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As I Remember It: Teachings (Ɂəms tɑɁɑw) from the Life of a Sliammon Elder

qʷʋl čʼɛ tɑwθɛm kʷut tɑmʌs (They [Spirits] Just Came and Told You Something)

Visit “Three Narratives in Sliammon” to learn more about the English translation and linguistic analysis below.

This is an excerpt from a much longer recording of a conversation between Elsie and the late Mary George. Mary’s responses to Elsie, which were almost entirely interjections, were taken out in the version in the book for reasons of space. The excerpt is presented here as the segment was originally recorded and transcribed.

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4. Language Work Linguist Honoré Watanabe stands behind ɬaʔamɩn Elders at the Elders Lodge. Elsie was caretaker and lived at the Elders Lodge for many years. From left: Marion Harry, Mary George, and Elsie Paul. Honoré worked extensively with these three women over more than two decades, living with Elsie during his time in Sliammon. Marion was Elsie’s “little sister” at residential school and worked with Honoré to transcribe and translate the selections in Sliammon language included in this publication.
5. Dedicated Work Partners
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4. Basket for Baby Jeannie
5. Baby Baskets Baby baskets made by Molly Timothy (Granny Molly) in the early 1950s. The basket on the left was made for Jeannie, born to Elsie Paul in 1954, and has since been used for all of Elsie’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The blue design is made with natural and dyed cherry bark. The basket on the right was made for a daughter of Elsie’s Aunt Agnes, and the design is woven with dyed reed.
6. Fine Craftsmanship
8. Granny Molly’s Baby Baskets Side by Side Baby baskets made by Molly Timothy (Granny Molly) in the early 1950s. The basket on the left was made for Jeannie, born to Elsie Paul in 1954, and has since been used for all of Elsie’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The blue design is made with natural and dyed cherry bark. The basket on the right was made for a daughter of Elsie’s Aunt Agnes, and the design is woven with dyed reed.
9. Basket for Aunt Agnes’s Daughter
10. Baby Massage (1)
11. Baby Massage (2)
12. Baby Massage (3)
13. Baby Papoose (1)
14. Baby Papoose (2)
15. Important Medicine
16. Beautiful Baskets
17. Thank the Creator
18. Her Name Was Jane
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9. Sechelt Indian Reserve Church Opening
10. Basket for Baby Jeannie
11. Downtown Vancouver
12. Fine Craftsmanship
13. Baby Baskets Baby baskets made by Molly Timothy (Granny Molly) in the early 1950s. The basket on the left was made for Jeannie, born to Elsie Paul in 1954, and has since been used for all of Elsie’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The blue design is made with natural and dyed cherry bark. The basket on the right was made for a daughter of Elsie’s Aunt Agnes, and the design is woven with dyed reed.
14. Granny Molly’s Baby Baskets Side by Side Baby baskets made by Molly Timothy (Granny Molly) in the early 1950s. The basket on the left was made for Jeannie, born to Elsie Paul in 1954, and has since been used for all of Elsie’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The blue design is made with natural and dyed cherry bark. The basket on the right was made for a daughter of Elsie’s Aunt Agnes, and the design is woven with dyed reed.
15. ɬaʔamɩn Parade
16. Basket for Aunt Agnes’s Daughter
17. Sechelt Indian Marching Band
18. Berry Picking (1)
19. Buddies (1)
20. Berry Pickers' Cabin
21. ɬaʔamɩn Boys
22. Mary George and Denise Smith
23. Going to Work
24. Willie and Daisy Paul
25. Elsie’s Great-Grandparents
26. Makeshift Church
27. Remains of the Fire
28. Away from Home
29. Rose and Alec Louie
30. Glen Paul, Stella Olney, and Sharon Paul
31. Baskets for Hawaii
32. Sliammon Sacred Heart Church
33. Class of 1917
35. tʼᶿɛwqʼ (Elderberries)
36. Making Music
37. Visiting with Annie and Norman Gallagher
38. The Powell River Royal Canadian Mounted Police
39. Sechelt Residential School
40. Residential School Chapel (1)
41. A Day in Town
42. Death but Not Sin
43. Sliammon Day School In addition to attending the Sechelt Indian Residential School, Elsie Paul occasionally attended a day school in the Sliammon community in the winter months. The Sliammon day school teachers were Pat McGuiness and Mr. Gallagher. Back row: Unknown boy with hat, Katherine Blaney, Teacher Pat McGuinness, Rosaline Wilson, unknown girl, Marilyn Louie (tall in the very back behind unknown girl) Middle row: Ernie Galligos (shorter boy), Joe Paul, Agnes Paul, unknown girl, Front (Small Children): Sarah tom, Maggie Wilson, and Joe Francis (Elsie Paul's half brother)
44. Annie Blaney at Okeover
45. Shinglemill
46. Baskets in Progress
47. Boat to Westview When this photo was taken, it was quicker to get to town by boat than by foot, since people didn’t have cars yet. Peggy Harry is at the back of the group (with barrettes in her hair); Molly Timothy is on the right (with headband); Elsie Paul is in the centre (with flowers in her hair); Stella Timothy is centre right, beside Elsie; further right, holding a baby, is Agnes McGee, and in front of her is Sosen Galligos. Smokey John is on the left (wearing a hat), and lɑsɑ is in front of him.
