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

tɑʔɑw

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Contents of this tag:
Contents of this tag:
23. Christmas Blankets
24. Elders and Cedar Roots
25. Elsie at Deep Bay
27. Cutting Fish
29. Wedding Day
30. Elders and Friends
31. Elsie and Glen (2)
32. Assessing the Catch
33. Elsie and Glen (1)
34. Elsie and Stella
35. Christmas (1)
36. Mother’s Day, 1980
37. Elders' Gathering
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. Having a Laugh
40. Working Out
42. Retirement
43. Bride and Groom
44. Joining Council
45. Baby Glen
46. mɑksɛmɑ’s Cabin in toχʷnɑč (Okeover)
47. Graduation (1)
48. Preparing an Offering
49. First Home
50. Prince William
51. Party at Elsie Paul’s House
52. Visiting with Annie and Norman Gallagher
53. Elsie at Steveston in the Late 1940s
54. Friends (1)
55. The Ladies
56. The Children at Home
57. Elsie at Home
58. Sliammon Village Waterfront
59. 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.
60. Collaborators
61. A Day in Town
62. Elsie and Teresa at the Cannery
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. Elsie, Agnes, and Children
66. Elsie and Cathy (2)
67. Party Time
68. On the Town
69. Newlyweds
70. Wearing Slacks
72. Repatriation
73. Going to Church (1)
74. Settlers’ Camp (1)
75. Dedicated Work Partners
78. 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).
79. A Visit with Auntie Katherine
81. Christmas with the Girls
82. Baby Marlane
83. Traditional Prayer Songs
88. Honorary Doctorate
89. Helping Ma
90. Going to Church (2)
91. Childhood Friends
92. Paul Family
94. Elsie Paul with King of the Sea
96. Important Medicine
98. Author Group (7)
99. The Shield
100. Friends (2)
101. Beautiful Baskets
102. Pals
103. Author Group (8)
105. Author Group (5)
106. Rowing with mɑksɛmɑ
107. Author Group (4)
108. Author Group (6)
109. Life History of This Project
111. Territory
112. Becoming Strong
113. Give It to Them
114. Sharing the Book (5)
115. Sharing the Book (2)
116. tʼᶿɛwqʼ (pronunciation)
117. Living with the Land
118. Cleansing
119. Sharing the Book (3)
122. Community Activities
123. Contact Happened
124. Designated Area
125. Sharing the Book (4)
126. Old-Timers and Hard Work
127. You Thank It
129. Gifted People
130. Watch Your Children
131. When It’s Your Time
132. We Were Already Here
133. Part of Our Survival
134. Root Digging
135. He Got His Spirit Back
136. Grieving
137. Recovery
138. tɑʔɑw
139. The Young Girl and Eleven Puppies (English)
140. Author Group (3)
141. Lonely and Homesick
142. Her Name Was Jane
143. New Year’s Dance
144. The Young Girl and Eleven Puppies (Sliammon)
145. Author Group (2)
146. The Chinese Restaurant
148. My Dog Patsy
149. Times of Transition
150. Homebrew
151. Problems Handed down from History
152. Thank the Creator
153. Police Patrol (2)
154. Collecting Branches
155. Police Patrol (1)
156. Author Group (1)
161. New Baby
162. Paul Family Photo
163. The Police Were Standing by the Bed
164. Showcasing This Book
165. Naming Ceremony
166. Preparing Fish and Community Drive-Through

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Home 153 blank 2021-09-27T12:53:08-07:00
As I Remember It
Teachings (Ɂəms tɑɁɑw) from
the Life of a Sliammon Elder
Elsie Paul
with Davis McKenzie, Paige Raibmon & Harmony Johnson
“
It’s very important, our tɑʔɑw. ‘tɑʔɑw’ means ‘the teaching.’
”
An Invitation to Listen
Well, my name is Elsie Paul. My ancestral name is qɑʔɑχstɑles, a name that was handed down to me by my grandfather. That was the ancestral name of his mother … I grew up with my grandmother. As was the custom with our people, the grandmothers always helped with bringing children up. My grandmother had lost her youngest daughter with that residential school experience that we all have heard and know about. She was about ten when she was taken away to residential school, in Sechelt. And she got very ill, very sick there, within a few months. And by the time they let my grandparents know – they went to pick her up by canoe to Sechelt. They got her home, and she was so weak they had to pack her on and off the boat. And within a few days she had died. So her name was Elsie. So that’s where I got my name from. My grandmother, when I was born, wanted me to be named Elsie after the daughter that she lost. And it’s been good. For me it was very good. I thank her for that.
I think it happens in a lot of cases that we all say later on, “I should have listened. I should have paid attention to what my grandmother was saying or my grandfather was saying.” Because back – earlier days, there was no documenting the teachings. It was all oral teachin’s. You had to listen. So I think that’s where a lot of it is lost now, because people are not listening or taking time to listen, or to share the teachings. That is so important. ’Cause it’s not documented. A lot of it is not documented. There is a little bit documented. But not enough. All the little details. So those things are really important to remember.
It’s very important, our tɑʔɑw. “tɑʔɑw” means “the teaching.” That we all carry the teaching, what we learned from our ancestors, the traditional teaching, the traditional values. “Ɂəms tɑɁɑw” – “our teaching,” that’s what that means.
It’s your job to look after yourself. To be well from inside and to teach that to your children, to teach that to your family, to set that example. When you listen to these stories, or the legends, or examples, and you apply that to your life. That’s why you’re the one that’s responsible for the direction your life takes you.
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© UBC Press 2019
ISBN 978-0-7748-6125-0