(no subject)
So, these are long overdue pictures from my trip to the Othello Tunnels, Yale Museum, Hell's Gate, and the Xa:ytem Longhouse of the Sto:lo people. This is BC history, folks! (And only about fifteen minutes away) Temperate rainforest, mountains, rivers, gold, First Nations songs, churches, trains, and whiskey.
Wait, first the tunnels. There are four/five, depending on who you ask. Two merged together, but it didn't matter to us because:
Meh. The scenery was nice anyway. One day I will get a shot of Baker, as it is right next door, and loads better-looking than this.
Yale came next, and then my camera died, so I have no pictures of Hell's Gate.
Medicine and poison bottles! (Underneath the booze, of course)
He is sitting on a gold-thingy used to sift gold, and told us all about mercury potatoes and when the best time to pan for gold is. We were so focused on his discussion that we didn't notice the whiskey bottle until we were back in class and looking over our photos.
We went to visit the church immediately following Dale's discussion.
The Xa:ytem longhouse was neat, though. Does anyone know how I can share videos? I have one of their welcoming song. (The boy on the far left is a former student at my school and legally blind, which is why he is wearing basketball shirts)
This is a canoe carved by an elder in the late 1800's by traditional methods, to prove that the Sto:lo traditions were still strong to the new generations. The man who carved it was 89 at the time.
The Sto:lo lived mainly in the Mission valley and suffered huge losses during the smallpox plague. It is estimated that before the summer of 1883 (?) there were over 100 000 Sto:lo. Of the 100 000, 70 000 died that summer, and the rest scattered.
We visited the pithouse after the longhouse. It was gorgeous, and had stone floors all set to be covered in sand and warmed by the fire in the centre. The main exit was also the main opening, and we had one kid go and take a look.
The women and children would dig while the men fetched logs. With four monstrous logs, they would dig four holes ten feet deep and plant them in as the corner logs. The corner logs supported the roof beams, and were over four feet in diametre. Benches were placed around the firepit, and walls were built. The walls were immediately covered with dirt on their exposed side, and the pithouse would look reburied. The grass would grow back, and the people would crawl out the ladders every time they needed to exit or enter their pithouse. A second door was built on the ground floor of the pithouse for those who couldn't use the ladder. These pithouses were over 8000 yrs old! In one case, carbon-dated fireplaces mark them to be 10 000 yrs old, the site of which was fifty feet from the pithouse we played in. When the corner logs rotted, a replacing log would be set up next to it to take the weight of the pithouse and the first log chopped to make a ground-floor stump.
And then there was the Legend of the Three Seams (pronounced "see-ahms", not "seems").
There was a Seam group before there were Sto:lo. The Great Spirit and his Son came to teach the elders of how to worship them properly. They gave them much knowledge on how to build a way of life, and told them to spread the word. The elders agreed to do so, and the Great Spirit and his Son (both as bears) left the valley.
But the elders did not keep their word. They hoarded the lessons to themselves. The Great Spirit and his Son rounded the mountain and changed into their human form, and came back to see what had happened. They found out about this treachery and were furious, and decided to change them into rock to create a lesson for the Sto:lo people, the "people who were to follow, to come after them".
The First Seam cried and wailed, and the Great Spirit and his Son apologized and told him, "I'm sorry, but you did wrong. You know you must accept your punishment. I'm sorry." And he was turned to stone.
The Second Seam performed a dance and song honouring them, and the Great Spirit and his Son were touched. They apologized again as they turned him to stone, saying, "I'm sorry, but you know you did wrong. You know you must accept your punishment. I'm sorry." And he was turned to stone.
The Third Seam opened his mouth and began to speak, pouring out everything he knew to the gathered people. He spoke faster and faster as the transformation happened, until he, too, was turned to stone. The Great Spirit looked at him, and said, "That was a great thing you did there. I'm sorry, but you did wrong. You know you must accept your punishment. I'm sorry."
"And the People Who Followed, the Sto:lo, saw the Three Seams and remember the lesson taught here."
This is impossible to see unless you're there yourself, but... the third Seam is on top, and the second Seam is on the left side, all in shadow, facing away from us. Look for noses.
