sht’es kwun’s xte’um tthu kw’uluw’ q’uwutkw’uluw’ q’uwut
The meaning is simple: “How to make a hide drum.”
Starting two decades ago, the Land and Language based learning program at Ladysmith Secondary School, has taken flight, involving students from Ladysmith Primary School.
For the past few months kindergarten students have been taking part in the nutsuma:t sya:ys — working together as one — to open their eyes and ears and hearts to Coast Salish ways of knowing and being.
Bill Taylor, educator at LSS and co-creator of the program along with yutustana:t (Mandy Jones) expressed some of the points the youngsters encountered. The young classes were shown how to make traditional Coast Salish drums.
“The youngsters visited the school three times and our team visited them twice," said Taylor. "Their first visit the kids were encouraged to look around the foyer for inspiration, and then colour the drum skins with sharpies in any way they wanted. The second visit I brought the drum rings to the Primary School for the youngsters to paint. On the third visit, the kindergarten came to LSS to make drum sticks. We practised listening to the sounds the sticks made and talked about making them softer.
"Step one was to add many rubber bands to each stick. On the fourth learning experience the young students chose a fabric square provided by us. We spoke of softening the sound and adding sheep's fleece. The fleece was placed around the rubber banded tops of the sticks, and finally elastic banded the fabric to the sticks and finally on the fifth the group ‘woke up’ the drums and sang a traditional song. The class had sang to the drums on every visit.
“Our program is called Land and Language Based Learning, and was born during our nutsuma:t sya:s work (www.landbased.ca)," Taylor said. "Students from Grade 10-11 can choose to be in the program and receive credit for a language (Hul'q'umi'num') and a grade appropriate Social Studies. We can also offer additional credits as determined in conversation with counsellors, the student, and the team. All of our work is done within yutustana:t's family's traditional teachings, and within the larger Coast Salish cultural world."
Other activities for younger students will include the opportunity to sing with an elder to open the gathering of Coast Salish elders on Thursday, June 5 at LSS.
"We are expecting around 80 elders from Hul'q'umi'num' speaking communities to attend, from Sna naw was in the north, to WSANEC in the south, with the majority coming from Stz'uminus (on whose territory we meet), Snuneymuxw, Quwutsun, Penelekhut, Lyackson, and Halalt,” Taylor said.
The kindergarten students have been learning traditional songs during their trips to LSS and have also heard them at the primary school.
“This work we are doing with the little ones, it is the same work we are doing with all of our students and families, encouraging people to open their eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to Indigenous ways of being and knowing," Taylor said. "The land we are on is a patient, kind, and wise teacher. Indigenous people are generously offering to help us learn the language of this land, Hul'q'umi'num', and the many teachings embedded within it. Our dream is that, by learning from one another, we can be stronger -— together, all people.”
