Fiddleheads acknowledges that the beautiful land on which our studio and home sits is located in the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (Shi-HUEP-muh / She-KWE-pem) territory in the southern interior of British Columbia within the unceded traditional lands of the Secwepemc Nation

Content Warning: Violence, Genocide

Rhiannon hikes above Kamloops and the Tk'emlups the Secwepemc Nation

[Photo: I deeply enjoy my hikes in the hills of Kamloops and the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation, Summer 2017]

Weyt-kp xwexweytep (hello everyone).

I moved from San Diego, California to British Columbia in 1995 to attend music college. I found the mountains, greenery and animals provided a restorative and beautiful oasis experience unlike any place I had been before. I felt safe and welcome here and chose immigrate to Canada for the serenity the surroundings and people brought to me as I planned to raise a family.

I was only vaguely aware of the persecution of Canada's First Nations people but did begin to gleen insights to the treatment of friends who are members of various First Nations communities.

Though it was an emotionally difficult experience, in the coming years I sought to learn more about the history of the people and the land on which they lived for thousands of years before colonizers swept in and took over these people and these lands and devastated countless lives. I learned how white colonizers subjected these peaceful people to horrific systemic racism and stole away their land, their rights, and, worst of all, their autonomy as human beings.

It was a gut-wrenching day of recknoning when I realized a few years ago that the land I "own" in Kamloops was formerly shared freely amongst the Secwepemc people who were forced off said land. I felt deeply ashamed of the actions of the colonizers on our collective behalf as white North Americans. That realization paled in comparison to a more recent discovery.

Kamloops residential school circa 1970. Photo: Library and Archives Canada

[Photo: Kamloops residential school circa 1970, from the Library and Archives Canada]

Disturbing Discoveries and Truths

[CONTENT WARNING: Violence, Genocide] On the day of my and my husband's wedding anniversary in May 2021 I, along with millions of others, was appalled by the news that hundreds of neglected and murdered children's bodies were discovered buried at a residential school a mere ten minute drive from our home.

Our home where we are raising our family and operate my violin business. Our home where I make meals and garden and play music every day. Our home that is just up the hill from a genocide occurred as recently as during my infancy, and the effects are still crushing the souls of countless people generations later.

It's agonizingly close to home in many ways. Looking northeast from my kitchen window I can almost see the "school" where this happened and shudder to imagine the horrifically cruel conditions and literal genocide to which these children and their families were subjected by colonization and the people upholding it.

As I cried and shook in shock of the horrible news, I thought back on my childhood guilt in being of 50% German heritage and the same feelings I had when I realized some of my ancestors caused the Holocaust. No, I was not a direct part of these atrocities, nor was I even born until some 30+ years later, but it is a part of my cultural past as a woman of white European, namely German, ancestry.

These discoveries were of the most painful and shameful moments in my adult life and yet I am grateful for the clarity they provided me: We can no longer ignore the message this pain is sending us and we need to act.

Yes, through this and countless other discoveries (more bodies have been discovered at former Canadian residential schools) I have gained a stronger, painful understanding how the actions of colonizers were and still are devastating to the Secwepemc Nation and beyond. It breaks my heart to learn more details, but I can no longer assuage my guilt by ignoring what occurred. None of us can.

Photo from upper Sahali looking north to the mountains and Kamloops Indian Band land

[Photo: "I can see my house from here!" My neighbourhood of "Sahali," the name of which means 'up' or 'above' in the local Chinook Jargon (usually written as saghalie) but in this context meaning 'high ground']

Honoured to Live in Tk'emlups

I love living in Tk'emlups, anglicized as Kamloops, and enjoying all four seasons in their many colours and emotions they stir inside me. I deeply appreciate the beauty of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation and their traditional lands. I consider myself a very fortunate guest during my time living here making music and raising a family, a visit that is but temporary in the grand scheme of things.

