Squamish Nation Elder

Today we were so lucky to be able to welcome Dallas to our classroom.  Dallas is an Elder from the Squamish Nation, Coast Salish peoples, and a local resident living in the Capitano reservation.  What an amazing cultural experience to hear ancestral stories, dance traditional dances, and hear about local legends.

These are some of the things we learned:

• People of the Squamish Nation are called, "people of the water" because they lived on the beach.
• Totem poles represent history through story-telling.  The story begins at the bottom and ends at the top.
• The Squamish Nation logo is the Thunderbird - a mythical creature.  You can identify a thunderbird in totems and other art as the bird with feathers sticking up at the back of its neck.
• First Nations people did not identify each other by surnames historically.  They used clans instead.   A bear carving outside a home, told others that someone of the bear clan lived there.
• Siwash Rock at Stanley Park is part of a legend that reminds parents to live a healthy lifestyle for the sake of their children.

The video below is the "Welcoming Song."  Each group of dancers has been assigned a clan animal and asked to dance as that animal would.

Enjoy :-)