This story comes from Suwsiw: Hul’q’umi’num’ stories of land and sea by Tara Morris: https://hlcs.hwulmuhwqun.ca/home/projects/ma-projects-theses/suwsiw-hulquminum-stories-of-land-and-sea/
(1) ’een’thu Tara Morris ’i’ nilh nu sqwul’qwul’ tun’a tsetsul’ulhtun’ kwun’atul’ ’u tthunu ts’lhhwulmuhw.
I am Tara Morris, and this is my story about one day fishing with my family.
(2) hay ’ul’ kw’e’lus skweyul. ’uw’ hwun’ netulh ’i’ ni’ wulh kw’e’lus tthu sum’shathut.
It was a really hot day out. By early morning the sun was warm already warm.
(3) ni’ tst ’uw’ xtsuthut kws nem’ tst tseelhtun ’ula’ulh ’u tthu kesulin pout.
We decided we would go out fishing on the gas boat.
(4) ’i tst xuthiinu — kwthunu sta’lus, Gus, tthu ’een’thu ’i’ kwthu yey’sul’u nu ts’lhme’mun’um.
There were four of us — my husband, me, and my two stepsons.
(5) yuw’en’ kwutst nem’ ’u kwthu xut’ustum’ Canadian Tire nem’ ’iluqut tthu ’eli’ skwequp.
First, we went to Canadian Tire to buy good lures.
(6) sutst ’uw’ ’alhstuhw ’u tthu snuhwulh tst tthu ha’kw tse’ kwutst yu tsetsul’ulhtun’.
Next, we loaded up what we use for fishing on the boat.
(7) kwutst hwu ’ulalulh ’u tthu snuhwulh sutst nem’ ’uw’ huye’ nem’, nem’ ’u tthu s’ulqsun, shnu’a’th s’ulqsun.
We got onboard and then headed over to the other side of the point.
(8) kwutst ’uw’ hwun’a’ tus ’u tthu ni’ shni’s ’u kws ’unuhw tst, sutst hwi’ mukw’ ’uw’ tstl’um nem’ qwusthut.
When we first arrived at our fishing spot, we all decided to jump in the ocean to cool down.
(9) sutst ’uw’ t’it’utsum’ ni’ ’u tthu qa’.
We swam around and splashed in the water.
(10) ni’ tst ts’twa’ si’si’stuhw kwthu stseelhtun, nem’ lhew’!
We had probably scared all our fish away!
(11) nuw’ tuw’ hw’un’nehwum’ ’ul’ tthu qa’ ’uwu ni’us xwoom.
There wasn’t much current. The water was calm.
(12) hwun’ swi’wul’ tthu sum’shathut, hay ’ul’ ’uy’ skweyul shtsetsul’ulhtun’ tst.
The sun was shining, and it was a perfect day for fishing.
(13) tthu hay ’ul’ sun’tl’e’ nu ts’lhmun’um, Tyrell, ni’ thuytus tthu ni’ t’uy’um’tus tthu xut’ustum’ sqwequp tthu kw’uy’kwul’shun’.
My oldest stepson, Tyrell, put his new fishing lure on his fishing rod.
(14) nem’ ’uw’ lhaq’utus tthu kw’uy’kwul’shun’s.
He casted out his line.
(15) ’uw’ wulh nilh ’ul’ sus ’uw’ paaythut tthu kw’uy’kwul’shun’.
Right away, we saw Tyrell’s fishing rod bend right over.
(16) suw’ thut-s tthu Tyrell, “tl’lim’ st’e ’uw’ thiis ’eyt tthu ni’ hwu st’i’am’!”
Tyrell said, “It looks like it could be a big lingcod!”
(17) kwus wulh m’i pukw ’i’ ’uw’ thu’it t’q’as tthu ni’ hwu kwun’els.
When it came up to the surface, it was in fact a rock cod that he had caught.
(18) tl’lim’ ’uw’ ’e’tl’qul tthu qulum’s ’u tthu sxuy’usth.
Its eyes were popping out of its head.
(19) thut tthu tsi’thut, “’aaa, ’uy’! ’uy’ ’un’ sla’thut, mun’u!”
His dad said, “Wow! Way to go son!”
(20) ni’ tl’e’ wulh qul’et wenshum ’utl’ Tyrell tthu xwi’lum’s.
Tyrell casted his line again.
(21) mukw’ tst nuw’ sqwuqwisstuhw tthu s’aa’lh xwi’lum’ tst ’u tthu qa’.
We all had our lines out in the water too.
(22) kwus qul’et wenshus tthu kw’ekw’ul’shun’s ’i’ ni’ tl’e’ wulh qul’et paaythut ’u kw’ hay ’ul’ ’uw’ hwu spapi’ nilhs thume’s.
The next cast, Tyrell’s fishing line was bent right over for the second time!
(23) thut tthu Tyrell, “tl’lim’ st’e ’uw’ niis hay ’ul’ thi ’eyt!”
Tyrell said, “It looks like it could be a big lingcod!”
(24) m’i kw’i’st-hwus tthu kw’ikw’ul’shun’s, ’i’ tst lumnuw ’i’ tl’e’ wulh t’q’as!
