1) ni’ wulh yu xaytl’thut ’i’ ’i tsun ts’twa’ toohw sil’anum.
It was in the fall, I must have been about nine years old.
2) ni’ tsun ni’ ’utl’ snuw’nuw’us hwuni’stum tu stseelhtun ’u tunu si’lu Seluhwtun—nets’uwuts stseelhtun tuw’ tusnaam, kw’a’luhw.
I was in Snaw-naw-as when they delivered some salmon to my grandfather Sam—one hundred dog salmon.
3) qwulstum tunu si’lu, thut-stum, “nikw, ha’ ’uwu te’ lhwet qul’et kwunnum’ ’u tu stseelhtun, ’i’ m’i tst tse’ ’ewustuhw ’utl’ nuwu.”
They told him, “Uncle, if no one takes their salmon we will bring you more.”
4) “ni’ ch ’uw’ shtatul’stuhw tunu shhw’i.
[He said,] “You know where I am!
5) ’i tsun tse’ ’uw’ ’i ’ul’ ’u tun’a kwun’atul’ ’u tunu ’imuth, kw’unus yaay’us ’u tu stseelhtun.”
I’ll be here with my grandson working on salmon.”
6) tl’lim’ tsun ’uw’ hay ’ul’ siil’ukw, nilh kws yelhs nus hw’uw’tsustheelt kw’unus kw’its’ ’u tu stseelhtun.
I was really excited, because now I was going to learn to clean and cut salmon.
7) nus ’uw’ siil’ukw kwunus yaays tse’.
I was happy that I would do this work.
8) sutst ’uw’ ’ulh yaays ’ul’.
We got ready and started in.
9) nilh tunu si’lu hw’uw’tsusthaam’sh kw’unus kw’its’ ’i’ sht’ees tu ni’ nu sul’uthut kw’unus yu kw’ikw’uts’.
My grandfather showed how to cut the fish—the way for me to do it when I was cutting it.
10) ni’ tse’ xlhem’stelum yelh nus ni’ tl’uw’ t’a’thut tl’uw’ kw’its’.
I would be supervised while I was learning to cut fish.
11) yuw’en’ kwutst tth’xwat yelh sutst miiqwt sutst ’uw’ yu hun’ts’uli’stuhw tu sxuy’usa’qw nilh tse’ ni’ slhap’.
After cleaning the salmon, we cut off the heads and tails, which we saved for making soup.
12) kwutst yu kw’ikw’uts’ut kwutst ’uw’ yu they’t tu stseelhtun kws ’uwus plhetus, yu lhilhuput kwus hwts’umiil’stuhw.
We cut the salmon into strips, not too thick, stripping off thin slices.
13) ’uw’ hay kwun’s nuw’ sthuthi’stuhw yu tl’ulim’stuhw kwus ’uwus plhetus, ’i’ ’uwu tse’ yu qutl’um’us ’u kwus wulh ’akw’ustum.
You have to cut the salmon just right, not too thick, but so that it won’t drop off when it’s hung up.
14) ni’ tst yu lhilhuts’shut ni’ shxwte’s kwthu sts’esht kwus tse’ yu ’akw’us kws tse’ yu sthuthi’ kws nem’s ’akw’us.
We cut slits on the tail end for the sticks to hang the salmon.
15) kwus wulh saay’ ’i’ ni’ tst hwi’ mutqwt ’u tu stl’etl’ulhum’ qa’ ’u kwthu nuw’ sxuxits ’ul’ kwthu ni’ sht’ees ’i’ ni’ tst ’akw’ust.
When that was done, then we put the salmon in a bucket of water with coarse salt and let them soak until we decided they were ready to hang.
16) kwutst wulh hay, ’i’ ni’ hwi’ q’putus tunu si’lu tu xpey’.
After we were done, my grandfather gathered up some red cedar.
17) hw’uw’tsusthelum ’u tunu si’lu kw’unus thuyt tu xpey’.
