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

Beautiful Baskets

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3. Digging for Roots
4. Clean Roots
5. Master Basket Makers
6. 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.
7. Fine Craftsmanship
8. Basket for Baby Jeannie
9. Elders and Cedar Roots
10. 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.
11. Basket for Aunt Agnes’s Daughter
12. Learning by Watching
13. Root Cleaning
14. Working Together
15. Cleaning Roots
16. Baby Papoose (1)
17. Baskets for Hawaii
18. Baby Papoose (2)
19. Baskets in Progress
20. Repatriation
21. Beautiful Baskets
22. Masters
27. Root Digging
28. Part of Our Survival
29. The Chinese Restaurant
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8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Patricia Theatre, Interior
12. Rodmay Hotel
13. Patricia Theatre
14. 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.
17. Cafeteria
18. Beautiful Baskets
19. Territory
23. Contact Happened
24. Designated Area
25. We Were Already Here
26. Lonely and Homesick
28. Police Patrol (1)
31. Police Patrol (2)
34. The Police Were Standing by the Bed
Contents of this tag:
23. Christmas Blankets
24. Elders and Cedar Roots
25. Elsie at Deep Bay
27. Cutting Fish
29. Wedding Day
30. Christmas (1)
31. Mother’s Day, 1980
32. Elders and Friends
33. Elsie and Glen (2)
34. Assessing the Catch
35. Elsie and Glen (1)
36. Elsie and Stella
38. Retirement
39. Bride and Groom
40. Joining Council
41. Baby Glen
42. Graduation (1)
43. Preparing an Offering
44. First Home
45. mɑksɛmɑ’s Cabin in toχʷnɑč (Okeover)
46. Prince William
47. Party at Elsie Paul’s House
48. Elders' Gathering
49. 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.
50. Having a Laugh
51. Working Out
52. Friends (1)
53. The Children at Home
54. The Ladies
55. Visiting with Annie and Norman Gallagher
56. Elsie at Steveston in the Late 1940s
57. Sliammon Village Waterfront
58. 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.
59. Elsie at Home
60. A Day in Town
61. Collaborators
62. Elsie and Teresa at the Cannery
63. Elsie and Cathy (2)
64. Elsie and Cathy (1)
65. 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.
66. Elsie, Agnes, and Children
67. Party Time
69. On the Town
70. Newlyweds
71. Wearing Slacks
72. Settlers’ Camp (1)
73. Dedicated Work Partners
75. Repatriation
76. Going to Church (1)
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. Traditional Prayer Songs
83. Baby Marlane
88. Honorary Doctorate
89. Helping Ma
90. Going to Church (2)
91. Elsie Paul with King of the Sea
92. Childhood Friends
94. Paul Family
96. Important Medicine
97. Friends (2)
98. The Shield
99. Beautiful Baskets
101. Author Group (7)
103. Author Group (5)
104. Rowing with mɑksɛmɑ
105. Author Group (4)
106. Author Group (8)
107. Pals
109. Life History of This Project
110. Author Group (6)
111. Sharing the Book (5)
112. Sharing the Book (2)
113. Territory
114. Becoming Strong
115. Give It to Them
116. Sharing the Book (3)
117. Cleansing
118. tʼᶿɛwqʼ (pronunciation)
119. Living with the Land
120. Contact Happened
121. Sharing the Book (4)
122. Designated Area
123. You Thank It