INDIGNEOUS FOOD GATHERINGS ARE AMONG MY FAV GATHERINGS EVER! I'M SUCH A FOODIE WANNA BE SO ANY CHANCE I HAVE TO SURROUND MYSELF WITH OTHER LIKE MINDED BEINGS WHO ALSO BELIEVE FOOD IS MEDICINE I'M SO THERE! AFTER ALL FOOD WILL EITHER HEAL YOU OR MAKE YOU SICK, DEPENDING ON HOW YOUR FUEL'ING IS HOW YOU FEELING. SO MUCH FOOD BEING EATEN TODAY ISN'T EVEN REAL & AFTER LOSING MY BEST FRIEND TO FAKE FOOD, I'M ALL ABOUT KEEPING MY FUEL & FOOD REAL. 

SO THANK YOU TSAWOUT FOR HOSTING US ON YOUR BEAUTIFUL LAND,

WOW, I THINK I KIND OF FELL IN LOVE YOUR HOME, YOUR PEOPLE AND YOUR LANGUAGE. 

WE WERE WELCOMED BY THESE KIDS WHO STOPPED ME DEAD IN MY TRACKS. THEY'VE BEEN IN IMMERSION SCHOOL SINCE THEY WERE IN PRESCHOOL, FULL ON LEARNING THEIR OWN LANGUAGE!  AS A LANGUAGE LOVER - LEARNER, I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH THING, TO SEE First Nation KIDS SPEAKING THEIR OWN LANGUAGE BLEW ME BACK TO PLACES I'VE ONLY DREAMT OF! 

IT GAVE ME SUCH HOPE TO KEEP DREAMING!! 

OK BACK TO FOOD POST HERE. .. 

OF COURSE, ALWAYS DRAWN TO ELDERS. IT WAS SUCH A PLEASURE TO SIT AND SPEND TIME WTH THIS TEACHER & HEAR HIS STORIES OF RESILIENCE. 

TO FEEL HIS LANGUAGE IN MY HEART AS HE SHARED AROUND THE FIRE. 

I WILL BE SEMI STAKING HIM MY NEXT TRIPS DOWN THAT'S FOR SURE! 

THE OCEAN, YOUR FRONT YARD, YOUR GARDEN, YOUR GROCERY STORE.

I'D BEEN INTO TSAWOUT COMMUNITY BEFORE TO PHOTOGRAPH OTHER EVENTS BUT I'D NEVER BEEN HERE TO THEIR FRONT YARD. WOW.

I LOVE HOW AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S WE'RE ALL CONNECTED, HIS LATE BROTHER WAS MY BEST FREIND'S HUSBAND, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE SEEING MATT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR SHARING HIM AND YOUR HOME. 

TOOTSUP, NOTHING LIKE SEEING OUR ELDERS SLURPING THESE TREATS!

AND WHO COULD RESIST SOME FIR TIP LIP BALM? MY FRIEND FIONA HAS BEEN MAKING MEDICINE FOR SOME TIME AND I'VE BEEN DYING TO WITNESS AND CAPTURE THIS MAGIC MAKING!

THE TREES HAVE OFFICIALLY KISSED OUR LIPS! 

THIS NEXT GENERATION THOUGH, ONE DAY THEY WILL BE LEADING THEIR FRIENDS BACK TO THIS.

WAS SO LOVELY TO FINALLY MEET 'WILD ABOUT PLANTS' (INSTAGRAM) & HER SON. 

NOT TOO MANY KIDS KNOW THEIR PLANTS TODAY, OR ARE EVEN CONNECTED OUT THE DOOR PLAYING OUT ANYMORE.

SO TO THE FEW WHO ARE BEING DRAGGED OUT BY THEIR PARENTS AND TAUGHT, YOU ROCK STARS IN MY BOOKS! 

RETHINK YOUR DRINK.

AS A CHILD MY MOTHER NEVER ALLOWED US POP OR SUGARY STUFF, SO THANKFULLY I'VE NEVER HAD THAT ADDICTION NOR WILL MY CHILD. 

NORMALLY OUR HERRING ARE IN SMOKE HOUSES SO THIS WAS NEW AND VERY DIFFERENT :) 

I DONT' REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I MET HER, BUT SHE'S A MOVER AND A SHAKER & I LOVE HER AND HER MOVEMENT AND HOW SHE SHAKES! 

MY FREIND FIONA WORKS FOR VIHA AND HAS BEEN RAISING NUTRITION AWARENESS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, HELPING US RECLAIM OUR FOODS, OUR MEDICINES & OUR WAYS REALLY.

SHE IS A HUGE PART OF WHY WE GATHERING ANNUALLY AROUND FOODS & MEDICINES & I FOR THIS I LOVE HER SO! 

I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THE SHOW MOOSEMEAT & MARMALADE ON APTN, WELL PROBABLY BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD CABLE IN 7 YEARS BUT THIS IS ART (LEFT) AND THAT IS HIS SHOW. ASSUMING IF MY FRIENDS ARE WATCHING IT THAT IT MUST BE PRETTY HASHILTHSA (INTERESTING) :) 

SO ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FOODIE'S TOO & THEY'VE BEEN BONE BROTH'ING FOR A FEW YEARS NOW. I'M A VEGAN WANNA BE AND RED MEAT IS PRETTY RARE IN THIS HOUSE, MAYBE ONCE A YEAR WE MIGHT BISON SO I'M NOT SURE HOW I'D BONE BROTH BUT IT WAS REALLY GOOD AND I'D IMAGINE IT'S RIGHT UP WITH THE SUPER FOODS! I THINK I'M TRY FISH BONE BROTH INSTEAD OF SCRAPING THE BONES TO THE POOCHES! 

ELDERS, TRADITIONAL FOODS, INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES =  PURE BLISS! 

THIS SIGN, THEIR LANGUAGE, THEIR FOODS, SO BEAUTIFULLY DISPLAYED ON THEIR TERRITORY IN THEIR 13 MOON CALENDAR. 

WOW, SO MUCH ADMIRATION AND RESPECT FOR THE TEACHINGS, THE ELDERS, THE LAND & THE LANGUAGE. 

ʔušy̓aksiiƛeic TSAWOUT FOR SHARING YOUR FOOD, YOUR MEDICINE, YOUR TEACHINGS & YOUR LANGUAGE. 

WE LEFT WITH FULL BELLY'S, OUR SPIRITS LIFTED & OUR HEARTS CENTRED. 

XO