthu nuts’uqun lisek.
    1. They would charge 25 cents a sack to do that.
55. nilh s-hul’uthut-s kwthu s’ul’eluhwulh kwthu stu’e ’u tthey’ kws ’iya’luw’uthut-s.
    1. That is the way the old people dealt, to try and manage their lives.
56. ________
57. nilh tse’ suw’ qw’i’luss, suw’ hwi’ tsq’i’lus kwthu s’ul’eluhwulh ’u tthu s’axwa’ ’i’ tthu stl’ula’um.
    1. When it comes springtime, the old people would start to dry clams and cockles for winter’s use.
58. ni’ulh tl’uw’ ts’eyhwtum tthu sweem.
    1. They used to dry horse-clams, as well.
59. yuw’en’ kws tth’hwastewut tthu s’axwa’ suw’ ts’uy’hwtewut, ’u kws stsq’i’lus.
    1. They first steam-cooked the clams, and then they would dry them, when they’re making dried salmon for winter’s use.
60. suw’ yu qwuqe’utewut suw’ hw’ukw’iwutewut ’u tthu sluwi’ xwi’lum’.
    1. They would put little holes into the meat and string them on little strings of the inner bark of cedar.
61. ha’ ch tth’hast tthu s’axwa’, ’i’ yuw’en’ kwus weq’ut tthu tumuhw kw’us hwnuw’us tuw’ thistehw ch stl’atl’um’ kw’ kw’inuqun lhq’etssuqun lisek s’axwa’.
    1. When you want to steam-cook clams, first you dig a hole in the ground and make the hole big enough so that you can put in about five sacks or so of clams.
62. tuw’ tsa’lqwstuhw ch ’al’ ’u tthu ni’ulh ’ush ni’ kw’us t’ut’hwa’ulh ni’ ’u tuw’ ts’ey’hwun’up.
    1. Do that just a little bit up from where you were digging clams, where the ground is kind of dry.
63. ni’ hwu swe’wuq’ tthu tumuhw, ’us ’uw’ hwthulwilt ’u tthu kw’unt’als.
    1. When the hole is dug, you will line the inside of it with hard rock; a granite type of rock is best.
64. t’un’ut ch tthu kw’unt’als sun’iw’ ’u thu ni’ swe’ewuq’stuhwuhw.
    1. Lay the rocks side by side, right up close to one another, all inside of that hole that you have dug out in the ground.
65. ni’ hwu saay stu’e ’u tthey’, ’us ’uw’ yuqwultsup ’u tthu thi huy’qw, sun’iw’ ’u tthu ni’ hwu saay’stuhwuhw.
    1. That way it is ready when you make a big fire inside the hole that you have ready for your clams.
66. ni’ tse’ wulh tl’ulim’ ’uw’ hwu xwaxwi’ tthu smeent ’us ’uw’ lhut’lhut’t tthun’ huy’q, ’utl’qt tun’ni’ ’u tthu ni’ saay’stuhwuhw, ’us ’uw’ hwkw’e’unt tthun’ s’axwa’ mukw’ nem’ ’u tthu ni’ shlhulhiw’stuhwuhw.
    1. When those rocks are red-hot, you flick your fire out from in there, throw it out from the place you have ready for your clams and pour all of your clams into that spot where you have placed your rocks.
67. ts’e’t ch ’u tthu ni’ xwaxwi’ smeent.
    1. Lay them on top of the red-hot rock.
68. ni’ tse’ mukw’ hwu sun’iw’ tthun s’axwa’ ’u tthey’, ’us ’uw’ tl’hwutst ’u kwthu ’uw’ mukw’stem ’al’ stem kwunnuhwuhw — q’am, lisek.
    1. When all your clams are in there, cover it with whatever you can get to cover it with — kelp, sacks.
69. plhet-stehw tthu shtl’hwutsun’s, kws ’uwus hwun’ xuy’tl’thatus.
    1. Build a thick covering over it, so it will not cool in a hurry.
70. ni’ ch tl’amut kws nis ’uw’ wulh qw’ul, ’us ’uw’ m’i quy’e’t tthun’ s’axwa’ tun’ni’ ’u tthey’ ’us ’uw’ hwlhuw’ut.