He brought up his line and we saw another rock cod!
(25) thut tthu Gus, “’oo, nan ’uw’ ’uy’ ’un’ syaays, mun’u!”
“Wow! Way to go son!” Gus said.
(26) ’uwu te’ lhwet kwlh ’i tsshun’tsu ’ukw’ stseelhtun.
Nobody else was catching any fish.
(27) hay ’ul’ hith yelh sutst tsshun’tsu ’u tthu s’aa’lh kw’uy’kwul’shun’.
It was a long time before any of us caught anything on our fishing lines.
(28) ’i’ nilh tthu Nick nilh swe’s kw’ekw’ul’shun’s tthu ni’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ paaythut.
Finally, Nick’s fishing rod was bent right over.
(29) suw’ thut-s tthu Tyrell, “tl’lim’ st’e ’uw’ hays ’ul’ thi ’eyt!”
Tyrell said, “It looks like it could be a big lingcod!”
(30) sus m’uw’ kw’i’stum ’utl’ Nick tthu swe’s kw’ikw’ul’shun’s ’i tst lumnuhw tthu ni’ pukw.
Nick brought his line up and we saw what came to the surface.
(31) ’i’ tuqwtuqw!
It was a red snapper!
(32) mukw’ tst ’uw’ siil’ukw.
We were all excited.
(33) nusuw’ thut, “hwuw’ee tsun lumnuhwun’ kw’ lhwet tsshun’tsu ’u tthu tuqwtuqw!”
I said, “I have never seen anyone catch a red snapper before!”
(34) ’i tst mukw’ ’uw’ ts’ewut tthu Nick m’i hwkw’at ’aalh ’u tthu snuhwulh.
We all helped Nick bring his fish into the boat.
(35) nus ’uw’ kwunut tthu ’uxthim’tun ’utl’ Tyrell ’i’ hay tthu peyts’tuns hay nuw’ hwun’ sqwuqwis ’u tthu qa’.
Tyrell grabbed the dip net, and I took Tyrell’s rod because his line was still in the water.
(36) suw’ kwunutum ’utl’ Gus tthu qw’aqwustuns.
Gus grabbed the fish club.
(37) tl’lim’ tst ’uw’ siil’ukw kws tsshun’tsu tthu Nick. hay ’ul’ ’uw’ ’uy’ shqwaluwuns kwus tsshun’tsu ’u tthu stseelhtun.
We were excited for Nick because he was very happy that he caught a fish.
(38) ’amustum ’u tthu mens ’u tthu qw’aqwustuns kws qw’aqwa’qwtewut tthu tuqwtuqw, sxuy’uth.
His dad gave him the fish club to bang the top of the red snapper’s head.
(39) sus ’uw’ thu’it ’uw’ qw’aqwa’qwtun ’utl’ Nick tthu sxuy’usth.
Nick hit the top of the head.
(40) mukw’ tst ’uw’ stl’i’ kws tsshun’tsu tst ’u kw’ stseelhtun, sutst tl’e’ wulh qul’et qwsut tthu peyts’tun tst.
We were all determined to catch a fish, so we casted our lines in the water again.
(41) ni’ wulh skwun tthu Gus tthuw’ stem ’ul’; tl’lim’ ’uw’ paaythut tthu peyts’tuns.
Gus finally caught something; his rod was bent right over.
(42) thut tthu Tyrell, “tl’lim’ sht’eewun’ ’iis tse’ thu hay’ ’ul’ thi ’eyt.”
Tyrell said, “It looks like it could be a big lingcod.”
(43) m’i kw’i’stum ’utl’ Gus tthu swe’s peyts’tuns, ’i tst wulh lumnuhw kws kw’eets’ tthu ni’ hwu st’i’am’!
Gus brought up his line and we saw a mud shark!
(44) suw’ thut-s tthu Tyrell, “’aa shah, ’uwu!’uwu stl’i’ut kw’ kw’eets’!”
Tyrell says, “Oh no! We don’t want any mud sharks!”
(45) sus m’uw’ kw’i’stum tthey’ kw’eets’.
They brought up the mud shark.
(46) m’i kwunutum ’utl’ Gus tthu shtth’ulhukw’ul’s sus ’uw’ m’i hwkw’atum me’shum tthu ni’ s’a’kw’.
Gus grabbed the long pliers and pulled out the hook.
(47) suw’ qtl’um tthu kw’eets’ ’ula’ulh ’u tthu snuhwulh ni’ ’u tthu ’ile’uq, sus ’uw’ hwi’ q’ul’q’ul’q’ ’u tthu xwi’lum’.
The mud shark dropped in the back of the boat and got tangled in some rope.
(48) ’i tst ’uw’ xi’xlem’ut ’ul’ tthu Gus kws t’ut’a’thut me’shus tthu ni’ sq’uq’el’q’ tthu kw’eets’.
We watched Gus struggle to release the mud shark.
(49) hwun’ xut’u ’i’ ni’ wulh qtl’um sus ’uw’ hwu sqwuqwis wulh nilh ’ul’ sus ’uw’ tth’uw’.
It finally fell into the water and disappeared.
(50) ni’ wulh nem’ tthu tintun ni’ tst wulh kw’ey.
It was getting late and we were getting hungry.
(51) ’i tsun tuw’ hwu xlhultslh ’i kwunus ’uwu te’ stem ni’ nu shun’tsu.
I was feeling a bit sad because I did not catch anything.
(52) nilh wulh tus tthu tintun kws nem’ tst t’akw’.
But it was time to go home.
(53) wulh kwuyxtum ’utl’ Gus tthu pout kws nem’ tst wulh t’akw’.
Gus started up the boat to go home.
(54) ’i tsun m’i kw’ukw’i’stuhw tthunu kw’uykwul’shun’ ’i’ wulh ptem’ tthu Tyrell, “nii ni’ kw’un’ ’i hwu st’i’am’?”
While I was bringing up my line Tyrell asks, “Do you have something?”
(55) nu suw’ thut, “’uwu, sht’eewun’ tsun ’uw’ tuw’ q’el’q’ ’ul’ tthunu kw’ekw’ul’shun.”
I said, “No, I think my line is just snagged.”
(56) tl’e’ wulh ptem’ tthu Tyrell, “nii ni’ kw’un’ ’i skwun?”
Tyrell asked again, “Do you have something?”
(57) ni’ tsun tl’e’ wulh thut-stuhw, “nilh ’ul’ kwus hwutus tthunu skwequp.”
I said, “No, it’s just a heavy lure.”
(58) kwunus ’i m’i wulh yu kw’ukw’istuhw tthun kw’uykwulshun’, ’i tst wulh lumnuhw tthu ni’ wulh yu p’up’ukw.
I brought up my line and we could see something coming up to the surface.
(59) ’i tst wulh lumnuhw kws ’uhwiin’s sqi’mukw’!
We saw a small octopus!
(60) “’oo, tl’lim’ tst hay ’ul’ ’uw’ siil’ukw kwutst lumnuhw tthu ’uhwiin’ sqi’mukw’.
We were so excited to see an octopus.
(61) kwunutum ’utl’ Gus tthu shtth’ulhukw’ul’s kws me’shs tthu ni’ s’a’kw’.
Gus grabbed the pliers to pull out the hook.
(62) ’i tsun ’uw’ he’kw’ tthu ni’ sht’es tthu sqi’mukw’ ’u kws t’eyuq’s ’i’ nilhs suw’ lhxwat-s tthu tsq’ix shlhel’qutth’eel’s.
I remembered that when octopuses get mad, they squirt black ink out.
(63) kwunut nus nuw’ nem’ustuhw tthu sqi’mukw’ ’u tthu qa’.
So, I placed the octopus near the water.
(64) t-hway kwunutum ’utl’ Gus tthu sqi’mukw’ ’i’ ni’ wulh kwulush ’u tthu tsq’ix nem’ust-hwus ’u tthu qa’.
Gus was just going to grab the octopus, and it shot ink into the water.
(65) nus ’uw’ thut, “lemut lhu! na’ut wulh t’eyuq’ tthu sqi’mukw’.”
I said, “Look, the octopus is mad!”
(66) sus ’uw’ kwe’tum ’utl’ Gus qwsut sutst ’uw’ xi’xlem’ut tthey’ ’uhwiin’ sqi’mukw’ kwus wulh nem’ tl’pil, sus ’uw’ tth’uw’ ’i ’u tthu qa’.
Gus released the octopus, and we watched the little octopus shoot down and disappear into the deep sea.
(67) ’uwu tsun niin’ sqi’qul’us. ’i tsun ’uw’ hwu ’iyus ’ul’.
I wasn’t so sad anymore.
(68) la’us kws ’uwu tst niit kwunnuhw kw’ hay ’ul’ thi ’eyt, ’i’ ni’ tst thulh ’iyus kwutst kwunnuhw tthu t’q’as, tuqwtuqw, ’i’ tthu kw’eets’ ’i’ tthu sqi’mukw’, ’uhwiin’ sq’imukw’.
Even though we didn’t catch a big lingcod, we all had fun catching the rock cods, the red snapper, the mud shark, and also the octopus!
(69) ni’ wulh nem’ tth’uhw thu sum’shathut ’i’ yelh sutst hun’umut.
The sun was setting when we finally got home.
(70) kwthu Tyrell ni’ ’amustus lhu shhwum’nikws ’u kwthu t’q’as.
Tyrell gave the rock cod to his auntie.
(71) ’i’ hay tthu tuqwtuqw ni’ tst le’sh nem’ustuhw tthu shxuy’tl’elu nilh tse’ s’ulhtun ’u tthu qul’et kweyul.
And we put the red snapper in the fridge to save for dinner for the next day.
(72) hay ’ul’ ’uy’ skweyul, hay ’ul’ ’iyus skweyul kwutst ’ula’ulh ’u lhu snuhwulh kwutst tsetsul’ulhtun’.
It was an exciting day fishing on the boat.
A PDF of this story can be downloaded here.
