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As I Remember It: Teachings (Ɂəms tɑɁɑw) from the Life of a Sliammon Elder This label refers to a teaching that emerges throughout this book: “you learn from someone by example.” (The literal translation of tiʔiwš is “fast learner.”) The goal of this book is to share ɬaʔamɩn teachings and history widely with ɬaʔamɩn community members, students, and teachers at all levels, and with any other interested readers. This is Elsie’s goal in sharing ʔəms tɑʔɑw, and all of the authors hope the book serves an educational purpose. The authors ask readers to take care to use this information respectfully and in context. The Sliammon-language term for this label means “it is mine.” This book contains the teachings and history of the ɬaʔamɩn people as remembered and narrated by Elder Elsie Paul. The effort and care she takes in this work is important. She offers a counter-narrative to incorrect and inappropriate interpretations previously drawn by settlers. Please respect Elsie Paul’s right and responsibility to relate the history and teachings in her own words. She does so from her own perspective and does not attempt to speak for all ɬaʔamɩn people. Please attribute the stories shared in this book to Elsie Paul.

Some sections of this book are authored by other individuals and should be attributed to the appropriate person(s) as indicated. Material in this book may be culturally sensitive for a number of reasons. This label identifies such content by stating: “it is ours.”

ɬaʔamɩn teachings, laws, and practices that flow from them are subject to the ʔəms naʔ label because they are communally held and collectively stewarded by ɬaʔamɩn people for future generations. Much of this knowledge is captured in our legends, for example. The authors recognize that ɬaʔamɩn, Klahoose, and Homalco families have their own tellings of the legends.

Other parts of the book are labelled “ʔəms naʔ” because the ongoing nature of settler colonialism means that the histories discussed here are not part of a distant past. For close to a century, colonial laws and policies prevented community members from sharing teachings freely in their community without fear of punishment or retribution, imposing silences that remain even today. Thus this label also applies to chapters that discuss the genocidal practices that sought to interrupt the transmission of teachings and to sever ɬaʔamɩn sovereign rights to their territory.

Please treat information and photographs marked with this label with special care, especially if you plan to share them with others.

Mink and Salal

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Mink and Salal
So then he goes off lookin’ for another. And the next thing he sees is the Salal. The Salal bush. Beautiful Salal bush! They’re so green and huge bushes. The beautiful berries on there. And he comes upon Salal bush, and he says, “Oh my goodness! Oh, you’re so pretty, Salal. Oh, you’re beautiful. Oh! I’d like to be with you.” And Salal says, “Oh, go away. What are you doing here? Just go away. We’re not a match.”
qɑyχ says, “Oh, I can live your life, and I’ll be happy with you. I wanna be with you.” And Salal says, “I don’t think so.” And this went on, but again, qɑyχ won in the end, ’cause he was so persistent. Salal says to him, “You know, every time you put your arms around me, I will be rustling, and that’s not going to be very good.” And qɑyχ says, “Oh, that’s not a problem. That’s not a problem. It’ll be good. We’ll be happy.” So he gets together with the Salal, and sure enough, every time he’d go and give her a hug or embrace her, she would rustle, rustle, rustle. And he got pretty tired of that pretty quick. And he says to Salal, “Oh, this is not working. I’m just going to go on my way. ’Cause every time I embrace you, you’re rustle, rustle, rustle,” he says. So that was another failed adventure for him.