This is a story written by Adam Nicholas from Quw’utsun’ with help from pul-qwuletse’ | Wayne Charlie and sp’aqw’um’ultunat | Donna Gerdts for our new stories project in February 2026. Thanks to Wayne Charlie for the Hul’q’umi’num’ recording.

nets’uw’t-hwum ’u lhunu sts’a’muqw | Visit to Great-grandmother

by Adam Nicholas
translated by Wayne Charlie

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1. ’een’thu Adam Nicholas ’uw’ tun’ni’ ’utl’ quw’utsun’.
   I am Adam Nicholas, I’m from Quw’utsun.
2. kwunus ’i’ yu ts’i’ts’usum’ ’i’ ni’ ’utl’ xulel’t-hw, ni’ tsun ts’twa’ ’apun ’i’ kw’ xu’athun sil’anum kwunus yu ’i’mush.
   Growing up I was living in Halalt, I must have been around 14 years old when I was travelling.
3. shni’sulh thunu ten hunutum’ New Brunswick hwtskwilum.
   My mom lived way over in New Brunswick at the time.
4. ‘i’ ni’ tst yu qwiil’qwul’tul’ ’u tthu tuw’tuw’uluqup.
   We would be talking on the phone.
5. [ni’] huy’thusthelum thunu ten, “nem’ ch yatl’ut tthu sxun’us thunu si’lu.”
   She would say to me, “Go rub my grandma’s feet for me.”
6. ni’ tsun hwtulqthut lhunu ten, “’uy’.”
   And I would answer my mother, “Okay.”
7. [ni’] tsun nets’uw’t-hwum nem’ ’u tthu lelum’s tthunu si’lu, shni’s lhunu sts’a’muqw shni’s swe’s lelum’s.
   I went there to my grandpa’s place, that’s where my great-granmother lived.
8. nusuw’ nem’ tuw’ nets’uw’t-hwum ’u lhunu sts’a’muqw ’i’ tthu swe tst ts’lhhwulmuhw tst.
   So, I went to visit my great-grandmother and everyone.
9. ni’ tst kwu’elh yu ’a’mut ni’ ’u tthu tl’eqt shts’e’nutstun.
   We would sit on the couch.
10. sis ’uw’ se’tus thunu sts’a’muqw tthu sxun’us.
    And my great-grandmother would lift her legs up.
11. ’i’ ni’ tsun yatl’ut tthu sxun’us thunu sts’a’muqw.
    And I would rub her feet.
12. ’i’ ’u kwus wulh qwal thunu sts’a’muqw ’uw’ yathus ’uw’ hul’q’umi’num’ kws yu qwaqwul’s.
    My great-grandmother used to only speak Hul’q’umi’num’.
13. ni’ le’lum’utus tthuw’ mukw lhwet tun’i sun’iw’ ’i’ ’uw’ wulh putum’, “lhwet ’a’lu tun’a?”
    She would be looking at everybody there asking, “Who is this?”
14. nilh kwu’elh ni’ nu sul’uthut kwunus ni’ nem’ nets’uw’t-hwum ni’ st’ee kwu ni’ syaaysstheelt kwunus yatl’ut tthu sxun’us lhunu sts’a’muqw.
    This was when I first started going down there for that.
15. huy’thusthe’lum’, “tuw’ hwthiqun ’i’ ni’ ch qwulstuhw, tuw’ tl’ukwune’ thun’ sts’a’muqw.
    They told me, “You have to raise your voice when you speak to your great-granma as she is a little deaf .”
16. ’i’ ni’ tsun ’uw’ t’a’thut hwthiqun kwunus qwal ’i’ ’uwu niis hwiyunem’utham’shus lhunu sts’a’muqw.
    But I didn’t really yell loud enough and my great-granma didn’t listen to me.
17. ni’ tsun ’uw’ t’u’t’a’thut ’ul’ kwunus yu qwaqwul’stuhw huy’thust ’uw’ lhwetus tthu ’unthu.
    Every time, I was trying to tell her who I was.
18. “Naomi” nilh thu swe’s snes lhunu ten.
    “Naomi” is my mom’s name.
19. skw’ey kws hunum’st-hwus lhunu sts’a’muqw NAOMI sis ‘uw’ xut’u kwu’elh MAYOMA.
    My great-grandmother couldn’t  pronounce Naomi and would call her “Mayoma.”
