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#snuneymuxw — Public Fediverse posts

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  1. Sway-a-Lana Lagoon

    Sway-a-Lana Lagoon is a swimming pool within Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo. I often see families on the beach here and occasionally swimmers in the Lagoon. It is a lovely spot surrounded by well-tended gardens and bordered by a pedestrian bridge. From there you can see Protection Island and Saysutshun.

    “Sway-a-Lana” refers to a historical figure, the eldest son of the first man in Nanaimo. The name is derived from the Snuneymuxw First Nation and is associated with the area’s natural and cultural significance. The Snuneymuxw First Nation consider the area around Maffeo Sutton Park a sacred site and a place of ongoing connection to the land. 

    #FirstNation #flowers #gardens #MaffeoSuttonPark #Nanaimo #nature #Photography #Snuneymuxw

  2. Sway-a-Lana Lagoon

    Sway-a-Lana Lagoon is a swimming pool within Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo. I often see families on the beach here and occasionally swimmers in the Lagoon. It is a lovely spot surrounded by well-tended gardens and bordered by a pedestrian bridge. From there you can see Protection Island and Saysutshun.

    “Sway-a-Lana” refers to a historical figure, the eldest son of the first man in Nanaimo. The name is derived from the Snuneymuxw First Nation and is associated with the area’s natural and cultural significance. The Snuneymuxw First Nation consider the area around Maffeo Sutton Park a sacred site and a place of ongoing connection to the land. 

    #FirstNation #flowers #gardens #MaffeoSuttonPark #Nanaimo #nature #Photography #Snuneymuxw

  3. Sway-a-Lana Lagoon

    Sway-a-Lana Lagoon is a swimming pool within Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo. I often see families on the beach here and occasionally swimmers in the Lagoon. It is a lovely spot surrounded by well-tended gardens and bordered by a pedestrian bridge. From there you can see Protection Island and Saysutshun.

    “Sway-a-Lana” refers to a historical figure, the eldest son of the first man in Nanaimo. The name is derived from the Snuneymuxw First Nation and is associated with the area’s natural and cultural significance. The Snuneymuxw First Nation consider the area around Maffeo Sutton Park a sacred site and a place of ongoing connection to the land. 

    #FirstNation #flowers #gardens #MaffeoSuttonPark #Nanaimo #nature #Photography #Snuneymuxw

  4. Sway-a-Lana Lagoon

    Sway-a-Lana Lagoon is a swimming pool within Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo. I often see families on the beach here and occasionally swimmers in the Lagoon. It is a lovely spot surrounded by well-tended gardens and bordered by a pedestrian bridge. From there you can see Protection Island and Saysutshun.

    “Sway-a-Lana” refers to a historical figure, the eldest son of the first man in Nanaimo. The name is derived from the Snuneymuxw First Nation and is associated with the area’s natural and cultural significance. The Snuneymuxw First Nation consider the area around Maffeo Sutton Park a sacred site and a place of ongoing connection to the land. 

    #FirstNation #flowers #gardens #MaffeoSuttonPark #Nanaimo #nature #Photography #Snuneymuxw

  5. Snuneymuxw Coal Story

    The main downtown shopping street in Nanaimo, Commercial Street, is currently undergoing renovation. Like all renovations, it will be great when it is finished. It will have bike lanes and expanded sidewalks for outdoor restaurant patios, and will generally be more visitor-friendly.

    In the process of doing the work the engineers discovered a large void underneath the original road. It was part of an old coal mine that was once the city’s main industry. This discovery delayed the reconstruction project as they figured out how best to fill the void and stabilize the other mine workings. That work has been completed and the upgrade to the shopping street is nearly finished.

    While on my walk this morning I saw a sculpture dedicated to someone who unwittingly was the cause of all these problems. The information on the plaque includes the following:

    Ki-Et-Sa-Kun (Known as Coal Tyee) 1810 (circa)-1881.

    Revealed Nanaimo coal deposits to Hudson’s Bay Company in 1849.

    Sculptor: Dorothea E. Kennedy.

