The Sechelt Nation is singing and dancing their culture back to life through the Xwamtsut program.
Xwamtsut means "messenger" in the Shishalh language, and the program brings together people of all ages to tell of the Sechelt Nation's history through song and dance.
"We do it to show our children and our youth that we have a culture and it's alive and we are showing it, because as a child growing up in this community, we didn't have that," said Lenora Joe, Sechelt Indian Band director of education, culture and recreation.
The art form of traditional First Nations singing, dancing and drumming has long been part of the Sechelt Nation's culture. But much of that culture was suppressed when the residential school was set up in Sechelt.
"Our culture was lost with residential school, and was not practised," Joe said. "I think our elders were very afraid. I know that many other First Nations were able to hold onto their songs and their masks and their dancing, but we weren't. Everything was burned, and because the residential school was right in our community, the eyes were upon our elders and they were punished severely for practising their culture or their language."
Through song and dance the Sechelt people would tell stories, bless events and even bring about healing.
But with the inability to practise their traditional customs, the art form was lost, for a time.
In 2006 the Sechelt Indian Band made it a priority to teach youth in their community their language, and they wanted to also revitalize their drumming and singing and Long House protocols.
"So we approached our neighbours and friends, the Squamish Nation. Shishalh [Sechelt] and Squamish have intermarried and shared resources for millennia, and even today both communities continue to intermarry and have close ties through cultural and social activities," said Candace Campo, who was at that time in charge of developing a program to teach the youth.
The Squamish Nation had just developed the ambassador program, which saw youth learning their language, traditions and culture through song and dance.
Campo invited the group to Sechelt to learn more.
"Our three young teachers from the Squamish Nation were very gracious and eager to teach their own experiences with cultural protocols, Coast Salish songs and dance," Campo recalled.
Soon a local program was set up, modelled on the Squamish program, and youth were invited to take part.
"The idea behind that was to introduce our youth to a way of teaching them our history and our culture so when they went to other communities they would have some basis of it," said Dionne Paul, the Band's cultural arts instructor.
It started with about 20 youth and a handful of adults who sang the one Sechelt Nation welcome song that had survived the years of the residential school.
Many of those first youths who took part in the program had a taste of the art form while on Tribal Journeys with the Sechelt Nation.
"It was new and exciting and I think [the youth] really wanted to be a part of it. It was difficult to keep them interested, though, competing with soccer and other high school social events," Paul said.
In October of 2008, the group fell apart with little interest from the youth, but it would be reborn.
In 2009 the Band hired cultural instructor, singer and songwriter Andrew Puglas from Campbell River. He spent a great deal of time learning from Sechelt's elders and was able to compose 30 new songs for the Sechelt people, telling of their history in their language.
Interest in the group revived, and this time it was open to anyone of any age who wanted to become involved.
Dozens of people from the ages of five to 61 started showing up for practice to learn the songs Puglas created.
"I have been told I brought the pride back as a whole nation and that they are very proud to be singing songs they can call their own," he said.
Members worked to create their own traditional dress under the leadership of Paul and museum director Jessica Casey, and soon they were being booked to sing and dance at events all over the Sunshine Coast and beyond.
The most proud moment for Puglas was when Xwamtsut was chosen to perform at the Olympics in Vancouver.
"That was our chance to perform for the world public. We were at the Aboriginal Pavilion and there were tens of thousands of people going through there daily," he said.
While it is exciting to perform on a large stage, Joe, who is a member of the group, says there is something special about performing in the Band's Long House.
"When I sing in the Long House, I feel like I'm singing to my ancestors, and I can feel them around me embracing me and holding me, to give me the strength to sing louder," she said.
Xwamtsut has recorded one CD with seven songs for use by the Sechelt Indian Band, and this September they will be recording another CD with the 30 original songs Puglas wrote for them. Once the CD is completed it will be available for sale, and the proceeds will go back into the program to help pay for travel expenses when Xwamtsut performs off Coast.
