This land

– the river, the estuary, the harbour, the islands and the ocean – is the basis of their traditions and the source of the inspiration and the materials for the arts of the Snuneymuxw community.

I am very happy and wish to welcome each one of you here. Each one of you have traveled to learn a bit about Snuneymuxw history, about our ancestors, to our elders today and how our elders have been keepers of knowledge and learning and passing on what they have gained from our ancestors. Knowing is our elders of elders. History is so important, not only to share with the elder community but also to leave behind a legacy to our younger generations and generations to come. As you view each of the objects that you are about to see, they go back in time as far as 3000 years to contemporary, to today’s objects that we still use such as the lacrosse jersey. There will be stories, there will be Hal’q’umin’um’ names attached to some of the objects and a spirituality connected to it. And how our elders continue today to remind us that it is these objects that make us unique as any other nation. So, once again, thank you. Thank you for taking that time to travel, to take a moment of your time. And when you leave, you are going to be leaving with something, a little legacy of Snuneymuxw people. Thank you.