Squamish People of the Sunset Coast

About the Book

This is the land of the sunset coast. In the beginning there was water everywhere and no land at all. In time, the Great Spirit stretched forth his hand to make land appear. Soon the tops of the mountains showed above the water and they grew and grew till their peaks reached the clouds.

The land created by Sagali Tyee held rich natural resources, such as forests, fish, animal life, and a warm climate. Mountains stood sentinel to the north and east. Islands to the west blocked off the ocean and created safe harbors. Soon after this had been done, "Ka-la-na" the first man was made. Ka-la'-na, a good man, obeyed Sagali's commands. In the course of time, his wife gave birth to many sons and daughters, who filled all the land. When the land was full of people, and Ka-la'-na had grown very old, Sagali took him away one day, and the people saw him no more. This is the story of the Squamish people, as told by Barbara Wyss to her grandchildren over many visits.

About the Author

Barbara Wyss [Khalt-siya]

Barbara Wyss, Squamish Nation Elder, is the Mother of three grown children and seven grandchildren and lives in West Vancouver. Barbara's time is spent volunteering to improve the literacy and numberacy rates of aboriginal children. She has been developing an approach to learning, through working with her grandchildren as well as people from various age groups within her community, to assist them in learning more efficiently and thus empowering them to learn more on their own. This includes using traditional cultural teaching as well as reading and writing skill development.

In 1994, she published an article entitled "All My Relations: Perspectives on Commemorating Aboriginal Women" which is about the contributions of aboriginal women throughout Canadian history. Barbara's education spans from the Residential School environment to University education, onto community education. She has come full circle in her life, being educated, as well as developing a sense of educating others.