48. Day School
49. Bows and Arrows Powell River community members commemorated British Columbia’s centennial by dressing up in costumes that reflected their imagination of how “Indians” and “pioneers” looked in the nineteenth century. This was a common practice in settler communities in Canada and the United States. Settlers “played Indian” for reasons that ranged from political protest to entertainment. The act of “playing Indian” expressed a settler sense of entitlement to the places that they or their ancestors had colonized. The costumes did not demonstrate meaningful relationship or engagement with Indigenous peoples or practices. Today, we understand these occasions to be forms of cultural appropriation.
50. Boat Ramp at the Shinglemill
51. Willie and Alec
52. Children “Playing Indian” Powell River community members commemorated British Columbia’s centennial by dressing up in costumes that reflected their imagination of how “Indians” and “pioneers” looked in the nineteenth century. This was a common practice in settler communities in Canada and the United States. Settlers “played Indian” for reasons that ranged from political protest to entertainment. The act of “playing Indian” expressed a settler sense of entitlement to the places that they or their ancestors had colonized. The costumes did not demonstrate meaningful relationship or engagement with Indigenous peoples or practices. Today, we understand these occasions to be forms of cultural appropriation.
53. Rodmay Hotel
54. Church House
55. Golfing “Indian” Powell River community members commemorated British Columbia’s centennial by dressing up in costumes that reflected their imagination of how “Indians” and “pioneers” looked in the nineteenth century. This was a common practice in settler communities in Canada and the United States. Settlers “played Indian” for reasons that ranged from political protest to entertainment. The act of “playing Indian” expressed a settler sense of entitlement to the places that they or their ancestors had colonized. The costumes did not demonstrate meaningful relationship or engagement with Indigenous peoples or practices. Today, we understand these occasions to be forms of cultural appropriation.
56. Society Lady “Indians” Powell River community members commemorated British Columbia’s centennial by dressing up in costumes that reflected their imagination of how “Indians” and “pioneers” looked in the nineteenth century. This was a common practice in settler communities in Canada and the United States. Settlers “played Indian” for reasons that ranged from political protest to entertainment. The act of “playing Indian” expressed a settler sense of entitlement to the places that they or their ancestors had colonized. The costumes did not demonstrate meaningful relationship or engagement with Indigenous peoples or practices. Today, we understand these occasions to be forms of cultural appropriation.
57. Patricia Theatre
58. Willie and Stanley
59. Patricia Theatre, Interior
60. Repatriation
62. Groundbreaking
63. Sing Lee Building
64. Rodmay
65. Kora's Strawberry Farm
67. Cafeteria
68. Procession from Our Lady of the Rosary Church
69. Berry Picking (2)
70. Residential School Chapel (2)
71. Paul Family
72. Bill, Rose, and čine
73. Beautiful Baskets
75. Powell River Motor Traders
77. Contact Happened
78. Designated Area
80. tʼᶿɛwqʼ
81. Problems Handed down from History
82. Part of Our Survival
83. We Were Already Here
84. Her Name Was Jane
86. Lonely and Homesick
87. The Chinese Restaurant
88. My Dog Patsy
89. Watch Your Children
90. Homebrew
92. Police Patrol (2)
94. Police Patrol (1)
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3. ɬaʔamɩn Parade
4. Mary George and Denise Smith
5. Working Together
6. Baskets for Hawaii
7. Language Work Linguist Honoré Watanabe stands behind ɬaʔamɩn Elders at the Elders Lodge. Elsie was caretaker and lived at the Elders Lodge for many years. From left: Marion Harry, Mary George, and Elsie Paul. Honoré worked extensively with these three women over more than two decades, living with Elsie during his time in Sliammon. Marion was Elsie’s “little sister” at residential school and worked with Honoré to transcribe and translate the selections in Sliammon language included in this publication.
8. Baskets in Progress
9. Party Time
11. Masters
12. Watch Your Children
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21. Christmas Blankets
22. Elders and Cedar Roots
23. Cutting Fish
25. Elsie at Deep Bay
27. Wedding Day
28. Elsie and Glen (2)
29. Elsie and Glen (1)
30. Elsie and Stella
31. Christmas (1)
32. Elders and Friends
33. Mother’s Day, 1980
34. Assessing the Catch
35. Elders' Gathering
36. First Home
37. Having a Laugh
38. At the Elders Lodge Elsie Paul with ɬaʔamɩn Elders when she was running the Elders’ program. Front row, from left: Elsie Paul, Henry Bob, Katherine Blaney, Mary Harry, Rose Louie (behind Mary), Joe Paul Sr. (behind Rose), Willie Bob, Calvin Harry. Back row, from left: Louise Bob, Marie Hackett (behind), Nora Wilson, Annie Dominick, Dave Dominick, Agnes McGee, Rose Peddie, Peta Francis (Okee Dokee), Johnny George, Charlie Charlie, Peggy Harry.
