Crossing the Cowichan River by Horse

Wayne Charlie | pul-hwuletse’

Recorded May 19, 2026

Wayne Charlie, pul-hwuletse’ ’uw’ tun’ni’ ’utl’ kwa’mutsun.
1. I’m Wayne Charlie from Quamichan.
kwunus hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’i’ nilh ’uw’ tstiqiw thunu si’lu ’uw’ lhwetus ts’twa’ stiqiw, s’eluhw stiqiw, hun’utum’ulh Scotty.
1. When I was small, my grandmother had a horse, an old horse named Scotty.
’i’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ tst t’uyum’sh tthu harness hwkw’at tthu sleigh ’uw’ yuse’lu ’ul’ qwlhey’ ni’ tst tthu luplash ’i’ ni’ tst hwu sts’uts’e’ ’u kwthu sleigh ’a’mut.
1. And sometimes we’d put a harness on him so he could pull a sleigh of two logs with some boards to sit on.
’i’ tl’e’ wulh t’uyum’sh kwthu harness ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ hwi’ t’ahw ’u tthu sta’luw’.
1. And we’d harness him up and go down to the river.
’i’ ni’ tst ’ula’ulh ’u kwthey’ sleigh ni’ ch shaqwul .
1. We get on that sleign and we’d cross the river.
’uwu niis nan ’uw’ tl’up tthu ’uw’ stl’atl’um’ nuw’ shaqwulnamut tthu stiqiw.
1. It wasn’t very deep and the horse was able to cross.
’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ huy’u nem’ wil’ut kwthu s’ul’eluhw.
1. And we’d be journeying to go see some elders.
’uwu te’ nu shtatul’stuhw ’uw’ lhwetus kwthu ni’ nem’ ni’ nets’uw’t-hwum ’u tthunu s’ul’eluhw.
1. I don’t know which of my elders we were going to visit.
’uwu tsun niin’ skw’ey kwunus he’kw’me’t ’uw’ lhwetus.
1. I’m not able to remember who it was.
’i’ yathulh ’uw’ yu hunum’ tst, ’i’ ts’uhwle’ lhihw xu’athun tintun kwutst yu ne’nuts’uw’t-hwum’ yelhs tsulel ’i’ lhatsthut ’i’ ni’ tst hwi’ hwu’alum’, t’ahw ’u tthu sta’luw’ ’i’ m’i ’ewu tun’i kwa’mutsun.
1. And we used to always be going and it was sometimes three or four hours that we were visiting before it got dark and we would return home.
’i’ nilh kwu’elh ni’ tuw’ yu he’kw’me’teen’ nuts’a’ stiqiw tst yath ’uw’ q’ushintul’ ’u kwthey’ stiqiw hwukw’usta’lum’ ’u kwthu sleigh.
1. And that’s my memory of that one horse and how that horse would travel with us pulling us on the sleigh.
hay tseep q’u.
1. Thank you.