Hagwil Yaan Student newsletter | June 2023

The Ewk Hiyah Hozdli Dance Group from Smithers has shared a few songs for you to start your celebrations!

Check out this great song shared by the Gitlaxdax Nisga'a Dancers as well!

Indigenous Peoples Day Community Events

• June 21st: Celebrations in Smithers 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dze L K'ant Friendship Centre Hall
• June 21st: Celebrations in Prince Rupert 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 water front(by the old CN building) or Civic Centre if raining.

Has your canoe arrived?

Indigenous Peoples Day Scavenger Hunt Bingo

Join the First Nations Access Coordinators with this scavenger hunt bingo for Indigenous Peoples Day. Submissions are due June 23rd and draw will be on June 26th. Door prizes include cooler bag on wheels with summer gear such as bug spray and sunscreen. We look forward to your creative submissions!

What would Nts'i'its say?

The time has come for the yee (Spring salmon) to return and to get your aadmyee (net for catching spring salmon) ready. Nts'i'its would be asking you to si la̱ksn (start a fire) so she can yoomhoon (barbecue fish) on an open fire. You could say 'Eh, ap luk'wil ts'imaatk (Mmm! It was very tasty). "Eets'm yee nah ga̱bu da wa̱p Nts'i'its. (I had fried spring salmon at my grandmother's house).

yee - spring salmon

aadmyee - net for catching spring salmon

Si la̱ksn - you start a fire

yoomhoon - barbecued fish

ts'imaatk - delicious

luk'wil - very

Cooking with Nts'i'its

Fry Bread Tacos

Here is the recipe from the book "The First Fry Bread" by Dr. M. Jane Smith

Bread Dough Recipe Na'a Used.

• Approximately 3/4 coup warm water
• 1 package of active dry yeast
• Approximately 1 tsp salt
• Approximately 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• Approximately 1 tbsp lard
• Approximately 3 cups flour

In large bowl, pour in the warm water. Slowly stir in the dry yeast. Add salt, sugar, shortening, and water to bowl. Stir. Mix in flour. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead. Shape into loaves and bake what is not made into fry bread.

Fry Bread Recipe Ye'e Created

Shape dough into balls about 4 inches in diameter. Stretch and flatten into patties 1/2 inch thick. Make a small hole in the centre of each patty. Fry one at a time in 1 inch of hot shortening,

Hamburger & Fixings for Tacos

• 1.5 lb of hamburger
• 1 small head of lettuce - cut up in small pieces
• 2 - 3 tomatoes - sliced and diced
• 2 cup of shredded cheese
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups taco sauce

Taco seasoning mixture - 1/4 c chili powder, 1 1/4 tsp of garlic powder, 1 1/4 tsp of onion powder, 1 1/4 tsp of chili flakes, 1 1/4 tsp of oregano, 2 1/2 tsp of paprika, 2 TBSP of cumin, 1/2 TBSP of salt & 1/2 TBSP of pepper.

Brown hamburger and add taco seasoning. Add the hamburger and toppings on a golden piece of fry bread! Enjoy!

Please send pictures of your dish if you get a chance to try the recipe to FNAC@coastmountaincollege.ca

Your weekly meme!

How do you like your bannock? Send us your favourite recipe and one of the First Nations Access Coordinators will make it and share the results!

Indigenous in the Media

Ts'msyen musician set to release album in Sm'algya̱x after years of studying endangered language

Jeremy Pahl recommitted to learning his ancestral language after moving home to Kxeen, also known as Prince Rupert, B.C. Five years later, he says he catches himself thinking, and dreaming, in Sm'algya̱x.The Ts'msyen musician says it's become his first language when he's writing. He's now set to release his first album recorded entirely in Sm'algya̱x this summer, with the first single dropping on May 31. Pahl, 34, has been telling stories through song since he was a teenager, when he first sung in Sm'algya̱x in the Prince George-based death metal band Gyibaaw. He's since switched genre to folk and country, and most recently has been releasing English-language music under the name Saltwater Hank.He calls this album a "full-circle moment," and a significant milestone for him as a musician and a Sm'algya̱x language-learner.

Pahl, whose given Ts'msyen name is Wil Uks Batsga G̱a̱laaw, says the album is a form of resistance "to the further erasure of our people, our culture and our language." For decades, official government policies attempted to stamp out Indigenous language, stories and cultural practices through programs like federally funded residential and day schools, and policies like the potlatch ban. These were often violently enacted, as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. According to the First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC), about 17,000 people in B.C. are learning their First Nations language, an increase of about 3,000 since 2018.

Pahl says there are currently just 65 speakers considered to be fluent in Sm'algya̱x. Twenty years ago, he says the community estimated there were closer to 400 fluent speakers, mostly of the older generation.One of Pahl's language mentors, Theresa Lowther, 72, says after 30 years of working to stem the tide of language loss, his new album is cause for hope.

"Years ago, we were really afraid our language was going to die," said Lowther, a fluent Sm'algya̱x speaker whose Ts'msyen name is Huhu uŁk."… I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, and Jeremy, I believe, is a leader in doing that."The intention behind the album can be read in its title, G̱al'üünx wil lu Holtga Liimi, which translates to "bentwood box full of songs."

