Audio Transcript:
- hwnuts’ulwum ’u tthu sul’uthut tst
Doing everything together as one family - ’een’thu Ts’i’y’ulhaat tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ kwa’mutsun.
I’m Ts’i’ulhaat from Quamichan. - tun’a nu sqwul’qwul’ ’i’ nilh kwutstulh hunum’ ’utl’ Pestun, lhem’ts’ul’s ’u tthu stth’oom.
My story is about how we used to go to the States picking berries. - mukw’ sil’anum tum’kw’elus ’i’ ni’ tst nem’ yaay’usi’ulh sq’uq’ip ’u tthunu ts’lhhwulmuhw.
Every year in the summer, I went working together with my family. - nuts’a’ sil’anum ’i tsun ts’twa’ ’apun ’i’ kw’ nuts’a’ si’lanum.
One year, I was around 11 years old. - kwsus wulh hay tthu skwoukwul’ ’i’ ni’ tst tl’qw’uthut kws nem’ tst yaaysiilh.
When school was done for the year, we packed up to go working. - kwus wulh tl’qw’uthut thunu ten ’i’ ni’ q’putus tthu ha’kw tse’ ’u kwthu st’e ’ukw’ yusa’lus lhqel’ts’.
Mom would gather up what would need for two months. - sutst ’uw’ ’aalhstuhw ’u tthu snuhwulh tst, tsqway ’uhwiin’ Chevy Nova.
We loaded up our car, a little green Chevy Nova. - ni’ tst ’aalhstuhw tthuw’ mukw’ stem ni’ hakwushut tse’—kusulin stoup, shxuy’tl’elu, shhw’itutelu, ’i’ thu hulixwtun ’i’ tthu shhw’aal’tl’qun ’i’ tthuw’ mukw’ stem.
We loaded up everything we would use — the gasoline stove, cooler, sleeping bags, and blankets and pillows, etc. - ni’ tst wulh hwu saay’ kws huye’ tst.
We were ready to leave. - nilh tthunu sul’sil’u, Francis Louie ’i’ Donalda Louie, ’i’ tthunu shhw’aluqw’a’, nilh ni’ yuw’a’nus.
My grandparents, Francis and Donalda Louie and my cousins were in the car in front. - nilh ni’ yu shtsukwul’ul’qum’ tst.
We were following behind. - ’i tst ’ula’ulh ’u tthu nets’uhwulh snuhwulh ’i’ thunu ten ’i’ tthunu tslhile’um ’i’ thunu sqe’uq Anna, tth’a’kwus sil’anum.
I was in one car with my mother, my step-father, and my younger sister Anna, who was seven years old. - nem’ tst nem’ ’utl’ mutooliye’, ’aalh ’u tthu xwuy’qwul’ulh nem’ xwte’ ’utl’ Seattle.
We went to Victoria and boarded the ferry to Seattle. - ’i’ hay tthu shhwuw’weli tst ni’ sqequw’ ’i’ hay tun’a lhnimulh stl’ul’iqulh ni’ tst xwan’chunum’ ni’ ’u tthu stslhe’ultuhw.
The grown-ups rested and us children ran around on the deck. - hwun’ xut’u ’i’ ni’ tst tle’ ’uw’ wulh lhtsiws sutst tl’uw’ qewum ’aalh ’u tthu snuhwulh.
Eventually, we got tired to and went to rest in the car. - t’xum tintun kwutst yula’ulh ’u tthu xwuy’qwul’ulh yu shahwuqwul’ yu hunum’ ’utl’ Seattle.
We were on the ferry for six hours to cross to Seattle. - kwutst wulh tus ’utl’ Puyallup, nem’ shaqwul ’u tthu shq’utuw’ulh, ni’ tsun huqwnuhw tthu tumuhw, qe’is stsuluw’unup.
When we got to Puyallup and went across the bridge, I could smell the freshly plowed earth. - ni’ tsun huqwnuhw tthu sqw’uqwil’ ts’ul’qama’ kwus wulh timul’ ’u tthu sum’shathut.
I could smell the ripe raspberries warming in the sun. - mukw’ tthu ni’ ’u tthu spulhxun ni’ wil’ tthu ha’kws sq’uq’a’ ’u tthu mulousmus ’i’ tthu chukuns.
And everywhere in the field was mixed in the smell of the cows and the chickens. - kwutst tus ’u tthu paam ’utl’ Old Man John ’i’ ni’ tst hakwt-stuhw tthu snuhwulh tst.
We arrived at Old Man John’s farm and honked the horn. - sus m’uw’ ’utl’qul, yu ha’kwushus tthu kumpouts-s kwus m’i ’ewunusal’hwus suw’ ’iwustal’hwus ’u kwthu shnem’ tst.
