User:OldManRivers/Sḵwxwú7mesh culture
Historical and cultural context
An important distinction is to be made about Sḵwxwú7mesh culture. With the
Customs and daily life
Architecture and shelter
Sḵwxwú7mesh buildings and architecture is similar to neighboring indigenous peoples. The most common dwelling household was a longhouse, typically around 30 feet wide, 40 feet long and from 19-13 feet high. Sḵwxwú7mesh, and by extension Coast Salish, architecture was significantly different from northern or western counterparts like Kwakwaka'wakw or Nuu-chah-nulth households. Villages would be situated with a number of longhouses, each holding numerous families. Sometimes, up to 5 or 6 families, all related through kinship would be living under one roof. For larger villages, larger longhouses were constructed for hosting large festivals and ceremonies. These longhouses measured at 200 feet long by 60 feet wide.[1]
Longhouses were made with cedar, either red or yellow, found in abundance in their area. For some longhouses, large beams would hold up the room with the walls built around the beams. Foods, tools, and other items belonging to the families would be storage underneath the bleachers build around the wall or hanged from above. The floor was largely made up of dirt or sand.
Another occurrence was the use of rock shelters. Large boulders situated around their traditional territory were used as shelter during hunting or other trips.
Clothing and regalia
Ceremonies and events
In Sḵwxwú7mesh culture, ceremonies, events and festivals were the highly of community life. Ranging from community gathers in feasts, to spiritual endevours in ceremony, these events were a big part of the culture. The most studied and practiced event was the potlatch. It is important to note that a Sḵwxwú7mesh potlatch differed quite differently from the Northern tribes and their festivities. In a Sḵwxwú7mesh potlatch, a large feast is held and the community, nation, or neighboring nations are invited to partake. Highly wealthy families and individuals host these potlatch for different events taking place, and to distribute the resources and wealth accumulated. A potlatch would usually occur around events such as birth, coming of age, naming ceremony, marriage, or memorial event for the diseased. It is in the winter months that most potlatching take places, where historically summer was used for traveling and harvesting.
At at potlatch, in their language a tl'e7enk, the host would invite guests to feast in foods prepared and harvested. Blankets would be purchased or made, then distributed to guests. At the events, the host would hire a speaker to speak for the family in the proceedings. For special potlatches, a special platform would be constructed, around 10 or 15 feet high, 5 feet wide, where the host and his speaker would pile a number of blankets, either bought or made by the hosts own family, and distribute the blankets to the guest. The speaker would call out names of guests, usually highly respected or high ranking, taking a blanket and throwing it out for that guest. But typically a crowd would amass below, ready for the falling blankets, waiting for it to fall. While the blanket came down, the other guests would have knives and spears ready to tear apart the blanket. Thus, the blanket would be torn and split up into multiple pieces. After attended a few potlatches, the guests would procure enough wool to construct their own blanket.[2]
In other ceremonies, a young woman, sometimes the daughter of a highly respected man, would be placed atop a mound of blankets. This mound would match her hight. Sitting atop the blankets, a ceremony would take place around here, while she sat atop and her family nearby. During some ceremonies, people situated around the house would take wooden batons and beat on plank drums situated through the house. When a young girl would stand up, she would dance around the house with a shawl on, and everyone else would beat and sing. When she was done, one man would take down, from duck, swan, or eagle, and sprinkle it over her.[3]
For large festivities, a bigger house then the normal dwelling would be built. These are Potlatch Houses or tl'e7enkáẃtxw.
Language
The Sḵwxwú7mesh snichim, or Sḵwxwú7mesh language, is of the
Arts
Story-telling
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Visual art
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Tatooing!
Music
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Games and sports
Sḵwxwú7mesh daily life included an array of games and sports. One of the most well known game played is bone game or slahal. The game is played with two opposing teams. There is two sets of "bones", and two sets of sticks, numbering from 7-11 for each team. When a game is in play, one of the two teams will have two sets of "bones", shown above. When your team is guessing, you objective is to get the right bone, the one without the stripe. When you have the bones, your objective is to make sure the other team guesses wrong on the bones set. When the other team guesses wrong, you gain a point. When a team has the two sets of bones, two individuals will hide the bones and swap them around from hand to hand. Eventually the bones are brought forward, but are concealed as to now show the other team what one has a stripe on it. The game is usually accompanied by drumming and singing used to boost morale of the team. The side that has the bone sings, while the other tries to guess. The musical accompaniment is also sometimes used to taunt the other team. Gambling could be done by players, or spectators of a match. Placing bets on teams, or individual matches within the game between one guess and the other teams bone hiders.
Other games included some played by children, and some played specifically by the warriors to prepare and train themselves. Some sports are similar to modern day lacrosse, rugby, and soccer.
The Sḵwxwú7mesh game called tk'7kw'ala, similar to lacrosse was played in villages. A smooth oval stone, weighing about three pounds, would be used by teams of two, around 6 on each team. There were no sticks or nets on open spaces. The goal posts were six feet apart on each side of an open space.
In the last few decades, canoe racing has become popular among Coast Salish. It's done with specifically designed canoes, called War Canoes or Racing Canoes. They are based off of the more traditional canoe styles, but it is quite modern design. The canoe is usually a foot or two above water level, with enough width for one man. Different races include single, double, or 11-man races. The races themselves are held in the summertime.
Transporation
The Sḵwxwú7mesh transportation methods was either foot or by canoe. Different styles existed for different types of sea's. Sea-going canoes, typically larger, would utilized on the open ocean. They could also be cargo-canoes for trading large amounts. Smaller Inlet-style canoes, used in calmer waters and shorter travel to near-by villages or neighboring people. Being a coastal people, the main way or transportation was through canoe pulling. Intricate paths and trails also existed with more interior nations.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Barman, Jean. Stanley Park's Secrets. Habour Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978155074205. p46.
- ^ Mathews, Major J.S. Conversations with Khahtsahlano 1932-1954, Out of Print, 1955. ASIN: B0007K39O2. p190, 266, 267.
- ^ Mathews, Major J.S. Conversations with Khahtsahlano 1932-1954, Out of Print, 1955. ASIN: B0007K39O2. p266, 267.
- ^ Kolstee, Anton. The Eagle School student dictionary of Squamish langage. Carson Graham Secondary School, October 1993. p98.
- ^ Barman, Jean. Stanley Park's Secrets. Habour Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978155074205. p46.
- ^ Mathews, Major J.S. Conversations with Khahtsahlano 1932-1954, Out of Print, 1955. ASIN: B0007K39O2. p.267.
- ^ Barman, Jean. Stanley Park's Secrets. Habour Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978155074205. p43.
- ^ Efron, Sarah. Squamish Speakers Keep Language Alive. Georgia Straight. Retrieved January, 28th, 2008.
Bibliography
- Barman, Jean. Stanley Park's Secrets. Habour Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978155074205.
- Mathews, Major J.S. Conversations with Khahtsahlano, 1932-1954. Out-of-Print, 1955. ASIN: B0007K39O2.
- Clark, Ella E. Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest. University of California Press, 2003. ISBN 0520239261.
- Hill-tout, Charles. "Salish People: Volume II: the Squamish and the Lillooet". Talonbooks, 1978. ISBN 0889221499
- Khatsahlano, August Jack and Charlie, Domanic. Squamish Legends: The First People". Oliver N. Wells, June 1966. ISBN
- Kolstee, Anton. The Eagle School student dictionary of Squamish langage. Carson Graham Secondary School, October 1993.
- Kuipers, H. Alert. The Squamish language: Grammar, texts, dictionary. Mouton & Co., 1967.