| (1) | ’een’thu ts’ulsul’t-hw, tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ kwa’mutsun. |
| I’m Ts’ulsul’t-hw, and I’m from Quamichan. |
| (2) | tthunu sqwul’qwul’ nilh tse’ kwsunu si’lu, Susuyutth’e’, tens lhunu tenulh. |
| My story is about my late grandmother Suysuyutth’e’, my mother’s mother. |
| (3) | Agnes Eli Billy thu s-hwunitum’a’lh snes. |
| Her English name is Agnes Eli Billy. |
| (4) | ni’ kw’umutal’hwus ’i’ lhunu sqe’uq ni’ ni’ ’utl’ kwa’mutsun. |
| She raised me and my little sister at Quamichan. |
| (5) | yath ’uw’ ’uy’ sqwaluwun ’utl’ si’lu. |
| Granny was always happy. |
| (6) | ’uw’ hayulh ’ul’ tthu hul’q’umi’num’ sqwal ni’ statul’st-hwus kwsunu si’lu. |
| My grandmother only understood the Hul’q’umi’num’ language. |
| (7) | skw’ey kws qwul’qwul’tul’s ’u tthu hwunitum’qun. |
| She couldn’t converse in English. |
| (8) | yathulh ’uw’ qwaqwul’stal’hwus, ha’kwushus tthu hul’q’umi’num’ sqwal. |
| She always spoke to us using the Hul’q’umi’num’ language. |
| (9) | tl’lim’ ’uw’ skw’ey kws ts’elhum’s. |
| She was hard of hearing. |
| (10) | tl’lim’ ’uw’ tl’kwune’ kwsunu sil’u. |
| My grandmother was pretty deaf. |
| (tl’kwat “plug it up” so deaf means “plugged ear”) |
| (11) | yathulh ’uw’ hwthiqun kws qwaqwul’s. |
| She always spoke in a loud voice. |
| (12) | hay ’ul’ qux tthu ni’ shhw’uw’tsustal’hw-s. |
| She taught us a lot of things. |
| (13) | stitiya’xw yaay’usstal’hwus ’u tthuw’ mukw’ stem |
| She kept us busy working doing everything |
| (14) | tun’ni’ ’u tthu hwun’ netulh ’i’ nuw’ netum ’ul’. |
| from morning to night. |
| (15) | nuts’a’ skweyul ni’ ’u tthu tum’kw’e’lus ’i’ yaay’ussta’lum’ ’u tthu lumutoul’qun, sey’. |
| One day in the summertime, she had us working on sheep’s wool, wool. |
| (16) | sum’qw’uyi’us tthu lumutoul’qun ni’ ’u tthu lhxunuptun. |
| The wool was piled on the floor. |
| (17) | yuw’en’ kwutst thuyxul’qut tthu sey’. |
| First we teased the wool. |
| (18) | ha’ ni’ thuyxul’qun’ ’i’ nem’ tst me’sh tthu st’i’am’ ’u tthu lumutoul’qun, tthu sts’ule’ts’usht. |
| When you tease wool you removed whatever is stuck to wool, like the little sticks. |
| (sts’ule’ts’usht plural diminutive of sts’esht) |
| (19) | ni’ tst thuyxul’qut tthu lumutoul’qun suw’ hwu ’uwu te’s ni’ skwula’kwup. |
| We teased the wool so there wouldn’t be any lumps. |
| (20) | yath ’uw’ qwaqwul’stal’hwus thunu si’lu, “’uwu tseep ’uw’ qwaqwul’uhw ’ul’. yaays tseep p’e’.” |
| Granny was always saying to us, “Don’t be talking. Do your work.” |
| (21) | ni’ hay kwutst thuyxul’qun’ ’i’ ni’ tst hwi’ t-shul’qun. |
| We finished teasing the wool and then we carded it. |
| (22) | ni’ tst hakwush tthu yuse’lu shtushul’qun’ ’i’ t-shul’qut tthu sey’, t-shet sus ’uw’ hwu mul’ul’ hwu sul’iq’tul’. |
| We used two hand carders to card the wool, card it to make it soft and even. |
| (23) | ni’ tst t-shul’qut tthu hay ’ul’ qux sey’, sum’qw’uyi’us. |
| We carded a lot of wool, and piled it up. |
| (24) | yath ’uw’ qwaqwul’stal’hwus thunu si’lu, “’uwu tseep ’uw’ qwaqwul’uhw ’ul’. yaays tseep p’e’.” |
| Granny was always saying to us, “Don’t be talking. Do your work.” |
| (25) | ha’ tst ni’ qwaqwul’tul’ ’i’ ’uwu kws kwuyxt tst tthu thathun tst. |
| We would talk to each other without moving our lips. |
| (26) | (without moving lips … say) |
| mukw’ kws ’uw’ hwu st-shel’qun’! |
| What a lot of carded wool! |
| (27) | ’i’ niilh ’uw’ tul’nuhwus tthunu si’lu kwutst qwuliil’qwul’tul’. |
| But granny would realize that we were talking to each other. |
| (28) | “aa shaa! ’i tsun xut’u ’uwu. ’uwu tseep ’uw’ qwaqwul’uhw ’ul’. yaays tseep p’e’.” |
| “Oh, shaa! I told you no. Don’t be talking to each other. Do your work.” |
| (29) | ni’ hay kwutst t-shulqut ’i’ ni’ tst hwi’ qeluts’ut. |