That said, I do not want to leave behind anything permanent in a damaging sense. I hope my legacy will be one with only positive permanence: I strive to stand up for Indigenous People and protect them and their formerly pristine lands from future harm. I also hope that I can help to undo past harm, if this is possible. I think it is. I have been through struggles in my own life and know healing takes time, but it is possible when we all support each other and take the courageous steps needed to bring about healing.

The journey learning about the history of the people who nurtured this land has not only been one of pain. It has been one of respect and appreciation as I have grown and explored. I started by adding an acknowledgement for the unceded (meaning First Nations people never ceded or legally signed away their lands to the Crown or to Canada) land on which I run my business and adding it to my Inclusivity Policies, but I realized stating this is only the tip of the iceberg.

I read that writing a land acknowledgement requires careful reflection and learning to prepare an acknowledgement that is meaningful and not just words. It means learning about the people on whose lands we lived and what this land means to me now. I explored many First Nations sites online and what I learned was beautiful and enlightening.

Snow-covered mountains near Rhiannon's studio

[Photo: The snow-covered winter mountains near my home and studio, looking east just after sunrise]

What I Learned in the Process

  • I learned that the Secwepemc people speak one of the Salishan languages, known as Secwepemc or Shuswap. They were given their language "by the Creator for communication to the people and to the natural world."
    • You can learn the Secwepemc language with a variety of online resources.
    • The name Kamloops stems from Tk’emlups, which means "the meeting of two rivers" and is a beautiful tribute to the waterways that brought much nourishment to the people and region for millinnia.
  • The Secwepemc communicate with the natural world around them in order to survive and flourish in harsh environments. For example, they receive messages from the mammals and birds who provide them guidance in harvesting food and medicines and the cricket who guides them on the yearly salmon harvest, which was essential to their survival. They also believe all living things have spirits deserving of total appreciation and respect.
    • The Western term for this holistic and balanced worldview is called "Ecocentrism" (a nature-centered system of values) and it is the opposite of "Anthropocentrism" (a human-centered system of values).
  • Music, dance and story-telling are celebrated daily and are "absolutely vital in maintaining the values, beliefs, and teachings regarding care of the land and the people." Ceremonies and daily use of song and dance remind Secwepemc people of their responsibilities to their laws in caring for each other and the land on which they live.
  • They pass on their knowledge, such as harvesting food, medicinal plants, and natural materials for their use in a "proper and respectful way," which involves praying, singing and thanking the Creator with an offering before each use.
  • Originally there were eight tribes in the Secwepemc, but now the only two tribes remaining are known as T’Kemlups (Kamloops) and (east of Kamloops).
    • My region's band, Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc, currently consists of approximately 1000 members and operates over 10 corporations. They innovatively pioneered Indian Property taxation and have created over 200 direct jobs and over $200 million of regional economic activity.

Bee collecting nectar on a lavender flower

[Photo: A bee seeks nourishment from a lavender flower in my xeriscaped, grass-free, garden]

Some First Steps

I encourage others to please learn about this and other rich indigenous cultures and to dismantle the destructive but powerful systems designed to perpetuate these atrocities.

In my learning and growth I have discovered these essential steps in supporting our human family:

  1. Start by reading How to Support Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.
  2. You can learn about the land on which you live at Whose Land, which provides an interactive global map identifying the many Indigenous nations around the planet.
  3. Learn how to make a territorial acknowledgements at Native-land.ca, which will hopefully inspire you to learn more about supporting our native family on our shared planet.
  4. Beyond that, you can become an advocate for Indigenous People globally. An excellent resource is the site About Cultural Survival, which partners with Indigenous communities through trusted network of Indigenous partners and international human rights advocates across the globe.
  5. Read the Truth & Reconciliation Reports. If you are overwhelmed with that, start with the condensed Calls to Action.
     

 

I am grateful you took the time to read this and hope your own journey toward reconciliation is meaningful and healing.

Kukwstsétsemc (thank you).

Rhiannon Nachbaur pubic signature

Rhiannon Nachbaur