    Beneath that plaque is another which tells the story of the mine:

    “Snuneymuxw Coal Story

    The Snuneymuxw knew of pitst, the black rock outcrops around Nanaimo harbour, for thousands of years. The oral history warned that this black rock belonged to Qwunus, the black whale that migrated annually through the Georgia Strait. When the Hudson’s Bay Company established a post at Ts-Ah-Mus (Victoria) two Snuneymuxw men, Ki-Et-Sa-Kun and his young cousin Hay-Wa-Kum, gathered up a blanket of coal to trade with the blacksmiths for iron hoops. They were taken to Governor James Douglas who was highly pleased and gave Ki-Et-Sa-Kun a new name, Coal Tyee. When they returned home the Snuneymuxw were very displeased, as the two men had broken a traditional taboo by removing the coal. They were sent to watch the water and make peace with the whales.

    Not long after, Joseph McKay was sent by Governor Douglas to visit the region. Hay-Wa-Kum remembered McKay dancing on top of the coal seams with great joy. McKay later established the Nanaimo Hudson’s Bay Company post beside the Snuneymuxw village on Commercial Inlet. The Snuneymuxw mined 2,000 tons of surface coal in the first year of the Hudson’s Bay Company mining operation. Women carried the coal in baskets to the waiting ships. When coal was dug underground, Snuneymuxw men worked side by side with the early miners. Later they worked as coal trimmers in the local wharfs.

    Today few whales visit the Georgia Strait.

    This account of Nanaimo’s coal history courtesy of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.“

    Not only was the local mine recently made completely defunct by being filled in, but also this week saw the liquidation of all the Hudson’s Bay Company’s department stores in Canada. Their intellectual property, including the name, logo, and iconic stripes have been sold to another retail chain, Canadian Tire.

    I spent a little time watching the water today thinking about whales, First Nations, coal mines, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before I headed home.

    #blackWhale #FirstNations #GeorgiaStrait #HudsonSBayCompany #mine #Nanaimo #Snuneymuxw

  6. The Vancouver Island University campus where I work is located on former Department of National Defense lands, indeed up until just a few years ago a few classes were still being held in “huts” built in the 1940s! Those are all gone now, but there is still DND land (Army Reserve - Canadian Scottish Regiment - Princess Mary’s) just to the south of the campus, across 5th Street. I can see it from my office.

    It is famously a location of a “Diefenbunker”.

    It is infamously also the location of the former Nanaimo Indian Hospital.

    Snuneymuxw now has most of this land as part of its reserve. Ceremonies were held last week. It's a good thing.

    "“My auntie went to this hospital, and they starved her,” said Snuneymuxw member Mikiala Morgan.

    Others in the community spoke of healing and reclamation. One Snuneymuxw member described the land’s return as “a full circle moment,” signifying not only a legal victory but a cultural and spiritual restoration. "

    The intention is likely to create housing, and there may even be a partnership with VIU for student housing on the lands. We'll see what the Snuneymuxw First Nation decides. It is their land and their future.

    hashilthsa.com/news/2025-04-22
    #Indigenous #IRS #IndianHospital #Nanaimo #Snuneymuxw #VIU

  7. The Vancouver Island University campus where I work is located on former Department of National Defense lands, indeed up until just a few years ago a few classes were still being held in “huts” built in the 1940s! Those are all gone now, but there is still DND land (Army Reserve - Canadian Scottish Regiment - Princess Mary’s) just to the south of the campus, across 5th Street. I can see it from my office.

    It is famously a location of a “Diefenbunker”.

    It is infamously also the location of the former Nanaimo Indian Hospital.

    Snuneymuxw now has most of this land as part of its reserve. Ceremonies were held last week. It's a good thing.

    "“My auntie went to this hospital, and they starved her,” said Snuneymuxw member Mikiala Morgan.

    Others in the community spoke of healing and reclamation. One Snuneymuxw member described the land’s return as “a full circle moment,” signifying not only a legal victory but a cultural and spiritual restoration. "

    The intention is likely to create housing, and there may even be a partnership with VIU for student housing on the lands. We'll see what the Snuneymuxw First Nation decides. It is their land and their future.

    hashilthsa.com/news/2025-04-22
    #Indigenous #IRS #IndianHospital #Nanaimo #Snuneymuxw #VIU

  8. The Vancouver Island University campus where I work is located on former Department of National Defense lands, indeed up until just a few years ago a few classes were still being held in “huts” built in the 1940s! Those are all gone now, but there is still DND land (Army Reserve - Canadian Scottish Regiment - Princess Mary’s) just to the south of the campus, across 5th Street. I can see it from my office.