    1. When you figure they are all cooked, take your clams out from in there, and then take the meat out of the shells.
71. hwu shlhulhiw tthun’ s’axwa’ ’us ’uw’ yu qwuqe’ut ’u tthu shnem’s tse’ kwthu sluwi’ ’uw’ xwi’lum’ ’uw’ ni’uhw tse’ wulh hw’ukw’iwut.
    1. When you have the meat out from in the shells, and you put a little hole in through the meat with kind of a pointed stick to leave a hole [that’s where you will put your string through when you string it up on this inner cedar bark, on this cedar string you have made], you will be ready to string them together.
72. ni’ tse’ wulh hwu kwunkwun’el’s ’u kwthu sluwi’ ’un’ xwul’ixwlum’stuhw’us ’uw’ ’akw’ust nem’ ’u kw’thun’ shni’stuhw kw’us ts’uy’hwt.
    1. You will hang it up at whatever place you have chosen to put them to dry them.
73. ni’ tse’ hwu ts’ey’hw’us ’uw’ xthumt, le’sh.
    1. When they are dry, dry, you will box them and put them away.
74. nem’ ch tse’ kwelh qul’et tl’pestun ’us ’uw’ yu kwun’et tthu sts’uy’hw ’un’ s’axwa’, ’us ’uw’ hwayumust tthu hwtsam hwulmuhw.
    1. When you go to the States again, you will take along your dried clams, and you will sell them to the people from upland.
75. n’an ’uw’ thi sq’el’xums tthu tun’ts’a’luqw hwulmuhw tthu sts’uy’hw s’axwa’.
    1. The people from the Interior are crazy about dried clams.
76. tl’e kwelh ’uw’ telus tthu tun’ni’ ’u tun’a hwulmuhw tthu sts’uy’hw s’axwa’, ’u kws nem’s ’uw’ wulh hwu nin’hwus ’u tthu pestun.
    1. Therefore, it is dried clams that make money also for people from down here, when they have gotten them across the border into the United States.
77. ’uy’nehwulh tsun tthu sts’uy’hw s’axwa’, kws xut’eemulh kwsu nu tslhile’um, q’iq’ulaam’ ’u tthu s’axwa’.
    1. I, myself, liked dried clams when my stepmother, who has now passed away, used to make them, making food for the winter with clams.
78. hwnuwutth’ee’mulh tsun ’al’ ’u tthu sts’uy’hw s’axwa’ kw’unus nem’ yays.
    1. I used to fill my pockets with dried clams when I went to work.
79. ’uw’ hay ’al’ nu se’wun.
    1. That’s all the lunch I would take.
80. ’uwu ’al’ kw’unus ’unuhw ’u tthu nu syaays kw’unus xlhas ’u tthu nu tahw skweyulqun.
    1. I did not stop working to eat my noon meal.
81. ni’ tsun ’uw’ ts’um’um ’al’ ’u tthu sts’uy’hw s’axwa’, nus ’uw’ tth’utth’eem’ ’al’ ’u tthu hith yelhs ts’at’uqw’uls, ni’ ’u tthu nu thathun muq’ut.
    1. I would just put some dried clams in my mouth, and I would just be chewing away before they would crumble in my mouth, and then I would swallow them.
82. ’uw’ ’uwu ’al’ kw’unus kw’ey’, ’i’ ni’ ’uw’ xwune’unt ’al’, yelh nus t’akw’.
    1. I did not even get hungry, and it would be toward evening before I would go home.
83. nilh nuts’a’ stsq’iq’ul’usulh kwthu s’ul’eluhwulh tthu sts’uy’x s’axwa’.
    1. That is one of the things that the old people made to store away food for the winter: the clams.
84. tl’e’ulh ’uw’ stsq’iq’ul’u tthu slhewut’ kw’ul’ts’ (kippers).
    1. They also made stsq’iq’ul’u [food for winter’s use] with herring and kippers.
85. tthu s-hun’utewut tthu slhewut’ ’u kws sq’i’lus.
    1. kw’ul’ts’ is what they called herring when they were dried and prepared for winter’s use.
86. niw’ stu’astum’ ’u tthu s-hwunitum’a’lh kippers tthu shsaay’ste’wut, ’uw’ hay ’al’ kws qul’et-s ts’uy’hwstehwus tthu hwulmuhw tthu swe’s kw’ul’ts’s hwu nem’ ’u tthu s-hwunitum’aalh.
