Images
click on images to see them enlarge
- Title: Sti’tum’at tthu ni’ kwun’utsustum’ ’u thu swe’s tens kwthu pipu kws tslhaqwnamut-s tthu ni’ hun’utum’ Grade 2 | Ruby Peter Handing a Certificate to Her Mother for Completing Grade 2
- Title spoken by: Pul-hwuletse’ | Wayne Charlie
- Description: nilh yuhw Sti’tum’at kwun’utsustum’ thu tens Mrs. Cecelia Alphonse, tth’ukwulhshe’ ’i’ kw’ xu’athun sil’anum, ’i’ tslhaqwnamut ’u tthu Grade 2 ni’ tthu hun’utum’ Adult Education Program
Ruby Peter handing a certificate to her mother Mrs. Cecelia Alphose, aged 72, for completing grade 2 in the Adult Education Program.
hwuhwilmuhw knowledge
- Speaker/Story Teller: Sti’tuma’t | Ruby Peter (Kwa’mutsun elder)
- Date of recording:
- Listen to the recording in Hul’q’umi’num’:
skwoukwulstun’uq | Education
- ’een’thu sti’tum’at, Ruby Peter tthu s-hwunitum’a’lh nu sne.
I’m Sti’tum’aat. Ruby Peter is my white man’s name. - nilh tthu s’ul’eluhw ’i’ulh skwoukwul’ ’u kw’un’a wulh hith ni’ ’u kwthu ’apun ’i’ kw’ toohw t’xumulhshe’ ’i’ kw’ te’tsus.
This is about the elders that were going to school, that was about 1968. - ’i’ nilh thunu ten qwiil’qwul’st-hween’.
And I was having discussions with my mother. - ’i’ yath ’uw’ qw’aqw’ulhnuhwus kws sqi’qul’ kws xul’ums nilh kwsus kwunnuhwus thu pensions ’i’ skw’ey kws xul’ut-s tthu snes Alphonse.
And she always commented about not being able to write, because when she gets her pension cheques, she couldn’t write the name Alphonse. - ’uw’ hay kwsus Cecilia Leo ’uw’ hay ni’ shtsuw’et-s.
She only knew how to write Cecelia Leo. - ’i’ tahw ’uw’ nilh nus ’i yaay’us ’u tthu Indian Affairs Adult Education, nilh xut’ustum’ co-ordinator.
And this was just about the same time that we were working at [Federal Government] Indian Affairs as the Indian Education Coordinator. - nus ’uw’ xut’ustuhw [thunu ten], “niihw ’u xwum ’i’ ni’ kw’u skwoul tthu s’ul’eluhw kws hwu xuxulum’s ’u tthu snes.”
And I was saying to her, “I’m wondering if there are any of the elders that would like to go to school and learn how to write their names?” - “a.a.a,” wulh thut [thunu ten], “xwum ts’twa’ hay ’uw’ qwul’qwul’st-hween’ tthunu siiye’yu.”
And she said, “Yes there would be some. I’ll talk to my relatives.” - niihw nuts’a’ suxulhnet ’i’ ni’ tsun tl’e’ wulh qwulstuhw, wulh neet tus tthu ni’ qwul’qwul’st-hwus.
After one week I went to talk to her again, and she gave me names. - nuw’ hwu ’upeenu ’ul’ ’i’ kw’ t’xumulu tthu ni’ kwunnuhwut sq’uq’a’– tthu Pat Charlie hiwqun, hiwqun tthu s-hwulmuhw’a’lh snes, syalutsa’ kwus ’uw’ hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh, shtl’i’tl’qulheen snes syalutsa’.
And we had about 16 people registered–Pat Charlie, his Indian name was hiwqun and he had the childhood name was syal’utsa’, that was his childhood name was syal’uca’. - ’i’ famu, tstuliqiw ’u tthu xut’ustum’ Clydesdale, stuliqiw ’uli’uy’mut, nilh ha’kwushus ’u kwsus tl’ushunup.
He was a farmer, he had horses, the ones that are called Clydesdale, beautiful horses, that were used for plowing. - nilh kwu’elh ni’ q’a’.
So he joined. - nus ’uw’ xut’ustuhw, “xwum ’u ch ’i’ ’aalhstuhw kw’ yey’sul’u truck thu tl’e’lum’tus.
I was asking him, “Can you give two people a ride to school in your in truck, drive them to school. - ’amusthamu tsun tse’ ’ukw’ yusa’lus ’ukw’ nuts’a’ snet kw’un’s nem’ skwoul xwte’ ’u tthun’ kesulin.”
I will pay you two dollars a night and that will go for your gasoline.” - [hwtulqun], “a.a.a ’uy’.”
[He answered], “Oh, good”. - suw’ ’a’ulhst-hwus tthu yey’sul’u ni’ tsun mel’qt kwthu snes… shhw’aqw’a’ ’utl’ Manson George ’i’ Manson, lhhwelu.
And he was giving a ride to, I forgot his name. [Moses George] Manson Geoge’s brother and Manson, the three of them. - ni’ ’aalhst-hwus nem’ hunum’ust-hwus nem’ tst hunum’ ’utl’ Mt. Provost, nilh ni’ shni’s tthu class.
They were riding in one vehicle; the classes were at Mount Provost [Junior Secondary school]. - ’i’ hay tthu nuts’a’ car hay nilh thunu tenulh nilh ’a’ulhstuhw tthu lhq’utsse’lu.
And the other car was my mother’s vehicle who took five people. - ’i’ ni’ tsun tl’uw’ ’a’ulhsuhw tthu lhq’utsse’lu.
And then I would get another five people. - nus ni’ nem’ ’uw’ hwu’alum’ ’i’ tl’uw’ ’aalhstuhw kwthu kw’iinu suw’ hwu ’apun ’i’ kw’ t’xumulu tthu ni’ hunum’.
And then I would have to go back again for more people until there were 16 people. - ni’ tthu yuse’lu classroom ni’ kwthu qrade two, ’i’ kwthu ’apun ’i’ kwthu ’apun ’i’ kw’ yuse’lu.
There were two classrooms. There was one class for grade two and there was also one for grade ten [or nine] to twelve. - ni’ ’uw’qxe’luts tl’e’.
There were also quite a few of them [in the higher grades]. - nuw’ kw’in sil’anum, nuw’ lhihw sil’anum ’uw’ niis xu’athun sil’anum kwus skwoukwul’ ’u tthu snet.
They were taking those classrooms for about three or four years, and it was only at night. - nilh tthu snet ni’ tth’a’kwus ’i’ ni’ toohw ’i’ ni’ hay, yuse’lu tintun.
It was only at night from seven o’clock to nine o’clock, two hours. - nus ’uw’ xut’ustuhw thu teacher [hw’iiw’tssunuq], “’uy’ kws tuw’ ’unuhw tst ’ukw’ ’apun ’i’ kw’ lhq’etssus munut tuw’ qewumstuhw tthu s’ul-hween.
So I was telling the teacher that they should have a break for 15 minutes so the elders can rest. - suw’ hunum’ ’u tthu nuts’a’ room ’eelhtun, nus ’uw’ ’i’luqul’s ’u tthu koukis lhtistuhw ’eelhtun.
And they used to go to another room, and I would buy cookies and give them tea. - ’uw’ ’iyus ’ul’ tthuw’ne’ullh kwus qwul’iil’qwul’tul’.
And they would have a lot of conversations about happy times. - mukw ’uw’ s’ul’eluhw…lhu ’unetsu, ni’ ts’twa’ tl’uw’ ’ulh tth’ukwsulhshe’.
All the elders…one was Anastasia Martin [’ani, ’anestu]; she was about 70. - thu Elsie Canute ’i’ nilh thu sqe’uqs nilh hay ’ul’ [su’asuqwt] … nilh hay ’ul’… hay ’ul’ hwun’ wa’wu wulh lhuhwulshe’ sil’anum, nilh hay ’ul’ stl’i’tl’qulh.
Elsie Canute was the other one and her sister was the youngest msynr 30 years old;she was the youngest. - qxe’luts tthuw’ne’ullh s’ul’eluhw ’i’ ’iy’iiyus.
There were many elders and they were very comical. - nilh kwus wulh tus ’u tthu A.B.C. suw’ pe’ptituls tthu.. tthuw’ne’ullh s’ul’eluhw ’uw’ nilhus lhwet kwu hay ’ul’ stsuw’et.
And when they got to their A B C and they started having competition about it, challenging each other as who was going to be the smartest. - mukw’ nuw’ hwu shtatul’st-hwus hwu xuxul’utus tthu snes kwus wulh ’usup’ tthey’ skwouls.
Everyone of them going to school learned to write their own names by the end of the program.
Key information
- Time period or Date: 1968
- Theme(s): Education, People, Awards/Special Distinction
- Location: Queen of Angels Catholic School in Duncan
- Source info (type – name): Newspaper — Cowichan Leader
- Photographer credit: Leader Staff Photo
- Individuals identified: Mrs. Ruby Peter and Mrs. Cecelia Alphonse
Learn more
This was a story published in: the Cowichan Leader, 19 June 1968.
Star pupil of the Cowichan School District adult education program, which completed its nine-month courses last month, was 74-year old Mrs. Cecelia Alphonse (right) seen here receiving a certificate stating she has been promoted to Grade 2. Presenting the certificate is Mrs. Ruby Peters, a member of the Cowichan Indian Band’s education committee, co-sponsors of the program. Instrction was based on the elementary school curriculum adapted to the needs of the band members who enrolled in Grades 1 to 8. The wind-up dinner and presentation of awards was made June 10 in the Queen of Angels school auditorium.
Related images
Related images to come.
Leave a Reply