    It is famously a location of a “Diefenbunker”.

    It is infamously also the location of the former Nanaimo Indian Hospital.

    Snuneymuxw now has most of this land as part of its reserve. Ceremonies were held last week. It's a good thing.

    "“My auntie went to this hospital, and they starved her,” said Snuneymuxw member Mikiala Morgan.

    Others in the community spoke of healing and reclamation. One Snuneymuxw member described the land’s return as “a full circle moment,” signifying not only a legal victory but a cultural and spiritual restoration. "

    The intention is likely to create housing, and there may even be a partnership with VIU for student housing on the lands. We'll see what the Snuneymuxw First Nation decides. It is their land and their future.

    hashilthsa.com/news/2025-04-22
    #Indigenous #IRS #IndianHospital #Nanaimo #Snuneymuxw #VIU

  9. The Vancouver Island University campus where I work is located on former Department of National Defense lands, indeed up until just a few years ago a few classes were still being held in “huts” built in the 1940s! Those are all gone now, but there is still DND land (Army Reserve - Canadian Scottish Regiment - Princess Mary’s) just to the south of the campus, across 5th Street. I can see it from my office.

    It is famously a location of a “Diefenbunker”.

    It is infamously also the location of the former Nanaimo Indian Hospital.

    Snuneymuxw now has most of this land as part of its reserve. Ceremonies were held last week. It's a good thing.

    "“My auntie went to this hospital, and they starved her,” said Snuneymuxw member Mikiala Morgan.

    Others in the community spoke of healing and reclamation. One Snuneymuxw member described the land’s return as “a full circle moment,” signifying not only a legal victory but a cultural and spiritual restoration. "

    The intention is likely to create housing, and there may even be a partnership with VIU for student housing on the lands. We'll see what the Snuneymuxw First Nation decides. It is their land and their future.

    hashilthsa.com/news/2025-04-22
    #Indigenous #IRS #IndianHospital #Nanaimo #Snuneymuxw #VIU

  10. The Vancouver Island University campus where I work is located on former Department of National Defense lands, indeed up until just a few years ago a few classes were still being held in “huts” built in the 1940s! Those are all gone now, but there is still DND land (Army Reserve - Canadian Scottish Regiment - Princess Mary’s) just to the south of the campus, across 5th Street. I can see it from my office.

    It is famously a location of a “Diefenbunker”.

    It is infamously also the location of the former Nanaimo Indian Hospital.

    Snuneymuxw now has most of this land as part of its reserve. Ceremonies were held last week. It's a good thing.

    "“My auntie went to this hospital, and they starved her,” said Snuneymuxw member Mikiala Morgan.

    Others in the community spoke of healing and reclamation. One Snuneymuxw member described the land’s return as “a full circle moment,” signifying not only a legal victory but a cultural and spiritual restoration. "

    The intention is likely to create housing, and there may even be a partnership with VIU for student housing on the lands. We'll see what the Snuneymuxw First Nation decides. It is their land and their future.

    hashilthsa.com/news/2025-04-22
    #Indigenous #IRS #IndianHospital #Nanaimo #Snuneymuxw #VIU

  11. Photos Beau sent me today. He has cleaned up the outdoor canoe carving workspace. Getting things ready to teach children when the May healing canoe program starts in Kuleet Bay.

    beauwagner.ca/

    #CoastSalish #Indigenous #TraditionalCanoe #DugoutCanoe #CanoeCarver #Woodworking #Snuneymuxw #Stzuminus #FirstNations #Canoes

  12. Photos Beau sent me today. He has cleaned up the outdoor canoe carving workspace. Getting things ready to teach children when the May healing canoe program starts in Kuleet Bay.

    beauwagner.ca/

    #CoastSalish #Indigenous #TraditionalCanoe #DugoutCanoe #CanoeCarver #Woodworking #Snuneymuxw #Stzuminus #FirstNations #Canoes

  13. Photos Beau sent me today. He has cleaned up the outdoor canoe carving workspace. Getting things ready to teach children when the May healing canoe program starts in Kuleet Bay.

    beauwagner.ca/

    #CoastSalish #Indigenous #TraditionalCanoe #DugoutCanoe #CanoeCarver #Woodworking #Snuneymuxw #Stzuminus #FirstNations #Canoes