    1. They made them the same way as the white man kippers, and the only difference is that the First Nations people dried their kippers more than the white man, made them drier.
87. stseelhtun tthu tl’uw’ ts’ey’hwtus kwthu s’ul’eluhwulh stsq’i’lus.
    1. Salmon it was that the old people dried too, for winter’s use.
88. tun’ni’ ’u tthu slhuqw’e’lhs tthu stseelhtun kw’s hwkwa’qutewut ’u kws stsq’i’lus stu’e ’u tthey’ suw’ thuy’tewut tthu xul’ixpi’ shstutilhstewut kws ’uwus shhwum’sas ’us ’uw’ ni’us tse’ s’a’kw’usstum, ts’ey’hwtum sun’iw’ ’u tthu q’ilew’t-hw.
    1. They would open the salmon, and when it was open like that, they would make thin little cedar strip sticks to spread the salmon out so that it did not fold when it was hanging up, drying inside a smokehouse made for the purpose.
89. mut’shutun tthu s-hun’utewut tthu xixpi’ sxexutl’stum ni’ ’u tthu sxup’shun’s tthu stseelhtun.
    1. The little stick that they used, near the tail, for holding it spread out, they called mut’shutun, and it was on that stick that they used to hang the salmon up so that it would not fall.
90. nilh shni’s kws shq’athun’stewut tse’.
    1. That’s where it was hung up.
91. ’uwu ’uw’ ’eey’ ’us ’al’ kwthu yuqwtum tse’ syalh shts’uy’hwtewut tthu stseelhtun.
    1. They didn’t just take any old wood, any kind of wood, to use for their fire to dry the salmon.
92. ni’ kwthu kwulala’ulhp tthu huy’qws, ’i’ ni’ tthu q’umun’ulhp tthu sts’uy’hwt-s tthu swe’s sq’i’lus.
    1. Some people used alder wood, and some people used maple for drying their salmon.
93. speenhw, camas bulbs, sus tl’uw’ stsq’iq’ul’us kwthu s’ul’eluhwulh.
    1. Camas bulbs, those were prepared for winter’s use also, by the First Nations people.
94. nilh tthu slhunlheni’ tswe’ tsyaays, kws nem’s ’ulxeem ’u tthu speenhw.
    1. It was the ladies’ work to go out and gather camas bulbs.
95. ni’ hwu saay’ kwthu speenhws, suw’ thuyt-s kwthu shni’stuhw kws qw’ulut-s.
    1. When the camas bulbs were ready, they would fix a place to cook them.
96. ni’ tl’uw’ st’estum’ ’al’ ’u tthu shtuhim’stewut tthu s’axwa’.
    1. They would cook them in the same manner as they did their clams.
97. kws tth’hwastewut kws qw’ulutewut.
    1. They used the method known as tth’hwastus to cook the clams.
98. ’uwu thulh kws thut-s kwthu s’ul’eluhwulh kws ni’s tth’hwastus tthu speenhw.
    1. But the old people didn’t use the word tth’hwastus for the cooking of camas.
99. nets’ kwthu snestuhws ’u kws nilh tthu speenhw qw’ulutus ni’ tsun mel’qt kwthu s-hun’utewut ’u kws nilh tthu speenhw qw’ulutum.
    1. They had a different name for the cooking of camas bulbs, but I have forgotten the word they used for the cooking method when it was camas bulbs that were going to be cooked.
100. m’i hwu sqw’uqw’il’ tthu speenhw, suw’ hwnuw’ushewut ’u tthu xthum, suw’ le’shewut si’q ’u tthu leelwe’ss tthu stheew’t-hw.
     1. When the camas bulbs were cooked and cooled off, they would put them into a box, and they would put it away underneath the seating area in the longhouse.
101. ni’ ’uw’ ni’ kwthu snustewut kwthu xthum shsun’iw’stewut tthu sq’i’lus kwthu mustimuhwulh, ’i’ ’uwu te’ thulh nu shhwhe’kw’ ’u kwthu snes.
     1. They have a name for the box that they used to put the winter food of the people of the past in, but I do not remember this name.