Welcome to another issue of Hagwil Yaan!
Welcome back to Hagwil Yaan! If this is your first time here, volume three of this student newsletter has a new name which means "walk softly; walk slowly" in Sm'algyax! We use this name as we understand that returning to life after the pandemic can still require caution and awareness.
Ya’uc̓ (hello)! In each issue, we focus on an Indigenous language in our region. This month, we are happy to feature the X̄a'islak̓ala or X̌àh̓isl̩ak̓ala language spoken by the Haisla people! We are now in the month of ḡiḡáuyala (March). As we reach mid-term, we want to let you know that we are here for you. If you find that you need academic support, we have resources to help you along the way. Please check out our website for various learning supports available to you!
Please feel free to reach out to us at FNAC@coastmountaincollege.ca if you need support with personal, financial or academic issues. We are here to help you every step of the way.
Enjoy, take care and stay safe!
Highlights of Recent Events
CMTN at the All Native Basketball Tournament 2023!
We had a great time meeting with people who came to our CMTN Info table at the 63rd Annual All Native Basketball Tournament. It was wonderful to see the teams compete for the ultimate championship of each category. We could see the talent, skill and determination from each team. The fans were phenomenal as they cheered on their teams with so much pride. The opening ceremony was opened by the Laxgalts'ap Cultural Dancers. Listening to their songs and drums while the teams entered was so powerful and moving! They had amazing dancers and songs. It is a time of the year where people make new friends and reconnect with old friends from past tournaments. We enjoyed traditional food and found some beautiful treasures that were sold in the small hall. It is a time for unity and culture. We are already looking forward to next year!
"You are The Medicine" Workshop
February 14, 2023
We shared a great afternoon with author, Asha Frost. She has a gentle way of sharing her tremendous traditional knowledge. We highly recommend you read her book "You are the Medicine". Her book is based on the 13 moons of wisdom, ancestral connection and guidance of the spirit animals. Participants were able to go through a visual exercise with her to reflect, find their spirit animal, and receive a special message from it. The lessons she shared were impactful and healing. It connected us with our own ancestral teachings.
If you are interested in reading Asha's book, you can find a copy we donated to the CMTN library with your student ID. Find more information about Asha and the book through her website!
Upcoming Events
Monthly FNAC Drop-In
- Date: March 8, 2023
- Time: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Where: Virtually via BlueJeans https://bluejeans.com/972155116/2431
Keep an eye out for monthly FNAC drop-ins! Join us if you have any questions as a current or future student.
Cultural Garment Workshop
- Dates: March 15, 22, & 24th, 2023
- Times: 3pm to 5pm
- Where:
- Hazelton Campus
- Waap Galts'ap, Terrace Campus
- Wil luu sagaytwan, Prince Rupert Campus
Sign up to secure your seat to make a cultural garment in shawl, apron, or vest form! Arlene Roberts, Indian Residential School Survivors Society RHSW, will provide information about culture and clothing followed by sewing sessions.
Please bring along an old t-shirt for pattern making!
Email FNAC@coastmountaincollege.ca to secure your seat*!
*Current CMTN students prioritized for seats. Staff, faculty, and community members are welcome to express interest and will be placed on a waitlist.
'Xbisuunt Dance Group Weekly Practice
- Date: Every Monday
- Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Where: Waap Galts'ap Longhouse
- Virtual: https://bcnet.bluejeans.com/972155116/2431
You are welcome to come watch, sing, and dance with the 'Xbisuunt Dance Group!
If you are thinking about joining, please reach out to FNAC Jill at jswank@coastmountaincollege.ca
Gitlaxdax Nisga'a Dance Group
- Date: Every Wednesday
- Time: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Waap Galts'ap Longhouse
- Virtual: https://bluejeans.com/577926132/3694
Everyone is welcome to join in or watch!
If you are thinking about joining, please reach out to FNAC Jill at jswank@coastmountaincollege.ca
Belt out with Babá’u
Babá’u (grandfather) said that singing something helps us to remember. Babá’u said singing can be a great way to learn your language. Singing also helps with our mood regulation and activates our inner x̄ʷenúxʷ (child). If you are needing a mood booster and want to take a break from studying for your midterms, Babá’u wants you to take a moment to sing a long with him!
ʼik̓ áiqelan ’isλám I am happy today
ʼik̓ áiqela’us ’úx̄ ʷa, ʼik̓ áiqela’us ’úx̄ ʷa You are happy too, you are happy too
ʼik̓ áiqela’us ’úx̄ ʷa You are happy too
ʼik̓ áiqelan ’isλám, ʼik̓ áiqelan ’isλám I am happy today, I am happy today
ʼik̓ áiqelan ’isλám I am happy today
ʼik̓ áiqela’us ’úx̄ ʷa, ʼik̓ áiqela’us ’úx̄ ʷa You are happy too, you are happy too
ʼik̓ áiqela’us ’úx̄ ʷa You are happy too
Check out more short songs that can help you learn X̄a'islak̓ala through the Haisla Kala Youtube channel! Find the lyrics and more hi’enems xa’islak’ala (songs of x̄á’isla language) through the "Let's Speak Haisla!" wordpress website!
Chow with Ma'ma'o
Marinated Oolichan Fry
Ingredients:
- 8 oolichan fish (smelt)
- 9 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- cornstarch (about 1/4 cup)
- oil (for frying)
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 teaspoon salt (approximate)
- 1 whole red bell pepper, thinly sliced in rounds and seeds removed
Directions:
- Clean the fish: cut off the heads and tails, remove fins (either cut or pull them away). Slit the fish down the full length, cutting just as far as the backbone. Remove the entrails and rinse under running water and pat dry. Using the back of a spoon or your thumb, on the inside of the fish press hard all along the backbone. Pulling from the head-end of the fish, the spine and bones should lift free of the body.
