A favourite legend is the Big Lady or the Cannibal Women.
It teaches children their boundaries of where they live and play. And the story of the Salmon People teaches how to be caretakers of our Earth and to respect everything, as our environment is so alive.
The Raven stole the sunshine and teaches how tricky people can be, but how smart you can be in situations with others.
I really enjoyed the story from Victor Elderton, principal of the North Van outdoor school, about the boy and the Cheakamus River, and how the living environment around the river takes care of each other.
These legends are told at the Salish Bighouse in the evenings with our own local Skomish people. If you'd like to hear these stories and learn the pre-contact time of our Skomish people, call the Outdoor School at 604-898-5422 and talk to Victor Elderton or Kate Keogh.
Chief Khatsalano as a young boy watched Vancouver burn to the ground. He died in the mid '60s. He would talk about so many traditional things like how different people are when it comes to the spirit world. The longhouse dancers have their own spiritual songs, and sing, dance and learn this through going for Indian baths and fasting. They become very strong in spirit and this helps them spiritually and through life. Longhouse dancing is only in the wintertime.
Some people would pray and be healers through the Shaker church.
The Stawamus Shaker church on Stawamus reserve has a Shaker minister. If you need some spiritual uplifting and praying for yourself and family, you can contact someone through Totem Hall for names and numbers to contact the Shaker minister.
Dominic Charlie, my late Great Grandpa, half brother to Khatsalano, used to stay overnight at our house and tell us legends, and the next day would bring us to dance with him at the Brackendale Elementary School. He loved sharing the traditional dances at different events like at Cultus Lake and Stanley Park, and we had to dance with him, but loved it. He is a father to my late grandma Bertha Billy. My late Grandpa Moses Billy, built the first 11-man race canoe that our family proudly raced in from Squamish to Stanley Park and Lummi Island, U.S. My dad Richard Billy helped tow the tree to Brackendale and took a few years waiting for the river to get full to pull it on the water.
Thanks to my dad, lots of knowledge was passed through canoe building and traditional ways. Thanks also goes out to my late elders who taught me, Anna Billy, Mabel Lewis and Margerate Lester.
Enjoy the New Year of 2009.