My grandfather showed me how to fix the cedar.
18) nilh ni’ sts’eshts kwus ’akw’ust ni’ ’u tu q’ilew’t-hw.
It’s the cedar sticks that are used to hang the salmon in the smoke house.
19) ni’ tsun yu ’a’kw’ust yu hunum’stuhw ’u tu q’ilew’t-hw, ’i’ they’tus tunu si’lu tu ts’alhulhp, nilh tse’ ni’ hakw ’u tu huy’qw.
While I was hanging up the salmon, bringing it into the smokehouse, my grandfather was preparing the maple wood that would be used for the fire.
20) “ni’ tst tse’ thuy’thiqtul’ ’u tun’a snet,” thut tunu si’lu, “’i’ ’uw’ kweyul ’ul’ skw’ey kws tl’ukw’un’s tu huy’qws tu stseelhtun, sq’i’lu.”
“We will take turns during the night,” said my grandfather, “And it’s right until morning that the fire must not got out on the salmon.”
21) thut tunu si’lu, “skw’ey kws tl’lim’s ’uw’ huy’qw tu huy’qw ’uw’ hay kwsuw’ tl’eyq’ums ’ul’.”
Grandfather said, “The fire just can’t be burning, only just smoking.”
22) nilh shus nilh tu ts’alhulhp ni’ hakw lhuqw ts’alhulhp.
That’s why we use the wet maple.
23) ’i’ skw’ey kws ’uwu tst ’uw’ yathut ’uw’ yu lum’lum’ut yu kws ’uwus niis q’tl’um tu stseelhtun ni’ s’a’kw’us.
We always have to check to make sure none of the salmon have fallen to the ground.
24) ha’ ni’ hilum ’i’ nilh tse’ sus ’uw’ qul’qulul.
If it falls, it is no good. It is ruined.
25) ’i tst tuw’ hwun’ hiiyay’us ’u tu stseelhtun tst ’i’ wulh tetsul thu truck.
My grandfather and I were still working when the truck came back.
26) suw’ thut-s tu tl’a’lum’thut, “’uwu te’ lhwet ni’ kwun’um ’u tu stseelhtun, nikw.”
And the driver said, “No one took their salmon, uncle.”
27) suw’ thut tunu si’lu, “qw’imut ch p’e’. ’uw’ ’iis ch ’ul’.”
My grandfather said, “Leave it here. Just unload it.”
28) suw’ qw’imutum tu xuthinuqun xut’ustum’ totes, qux stseelhtun.
So they unloaded four big totes of salmon, a lot of salmon.
29) thut tunu si’lu, “nem’ ’aat lhun’ ten, kwthun’ shhwum’ne’lukw.
My grandfather said, “Go call your mom and your aunts and uncles.
30) ha’ tse’ stl’i’s kw’ s’ulhtun ’u tun’a tum’xuy’tl’ ’i’ m’is ch ts’ewulhtun.”
Tell them to come help if they all want salmon for this winter.”
31) nus nuw’ huye’ nem’ lemut tunu siiye’yu.
So away we went to look for my relatives.
32) m’i ’aat ’uw’ m’is ts’ewulhtun.
Tell them to come and help.
33) ’i’ ’uw’ hay thunu ten ’i’ tunu men ’i’ m’i ts’ewulhtun.
The only ones that came to help were my mom and dad.
34) ’uwu te’ lhwet ’i m’i ’ewu ts’ewulhtun ’uw’ hay ’ul’ tunu shhwuw’weli.
None of my other family came to help, only my parents.
35) hay ’ul’ thi syaays hay ’ul’ qux syaays.
It was a lot of work, a lo-o-ot of work.
36) xu’athun skweyul kwus s’a’kw’us tu steelhtun ts’uy’hwt.
Four days the dried salmon was hanging up.
