Elders and Knowledge Keepers
hay tseep q’u to the Elders and Knowledge Keepers who have so generously shared their stories with us. This project could not happen without their insight, knowledge, and guidance.
Kwa’mutsun elder Ruby Peter – Sti’tuma’t – was born in 1932 and raised speaking Hul’q’umi’num’ at Kwa’mutsun, one of the Cowichan Tribes of British Columbia, Canada. Her parents were Basil Alphonse – Xitsulenuhw – and Cecilia Alphonse – Qwulsimtunaat. Mrs. Peter was a linguist and language teacher who worked as a language expert ever since she started translating in court as a teenager. She taught for Simon Fraser University and worked on language documentation and analysis and materials development. She enjoyed performing in public and hoped that you enjoy listening to and studying her stories.
Click on the link below to see her stories on the s’aa’lh sqwal website.
Delores Louie was born on the Quamichan Reserve in 1940. Youngest child in a family where Hul’q’umi’num’ was the household language, her father Basil Alphonse – Xitsulenuhw – and mother Cecelia Alphonse – Qwulsimtunaat – were prominent experts in language and culture, and Mrs. Louie has followed in their footsteps working as a herbalist and language expert.
Click on the link below to see her stories on the s’aa’lh sqwal website.
Wayne Charlie – pul-hwuletse’ – is from Kwa’mutsun, where he was raised by his grandmother Celestine Jimmy – Kwulkwulxumaat. His name, pul-hwuletse’, comes from his great-grandfather. Wayne is a longhouse speaker, a carver, and a language and culture mentor. During his lifetime he has generously shared his knowledge of Hul’q’umi’num’ language, culture, and traditions with community members, linguists, and other researchers.
Click on the link below to see his stories on the s’aa’lh sqwal website.
Squt’xulenuhw George Wayne Seymour is from Stz’uminus First Nation. He was raised speaking the Hul’q’umi’num’ language and today he shares his knowledge of the language as a teacher for the Cowichan Valley School District, the Nanaimo Ladysmith School District, and the SFU Hul’q’umi’num’ language program. He has an MA in Linguistics from SFU.
Tth’ulsul’t-hw Merle Seymour is an Elder, Knowledge Keeper and fluent speaker of the Hul’q’umi’num’ language. He is from Kwa’mutsun and is a member of Quw’utsun’ Tribes. Merle and his sister were raised by their grandmother, Suysuyutth’e’ Agnes Eli Billy, his mother’s mother. From her, Merle learned to speak Hul’q’umi’num’ and was taught important cultural and traditional activities including the processing and preparing of wool.
Project Team
Our project team working on this website are:
I am Qwulshamtunaat, my given name is Heather Harris. I am Coast Salish from Stz’uminus First Nation and Squamish Nation. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Indigenous Studies from VIU and then an MA in First Nations Language and Linguistics from SFU. In addition to the work I have done on this First Voices project, I have worked as a Digitization Technician for the Stz’uminus First Nation and as a Language and Culture Assistant.
’een’thu Sti’tum’atulwut, tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ kwa’mutsun. kwthunu menulh Ronald Peter ’i’ lhunu ten Ruby Peter Sti’tum’at. Her parents were Basil and Cecelia Alphonse. I am truly honored to be learning the Hul’q’umi’num’ language. I have three children and four grandkids, who are avid learners of our language.
Donna Gerdts, professor emeritus of linguistics at Simon Fraser University, has studied the Hul’q’umi’num’ language for forty years, and hopes her work honors the Elders who have shared their knowledge. She wears the honorary name Sp’aqw’um’ultunaat.
I am hwunitum living on the traditional, unceded territory of the Quw’utsun.’ I have an MA in History and have spent the last few years working as a team member on several Hul’q’umi’num’ Language and Culture Society projects. I am grateful and honoured to be working towards the revitalization of the Hul’q’umi’num’ language.
I am thankful for the opportunity to learn and work with this great group of people and support the goals of the Hul’q’umi’num’ language program. I have an MSc from UBC and have worked on genomics projects as well as social science projects investigating the societal impacts of this knowledge. I grew up in Victoria and now live in Kitsilano with my husband, two teenaged sons, and a large dog who loves to bark during Zoom meetings.
I hold an MA in Linguistics and am enthusiastic about the study and preservation of the First Nation languages in BC. I am grateful and privileged to work among the HLCS team members on this project, maintaining the website and valuable archival and linguistic materials, and to contribute towards the revitalization of the Hul’q’umi’num’ language.
Support:
We would like to extend our thanks to the Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives who supported this project by providing access to their archive collection of images and newspapers. Their former manager and curator, Kathryn Gagnon, worked on several projects with us before leaving the museum and we thank her for her commitment to local history and Indigenous language projects.
Funding:
Funding for this project was provided by:
FPCC Heritage Stewardship Program
This project has been made possible by the generous support of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s Heritage Stewardship Program. We have been very fortunate to receive funding from the FPCC, allowing us to safeguard our heritage and work towards the revitalization of Hul’q’umi’num’ language and culture.
FPCC Indigenous Arts Program: Arts Administrator Internships and Mentorships
The first phase of this project was supported by an FPCC Arts Administrator Internship at the Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives. We are thankful to the FPCC for funding these kinds of projects.
Early research work for this project was supported by funding from the Jacobs Research Fund. We are grateful to have had their support.