| After we carded the wool, then we spun it. |
| (30) | ni’ tst hakwush tthu shqequl’uts’, qeluts’ut ’u tthu ni’ st-shel’qun’. |
| We used the spinner (foot pedal machine), to spin the carded wool. |
| (31) | nilh tthu sxun’u tst ni’ shkwuyxt tthu shqequluts’. |
| We pedaled with our feet on the spinner. |
| (32) | ni’ tst yu thekw’t tthu sey’ kwus yu susul’utum’. |
| We stretched the wool as it was being spun. |
| (33) | yath ’uw’ xwumxwum yu lhi’lhekwt tthu tselush tst yu thekw’t tthu sey’. |
| We had to work fast with our hands to stretch the wool. |
| (34) | stitiya’xw yaay’usstal’hwus thu si’lu tst. |
| Granny kept us busy working. |
| (35) | mukw’ netulh ’i’ yaay’ustalum ’u tthu lumutoul’qun kwun’atul’ ’u thunu sqe’uq. |
| Every morning they had me and my little sister working on the wool. |
| (36) | kw’asthut tthu skweyul, sus ’uw’ thut thunu si’lu, “aaa nem’ huw’a’lum’. hey’ lhu. |
| When the day got hot, Granny said, “Go play. Go on now. |
| (37) | nem’ t’ahw nem’ ’u tthu sta’luw’ shkw’am’. |
| Go down to the river and have a swim. |
| (38) | ha’ tseep hay ’i’ ’uwu tseep ’uw’ mel’qtuhw tthu syaalh, kwunut tthu syaalh ’i’ m’i t’ukw’stuhw.” |
| Don’t forget to get some wood and bring it home.” |
| (39) | ’iyus tst kwutst shi’shkw’am’, lhal’tustul’, hun’qum’. |
| We were happy swimming, splashing each other, diving. |
| (40) | sutst nem’ ’uw’ nuqum nem’ shtem xwte’ ’u tthu shlhq’a’lh. |
| We would dive down and swim right across. |
| (41) | kwutst wulh hay ’i’ ni’ tst hwi’ tsam ’u thunu si’lu tst, yu q’ept tthu sts’ul’e’ts’usht. |
| When we finished we went back up to Granny’s, gathering up sticks for kindling. |
| (42) | sutst ’uw’ t’ukw’stuhw tthu syaalh muqw’uy’i’ust stutes ’u tthu lelum’. |
| So we would take home the fire wood and pile it up by the house. |
| (43) | sutst ’uw’ lukwlukwut tthu sts’ul’e’ts’usht niilh tse’ shyuqwlhneentun. |
| And we would break up the sticks for kindling. |
| (44) | yath ’uw’ qux syaalh stutes ’u tthu lelum’. |
| There was always a lot of wood by the house. |
| (45) | ni’ ha’kwushum’ ’utl’ si’lu tthu syaalh ’u tthu stoops ’u kwsus qw’ulum ’u tthu s’ulhtun tst. |
| Granny used the wood in her stove to cook the food. |
| (46) | yath ’uw’ sts’uts’e’ tthu shtihelu ’u tthu huy’qw stoop. |
| There was always a tea kettle on the wood stove. |
| (47) | yath ’uw’ sul’its’ tthu skw’a’luw’us stutes ’u tthu stoop, lhihwuqun skw’a’wus ’i’ tthu nuts’uqun t’umuw’luch. |
| There were always full buckets next to the stove, three buckets and a tub. |
| (48) | yath ’uw’ xut’usta’lum’ ’u tthu si’lu tst, “kwunut tthu skw’a’wus ’i’ nem’ tseep qa’lum. |
| And Granny would say to us, telling us, “Take the bucket and go get some water.” |
| (49) | luts’ut tthu t’umuw’luch.” |
| Fill up the tub.” |
| (50) | sutst nem’ ’uw’ qa’lum ’u tthu qa’ ni’ ’u tthu lhulheel’ ’u tthu lelum’. |
| So we went to get the water in back of the house. |
| (51) | sutst yu ’i’t’ust tthu skw’a’wus hwu’ul’lum’ hul’ts’t tthu t’umuw’luch. |
| So we carried the water, going back and forth, until the tub was full. |
| (52) | sus yath ’uw’ saay’ tthu qa’ tst. |
| So our water was always ready. |
| (53) | tl’lim’ tst nuw’ kw’ey’ kwutst yaay’us ’i’ kwutst shi’shkw’am’. |
| We were really hungry from all that work and swimming. |
| (54) | ’i’ niilh saay’stum ’utl’ si’lu tthu ti ’i’ tthu squw suplil ’i’ tthu cheem. |
| Granny would have the tea and bread and jam ready. |
| (55) | ’i’ nanulh ’uw’ ’uy’. |
| And it was good! |
| (56) | yath ’uw’ ’uy’ sqwaluwun ’utl’ si’lu. |
| Granny was always happy. |
| (57) | yath ’uw’ stitiya’xw yaay’ussta’lum’ ’utl’ si’lu. |
| Granny always kept us busy working. |
| (58) | ni’ hay. hay tseep q’a’. |
| The end. The end. |