The first Seam is on the left. Follow the line of rock against background. His mouth is in the grass, and his nose is most of the rock.
Wait, first the tunnels. There are four/five, depending on who you ask. Two merged together, but it didn't matter to us because:
Meh. The scenery was nice anyway. One day I will get a shot of Baker, as it is right next door, and loads better-looking than this.
Yale came next, and then my camera died, so I have no pictures of Hell's Gate.
Medicine and poison bottles! (Underneath the booze, of course)
He is sitting on a gold-thingy used to sift gold, and told us all about mercury potatoes and when the best time to pan for gold is. We were so focused on his discussion that we didn't notice the whiskey bottle until we were back in class and looking over our photos.
We went to visit the church immediately following Dale's discussion.
The Xa:ytem longhouse was neat, though. Does anyone know how I can share videos? I have one of their welcoming song. (The boy on the far left is a former student at my school and legally blind, which is why he is wearing basketball shirts)
This is a canoe carved by an elder in the late 1800's by traditional methods, to prove that the Sto:lo traditions were still strong to the new generations. The man who carved it was 89 at the time.
The Sto:lo lived mainly in the Mission valley and suffered huge losses during the smallpox plague. It is estimated that before the summer of 1883 (?) there were over 100 000 Sto:lo. Of the 100 000, 70 000 died that summer, and the rest scattered.
We visited the pithouse after the longhouse. It was gorgeous, and had stone floors all set to be covered in sand and warmed by the fire in the centre. The main exit was also the main opening, and we had one kid go and take a look.
The women and children would dig while the men fetched logs. With four monstrous logs, they would dig four holes ten feet deep and plant them in as the corner logs. The corner logs supported the roof beams, and were over four feet in diametre. Benches were placed around the firepit, and walls were built. The walls were immediately covered with dirt on their exposed side, and the pithouse would look reburied. The grass would grow back, and the people would crawl out the ladders every time they needed to exit or enter their pithouse. A second door was built on the ground floor of the pithouse for those who couldn't use the ladder. These pithouses were over 8000 yrs old! In one case, carbon-dated fireplaces mark them to be 10 000 yrs old, the site of which was fifty feet from the pithouse we played in. When the corner logs rotted, a replacing log would be set up next to it to take the weight of the pithouse and the first log chopped to make a ground-floor stump.
And then there was the Legend of the Three Seams (pronounced "see-ahms", not "seems").
There was a Seam group before there were Sto:lo. The Great Spirit and his Son came to teach the elders of how to worship them properly. They gave them much knowledge on how to build a way of life, and told them to spread the word. The elders agreed to do so, and the Great Spirit and his Son (both as bears) left the valley.
But the elders did not keep their word. They hoarded the lessons to themselves. The Great Spirit and his Son rounded the mountain and changed into their human form, and came back to see what had happened. They found out about this treachery and were furious, and decided to change them into rock to create a lesson for the Sto:lo people, the "people who were to follow, to come after them".
The First Seam cried and wailed, and the Great Spirit and his Son apologized and told him, "I'm sorry, but you did wrong. You know you must accept your punishment. I'm sorry." And he was turned to stone.
The Second Seam performed a dance and song honouring them, and the Great Spirit and his Son were touched. They apologized again as they turned him to stone, saying, "I'm sorry, but you know you did wrong. You know you must accept your punishment. I'm sorry." And he was turned to stone.
The Third Seam opened his mouth and began to speak, pouring out everything he knew to the gathered people. He spoke faster and faster as the transformation happened, until he, too, was turned to stone. The Great Spirit looked at him, and said, "That was a great thing you did there. I'm sorry, but you did wrong. You know you must accept your punishment. I'm sorry."
"And the People Who Followed, the Sto:lo, saw the Three Seams and remember the lesson taught here."
This is impossible to see unless you're there yourself, but... the third Seam is on top, and the second Seam is on the left side, all in shadow, facing away from us. Look for noses.
The first Seam is on the left. Follow the line of rock against background. His mouth is in the grass, and his nose is most of the rock.