Winter Solstice Message
Celebrating the winter solstice through xwunuts’amaat uw’ muqwstem or interconnectedness
Dear tsetsuwatil community,
In the last couple of messages, I shared two of the snuw’uy’ulh, or Coast Salish values, that we root our work in: uy’ya’tulct ci’cuwatultct (walking hand-in-hand in a good way) and stitumstuxw tun shqwuluwun (self-determination).
As we move toward the winter solstice, I’d like to share some thoughts on one other aspect of snuw’uy’ulh that is so important to our work: xwunuts’amaat uw’ muqwstem—interconnectedness.
As the days get shorter and colder, it is a reminder that Mother Earth is our host and relative, and like a good relative, she is reminding us to slow down, to rest and recharge. When I reflect upon this it reminds me of why this value means so much to the work of Kw’umut Lelum Foundation and how we are taking a different path on our philanthropic journey—a path that is holistic and recognizes our connection and responsibility to all our relations, including the land. We bring to our community investments and activities our understanding, traditions, and practices that honour and respect the land.
An example of how we enact these values is embedded in our Traditional Harvesting and Mentorship Program that is currently being offered to 24 youth from the nine Member Nations we serve. They are being mentored by knowledge keepers passing on traditional harvesting practices. These youth are learning the sacred teachings of how to connect with the land as well as practical skills such as shooting and how to process the animal for food and regalia. We understand the interconnected ways of Mother Earth and how we are knit into it, in an interdependent circle of life.
“You live off the land, you hunt off the land, you eat off the land, and you cannot sell it because the Creator did not sell it to you.”
For me personally, the value of interconnectedness and knowing the land as a gift, has come from my mom, who told me, “You live off the land, you hunt off the land, you eat off the land, and you cannot sell it because the Creator did not sell it to you.” Her teaching resonates in a particular way at this time of year as a reminder of how the land will sustain us through the dark days and into the future if we are good stewards and treat it with respect.
In closing, I wish each of you time for rest and time with all of your relatives this season. I look forward to our continued work being guided by xwunuts’amaat uw’ muqwstem and to expanding the connections with and between our tsetsuwatil community.
Huy tseep q'u
Sharon Hobenshield
Executive Director
Kw’umut Lelum Foundation