![]() ![]() In some families, many traditional teachings are not taught to the young. With the introduction of the English language and Western ways of thinking, a breakdown in language and cultural traditions has occurred. There are Kwakw ak a‘wakw whose old people rejected their culture when the government created laws that made the practice of our way of life illegal. There are Kwakw ak a‘wakw who have had the benefit of the old people who continued to practice their ways during the dark years when our cultural ceremonies and ways of doing things was outlawed by the Government of Canada. This delicate balance is no longer recognized by all Kwakw ak a‘wakw. Each listener takes away the teachings and meanings from the stories and songs, and uses the principles to help them in their own lives. In Indigenous cultures, teaching every generation is illustrated in stories, songs and ceremonies. These teachings and creation stories show the next generation how to live, share and maya’x ala (treat others and things the way you want to be treated ) all things. The woman T’łisdak eventually allowed We ka’yi to build a house and make t’łi’na (oolichan oil) every spring (Duff, Prior to 1965 ). This ancestor We ka’yi met a woman named T’łisdak and she had wings on her back on the T’łi’na t’łi’na. The late Cape Mudge Chief Billy Assu shared the story of how his people in ancient times after the flood came to live near the T’łi’na t’łi’na River for a period of time. In pre-contact time there was an understanding that the balance between people and what nature had to provide was to be maintained. ![]() The songs, dances and language recount the Kwak’wala speaking people’s connection to and maya’x ala (the closest English translation is the word respect) for the land and sea that provided and continues to provide what is needed to live. Each one of the 18 tribes within the Kwakw ak a‘wakw territory has their own origin stories which tell the oral history of the first ancestors. Kwakw ak a‘wakw have lived on the central coast since the time when K‘ani ki’lakw (the transformer) was moving through the world changing things. I have heard our Kwak’wala language all my life, but I am not a fluent speaker. I am the second of five children and have been fortunate to grow up in a very culturally and politically active family. I am a ‘N am gis woman from the River Gw ani (Nimpkish River), the daughter of Gwi’mo’las Elder Vera Newman and O’wa xalag a’lis Chief Roy Cranmer. I live in ‘Y alis (Alert Bay), British Columbia (BC). I am ‘Nalaga Donna Cranmer, the dawning of a new day. ![]() Xw anukwes Gwi’mo’las dlu O’wa xalag a’lis. ‘Nugwa’ am ‘Nala ga, gayutl an la x ‘Y alis, ‘N am giya xsa’m an, wanukws Gwa’ni. Chapter 12 – Dzaxwan (Oolichan Fish): Stories my Elders Told Me ‘Nalaga Donna Cranmer ![]()
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