kač̓asʔap • A Traditional Barbecue

ḥimčiƛitin ḥuučuqƛisʔatḥqin ʔuuʔatup huuḥtakšiiḥm̓inḥʔapʔi hiłḥ sayaač̓akʔi qicuwił c̓uumaʕas qʷaaʔapqinʔaała kač̓asʔap. ʔuḥit ḥuučuqƛisʔatḥ qaacii muuc̓iq miʕaat, qaaciiƛa čaqc̓uu saamin. ʔuḥʔał t̓aqumsʔaqƛ, Cooper ʕaakʕaakʷa ʔukʷiił kač̓asy̓ak ḥumisḥtinʔap. ḥačatak̓aƛni ʔuuʔuuqč̓ap ʔiisaakst̓ał.

Our Uchucklesaht people demonstrated for teachers at Alberni District Secondary School how we barbecue salmon. Uchucklesaht Tribe Government donated four sockeye, as well as canned salmon. Joshua and Cooper carved the barbecue sticks from red cedar wood. We all enjoyed ourselves in a respectful way.

ciiqmałapaƛ ʔaʕinčatʔat ʔuumac̓uk qʷaaʔap̓atʔitqʔaała ƛ̓uukʷił ʕicsy̓in, qʷeeʔiitq
ƛułsy̓i ƛ̓imcsit. waaʔaƛ, —wiiy̓aatma waaḥwaaḥat haʔum. huʔayiiʔatʔaała n̓aas
qʷiimałukʷii, huʔayaaqƛ̓aƛ̓atsuk y̓uuqʷaa.

Gloria talked about how to smoke fish spines, and how fish broth is good medicine. She said, ‘You never waste food. You give back to Mother Nature what is left, and it will be given back to you.’

ʔaʔaatuuʔaƛ̓at, —ʔuušstiyaḥasuu ʔuuḥw̓ał ʕałmapt k̓ač̓asʔap̓aƛquusuu.

She was asked, ‘Do you use yellow cedar sometimes when you barbecue?’

—wiiy̓amin ʔuuḥw̓ał ʕałmapt, ʔani ƛ̓uuƛ̓upałaapuƛqa. ƛuułƛuułamiḥsapni siqaa.qʷaaʔapniʔaała qʷaaʔapckʷakqin nananiqsu,— waaʔaƛ ʔaʕinčatʔat.

“We never use yellow cedar wood, because it gets too hot. We want it to cook slowly. This is how we do it, just as our ancestors did,” said Gloria.

Story contributed by Gloria Rush, Joshua Shaw and Adam Werle