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.
In each issue, we focus on an Indigenous language in our region. This month, we are happy to feature the Hlg̱aagilda X̱aayda Kil, a Haida language in the Skidegate dialect.
We are very happy to welcome Cassidy Price to our First Nations Access Coordinators team! She will be working out of the Terrace Campus. As First Nations Access Coordinators, we fill various roles at our Prince Rupert, Terrace, Hazelton and Smithers campuses. We are here to help you transition to college life here at CMTN. 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
First Peoples Traditional Drum Making Workshop
The First Peoples Traditional Drum Making workshop took place on January 18, 25, 31 & February 1, 2023 at the Prince Rupert campus with Wayne Fast and with Gerald Brown at the Terrace Campus. We were very happy to see a huge interest in the drum making workshop. We thank Jillian Swank, FNAC, for making it possible for students from the Hazelton and Smithers Campus to take part in the workshop via Bluejeans with Gerald.
UPCOMING EVENTS
You are the Medicine - An afternoon with Asha Frost
- Date: February 14, 2023
- Time: 12p.m. to 1:30p.m.
Join us virtually for a self-love day with Asha Frost, an Indigenous Medicine Woman, Entrepreneur and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation.
She is the best selling author of You are the Medicine, and has guided thousands of people through profound and lasting transformation.
Sign up in advance by emailing FNAC@coastmountaincollege.ca to secure a copy of her book and get the Zoom link!
Monthly FNAC Drop-In
- Date: February 8, 2023
- Time: 4p.m. to 5p.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.
'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://us02web.zoom.us/j/83260876546?pwd=amEwa3l4elF4NUYralFXUmNqMjVvUT09
Everyone is welcome to join in or watch. Please keep in mind safety protocols.
If you are thinking about joining, please reach out to FNAC Jill at jswank@coastmountaincollege.ca
Pink Shirt Day - Monday, February 22, 2023
Wear a Pink shirt to take a stand against bullying and violence! If you don't have a Pink Shirt, please drop by the FNACs office at your local campus to pick up a pink button! For Smithers, see Chelsey MacPherson, Student Life & Assessment Clerk. Get them while supplies last!
Be kind! 'Ahgan hla laadaa (You be nice/good - Hlgaagilda Xaayda Kil ) Ama goodm gyet, ama goot (a kind hearted person, kind hearted - Sm'algyax) Ndzïc’izu' (You are kind-hearted - Witsuwit'en) ’ix’ikás’ix’ik̓as (kind person - Haisla)
Chat with Ching̱a
Ching̱a (grandfather) knows that you are working hard in your classes. He also wants you to know that you can start to incorporate language into your daily life. Especially when you are around non-Indigenous people, so that they know your language is still alive and they know who you are. Becuase - Dang sdaag̱asgida ga (You're great at anything). Gam ll ḵaaying k'adt'is g̱ang ga. (He is not the least bit doubtful.)
Ching̱a Rob Yates has started hosting learning lunches so that you can join in and learn more language! Ll kihljuuwaay 'laa ga (He/She speaks well). Watch the video below of the latest class! Join in on Zoom or watch recordings on the Tlingit & Haida Youtube channel!
Chew with Ching̱a
Halibut Stew with Seafood from Haida Gwaii
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes cubed
- ¼ cup chopped white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup mushrooms (chanterelles, oysters, or morels if they are in season)
- 2 large halibut filets (can substitute with any large flaked white fish).
- 6 to 8 medium prawns
- ½ of a crab
- Small handful of fresh parsley
- 2 cups chicken or fish stock
- ½ cup canned mushroom soup
- Oil for frying
- 1 T. butter
- 2 tsp. Smoked Applewood seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- If using chanterelles or oyster mushroom tear them by hand into bite sized chunks and fry with onions, potatoes and garlic in heated pot with some oil and the butter.
- Add salt & pepper and stir to prevent sticking until the onions are translucent and potatoes are starting to brown.
- Add stock and allow stew to slow boil until the spuds are almost cooked.
- Cut one the halibut filets into spoon sized cubes and add to the stew along with the crab.
- Meanwhile, season the other halibut filet and fry in a small skillet until it is cooked to your desire. This will be the topper for the stew. Set aside.
- Add mushroom soup while stirring the stew to prevent lumping.
- Add prawns and some chopped parsley and remove pot from stove as soon as prawns have changed colour to prevent overcooking.
- Ladle stew into a serving bowl and top with the pan-fried halibut filet which should be golden brown.
- Top with a bit of fresh parsley and serve with bannock or bread of your choice.
Note: If you can smoke your halibut chunks even slightly it greatly enhances the flavour of this stew. Sometimes if there is no time to smoke the fish, I cheat by adding smoke flavored seasonings and/or a bit of liquid smoke to the stew
Check out Moosemeat & Marmalade's video on how to make this stew HERE!
Your weekly meme!
Indigenous Reads
That which makes us Haida - the Haida Language
'That which makes us Haida - the Haida Language' documents the last remaining fluent speakers of the Haida language and explores the three remaining dialects found in Alaska, Old Massett and Skidegate through portraits taken by Vancouver-based Farah Nosh over the last eight years and interviews with the last fluent speakers in these communities. These men and women (the youngest is now 65 years old), who grew up with active, fluent speakers in their homes, are working hard to save this linguistic isolate from extinction by teaching in schools, creating a written orthography and orally documenting all the words they know. The elders tell deeply compelling stories of how the language has influenced their relationships to the land and sea.
Available at the CMTN Terrace & Prince Rupert library with your student/staff ID!
Indigenous in the Media
"How to Make a Haida Valentine's Day card - Haida Art & Language Lesson with Sondra Segundo"
Get ready for February 14th by making a card for your friends and loved ones! Nothing says 'I love you' more than traditional language!
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.
Bursaries, Scholarships & Awards
Bursaries, Scholarships & Awards! Deadline to apply is February 15, 2023. Various scholarships, awards and bursaries are available to registered CMTN students. Please go to the CMTN website under Student Support tab for further information. Please contact FNAC@coastmountaincollege.ca if you would like assistance with your application.
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?
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