39. Working Out
40. Retirement
41. Preparing an Offering
43. mɑksɛmɑ’s Cabin in toχʷnɑč (Okeover)
44. Prince William
45. Party at Elsie Paul’s House
46. Graduation (1)
47. Joining Council
48. Bride and Groom
49. Baby Glen
50. Visiting with Annie and Norman Gallagher
51. The Children at Home
52. Elsie at Steveston in the Late 1940s
53. Friends (1)
54. The Ladies
55. Language Work Linguist Honoré Watanabe stands behind ɬaʔamɩn Elders at the Elders Lodge. Elsie was caretaker and lived at the Elders Lodge for many years. From left: Marion Harry, Mary George, and Elsie Paul. Honoré worked extensively with these three women over more than two decades, living with Elsie during his time in Sliammon. Marion was Elsie’s “little sister” at residential school and worked with Honoré to transcribe and translate the selections in Sliammon language included in this publication.
56. Sliammon Village Waterfront
57. Elsie at Home
58. A Day in Town
59. Collaborators
60. Elsie and Teresa at the Cannery
61. Elsie, Agnes, and Children
62. Elsie and Cathy (2)
63. Boat to Westview When this photo was taken, it was quicker to get to town by boat than by foot, since people didn’t have cars yet. Peggy Harry is at the back of the group (with barrettes in her hair); Molly Timothy is on the right (with headband); Elsie Paul is in the centre (with flowers in her hair); Stella Timothy is centre right, beside Elsie; further right, holding a baby, is Agnes McGee, and in front of her is Sosen Galligos. Smokey John is on the left (wearing a hat), and lɑsɑ is in front of him.
64. Elsie and Cathy (1)
65. Party Time
66. On the Town
67. Newlyweds
68. Wearing Slacks
70. Repatriation
72. Going to Church (1)
73. Settlers’ Camp (1)
74. Dedicated Work Partners
76. Siblings Elsie Paul with her siblings at her brother Barney’s house in the early ’80s. Standing, from left: Teddy Francis (Elsie’s brother), Leo Francis (Elsie’s brother), Lillian Francis (Elsie’s niece, Barney Francis’s daughter), Elsie Paul, Doreen Hopkins (Elsie’s sister), Charlene Francis (Elsie’s niece), Jason Francis (Elsie’s nephew), Greg Francis (inch, Elsie’s nephew). Seated, from left: Aunt Agnes McGee, Rita Francis (Elsie’s sister), Nancy Phillips (Elsie’s sister), Vangie Francis (Elsie’s niece), Elizabeth Blaney (Elsie’s sister), Lily Timothy (Elsie’s mother).
77. A Visit with Auntie Katherine
79. Christmas with the Girls
80. Traditional Prayer Songs
81. Baby Marlane
85. Honorary Doctorate
87. Helping Ma
88. Going to Church (2)
89. Childhood Friends
91. Paul Family
92. Elsie Paul with King of the Sea
94. Important Medicine
95. Author Group (7)
96. Beautiful Baskets
97. Friends (2)
98. The Shield
99. Pals
100. Rowing with mɑksɛmɑ
101. Author Group (5)
102. Author Group (4)
103. Author Group (8)
104. Author Group (6)
106. Give It to Them
107. Sharing the Book (5)
108. Becoming Strong
109. Territory
110. Life History of This Project
111. Sharing the Book (2)
112. Living with the Land
113. tʼᶿɛwqʼ (pronunciation)
114. Sharing the Book (3)
115. Cleansing
116. Designated Area
117. Old-Timers and Hard Work
118. Gifted People
119. Sharing the Book (4)
120. You Thank It
121. Community Activities
122. Watch Your Children
123. Contact Happened
124. The Young Girl and Eleven Puppies (English)
125. Thank the Creator
126. The Chinese Restaurant
127. When It’s Your Time
128. Homebrew
129. Problems Handed down from History
130. The Young Girl and Eleven Puppies (Sliammon)
131. Author Group (3)
132. Grieving
133. We Were Already Here
134. Author Group (2)
135. My Dog Patsy
136. Root Digging
137. Recovery
138. Part of Our Survival
139. Times of Transition
140. Lonely and Homesick
141. tɑʔɑw
142. He Got His Spirit Back
143. New Year’s Dance
144. Her Name Was Jane
145. Police Patrol (1)
146. Collecting Branches
147. Police Patrol (2)
148. Author Group (1)
149. Paul Family Photo
150. New Baby
151. Naming Ceremony
152. The Police Were Standing by the Bed
153. Preparing Fish and Community Drive-Through
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Watch Your Children 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.