The 29 hand-woven baskets on display at the Sts鈥檃iles Lhawathet Lalem (Healing House), were empty. Yet, the memories and wisdom they contained filled the hearts of the people who welcomed them home.
The joyous repatriation ceremony on Friday, March 3, was an 鈥渁nswer to prayers鈥� as the Sts鈥檃iles community celebrated the return of the 29 baskets that were once on display at the Kilby Historic Site in Harrison Mills. Some of the baskets dated back at least 100 years.
Chief Ralph Leon said the return of these baskets has been in the works since about 2017.
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鈥淭he history that鈥檚 here with us belongs to the Sts鈥檃iles people,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hatever鈥檚 embedded into the ground, surrounding our territory, belongs to the Sts鈥檃iles people. I really want to thank those who are really involved in this beautiful work.鈥�
St鈥檚ailes Elder Sel Ya:al (Nancy Patricia Charlie) said she was 鈥渢ouched鈥� by the return of the ancestral baskets.. Even without seeing the display first, she was certain some of the baskets belonged her and her husband鈥檚 ancestors.
鈥�(My husband) used to make these baskets; he used to work with his mother,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e remember those old people. They told us, because we were young when we got married, they told us 鈥榶ou鈥檙e going to carry it on. You鈥檙e a part of helping us, to guide us to where we are today.鈥欌��
Sts鈥檃iles Coun. Boyd Peters, Friday鈥檚 master of ceremonies, said the return of these baskets were vitally important to the people, particularly the youth.
鈥淭heir great grandparents, their, great, great, great, great grandparents, they鈥檙e the ones that did this work, and they鈥檙e in museums right now,鈥� Peters said.
He recalled his own grandmother, blind from diabetes, weaving the baskets, fueled by her passion for the work.
The joy at Lhawathet Lalem was palpable. Boyd hearkened the celebration to a repatriation ceremony when a s谩sq鈥檈ts (Sasquatch) mask was returned to Sts鈥檃iles years ago.
鈥淲hen the family was bringing in that mask, that mask was just dancing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat spirit was just so alive. That mask was alive; everything we have is alive. So when that happened, it was a real healing for our family.鈥�
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MLA Kelli Paddon expressed her gratitude and joy to be able to witness the repatriation.
鈥淚 get to share Sts鈥檃iles because you share so generously with me, about the stories and the strength,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I get I get to talk about the baskets and what they mean and what they carry. The baskets are being held, and there鈥檚 nothing in them, but there鈥檚 everything in them.鈥�
Members of staff from the Kilby Historic Site and Fraser Valley Regional District Area C director Mel Waardenburg also witnessed the repatriation. Ceremonies concluded with celebratory dances from the Sasquatch Dancers.
Peters said some of his grandmother鈥檚 baskets are on display at a museum in Vancouver, urging the province to continue the works of repatriation and reconciliation.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more work that we need to do,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e want to turn back things to our communities. We鈥檙e getting back a little bit of our land right now, but it鈥檚 so critical for the next generations that we do this 鈥� that we always have a place in our heart, we have a place to put these sort of things.鈥�
鈥淭he closer we work, the work becomes strong,鈥� Leon said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my message to my friends that are here.鈥�
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com
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