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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. Clean Roots
4. Digging for 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. Baskets for Hawaii
17. Baby Papoose (1)
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
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
37. Graduation (1)
38. Preparing an Offering
39. First Home
40. mɑksɛmɑ’s Cabin in toχʷnɑč (Okeover)
41. Prince William
42. Party at Elsie Paul’s House
43. Elders' Gathering
44. 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.
45. Having a Laugh
46. Working Out
48. Retirement
49. Bride and Groom
50. Joining Council
51. Baby Glen
52. The Children at Home
53. The Ladies
54. Visiting with Annie and Norman Gallagher
55. Elsie at Steveston in the Late 1940s
56. Friends (1)
57. 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.
58. Elsie at Home
59. Sliammon Village Waterfront
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
68. On the Town
69. Newlyweds
70. Wearing Slacks
73. Repatriation
74. Going to Church (1)
75. Settlers’ Camp (1)
76. Dedicated Work Partners
78. A Visit with Auntie Katherine
79. 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).
81. Christmas with the Girls
82. Baby Marlane
83. Traditional Prayer Songs
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. Beautiful Baskets
99. Author Group (7)
100. The Shield
101. Friends (2)
102. Author Group (8)
103. Pals
105. Author Group (5)
106. Rowing with mɑksɛmɑ
107. Author Group (4)
108. Author Group (6)
110. Life History of This Project
111. Sharing the Book (2)
112. Territory
113. Becoming Strong
114. Give It to Them
115. Sharing the Book (5)
116. Sharing the Book (3)
117. Cleansing
118. tʼᶿɛwqʼ (pronunciation)
119. Living with the Land
120. Old-Timers and Hard Work
121. You Thank It
122. Gifted People
123. Watch Your Children
127. Community Activities
128. Contact Happened
129. Designated Area
130. Sharing the Book (4)
131. Problems Handed down from History
132. Thank the Creator
133. When It’s Your Time
134. We Were Already Here
135. Part of Our Survival
136. Root Digging
137. Grieving
138. Recovery
139. tɑʔɑw
140. He Got His Spirit Back
141. Author Group (3)
142. Lonely and Homesick
143. Her Name Was Jane
144. New Year’s Dance
145. The Young Girl and Eleven Puppies (English)
146. Author Group (2)
147. The Chinese Restaurant
148. The Young Girl and Eleven Puppies (Sliammon)
150. My Dog Patsy
151. Homebrew
152. Times of Transition
153. Police Patrol (2)
154. Collecting Branches
155. Police Patrol (1)
156. Author Group (1)
161. Paul Family Photo
162. New Baby
163. Naming Ceremony
164. Preparing Fish and Community Drive-Through
165. The Police Were Standing by the Bed
166. Showcasing This Book
Contents of this tag:
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. 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.
10. Basket for Aunt Agnes’s Daughter
11. Berry Pickers' Cabin
12. Three Generations
13. lɑsɑ and Granny Molly
14. Portrait of Molly and lɑsɑ
15. 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.
16. Granny with the Kids
18. Molly and Annie
21. Kora's Strawberry Farm
23. Going to Town
24. Sundays
25. Important Medicine
26. Beautiful Baskets
27. Living with the Land
29. Thank the Creator
30. Part of Our Survival
31. The Chinese Restaurant
Contents of this tag: