A remarkable week has just concluded for the Sechelt Indian Band (SIB).
Not only was their culture and heritage and that of many neighbouring First Nations on display for all to enjoy at the Longhouse last Saturday, SIB members celebrated their 25th anniversary of self-government with a truly remarkable achievement - completing and releasing a dictionary of their language.
The dictionary, which has been in the works for nearly four decades, lists some 10,000 words in She Shashishalhem.
The dictionary is the work of linguist Ron Beaumont and dozens of Sechelt elders.
Since 1970, Beaumont has travelled from the Lower Mainland to the Coast each week meeting with various SIB elders to catalogue and record their language.
Beaumont and all the elders involved in this project should not only be thanked, but honoured for such an amazing achievement. We can only imagine the amount of work, time and effort that has gone into this project - a project that sees this dictionary as possibly the largest First Nations dictionary of its kind in Canada - another great milestone to be proud of.
And while the dictionary's creation is not going to guarantee that the Sechelt language recovers from the horrific nightmare that so many endured during the residential school years, it will keep it from dying out.
Not only will this dictionary be used by the Sechelt people and, most importantly, their youth, it can also be a resource that the wider community can use and appreciate to offer further insight into First Nations culture.
The completion of the dictionary and all of the events that were held last week to celebrate and honour the anniversary of self-government was a wonderful time for the whole community to embrace the Sechelt Indian Band and the important and vital role that the Sechelt people play here on the Sunshine Coast.
Congratulations to all involved on such an amazing milestone.
Small business wins
As we look forward to celebrating Small Business Week next week (see our pull-out section in today's edition) we are reminded again why small business is so vital to this community - and every community, for that matter.
SideStix is up for another award, this time from the Mid-Island Science Technology and Innovation Council (MISTIC) awards. They recently won a daVinci business award from the U.S.
And who can forget about Holy Crap and the amazing business it has become after a successful pitch on Dragons' Den last year?
Remember these success stories when you shop locally up and down the Coast. Small business keeps this community going.
