Potlatch

At a potlatch, in Squamish language a tl'e7enk, the host would invite guests to feast in foods prepared and harvested. Blankets would be bought or made, then distributed to guests. At the events, the host would hire a speaker to speak for the family in the proceedings. For special potlatches, a special platform would be constructed, around 10 or 15 feet high, 5 feet wide, where the host and his speaker would pile a number of blankets, either bought or made by the host's own family, and distribute the blankets to the guests. The speaker would call out names of guests, usually highly respected or high ranking, taking a blanket and throwing it out for that guest. Typically a crowd would amass below, ready for the falling blankets, waiting for it to fall. While the blanket came down, the other guests would have knives and spears ready to tear apart the blanket. Thus, the blanket would be torn and split up into multiple pieces. After attending a few potlatches, the guests would procure enough wool to construct their own blanket.^[5] "Hundred Dollar Charlie", maternal grandfather to Andy Paull, reportedly gave the last potlatch on Burrard Inlet before the practice was banned by the Canadian government in 1885.

In other ceremonies, a young woman, sometimes the daughter of a highly respected man, would be placed on top of a mound of blankets. This mound would match her height. Sitting on top of the blankets, a ceremony would take place around here, while she sat on top of and her family nearby. During some ceremonies, people situated around the house would take wooden batons and beat on plank drums situated through the house. When a young girl would stand up, she would dance around the house with a shawl on, and everyone else would beat and sing. When she was done, one man would take down, from duck, swan, or eagle, and sprinkle it over her.^[6]

For large festivities, a bigger house then the normal dwelling would be built. These are potlatch houses or tl'e7enkáẃtxw.^[2] One longhouse was measured at 200 feet long by 60 feet wide.^[3] These houses could hold over a thousand guests, invited from far along the coast. The house would be decorated with down, sprinkled throughout the floor of the house.^[7] The longhouse in Xwemelch'stn is one of these types of houses. One potlatch was recorded at Xwáýxway in 1875. In the longhouse, a large cedar slab dwelling, a large ceremony with guests of people from nearby nations, Vancouver Island, and the Interior British Columbia. This potlatch was hosted by August Jack's father, named Supple Jack.^[4]

Puberty and rites of passage

The stage of life that brought much change was filled with much attention and celebration. Young men and women may follow some of the same customs, but differ on certain specifics. The difference in their training had to do with what positions they would be taking in the community, the fact that different families had different protocols, or other factors.^[8]

At the sign of reaching this point in a young girl's life, she would inform her mother, and she would inform the father. The father would call together the family and relatives. They would then discuss what arrangements and course they would follow. Different families had different teachings or traditions, and as such, each girl may have had different customs. In one example of the tradition, the family would take two strands of mountain goat wool, and tie them to each side of the girl's forehead. The community would see this signifier of her new womanhood, announcing to her people that she is of age.^[8]

For four days, she would fast with no food and limited or no water. During this time, she would refrain from bathing and being near fires. It was believed if she was to go near the fire, her skin would become red. The women of her family, like her mother, grandmother or other women, would pull out the irregular hairs from the edges of her eyebrows to make them fine and beautiful. The edges were rubbed with the girl's saliva and a plant mixture to stop hairs from growing again. After the four days, the same woman would bathe and scrub her.

The purpose of these traditions were to make her "bright and smart".^[8] Following the bathing, she would be given food and could then sit near the fire. When applicable, a family member would drape a blanket over the woman's shoulders. After the meal, she would be painted with red ochre. She would travel to the forest and pull down cedar and spruce tree branches, rubbing the ends of these over her face and body. This would to make her beautiful and charming in the eyes of men. She would give offerings of fern roots to those cedar trees.

After all these things were conducted, she would be given an ancestral name, and the naming ceremony or potlatch would occur.

Naming

Naming customs are ancestral or hereditary naming. Within the traditional customs, when a child is born the elders of the child's family or community would choose a name.^[9] This is called a ninamin or nicknam used to name children. Years later while going through puberty or "coming-of-age" rituals, the person would receive a name from a deceased ancestor. These ancestral names can then be traced back many generations. The names are thus considered "property", in belonging to a family. These ancestral names are called "kweshamin". The family would host a potlatch and bestow the new ancestral name on the person.^[9] Within present practices, ancestral names are still passed on, but mostly when a family makes the preparations to host a potlatch and not just when a child begins puberty.

Every name has a suffix ending, denoting masculine or feminine names, and sometimes having actual translations to their meaning. One example is the -lanexw ending. This is found in names like "Kiyapalanexw" which when Anglicized became "Capilano", "Xatsalanxw" which when Anglicized became "Kitsilano", and many other names.

Marriage

After a young boy or girl went through the proper "coming-of-age" rituals, or had reached puberty, they were ready to become adults. For young people around this age, marriage would be a priority.^[10] A young man would search out a prospective bride from another village or sometimes a neighboring nation. He would travel to the house of the prospective bride, sit outside the doorway with a blanket wrapped around him, and wait. He would wait here, not eating any foods or drinking any liquids during this time, usually lasting up to 4 days. While this occurred, the girl's family would take no notice of him.^[10] If acceptable to the parents, the mother of the prospective wife would approach a neighbor to inform the young man that the girl's parents are willing to accept him as their son-in-law.

Neither the girl's family nor the young suitor would have any communication with each other. The neighbor would prepare and give a meal to the fasting man. He would then return home to his village and family to inform them of his acceptance. He would return days later with family and friends in canoes.^[10] If of lower ranking, he would return with one canoe load of blankets, but if of higher ranking, he would come with many canoe loads of gifts, blankets, and animal skins. All of these gifts would be distributed to the bride's family. Sometimes, the young man was not accepted by the young woman's family. A family council would be held to discuss the issue, and the young man might be rejected. A neighbor would be called upon to be an intermediary and inform him he is not invited into the house and to return home.^[11]

During the night, the father-in-law would entertain the groom's family, and offer accommodation to them, with the host family sleeping on one side of the longhouse, and the groom's family living on the other. In the proceeding morning, both families would walk down to the beach front where the groom's canoe is moored. Here the bride's family placed blankets in the canoe. If the bride was of high rank or nobility, blankets would be lined up on the ground from the house to the canoe for the bride to walk on, while two older women led her down. The bride would be dressed in beautiful regalia in colours and ornaments.^[10] Over her head another blanket was placed, somewhat like a veil. Behind her would be carried personal belongings, such as things like mats, baskets, blankets, wooden platters, and spoons.

The older women then placed the bride on the bow of the canoe, and for their services the groom thanked them with gifts or blankets.^[11] The bride's family and friends then returned to their home, while the young groom and his family returned to his village with the bride. If the family were not of nobility, most of these customs would not occur.

After some days, the bride and groom would return to the woman's village with the father-of-the-bride hosting a feast for his guests.^[10] After this feast, the married couple and family returned to their home. Many days later, the bride's family traveled to the groom's village. They would bring gifts and blankets equal the number given to them. They distributed this all to the groom's friends and family, and celebrated with a large potlatch. During the potlatch, the bride would be placed on top of many blankets piled high, and would sit there during the ceremonies and speeches. Gifts would be given away, and the family and village would celebrate. After all these, the marriage ceremonies would end and the man and woman were regarded as husband and wife.

Visual

Visuals include, Totem poles, Canoes, blankets, and baskets.

Weaving

Baskets, hats, as well as raincoats made from the inside bark of Cedar trees.