Talaysay’s Blog
Discover the land through our writings
Tsúyun súkw'em - Peeling cedar bark
I’ve known cedar my whole life. Or I should say, it knows me. I’ve been alive for twenty seven
years–a blink of an eye compared to Cedar’s long life. Cedar has been around since time
immemorial, since time began. But there was a period when it disappeared, and it only returned
after the last Ice Age. When the last Ice Age melted and the land dried out (roughly 10,000
years ago) my people returned to these lands. Can you imagine, living on these lands with no
Cedar? There was spruce, which was commonly used, but when Cedar returned around 5,000
years ago, our people started to thrive. Growing from Northern California to Alaska, this tree
connects us all. Wherever there is Cedar, there is Cedar People.
From Land to Sea
I started as a walking guide, following my mentors through parks and trails, in forests and on our coasts, watching, listening, and interacting with plants and the land. I gained confidence through their oral teachings, through reading books, listening to audio and recordings of elders. Soon leading my own tours, expanding my knowledge and building webs of understanding within my mind. I learned to introduce myself confidently, speaking up and sharing my family’s story. Sharing how it felt to grow up disconnected, confused, and often even angry without fully understanding why. It wasn’t until working here, studying here, and understanding the true history of colonization did I see why I was so angry. This work has been healing, elevating and a literal breath of fresh air.
Returning to the Waters: Where Talaysay Tours First Began
I still remember the sharp echo of my grandmother's voice bouncing off the Sechelt Inlet, fierce and unwavering. We were so far out on the water that her words didn’t reach us clearly but her face said enough. She was standing on the shoreline, hands on her hips, shouting at my mother to turn back. I was too young, too small, too far. And maybe she was right.
Anticipating Silver | Preparing for the Herring Spawn.
Tem lhawt in Squamish means time of the herring. This is our word for March. It's an important time of the year, it's the arrival of fresh herring roe to the shorelines of west-coast BC. It marks the coming spring. And when the herring spawn, their roe feeds the entire food chain (including us big land animals). Tem lhawt is a time of celebration. For a long time, the slhawt did not return to our waters, but they've slowly been coming back, and for the past few years our Squamish community has been able to celebrate tem lhawt, time of the herring.
What Language Means to Us
Hi, my name is Shaelynn. I am a ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ Nation Member. I have grown up outside of my community and culture, spending the last few years reconnecting.
In my journey I have realized an emphasis on connection with land and language; how these two parts of our lives are integral to our identity and being. Not only are we in a time of reconnection, we are in a time of revitalization and reviving.
Born to the Land
When my daughter, Talaysay 7an, was born, she didn’t enter the world crying; she arrived with a shout, announcing, “I am here!” As a new mother, I held her for the first time, in awe as she stared back at me with intense brown eyes. In our Indigenous culture, we believe that a child chooses their parents.
Truth and Reconciliation: Two Friends, One Mission
I would like to introduce you to my s-yaya (friend), Richard Till. Richard, born in England, is a land-based educator, guide, builder, writer, and storyteller. He has been my closest friend and colleague for over 28 years, and together we have co-educated and built Talaysay Tours into the successful ecotourism business that it is today.
Introducing Beavers, Birds & Bannock
Our group met at the Smugglers Cove park entrance with adequate daylight to experience the coolness and semi-shade of the forest canopy, see and understand the transformation of forest to ponds though beaver activity and witness rich intertidal and marine ecosystems.
The Pathways of Life
Up in the headwaters of the Coastal Mountains are game trails etched forever in the land. These trails are the ways of the bear and wolves and lead down the valleys of creeks and then rivers to the estuaries where fresh water and saltwater meet, mix and provide the richest of ecosystems. Humans too have followed the ways of the bear to find sustenance and share in the abundance of fish, berries and medical plants.