Tl’ulpalus — Cowichan Bay

qwul’qwul’ yuhw tsun tse’ ’u kwthu ni’ nu shtu’e kwun’s ni’ hwun’a’ kwoonsstelum, kw’unus hwu sq’uq’a’ ’u kwthu ni’ teti’ mustimuhw.
qwaqwul’ lhunu si’lu’elh, ha’ ni’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ sht’eewun’ kwun’s ni’ stl’i’ kwun’s yuteti’.
skw’ey kwun’s tl’uhwla’usstuhw.
tl’i’ ’u kwun’s ni’ yule’lum’ut tthu sunihwulh.
ha’ ch ni’ tsnuhwulh ’u kwthu nuts’a’ skweyul, ’i’ tl’lim’ ch tse’ ’uw’ yule’lum’ut.
tun’netulh ’i’ ni’ ch wulh yut’ut’a’thut hwtskwilum ni’ ch t’ahw ’utl’ tl’ulpalus ’uw’ huye’.
hwtskwilum shtstus ’u kwthu ni’ ’uwu te’ lhwet st’e ’u kw’u ni’ yuhunum’… tthu netulh.
st’e ’uw’ niis hwun’ yuhwkwekwiyul’ ’i’ nem’ ch wulh huye’.
st’e ’u kw’uw’ kw’aythut-stuhw tthun’ snuhwulh, tth’xwat tthun’ snuhwulh.

I’m going to talk about when they first join into canoe pulling, paddling, the training part of it.
My grandmother was speaking, asking if you really want to be canoe pulling.
You can’t just be casual about it.
You have to take it seriously.
Early in the morning you have to go out as far as you can, leave from Cowichan Bay and go as far as you can, out where it’s secluded.
You have to leave really early at daybreak.
It’s like you wake your canoe up by putting it in the water, washing your canoe.

Wayne Charlie — Pulxwuletse’
Kwa’mutsun, Quw’utsun’