This is a story written by Janette from Musqueam and translated into the Hul’q’umi’num’ language 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.

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1. ’een’thu Janette Stogan ’uw’ tun’ni’ ’utl’ hwmuthkwi’um.
   I’m Janette Stogan, from Musqueam.
2. nu sqwul’qwul’ niilh tsun ni’ ’utl’ hwmuthkwi’um kwunus ni’ yu ts’isum kwun’atul’ ’u lhunu si’lu.
   This is a story about when I was growing up at Musqueam hanging with my grandmother.
3. lhunu si’lu’eelh Edna Stogan, ni’ wulh stutes ’utl’ lhnimulh swe’s lelum’s snu’ath ’u tthu shelh.
   She was Edna Stogan, and I lived across the street from her.
4. qux tthu ni’ yu s’ul’uthut kwutst kwun’atul’ kwunus sq’uq’a’ ’u lhunu si’lu.
   I did a lot of things together with my grandmother.
5. ni’ tsun he’kwme’t kwutst nuts’ehw ’i’ niilh tst qw’umuwst tthu ma’uqw.
   One of the things I remember doing was plucking ducks.
6. yu kwukwi’yul’ ’i’ ni’ ti’ti’ya’xw lhunu si’lu yaay’us ’u kwthu ma’uqw ts’ets’uw’utus tthu ts’lhhwulmuhws… they’tus tthu ni’ yu ha’kwut tthu qw’umul’s ’u tthu ma’uqw.
   Grandma would be up early in the morning working preparing ducks for people.
7. hay ’ul’ yuw’en’ syaays kwutst kw’its’ut tthu t’ult’eluw’s tthu ma’uqw.
   First we would cut the wings off the duck.
8. ni’ tst kwu’elh qw’umuwst kwthu ma’uqw, mukw’ tthu stl’qeen’ ni’ hum’ushut.
   Then we would pluck them, pulling off all of the feathers from the whole body.
9. ’uw’ thu’it qux syaays kwutst qw’umuwst tthu ma’uqw ni’ ch ’uw’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ timuthut ’u kwun’s ni’ hwkw’at kwthu stl’qeen’.
   It’s a lot of work plucking a duck, you have to pull really hard.
10. kwus wulh hay kwutst qw’umuwst tthu ma’uqw, ’i’ ni’ tst kw’siwst kwthu ma’uqw.
    Once the duck was plucked, we would butcher the duck.
11. nilh kwu’elh kwthunu si’lu nilh ni’ they’tus kwthu huy’qw hwu saay’st-hwus.
    My grandfather would build a fire.
12. ni’ hakwushus tthu shhw’a’kw’ul’s thunu si’lu ’akw’utus tthu ma’uqw tun’ni’ ’u tthu tupsums.
    And my grandmother would use a hanger and she would hook the duck by its neck.
13. ni’ ’akw’utus stutes ’u tthu huy’qw.
    We would hang the ducks over the fire.
14. kwus wulh yuqwyuqw tthu mukw’ tthu stl’qeen’ ’i’ ni’ tst tuyqsh.
    When the feathers were all burned, we would move them.
15. ’u kwus wulh q’ixul tthu kw’uluw’s tthu ma’uqw ’i’ ni’ tst qw’imutut tthu huy’qw.
    When the skin looked black we took it off the fire.
16. ni’ tst tuw’ qw’ulut kwus ’uw’ yuqwt tthu stl’qeen’ ’i’ tahw ’uw’ hwu q’ixul tthu kw’uluw’s tthu ma’uqw.
    We cooked it just enough to singe the skin.
17. ni’ wulh qtl’um tthu stl’qeen’ sitst ’uw’ ’ixut ’uw’ nuw’ilumstuhw tthu ma’uqw ’i’ ’ixut me’sh tthu ni’ q’ixul ’u kwthu kw’uluw’s tthu ma’uqw.
    Once the feathers are all removed and you bring them inside (the kitchen), you scrape off all the burnt skin.
18. ni’ tst kwu’elh hakwush tthu shuptun ’ixut tthu ni’ yuqwyuqw ’u tthu kw’uluw’s tthu ma’uqw.
    We used a knife to scrape off the burned part (charcoal).
19. ni’ tst kwu’elh kw’isut kwthu ma’uqw kwthu ni’ xut’ustum’ s-shape ni’ tthu tupsum tthu ma’uqw.
    To butcher the duck, you make an s-shaped cut around its neck bone.
20. ni’ wulh kw’its’ut tthu ni’ ch ’utl’’utl’qstuhw tthu q’uq’i’
    You open it up and clean out the inside.
21. ni’ tth’xwatus tthu ma’uqw ’utl’’utl’qtus tthu q’uq’i’ lhunu si’lu.
    Grandma would then completely wash it to get the guts out.
22. ni’ tst kwu’elh qul’et kw’its’ut tthu ma’uqw hakwush tthu hun’utum’ cutting board ’i’ xuthinumat wulh lhits’ut tthu ma’uqw.
    And then she got her big board to cut the duck up into four pieces.
23. ni’ tl’uw’ hwu saay’st-hwus tthu shqwul’s ’i’ nuw’ushus tthu ma’uqw tl’uw’ q’a’tum tthu ’unyuns, sqewth, ’uhwiin’ qa’.
    She used a big dish (a roaster) and she would put in the duck, add onions, potatoes, and a little bit of water.
24. ’u kwutst ti’ti’ya’xw ni’ ts’twa’ yu st’e kw’u nuts’a’ tintun kwutst ti’ti’ya’xw.
    This all cooked in the oven for about one hour.
25. ni’ tl’uw’ thuytus tthu suplil ni’ hun’utum’ dumpling, ha’kwushus tthu spukw’ suplil, kw’ ’ist pawtu, tl’elhum ’i’ tthu qa’.
    She made something like a bread, called dumpling, out of flour, baking powder, salt, water.
26. ni’ tl’uw’ q’a’tum ’u tthu ma’uqw ni’ yu ha’kwushut ’u tthu kwutst qw’ul’s tthu ma’uqw.
    She put the dumplings on top of the duck as it was cooking.
27. tl’lim’ulh ’uw’ ’uy’ s’ulhtun—ducks ‘o ma’uqw ’i’ tthu dumplings.
    This was really good food—ducks and dumplings.
28. ’u kwus wulh q’puthut tthu siiye’yus ni’ tst sq’uq’a’ ’u lhunu si’lu’eelh.
    And everyone came together to eat with grandma.
29. nuts’a sxwi’em’ ni’ he’kw’me’teen’ kwunus yaay’us kwun’atul’ ’u lhunu si’lu kwunus yu ts’its’um’ ni’ ’utl’ hwmuthkwi’um.
    This is just one story I remember about working with my grandmother when I was growing up at Musqueam.
30. nilh kwu’elh sht’es tthunu sxwi’em’
    That’s the end of my story.
31. hay ch q’a. ni’ hay.
    Thank you. The end.