Tales and Rails 2
Something went haywire with my previous upload of this post, so I'm re-uploading it again for your proper train-riding enjoyment.
"I’ll stand and guard the Fraser River that no harm comes to my people... and no harm comes to the fish that comes up to feed them."
The Legend of Lhilheqey (Mount Cheam) as told by elder Óyewot (Amy Cooper).
Indigenous cultures that have traditionally lived in the west coast (Coast Salish nations) have oral traditions by which they pass on their stories, containing a mix of history, mythic-religious themes, and natural (and supernatural) elements. The quote above is from a Stó:lō nation story that tells the personified legend of mountains (Cheam and Washington) marrying and having offspring (other mountains) around the Fraser Valley region through which the river flows. I recommend listening to the audio.
The Musqueam nation have legends about how the Fraser river was created by a Double-Headed Serpent. Important resources like salmon and sturgeon are mentioned in their stories. Another nation, the Squamish have stories about the Fraser, which is associated with two sisters (mountains) that watch over the river in the form of lions.
The Tsleil-Waututh nation have a saying in relation to the Fraser, "when the tide goes out, the table is set." Harvesting clams, fish, kelp, and other marine foodstuffs was essential to their food procurement activities. This abundance of the river is a recurrent theme along with warnings about what happens if balance is lost.
I came across the following poster at an exhibition in Fort Langley that details another story of the river told by a Stó:lō elder.
Resources
The Legend of Lhilheqey (Mount Cheam)
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▶️ 3Speak
Not only was I fascinated by that trip, I really loved it, but the history of the river and the indigenous people who lived there completes it perfectly. Thank you!
It's an extremely important river, and the biggest in this region. It's awesome!