ST - Fishing Season, Clams

hwi’ nilh tthu stseelhtun ’aluxutus ni’ ’u tthu sta’luw’.

And this would be fishing season in the river.

suw’ yaaysth ’u tthu sht’es kws kwen’nuhws tthu stseelhtun.

They would work at how they would catch the fish.

suw’ kwen’nuhws tthu stseelhtun suw’ ts’ey’hwt-s, sq’i’lus tl’e’.

When they caught the fish, they would dry them, smoke them and dry them.

sus ’uw’ qux kwus ni’ skw’ukw’ishst-hwus kwthu sht’es kwthu nuts’a’ sxuytl’, nuts’a’ skw’e’lus.

They always knew the numbers of what they would need for when winter came, and that is what they would catch in one summer.

’i’ nilh sus ’uw’ tl’am ’i’ nilh suw’ hays.

And when they had enough for the winter, they quit fishing.

sus ’uw’ ’uwu te’ tl’e’ stem ni’s yaay’usth.

There was no more work for them.

’uw’ hay ’ul’ nuw’ sht’es kwsuw’ ’i’lhtun’s tthuw’ne’ullh [kws] hulis.

And this is all they lived for, for their food.

suw’ t-hways ’ul’ tthu s’axwa’.

And then for the clams.

’a’luxutus tthuw’ne’ullh s’i’lhtun’s hay ’uw’ yath ’ul’ ’uw’ s’i’lhtun’s tthu s’axwa’, stl’ul’a’um ’i’ tthu sweem, suw’ ’uy’s.

They can get butter clams any time during the year, clams, cockles, and horseclams, and they’re really good.

suw’ … nilh ’ul’ suw’ ’uwus nem’us hwtsel, ’uw’ ’a’mut ’ul’.

And they would never go anywhere else for a while; they would just stay home.

nilh kwu’elh nuw’ sht’es ’ul’ kwthu ni’ statul’st-hween’ ’u kwthu yuw’en’ulh mustimuhw ni’ ’u kwthu nuts’a’ shni’s.

nuts’tul tthu mustimuhw.

There were many different people.

nets’ tthu quw’utsun’, nets’ tthu[w’] mukw’ ’untsu— shsenuts, tl’uw’ nets’ tthu swe’s syaaysth.

The Cowichans are different, they are different everywhere,—Saanich, their own work is different.

nets’ tthu sqwals tthu na’nuts’a’, ’u tthu shsenuts, sxwimelhulh hwulmuhw tl’uw’ nets’.

Everywhere there are different languages, Saanich, they are different—also the Esquimalt people.

And it’s still like that today.

skw’ey kws miluts’s.

They can’t mix them up.

na’ut kwu’elh, na’ut kwu’elh wulh st’e ’uw’ niis nats’thut tthu hwulmuhw.

Now, it’s different; the native people have changed.

’uwu kws nem’s tl’e’ suw’q’tus kwthu stem stseelhtun.

They don’t go looking for their food.

’uw’ t-hway ’ul’ tthu s-hwunitum’a’lh s’ulhtun, t-hway ’ul’ ni’ stl’i’s.

They just go for the white man’s food now, that’s all they want.

t-hway ’ul’ tl’uw’ telu stl’i’s.

And they just want money.

suw’ ’uwu te’s telus ’i’ nilh suw’ kw’ey’s ’uwu te’ s’ulhtuns.

And they just want money, and when they don’t have money, they just go hungry.

suw’ nem’s ’u tthu ’ic hunt ’i’ qwal, “nu stl’i’ kwun’s ’amusthuhw ’u kw’unu s’ulhtun.”

They go to the Indian Agent and say, “I want you to give me some food.”

suw’ qwulmutewut ’u tthu ’ichunt, “skw’ey kwunus ’amusthamu.

And the agent would say, “I’m not going to give you food.

nem’ ch ’uw’ yaays ’ul’ ’u kw’ush nem’ kw’us kwunnuhw kw’un’ telu.”

You go and work for your money.”

’uw’ hay ’ul’ sqwals tthu hwunitum’.

And that’s what the white would say.

’e’ut kwu’elh t-sas tun’a hwulmuhw ’uwu te’ stem shhway’s.

That is why native peoplehere are so pitiful, because they have no provisions.

ha’ qwal ’u kwthu stl’i’s ’i’ ’uwustum.

If they ask for what they need, they are refused.

’i’ ’uwu te’ sq’i’lus tl’e’ ’uwu kws q’i’laam’s tl’e’ kws sht’es kws ni’s ’u kwthu shni’s.

There is no smoked food, also no preserved food like how it was done.

tsulel kwu’elh ’i’ hwu t-sas tthu hwulmuhw ’u kwthu sht’es kwthu s’ulhtunsulh.

And this is why the First Nations people are pitiful now, because their food is not like it was.

nilh tthu stl’ul’iqulh ni’ kwthu ’uwu te’ qwlhey’shuns, ni’ kwthu ’uwu te’ suqiwsth, sht’es kwsus hwu t-sas.

Some of the children have no shoes, no pants, no clothing, and that’s how pitiful they are now.

’i’ nilh tthu hwunitum’ ni’ st’e ’u kwu nuw’ s’un’nuhwstuhw kwthey’.

And it is the white man that put a stop to everything.

’uw’ hay ’ul’ kwu’elh shtatul’st-hween’ kwthey’.

That’s all I know about that.

ni’ kwu’elh hay ’uw’ nexun’ ’ul’ ’u kwthey’ kwthu shtatul’st-hween’.

That’s the end of what I know.

ni’ hay.

The end.