37) ni’ hay kwthu xu’athun skweyul ’i’ ni’ hwu saay’.
After four days, they were all ready.
38) kwus wulh hwu saay’ sutst muw’ tl’pilsh kws le’shs, nuw’ush ’u tu swe’s shxeytl’ul’s.
We took down the fish and bagged them up, getting them ready to freeze.
39) kwutst hiiyaay’us ’i’ nilh tu slhip stsuy’hw nilh ni’ s’ulhtun tst ’i’ hay ’ul’ ’uy’, tl’lim’ tst hay ’ul’ ni’ xelunuhw.
While we were working, we nibbled on the strips of dried salmon, and it tasted really good—we really savoured it.
40) thut tunu si’lu, “nem’ ’aat kwthun’ shhwum’ne’lukw tsset ’uw’ m’iis ’ewu kwun’um ’u kwthu sts’uy’hw.
Then my grandfather said again, “Go call your aunts and uncles and tell them to come get the dried salmon.
41) nilh tse’ ni’ swe’s ’u tu tum’xuy’tl’.”
That will be for them for the winter.”
42) nus ’uw’ t’uyuq’ nus ’uw’ pte’mut tunu si’lu, “nutsim’ kwu’elh, ’u si’lu?
I got mad and I asked, “Why, Papa Sam?
43) nutsim’ ’alu ’ushus m’is kwun’um ’u tu stseelhtun ’i’ lhnimulh ni’ yaays? hay ’ul’ thi syaays tst.
Why should they come get the salmon when it was us who did all the work, and we did a lot of work?
44) nutsim’ kwu’elh ’i’ m’i kwukwunum’ ’i’ ’uwu niis ts’ewulhtun?”
Why then should they come for it when they didn’t help?”
45) thut tunu si’lu, pte’muthelum, “nii’ ch tse’ kwu’elh hiina’nuts’a’ kwun’s lhuyxt tun’a hay ’ul’ qux stseeltun?
My grandfather said to me, “Are you going to eat all this salmon by yourself?
46) ni’ ’u ch tse’ ’uw’kw’nuhw ’i’ m’i tetsul kwthu qul’et stseelhtun tse’?”
Are you going to use it up before the salmon run next year?”
47) thut tunu si’lu, “skw’ey kws ’uw’kw’nuhw tst, skw’ey kws lhuyxt tst.
My grandfather said, “We can’t eat it all up.
48) xwum ’i’ ’uw’ qul’qul’ul ’ul’.
It will just go bad.
49) nilh tun’ siiye’yu ’un’ ts’lhhwulmuhw nilh yuw’en’.
You have to think of your family first.
50) ha’ ch ni’ hwu yuw’i’na’qw ’i’ skw’ey kwun’s sht’eewun’ kws nuwus yuw’en’.
If you are going to be the head of the household, you can’t be thinking of just yourself.
51) nilh kwthu ts’lhhwulmuhw nilh yuw’en’.
It’s the whole family that comes first.
52) ’i’ ha’ ni’ ni’ kwthu slhut-s ’i’ yelh ’un’s kwunut ni’ hwun’ swe’.”
And if there is any left, then you can have that for yourself.”
53) nilh swe’s snuw’uyulhs kwthunu si’leelh.
This was the teaching from my grandfather.
54) thut-stam’shus, “nuts’a’ tse’ skweyul ’i’ wuwa’ nuwu tse’ hwu yuw’i’na’qw ’u tu mustimhuw.
He told me, “One day you will be a leader of our family.
55) ’i’ nilh kwu’elh he’kw’me’tuhw.
Remember what I have told you.
56) ’i’ nilh tse’ tun’ snuw’uyulh nilh tse’ yath ’uw’ yu ts’ets’uw’utha’mu, tu ni shtatul’st-hwuhw snuw’uyulh.”
The teachings will help you with your work.”
57) hay ch q’a.
Thank you.
The PDF of this story can be downloaded here.