20. ni’ tsun kwu’elh hwthiqun kwunus qwulstuhw lhhwelh ’uw’ xuthunelh kwunus ni’ huy’thust ’uw’ lhweteen’ kwunus ni’ huy’thust lhunu sts’a’muqw.
    I had to yell and tell her who I was three or four times when I was telling my great-grandma. 
21. ’i’ ’uwu niis hwiyunem’utham’shus thunu sts’a’muqw ’uwu tsun ’iin’ nan ’uw’ hwthiqun.
    My great-grandma didn’t listen to me because I didn’t speak loud enough.
22. ’uw’ lhwetus ts’twa’ ’uw’ nilhus tthunu si’lu ’uw’ nilhus kwthunu shhwum’ne’luhw, sis ’uw’ huy’thusthe’lum’, “tl’lim’ ch ’uw’ hwthiqun ’u kwus yu qwulstuhw thun’ sts’a’muqw.
    I don’t know if it was my grandpa or one of my aunties, but they told me, “You have to talk really loudly when you speak to your great-grandma.”
23. ’i’ tuw’ st’e ’uw’ ni’ ’u tth’uykw’thut kwunus ni’ le’lum’ut tthunu shhwum’ne’lukw ’i’ tthunu si’lu.
    I looked at my aunties and my grandpa with such shock.
24. ’i’ yu huy’thusthe’lum’, “tl’lim’ ch  kwu’elh ’uw’ hwthiqun kwus ni’ qwulstuhw thun’ sts’a’muqw.”
    And they told me, “You have to yell when you speak to your great-granma.”
25. qul’et nuts’a’ skweyul ’uw’ ni’ tsun qwaqwul’stuhw thunu ten ’u tthu tuw’tuw’uluqup ‘i’ ni’ tsun ‘uw’ yu huy’thust, “sha! tl’lim’ tsun ’uw’ hwthiqun kwunus ni’ qwulstuhw thunu sts’a’muqw ’uw’ stutes ’u kwthu swe’s qw’oon’s.
    The next day, I was talking to Mom on the phone, and I told her, “Boy! They had to yell loudly in your grandma’s ear for her to hear!
26. ’uwu’ tsun niin tl’lim’ ‘’uw’ q’el’ kwus huy’thusthe’lum’ kwunus ‘uwu niin’ hwthiqun ‘i’ qul’et qwul’qwul’, “tl’lim’ ch ‘uw’ hwthiqun.
    I couldn’t believe they had to yell that loud at her.”
27. ni’ ptem’ thunu ten, “ni’ ‘u ch yatl’ut tthu sxun’us thun’ sts’a’muqw?”
    And Mom asked, “Did you rub your great-grandma’s feet?”
28. ni’ tsun hwtulqun, “ni’ tsun. ni’ tsun yatl’ut tthu sxun’us thunu sts’a’muqw, ‘i’ ni’ ptem’uthelum ‘uw’ lhweteen’.
    And I answered, “I sure did. I rubbed her feet and she asked who I was.
29. ni’ kwu’elh yu huy’thustum’ thunu sts’a’muqw kwunus ‘een’thu mun’u ‘utl’ mayoma.
    And they told her that I’m Mayoma’s son.
30. ‘i’ tst tuw’ ye’num’ ‘i’ thunu ten, he’kw’me’t kwunus ni’ nets’uw’t-hwum ‘u thunu sts’a’muqw.
    Mom and I were laughing, thinking about my visit to my great-grandmother.
31. nilh ni’ tuw’ he’kwme’teen’ kwunus ni’ yu ts’its’usum’ ni’ ‘utl’ quw’utsun’
    That’s one thing I remember about growing up in Quw’utsun’.
32. huy tseep q’u. ni’ kwu’elh hay.
    Thank you. The End.

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Vocabulary

ts’i’ts’usum’	Growing up
xulel’t-hw	Halalt
quw’utsun’	Cowichan
qwiil’qwul’tul’	Talking
tuw’tuw’uluqup	Phone
yatl’ut	Rub
sxun’u=s	Her feet
si’lu	Grandma
sts’a’muqw	Great grandma
nets’=uw’t-hw=um	Visit
yath	Always
tl’ukwune’	Deaf
hwiyunem’utham’shus	Listening to me
hunum’st-hwus	Pronounce
qwulstuhw	Tell her
shhwum’ne’lukw	Aunt/Uncle (Plural)
hwthiqun	Loud voice
tth’uykw’thut	Shocked
huy’thusthe’lum’	They told me
q’el’	Believe
he’kwme’teen’	Remember
he’kw’me’t	Thinking
hwtskwilum	Way over there