  14. Photos Beau sent me today. He has cleaned up the outdoor canoe carving workspace. Getting things ready to teach children when the May healing canoe program starts in Kuleet Bay.

    beauwagner.ca/

    #CoastSalish #Indigenous #TraditionalCanoe #DugoutCanoe #CanoeCarver #Woodworking #Snuneymuxw #Stzuminus #FirstNations #Canoes

  15. Photos Beau sent me today. He has cleaned up the outdoor canoe carving workspace. Getting things ready to teach children when the May healing canoe program starts in Kuleet Bay.

    beauwagner.ca/

    #CoastSalish #Indigenous #TraditionalCanoe #DugoutCanoe #CanoeCarver #Woodworking #Snuneymuxw #Stzuminus #FirstNations #Canoes

  16. Kanaka Bay on Saysutshun. The bay is named for a Hawaiian man, Peter Kakua, who is buried there. But his story and the story of those he killed and what it all means is incredible. It took 150 years for someone to give it a proper airing and that someone was Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua and you need to read her piece.

    #kanaka #snuneymuxw #Penelekut #BC #FirstNations #colonization

    salishseasentinel.ca/2018/02/h

  17. Kanaka Bay on Saysutshun. The bay is named for a Hawaiian man, Peter Kakua, who is buried there. But his story and the story of those he killed and what it all means is incredible. It took 150 years for someone to give it a proper airing and that someone was Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua and you need to read her piece.

    #kanaka #snuneymuxw #Penelekut #BC #FirstNations #colonization

    salishseasentinel.ca/2018/02/h

  18. Kanaka Bay on Saysutshun. The bay is named for a Hawaiian man, Peter Kakua, who is buried there. But his story and the story of those he killed and what it all means is incredible. It took 150 years for someone to give it a proper airing and that someone was Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua and you need to read her piece.

    #kanaka #snuneymuxw #Penelekut #BC #FirstNations #colonization

    salishseasentinel.ca/2018/02/h

  19. Kanaka Bay on Saysutshun. The bay is named for a Hawaiian man, Peter Kakua, who is buried there. But his story and the story of those he killed and what it all means is incredible. It took 150 years for someone to give it a proper airing and that someone was Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua and you need to read her piece.

    #kanaka #snuneymuxw #Penelekut #BC #FirstNations #colonization

    salishseasentinel.ca/2018/02/h

  20. Okay. I’ve got a bunch of chores to take care of today but should be done in time to get to #Nanaimo for the arrival of the #hokulea. Not sure what time but I’m tracking the progress from #CampbellRiver. Bonus that it is also #snuneymuxw days. Canoe races, food trucks, artists. #hawaii #indigenous #VancouverIsland #pnw

  21. Okay. I’ve got a bunch of chores to take care of today but should be done in time to get to #Nanaimo for the arrival of the #hokulea. Not sure what time but I’m tracking the progress from #CampbellRiver. Bonus that it is also #snuneymuxw days. Canoe races, food trucks, artists. #hawaii #indigenous #VancouverIsland #pnw

  22. Okay. I’ve got a bunch of chores to take care of today but should be done in time to get to #Nanaimo for the arrival of the #hokulea. Not sure what time but I’m tracking the progress from #CampbellRiver. Bonus that it is also #snuneymuxw days. Canoe races, food trucks, artists. #hawaii #indigenous #VancouverIsland #pnw

  23. Okay. I’ve got a bunch of chores to take care of today but should be done in time to get to #Nanaimo for the arrival of the #hokulea. Not sure what time but I’m tracking the progress from #CampbellRiver. Bonus that it is also #snuneymuxw days. Canoe races, food trucks, artists. #hawaii #indigenous #VancouverIsland #pnw

  24. I’m at #VancouverIsland University this week in #Nanaimo sharing learning with a Masters in Education Leadership class. This spot looks out across #Snuneymuxw territory east over the #SalishSea. A bit smoky today from #wildfires in the region so can’t see the coast mountains in the distance.

  25. I’m at #VancouverIsland University this week in #Nanaimo sharing learning with a Masters in Education Leadership class. This spot looks out across #Snuneymuxw territory east over the #SalishSea. A bit smoky today from #wildfires in the region so can’t see the coast mountains in the distance.