"Can you take a picture of the grandfathers?" the woman asks. Circling above the crowd gathered to witness the naming of the canoe ceremony are two majestic eagles. In Sechelt First Nations belief, the birds are the ancestors, the grandfathers and grandmothers of those gathered. Those present laugh that the inquisitive spirits are there to make sure everything is done correctly.
The ancestors needn't have worried. The elder conducting the naming of the canoe is well versed in the old ways. Seis lom (the space between the two parts of his name is filled by an eagle on wing) is a Mount Currie First Nations elder. He and Chiaxsten (Wes Nahanee) of the Squamish Nation made sure the canoe was treated with the honour due this most-important element of the Coast First Nations.
As with all rites of importance to First Nations people, last Sunday's event began with a smudge ceremony. Sage and juniper were burned and the smoke directed over the assembled to cleanse their spirits of any negativity.
Next, women and one tiny girl were given "sacred" cedar boughs that were in turn dipped in seawater held in buckets at four strategic points along the canoe. The dampened boughs are used to "wash" the canoe to prepare it for its life on the water.
Seis lom paid homage to the magical surroundings of Porpoise Bay Provincial Park on one of the few sunlit days of this spring.
"This is one of the most beautiful places I've done this [canoe naming]. I feel blessed to be among these many cedars today," he shared.Chiaxsten then gifted those present with a sacred song. The Cedar Song is not shared through audio or video methods - it is kept only for blessing.
The Squamish man also reminded the audience that in the past these ceremonies would have gone for days with ceremony alternating with celebration.
Seis lom gave a lesson to the group on the economical old ways. It is important, he said, to be sure to use all the elements, especially the gathered cedar, in the manner intended.
"If the cedar wasn't used, the spirit might be offended. The elders always made sure it was all used. We do not take them home with us," he said.
And while the ceremony to name the canoe was special and powerful, the story of how the canoe came to be is also worthy of telling.
Barb Higgins, a Sechelt elder and gifted storyteller, was anxious to see a return to the old ways of her people. For several years she has been part of the annual Pulling Together event. Some years she has been able to be part of the journey. One such time was two years ago when the canoe trip ended on Vancouver Island. When the journey ended, she announced to all present that she wanted a canoe for everyone to be able to use. Right then and there, she began fundraising.
On Sunday she told those assembled that she had known for a long time that was her mission.
"I dug my heels in the ground right up to my knees [resisting the call]," she said. "I told the Creator 60-odd years ago I would do what he wanted if he just jump-started me."
She came to realize the people of the Sunshine Coast wanted and needed something to believe in. For Higgins, that something was the tie to the old ways - the canoe.
However, bringing that dream to reality faced a real money crunch. Enter another family with a dream - one to help their fellow citizens. Wesley and Diane Ashworth had been involved with the Pulling Together family for many years and Higgins' dream touched their hearts. "It just came to me that this would be a wonderful thing to do," Wesley said. And this past summer, when the Pulling Together crew landed in Gibsons, he began to ask questions about the protocol of donating a canoe. He was encouraged to go ahead with getting the canoe.
As luck would have it, Barb's grandson Robert was to be part of another important ceremony in late September. A special ceremony was planned to give him his First Nations name. As the ceremony progressed through the evening, Barb once more talked about her dream. As the ceremony was winding up, the people in the Longhouse were invited outside for "some unfinished business." There coming down the driveway was the long-desired canoe. The night ended with tears of joy.
The Ashworths, owners of Associated Labels of Coquitlam, were thrilled to be on hand Sunday to be thanked by the Higgins family.
"The more you give, the more you get back," Diane summed up the family philosophy.
Barb sees the canoe working well for the young on the Coast. It will be an opportunity for students of all races to learn to paddle the mighty canoe.
Accorded a place of honour in the canoe's maiden voyage, Barb's joy was apparent to all.
Her aptly named, Spirit of our Grandmothers (s-Yewen 1hems Sila in the Sechelt language) came alive on the sparkling waters on the Sechelt Inlet. The accompanying drumming told the story for all to hear - Barb's dream is reality.
The eagles came for the closing drumming. This time they came near as if to say, "Well done."
