From the Front Porch of LynnValleyLife
By Robin Thorneycroft, contributing writer
Suddenly
there is quiet – 50 formerly noisy, energetic Grade 3 students have
just stepped into the forest. Since they started school, the students
have been told they would go to the Big House, now known as the
longhouse. For months, they have been working with their teachers and
special Aboriginal instructors to gain a base of knowledge they hope
will transform into appreciation. The moment they begin their time at Cheakamus Centre, it is clear this not a typical school day.
For decades, parents in the North
Vancouver School District have been sending their children to Paradise
Valley – first on trains; now in school buses for the unique programs
offered at Cheakamus Centre – remembered by many as the North Vancouver
Outdoor School. But unless you check out the Centre’s Open House,
only a few lucky parents get to experience this themselves. Thus it was
that LynnValleyLife tagged along with Lynn Valley Elementary on a
recent visit to see firsthand what this Indigenous Cultural Program is
about.
The Forest
Dusted with snow, the forest glowed as
the sun shone through a light fog as students were divided into groups
for an interpretive walk. Indigenous Cultural Program Coordinator Sarah
Davidson-James and Indigenous Cultural Program Staff Member Mathew
Siýámken Williams took the groups along the Ch’iyákmesh (Cheakamus)
River. It was clear which children frequently visit the forest and for
which this was a rare experience – some walked tentatively on the uneven
icy ground while other bounded through the snow. Every couple of
minutes Mathew would gather the group to share some ecological or
cultural knowledge. Students were encouraged to pick up fallen materials
– like moss, lichen or horsetails – to feel or use them as Skwxwú7mesh
(Squamish) people did.
We learned what plants made what
pigments for art or ceremonial purposes. Quickly there were 20 children
sputtering into horsetails after Mathew shared they were used as
whistles. As the walk continued to a 750-year-old cedar tree, a few
clear notes rang through the forest.
750-year-old cedar
The
trees in this area are stunning, but the second growth looks nothing
like the ancient stumps that dot the forest or one of the few remaining
ancient cedars. It took about 17 students to encircle the base of
towering tree.
The walk
emphasized how First Nations people used and respected the forest. The
students were keenly interested in how the Skwxwú7mesh people chose to
use cedar trees based on their gender. Women would use female trees and
men would use male trees. Another fact that resonated with the students
was how Skwxwú7mesh children are taught to harvest cedar bark – people
were taught to harvest a strip of bark only as wide as their two hands.
If children were gathering, their strips were obviously smaller. The
students could identify trees that had been harvested by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh
people about their age. Experiential moments like this throughout the
day seemed to foster connection – students were relating to information
in a much different way than what they learn in a classroom.
The Programs
Skw’une-was (the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh word for
partnership), the overnight Grade 3 program is a provincially recognized
program tied to the BC Curriculum, said Sepideh Tazzman, communications
and marketing manager for the Cheakamus Centre. It began after a
conference in 1985 of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people, North Vancouver District
educators, and a few non-First Nations guests knowledgeable in Northwest
Coast First Nations culture.
“During the conference that was the
impetus for the program, participants listened to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh
people speak of their values, attitudes and ways of life as well as
traditional family roles and structures, and the approach to educating
by example. It also included discussions about religious beliefs and
language, as well as sharing experiences of the past and hopes for the
future of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people,” said Sepideh. “Both First Nations
and non-First Nations came away from the conference with a heightened
understanding of and respect for one another. The sharing that had taken
place developed into the longhouse curriculum and embodies the same
sense of partnership between cultures.”
Within
the halls of NVSD schools the program is known as Skw’unw-was and a
much anticipated highlight of the year. The program is based on three
major ideas that underlie the activities at the longhouse: respect,
sharing, and seasonality, said Sepideh.
Those
themes ran throughout the experience, from respecting the elders by
serving them their food first, to respecting the forest by leaving any
souvenirs that students had gathered; sharing of knowledge and
cooperating to make lunch; to discussing the changing forest and work
needed to survive there throughout the year.
A
big takeaway for all the students was how Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people had to be
patient and plan – nothing was instant like today’s culture. If you
wanted a blanket it took five years to gather the wool and another year
to weave, according to Mathew. If you wanted to weave hats or mats the
cedar had to be harvested and dried for a year before you could get to
work.
The Longhouse
The whispers begin even before the
field trip forms go home. They have heard from older students…. The
smoke…. The fire….The longhouse. In a day of many memories, the
longhouse at Cheakamus Centre leaves the most lasting impression. The
imposing – yet cozy – structure is the centerpiece of the program.
The
students were greeted by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Elder Henry Khapquolanogh
Williams at the bridge leading to the longhouse. Students announced
their arrival and he welcomed them to the longhouse and invited them in.
The dark, open room was hazy from smoke and warm from fire.
Inside
Mathew explains the history, some basic building techniques, the core
ideas of communal living, the astounding fact that longhouses were moved
– sometimes on canoes – to different parts of Howe Sound and Burrard
Inlet seasonally. Students were given an overview of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh life,
beginning with food.
Cooking box
If you ask the kids, the most
exciting moment of the program was seeing parent volunteers pull glowing
rocks from the fire. Students carefully wiped ashes from the stones
with cedar bows, before they were placed inside a pot with water and
vegetables. Within a cooking box the veggies boiled and cooked while the
children roasted bannock over the fire.
Inside
and outside the longhouse students cooked their bannock while Mathew
explained Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people originally made bread from a flour made
from the alder tree and a lichen commonly called old man’s beard. The
memorable meal was topped off with salmon prepared by Cheakamus Centre
staff.
The Work
Another key piece of the program is
experiencing the traditional day-to-day tasks of the Coast Salish
people. Groups of students were able to participate in two experiences,
choosing from Plant Gatherers, Wood Workers, Cedar Bark Workers, Wool
Weavers, or Hunters/Fishers.
Mathew
took the Hunters/Fishers down to the river. It was a humbling moment to
learn Sḵwx̱wú7mesh means “People of the Fish Weir” while learning about
how they would traditionally fish.
The students were awed seeing Mathew
pull an obsidian arrowhead from his pocket. They scoured the beach
looking for basalt, that flakes in a similar way, and a rock to make
their own. After seeing an American Dipper fish on the river it was time
to head back and try their hand at weaving.
Alongside the longhouse and the outdoor
cooking fire, students settled into patiently weaving cedar strips. The
slow practice was carefully guide by Elder Henry. He shared photos of
elaborate projects inspiring the students to focus harder on their
works.
The End
Time
at the longhouse flies by. Students, parents, teachers and cultural
staff gathered around the longhouse fire one more time to share thoughts
of the experience. The take-away from the program is that it fosters an
appreciation and understanding of First Nations. The personal stories
and anecdotes from indigenous cultural staff and elders help students
understand that while they are experiencing a portion of history, they
are still learning about issues relevant today – jaws dropped across the
fire when Mathew shared there are only seven fluent Sḵwx̱wú7mesh
language speakers left. These experiences push some kids out of their
comfort zones and invigorate others with a deeper understanding of the
forest they love.
With hair scented with wood smoke students filed back on to the bus with exclamations of this being the “best trip ever.” Osieum (“Oh-see-em”) to Cheakamus Centre and NVSD for sharing it.
The 49th Annual Cheakamus Centre Open House is on Sunday, May 6th, 2018 from 10:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m..
Read the original article at LynnVallyLife.com: http://lynnvalleylife.com/blog/out-of-the-school-yard-and-up-to-big-house/.