- In a shallow container, combine the vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce and set aside.
- Dry the cleaned fish well. Thinly coat the dried fish in the cornstarch.
- In a heavy pot heat the oil to about 350 degrees F and fry the fish for 7 to 9 minutes until they are crisp and golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Place cooked fish in the vinegar mixture to marinate.
- After slicing the onion thinly, sprinkle slices with salt. When the onion has become moist from the salt, rinse the slices well and drain thoroughly.
- Thinly slice the bell pepper into rounds and remove the seeds.
- Cover the fish with the onion and pepper slices and spoon the marinade over all. Allow fish to marinate for at least one hour before serving, occasionally spooning the marinade over. Serve hot or cold, whichever way is your favorite.
Your weekly meme!
Indigenous Reads
The Sasquatch at Home : Traditional Protocols & Modern Storytelling by Eden Robinson (2011)
The Sasquatch at Home shares and intimate look into the intricacies of family, culture, and place. Robinson's disarming honesty and wry irony shine through her depictions of her and her mother's trip to Graceland, the potlatch where she and her sister received their Indian names, how her parents first met in Bella Bella (Waglisla, British Columbia), a look at b'gwus, the Sasquatch. Readers of memoir, Canadian literature, Aboriginal history and culture, and fans of Robinson's delightful, poignant, sometimes quirky tales will love The Sasquatch at Home.
Read the e-book for free through the CMTN Library using your CMTN student ID!
Indigenous in the Media
"IM GOOD, HBU?"
Check out the new EP by Haisla's own - Snotty Nose Rez Kids! SNRK were featured recently at the Vancouver Canucks Fifth Annual First Nations Celebration. The celebration also included the life and memory of legendary Canuck Gino Odjick. Check out the performance through SNRK's youtube channel!
"I feel like this album, for us, it is a celebratory album. It is us celebrating ourselves and everything that we got through, especially during the pandemic and the years before that. You know, you heard the first album, it's about a lot of self-reflection and just kind of figuring ourselves out through suicide, and death in the families, and stuff like that, and [to] come full circle and say, "I'm good, how about you?" We're just letting the world know that, you know, we're okay, but we want to know how you guys are doing," said Yung Trybez.
For instance, duo member Darren "Young D" Metz said one track on the album, "Damn Right," is about the pair growing and becoming more confident as artists.
"So 'Damn Right' is just about us realizing and learning our worth. And not just, like, with the self, but when it comes to the business side, you know? A lot of people tend to undersell themselves or cut themselves a little short, whereas when we learned, what we've been through and at the age that we're at and the experience that we've had, it's like, 'no, we know exactly what we're worth.'...We've put in our time, and we're going to keep putting in our time, but there's a reason why we can do what we do. It's because we work relentlessly on just improving our craft each and every single day."
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; Use hand sanitizer when it's available
- 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.
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 and 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
Coast Mountain Students' Union
Golnoosh Namazi, organiser for the Coast Mountain Students’ Union, is here to support students with events, services and advocacy. If you’re having trouble understanding your rights as a student, navigating through school procedures and policies or engaging in campus life then the Students’ Union is here to support you. Download the CMSU app for virtual community boards, services and support systems in your region.
To learn more about what the student union does, email CMSU at:
CMSU Health & Dental Plan
ATTENTION NEW STUDENTS: If you are starting this January, please be aware of the CMSU Health & Dental Plan that you are auto enrolled into when you register for courses. This is a $250 annual fee that students can choose to opt-out of if you already have coverage. You have 30 days to opt-out from your program start. Connect with CMSU for more details.
Learner Services
Peer Tutoring
The Writing Centre is open on Terrace campus! Staffed by peer tutors. Students can drop-in for 1:1 assistance with proofreading, using citations and other writing skills every Wednesday 10:00-12:00 and Friday 11:00-1:00 in Waap Amgam (Cedar building) rm 1006.
Peer-tutoring is up and running with tutors available to assist students in a variety of subjects including chemistry, biology and math. Interested? Contact LAS@coastmountaincollege.ca!
LAS & Advising Help
Having a hard time academically? We can connect you with the Learner Services team to make sure you have even more tools to complete your studies successfully.
One-on-one Brightspace Help — If navigating and using Brightspace is making your course more difficult to manage, let us help!
Our Learning Assistance Specialists (LAS) are available to walk you through the finer points of Brightspace so you can focus on your coursework.
Need tutoring? Check out TUTORME! A new, on-demand virtual service with access to over 1000+ tutors in 300+ subjects. Writing support is available as well. All CMTN students can access this service for two hours a week for free!
To contact the Learner Support Team & Accessibility Services for appointments, email las@coastmountaincollege.ca.
Financial Aid
Coast Mountain College offers several emergency funding programs available to eligible students experiencing unexpected financial hardship during the course of their studies at CMTN. Find more information about emergency financial assistance HERE!
Have any financial aid questions? Connect with our Financial Aid Officer, Allison Conway at 250.635.6511 ext. 5204 or email financialaid@coastmountaincollege.ca.
Mental Health Check-in
Are you looking for support? Here at CMTN, we can help you explore and find what support works best for you. Follow this LINK to find resources like regional counsellors, mobile apps, and crisis lines.
Need support right now?
- 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.
- KUU-US Crisis Line Help is just a phone call away. Call the toll-free number for Indigenous based support 25/7, 365: 1.800.588.8717
- 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.
- Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society 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 to keep your finger on the pulse!
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: