CBRC has been fortunate to be gifted wisdom and leadership by Indigenous and mostly Two-Spirit Elders when planning our events and activities. With their involvement, CBRC has been able to enrich the quality of our programming, advance the services we deliver, and improve the experiences of participants.
Two Coast Salish Elders have played a key role in our organization.
Florence James has been talking about Indigenous and Two-Spirit issues since Summit 2016, when her son, Rocky James introduced us to his mom. She has been able to ground the work of the CBRC in the traditional territory of local host First Nations, and the broader Coast and Interior Salish Nation. Providing access to the Hul’qumi’num language, she has also raised awareness among the CBRC community on what is involved in Coast Salish ceremony. In 2019, Florence gifted CBRC with a Coast Salish word for Two-Spirit Longhouse: Hwulhs'uq Le Lum.
Bill White carries two traditional Xwulmuxw names, Kasalid and Xelimulh. After his father died when he was five, Bill was raised by his very strong traditional mother, Kay George. He has worked with traditional Elders since the seventies all the way up to his time at the University of Victoria as its’ Aboriginal Liaison Officer (1993-2006). During that time, he was influenced by Agnes Pierre, Theresa Smith, Dr. Samuel Sam, Chief Adam Dick and Kim Recalma-Clutesi. Uncle Bill, as he’s known by some, has authored several papers on Coast Salish tradition and ceremony. You can read some of his work here:
-
Thunderbirds, Xaals and Creation Stories: Coast Salish Art –Syuth Our History (2020)
This presentation provides examples of how art and design serve as an instrument to showcase history, people, and traditions.
-
“All the People Here are Your Family… We Should Stand Together” (2019)
The purpose of this short paper is to provide the context for some of the activities and or actions found within Coast Salish longhouses. The Coast Salish inhabit southwestern British Columbia, northwest Washington State and southeast Vancouver Island.
-
Protecting Our Heritage – Lummi Nation. (2017)
The Lummi Plankhouse project titled: ‘Protecting our Heritage’ is a 12-minute documentary presented by First Nations Development Institute and the Lummi Systems of Care Expansion Program. Protecting our Heritage documents the story of longhouse and its origins.
-
“It Would Be Good If We All Could Learn To Bend Before We Break” – Xpey/Cedar As a Sacred Tool
This article is drawn from an earlier article prepared for the Kw’am Kw’um Sulitst HIV/AIDS project, Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre, Cowichan Tribes in order to develop new materials to strengthen Sul’eluhwst/elders community education using language and teachings.
-
Coast Salish Elders/S‘ul‘elehw: General Background and Principles
This short paper attempts to define the role of traditionally trained elders and make reference to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. It talks about the challenges associated with understanding the place of the old people and the degree to which they speak of stability, of belonging and of balance within tribal communities
Soaring Thunderbird, Leaping Wolf
William Flett, Haida Artist (2019)