Seafood at Cowichan Bay

by

kw’atl’kwu s’ulhtun ‘utl’ tl’ulpalus

Stitamaat | Ruby Peter

Recorded on July 6, 2011

  1. ’een’thu st’itum’at Ruby Peter tthu s-hwunitum’a’lh nu sne.
    1. I’m Stitamaat, Ruby Peter my name.
  2. tthu s’ulhtun ni ‘u tthu tsuwmun, na.a.anulh ‘uwl’ qux ‘i ‘utl’ tl’upalus, mukw’ stem—‘ey’x, skw’lhey’, p’uwi’.
    1. The food that used to be at Cowichan Bay, there was very much of it. All kinds of food—crabs, little necks, flounders.
  3. nuw’ tl’liim’ ‘uw’ swi’wul’ ‘ul’ ni’ ‘u tthu tsetsuw’.
    1. You can just see them down at the beach.
  4. ha’ ch nem’ ‘imush kwus wulh tsukwtsukw ‘i’ ni’ hwu ts’uy’hw tthu tsuw’tsuw’, hwu tsakw thu qa’.
    1. If you take a walk when the tide is out, it gets dry and the water is far out.
  5. ‘i’ ha’ ch nem’ ‘imush ‘uwu te’ ‘un’ qwlhuy’shun ‘i’ ni’ ch ‘uw’ ts’e’shun ‘u tthu ‘ey’x ‘u kwun’s ni’ yu ‘i’mush.
    1. And if you are walking without your shoes, you can feel the crabs under the sand.
  6. tsulel ‘i’ ni’ ‘uw’ swi’wul’ ‘ul’ tthu [‘ey’x] ‘u kwsus punuthut ni’ ‘u tthu tsuwmun.
    1. You can almost see them where they bury themselves down at the beach.
  7. quxulh tthu ‘ey’x tthu sweem, s’axwa’, skw’lheey’, sqi’mukw’, [p’uwi’].
    1. There was plenty of crabs, horseclams, butter clams, little neck, octopus.
  8. ‘uwu ‘ul’ niis tsakw ‘u tthu tsetuw’ nuw’ stutes ‘ul’ nanulh ‘uw’ qux ‘u kwun’a wulh hith.
    1. It wasn’t even far from the beach. It was really close. There was plenty of them long time ago.
  9. hul’iqul’ kws kwunnuhws tthu hwulmuhw.
    1. And it was easy for the native people to get them.
  10. kws nem’s ‘u (tthu) tl’ tl’ulpalus ‘i’ ‘aluxutus kwthu s’ulhtuns.
    1. They would go to Cowichan Bay and harvest their food.
  11. ‘i’ ‘uw’ hul’iqul’ nilh kwusuw’ stutes ‘ul’ ‘u tthu tsuwmun.
    1. And it was just easy because it was just close by down at the beach.
  12. nilh niilh sht’es ‘u kw’un’a wulh hith.
    1. And that’s how it was back then.
  13. hay ch q’a’.
    1. Thank you.