litguru 3Speak Podcast

Tales and Rails 2


Listen Later

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=litguru/ljaskhym
Something went haywire with my previous upload of this post, so I'm re-uploading it again for your proper train-riding enjoyment.

"I’ll stand and guard the Fraser River that no harm comes to my people... and no harm comes the fish that comes up to feed them."

The Legend of Lhilheqey (Mount Cheam) as told by elder Óyewot (Amy Cooper).

Indigenous cultures that have traditionally lived in the west coast (Coast Salish nations) have oral traditions by which they pass on their stories, containing a mix of history, mythic-religious themes, and natural (and supernatural) elements. The quote above is from a Stó:lō nation story that tells the personified legend of mountains (Cheam and Washington) marrying and having offspring (other mountains) around the Fraser Valley region through which the river flows. I recommend listening to the audio.

The Musqueam nation have legends about how the Fraser river was created by a Double-Headed Serpent. Important resources like salmon and sturgeon are mentioned in their stories. Another nation, the Squamish have stories about the Fraser, which is associated with two sisters (mountains) that watch over the river in the form of lions.

The Tsleil-Waututh nation have a saying in relation to the Fraser, "when the tide goes out, the table is set." Harvesting clams, fish, kelp, and other marine foodstuffs was essential to their food procurement activities. This abundance of the river is a recurrent theme along with warnings about what happens if balance is lost.

I came across the following poster at an exhibition in Fort Langley that details another story of the river told by a Stó:lō elder.

Resources

Fraser River on Wikipedia

Fraser Valley on Wikipedia

Legends of Vancouver

Oral Traditions

Stó:lō on Wikipedia

The Legend of Lhilheqey (Mount Cheam)

XInLeoInstagramNFT Showroom

Images by @litguru

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

litguru 3Speak PodcastBy litguru