"A bentwood box was where things were kept safe," from regalia to dried berries and oolichan grease, Pahl says, adding that singing and songs have always been held sacred by Ts'msyen society.He says it's taken years to get his Sm'algya̱x songs right, ensuring grammatical accuracy and pronunciation.Adziksm Gyipaayk (Kelli Clifton), 34, is learning Sm'algya̱x alongside Pahl and also the artist behind the album's cover. The bentwood box design features a human figure in the middle, which, she says, represents the songwriter, speaker, or language learner.

As soon as Pahl brought the idea to her, she says she knew this album was significant."It was one of those conversations that almost felt electric… and I knew this project as a whole was going to be special," she said."It's very emotional because my father, when he was a young child, grew up speaking Sm'algya̱x fluently," she added. "And then he attended Indian Day School," where he was forced to speak English.

The album will be released in full on July 1, a date Pahl chose intentionally.While many will be celebrating Canada Day, Pahl says he'll be celebrating the elders and language mentors who helped him make the album, and the deepening ties to his language.

"It's not so much a celebratory day, especially for Indigenous people, whose land has been compromised, whose genocide has occurred," says Pahl, noting that other nations, like the Heiltsuk, are working to reclaim that day for their own celebrations as well.Indigenous communities find little to celebrate on Canada Day. Indigenous communities mark July 1 with residential school awareness events

Lowther says the enthusiasm of the younger generation is helping heal the damage done through colonial practices like residential schools."One thing that really makes me happy is the amount of young people… really taking the baton and going forward with it, making a stand and saying we are going to bring [Sm'algya̱x] back.

Read the full story here. Posted by Kate Partridge · CBC News · May 31, 2023

Indigenous Reads

Oolichan Moon By Samantha Beynon

Samantha Beynon was born and raised in Prince Rupert, BC, and currently lives on the unceded territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples in Victoria, BC. Beynon's heritage includes Nisga'a, Tsimshian, Irish and Swedish. She grew up in a close-knit family and community, which has infused a passion for being a strong role model and educator for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, helping to guide and support a path towards encouraging and positive experiences.

Oolichan Moon is a beautifully illustrated children’s book about passing down traditional knowledge from Nisga'a Elders and the sacredness of traditional foods, particularly the oolichan fish. Together, author Samantha Beynon and illustrator Lucy Trimble have created a children’s book rich with cultural knowledge and tradition that relates to their Nisga'a ancestry surrounding the oolichan fish. With playful text and vibrant illustrations, young readers can learn alongside the two Nisga'a sisters as they are gifted with sacred knowledge from their Elders, passed down for many generations in the oral tradition.

A gorgeous celebration of Nisga'a language, history and culture, Oolichan Moon also includes historical and cultural information about the oolichan fish and related Nisga'a vocabulary.

Illustrator Lucy Trimble is a CMTN Alumni having studied in our Freda Diesing School of Northwest Art Program

COVID-19: Golden Rules on Campus

• If you're sick, stay home and get tested
• Masks as of March 14, 2022 are now optional in all indoor public spaces at CMTN.
• Wash your hands often and thoroughly
• Cover your face when you cough or sneeze
• As restrictions lift for space limitations, it is important to acknowledge that some are still practising careful social contact. Please be considerate.
• Use hand sanitizer when it's available

At Coast Mountain College, we monitor the COVID-19 situation very closely and are guided by the Provincial Health Officer as we work with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Updates will be shared as information becomes available. Please note removal of vaccinations requirements effective April 8, 2022 to access events and services and for post-secondary student housing.

Student Support

Upcoming Important Community Dates

• June 2022 - National Indigenous Peoples month
• June 21, 2023 - National Indigenous People Day
• July 9, 2023 - Nunavut Day

Keep up to date with important dates through the CMTN Website

Mental Health Check-in

Here2Talk connects students with mental health support when they need it. Through this program, all students currently registered in a B.C. post-secondary institution have access to free, confidential counselling and community referral services, conveniently available 24/7 via app, phone and web.

Foundry BC is now offering virtual drop-in counselling for young people ages 12 to 24 and their families. To access this service, call 1.833.FØUNDRY (yes, that’s FØUNDRY with a zero... or 1.833.308.6379) to book an appointment. Sessions available through chat, voice-only calls or video calls.

Feeling down? Here are other resources you can reach out to:

Youth Online Chat at crisis-centre.ca or text 250.564.8336 or call 1.888.564.8336. A confidential, anonymous peer support service operated by trained youth answering calls from other youth. Available 24/7.

Northern BC Crisis Line A safe, confidential and non-judgmental crisis line to discuss anything troubling you available 24/7. Call 1.888.562.1214.

BC Suicide Line 1.800.SUICIDE or 1.800.784.2433. If you are considering suicide or are concerned about someone who may, please call! Available 24/7.

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24-hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience. Call 1.866.925.4419.

Stay connected and check out our FNAC Facebook group under the name “CMTN - Indigenous Connection & Support”.

Have something you want to contribute for next month's issue?

If you have any feedback, story ideas or pictures to share, please contact us:

FNAC@coastmountaincollege.ca