Carrying oneself as a paddler

’een’thu Pulxwuletse’ tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ kwa’mutsun. ni’ kwu’elh stu’e kwus ni’ yu teti’ kwunut ch kwthun’ shqwaluwun ’uw’ yath.
qwulmuthaam ’u kwthuw’ lhwet. ni’ skw’ey kwus hwtulqut kwthu suyum sqwal.

’uw’ nilh ’ul’ kwthu sht’e kw’un’s ni’ yutut’a’thut, nilh ni’ yuw’een’stuhw ni’ ’u tthun’ shqwaluwun. timut tthun’ shqwaluwun. ha’ ni’ tl’hwuthaam kwus ni’ yu teti’ ’i’ nilh ni’ ’u tthun’ shqwaluwun. titum’uthut, titum’uthut ’uw’ yath. ’i’ ha’ ch ni’ tl’hwunuq ’i’ skw’ey kwus ’uwu nuwus sht’eewun’ kwus nuwus hay ’ul’ yuw’en’ kw’am’kw’um’ hwunem’ ’ukw’ na’nuts’a’. stem tse’ skweyul ’i’ wil’ ’uw’ lhwet ’ul’ tl’hwumuthaam tse’. ’i’ ’uwu ch suyumus tthun’ shqwaluwun ’uw’ niis ni’ kw’u ni’ tl’hwuthaam. ’i chuw’ ta’thut ’ul’ ’i’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ titum’uthut.

ni’ ch yut’ut’iim’ ’u kwthun’ ts’uwtun. ha’ ni’ ’aanlh ’u kwthu s’ul’eluhwtstulh, kwthuw’ t’atulh s’ul’hweentst ’i’ thu’it ’uw’ tth’hwimuthaam, ’uw’ ni’ ch ’uw’ thu’itstuhw tthun’ shqwaluwun ’i’ ne’ullh tse’ ni’ hwiilasmuthaam. nilh shus yath ’uw’ qwaqwul’sta’lum’ ’u tthu s’ul’eluhwtstulh.
I am Wayne Charlie from Quamichan. So it’s the way it is when you are canoe paddling, you have to have a happy feeling all the time. Even when someone gets mad at you, you should never answer them. Even if it hurts you.

When you are paddling, the practice has to come first. Make yourself strong in mind. When someone beats you when you are competing, you always think about that. That you try harder in your practice. And when you do win and come in first, you can’t be thinking that you are the greatest or that you are high and mighty. Someday somebody will come along and beat you in the competition. If someone beats you in your competition, then don’t take it to heart about what happened, if you get beat.

You just turn to your prayers and ask for more strength. If you are strong in mind, your prayers in talking to your ancestors that are already gone, then you will get help from beyond. And this is what our elders used to say to us, when they talked to us.
Wayne Charlie — Pulxwuletse’
Kwa’mutsun, Quw’utsun’