The frog days of summer - Harbour Spiel Online

it might have happened...
Pender Harbour
thought. He missed his family but he was a pragmatic
man who chose to concentrate his efforts
on the problems before him. It was an outlook
that had served him well during the 20 years
since the last epidemic. He survived by taking
what his parents and grandparents were able to
teach him and combining it with the ways of the
white man. Or, in his case, the ways of the Chinese
man.
He probably didn’t think his experience was
remarkable but Qwuní had undergone a unique
cultural fusion of his Shishalh ancestry with
hefty doses of European, Nlaka’pamux and Chinese
infl uences.
He was able to understand some Chinese
and was fl uent in his and Lucy’s hybridization
of Coast Salish and the Nlaka’pamux
language. His English was still weak but he
could easily communicate with Europeans
familiar with the coastal Chinook jargon.
He would often use Chinese spices when
preparing food and would observe Chinese
holidays with his friends.
If he lived during modern times, Qwuní
would have been ideally suited to become a
diplomat — if he wasn’t so surly.
Though a loyal and caring friend, Qwuní
was a man scarred by the anguish of his past.
His quiet personality couldn’t cloak
bouts of dark discomfort and as if embarrassed
by his moods, he would remove himself
from human company until they passed.
Qwuní was a protective uncle to Mary
but even she felt his inner tension and as a
child had always felt inexplicably nervous
around him.
As she matured, she acquired an understanding
of her complex friend and he became
her only confi dant.
After her discovery on Pender Hill, Mary
became intensely curious about Pender Harbour’s
past and she pressed Qwuní for stories
about his family and his early life.
He’d resist with short vague replies like,
“It was really bad times.”
But Mary was exceptionally bright and stubbornly
refused to allow him to dodge her questions.
After months of playing this game, Qwuní
started to give in to her persistence and began
fi lling in the missing details of his life.
Her curiosity about an etched piece of copper
he proudly hung in his Skardon Island home
seemed to stir a particularly emotional memory
She would later write of his reaction,
(Continued next month)
Artwork courtesy of Hsu family collection
Mary Hsu’s portrait of her family friend Qwuní when he was about
40 years old.
September 2012 Page 41