Cheakamus Centre, Paradise Valley Road, Brackendale, BC, Canada
During my 10-week practicum at Upper Lynn Elementary, our class got the opportunity to visit the Long House at the Cheakamus Centre in Squamish. Normally the experience is an overnight trip, but due to COVID it was a one day trip. The educational experience was rooted in Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) culture and represents indigenous ways of knowing, being and living through hands-on learning experiences. We had the opportunity to delve into traditional Coast Salish practices around and inside the Long House and surrounding ecological reserve. This indigenous cultural program is based on three major ideas that underlie the activities at the longhouse: Respect, Sharing, and Seasonality. Throughout the day, we did many activities such as: cedar bark weaving, wool weaving, carving traditional tools out of wood, making traditional soups with fire stones and cooking with hot rocks and making bannock over the fire. We also went for an hour long hike through the surrounding forest and learned about the flora and fauna throughout the area.