He come out, put on his gum boots and came over to show us where we would be staying. - qux tthu ni’ sht’es tthu shq’uq’ulaam’, hul’ul’um’, shashukw’um’ew’t-hw, ’i’ ’uw’ ni’ tthu shhwimelus, ’i’ tthu shni’s kws hiiw’a’lum’s tthu stl’ul’iqulh.
There were a lot of campsites, little cabins, showers, the store, and a children’s playground. - ni’ tthu saxwulew’t-hw ’i’ thu tlektu, ’i’ niilh tst ’a’ulh ’u tthey’ tlektu tun’a lhnimulh stl’ul’iqulh.
He had a barn and us kids liked riding the tractor. - sutst ’uw’ ’ula’ulh ’u thu tlektu kwutst welhut tthu mulousmus nuw’ush ’u thu saxwulew’t-hw
We would use the tractor to herd the cows into the barn. - ni’ tst tl’e’ ’uw’ q’ept thu tth’utth’uxal’s tun’ni’ ’u thu chukunew’t-hw
And we liked to gather the eggs from the chickencoop. - ni’ tst ’u thu shq’uq’ulum’ tst ’i’ ’uw’ thi nets’ew’t-hw ’ul’—
We had a cabin that was one big room— - nuts’a’ thi shhw’a’mut ’i’ thu yuse’lu mumun’lh shhw’a’mut ’i’ thu ’uhwiin’ li’lutem’ ’i’ tthu xu’athun shts’e’nutstun.
a bed, two cots, a little table, four chairs. - tl’e’ ’uw’ ni’ tthu ’uhwiin’ nets’uw’t-hw shsun’iw’stuhws thunu ten thu kusulin stoop ’i’ thu shtth’uxwusum’ ’i’ thu shni’s tthu shtth’axwwiil’s.
There was also a little room where Mom had the cook stove and a wash basin and a place to do dishes. - ’i’ nilh shni’s kwsus they’tus thunu ten tthu s’ulhtun tst.
And this is where Mom made our food. - niilh tst qaalum hunum’ ’u tthu “well”.
We got our water from the well. - nilh ni’ hakwushum tthu tun’ni’ ’u tthu matqwum qa’ kwutst kouk ’u tthu s’ulhtun tst ’i’ tthu nuw’ tth’axwtut.
We use the spring water for cooking and washing. - ni’ tst hul’ts’t thu thi t’um’ouluch sus ’uw’ stl’atl’um’ ’u thu yuse’lu skweyul.
We filled up the big tub and there was enough water for two days. - hay’ ’ul’ qux ni’ s’ul’uthut tst ni’ ’u tthey’ paam.
There was so much to do on the farm. - mukw’ netulh ’i’ ni’ tst ’umut ’u kwus yu tth’etth’ukw’ul’.
Every day our morning consisted of getting up at daybreak. - hwun’ a’ ’ul’ hwune’unt ’i’ wulh ’itut tst niilh kws tun’netulh tst ’u tthu qul’et kweyul.
It was still just evening and we would go to bed, because we would get up early the next day. - ’uw’ yu stl’atl’um’ ’ul’ kwun’s yu lhem’ts’t tthu stth’oom kws hays ’ul’ hwsxwumul’ ’i’ kws ’uwus mitth’us.
You had to pick the berries fast but not squish them. - ’uy’st-hwus tthu shsi’em’ tst kwutst hwsxwumul’ kwutst lhem’ts’ul’s.
Our boss liked us because we picked fast. - xut’usta’lum’ ’u tthu shsi’em’ tst ’uw’ m’iit hwu’alum’ mukw’ sil’anum.
They asked us to come back every summer. - mukw’ sil’anum ’i’ ni’ tst ni’ ’u kwthey’ ’u tthu fourth of July.
Every summer we got to camp in time for fireworks on Fourth of July. - mukw’ tum’kw’e’lus ’i’ ni’ tst lhem’ts’ul’siilh nem’ tus ’u tthu tum’qwe’unhw.
Every summer, we would pick and pick together until August. - ni’ tst yu hul’ush thu telu tst ’i’ nilh they’ telu ni’ hakwushut kwutst nem’ u tthu sluhel’ ni’ ’utl’ white swan.
We would save up our money to go to Whiteswan for the great bone game. - nilh hay ’ul’ ’uy’ nu s-he’kw’ kwutstulh nem’ yaay’usiilh kwun’atul’ ’u tthunu shhwuw’weli ’i tthunu shhw’a’luqw’a’.
This is one of my memories working with my grandparents and parents and my sibling and cousins. - ni’ hay. hay ch q’u.
The end. Thank you.
