"Breath of Our Grandfathers"
The Story Continues.....
'Ksan Historical Village & Museum, Halezton, B.C.
By Gwaans (Beverly Clifton Percival, Curator)

'Ksan project wrap up feast with community members

In March 1999, a group of fifteen adult learners met at 'Ksan to begin a museum journey. Each participant joined the party for his or her reasons, but they came together to help 'Ksan create public museum programming that would encourage cultural and visual literacy.

The group began their journey by learning some of the history behind 'Ksan Historical Village & Museum. Curator Beverley Clifton Percival gave a tour of the museum and showed the collection. Karen Erickson from the Learners Opportunity Group led a discussion about the many ways people can be literate. The group talked about how the 'Ksan Museum can encourage literacy in the community. Next, they watched the film "Breath of Our Grandfathers" and enjoyed it as the performers were local people from our area. Afterwards the group discussed aspects of the film that related to the various ways in which we learn about culture, more specifically in this case, Gitxsan culture. The learners then brainstormed various topics for workshops that 'Ksan could host for Hazelton and outlying communities. They voted and the top two selections were snowshoe making and song and dance.

The group undertook other activities, including creating a questionnaire to gather information about community interests in terms of educational programming for the museum. Learners also documented the entire process using video and photography, allowing them to gain some additional communication skills. A professional film maker came in to give some pointers.

Snowshoe making workshop

The workshops were great, with two local Simgigyet (Gitxsan Chiefs) sharing their knowledge and time. For snowshoe making, the group went to the facilitator's workshop for a hands-on experience and to see how these pieces are crafted. He took them through the different stages, from building the frame with raw materials to filling it in with weave. All throughout the workshop, he explained the teachings of his father and grandfather about snowshoe making. It is a skill that is in danger of dying out because they are very few people alive who still know the process of creating snowshoes. The learners began to appreciate

the complexity and skill it takes to undertake such a project.

In the song and dance workshop, participants were able to listen to the ada'ox or oral histories that are behind the use of song and dance in Gitxsan culture. Our facilitator shared how she had been trained in this art form and it was her duty to pass this knowledge on to future generations. She also brought in dance regalia for the learners to see and wear as they learned a few songs and dances from the Gitxsan nation.

Here are some of the participants' comments:

"The usage of snowshoes was made obvious. The miles our people travelled in all seasons and any condition was remarkable. We really need to experience this way of life to find and understand those generations that have passed on this way."

"I enjoyed just getting to know about the history of people in the community. "

"I really enjoyed Alice's storytelling, and the history of her family names, also enjoyed learning about the feast and the stories behind the songs and dances."

"The workshop on song and dance became a spiritual thing. It also made me more aware of the importance of involvement in the culture. "

Overall, this project had a tremendously positive impact within the community. 'Ksan was able to provide some skill-building opportunities for writing, video making and photography and for community needs assessment. The project also increased people's desire to participate in Gitxsan song and dance and enabled them to learn traditional skills, such as making snowshoes, from start to finish. The project created invaluable links with the participants, who came from several outlying communities.