Editor:
Last year I was invited to accompany Sechelt First Nation Elder Theresa Jeffries on the annual pilgrimage to her homeland at xenichen, at the head of Queens Reach. Little did anyone know that this was to be her last trip home in this lifetime.
I listened to stories about her childhood as she recalled the life of those early days, reminiscing of people loved and admired, of a life which has dissolved into the deep recesses of the lush forest leaving what appears to be no sign of habitation (to the untrained eye), of a way of life once vibrant and full just a single lifetime ago.
As a child of five, she was taken away to Residential School, not to return until she was grown. She has only ever returned to a homeland lost and abandoned.
She and Elder Margaret Joe-Dixon would parlay their recollections back and forth. "Do you remember?" Their conversation would flow seamlessly between English and shíshálh. On occasion, Theresa would turn to me and say, "We do not mean to exclude you when we speak our language, but some memories and thoughts come to us clearer in our language."
How could I even possibly know of whom they were speaking? Yet, the blessing for me was when I realized that I was being given the most amazing opportunity to simply be still and listen, to be a witness to these two cherished Elders recalling their lives. What an honour!
Nancy Denham, Sechelt
