On Thursday, March 9th, 2023, students of St’a7mes put hemlock and cedar boughs into the mouth of the sound to welcome in the lhwatt (herring). Students learned about Orcas (Yew Yews), who arrived last week to lead the way up the sound for the herring.
The school community and the Nation joined them. John Buchanan, who has the expertise of the Herring in the Sound and has done a lot of work with the school in the initial inquiry into the Herring since a few years back. John was blanketed in recognition of his work with Sta'7mes school and its relationship with the Herring and the Sound. Addison, Art and Jess, who are also involved in the Marine Stewardship Initiative, joined in on the ceremony and drove the boat in order to get the boughs out into the water.
The school has come a long way in their practice and has made quite a remarkable positive impact on the ecosystem. This year, Delmar worked with the students to develop an anchor that would be eco-friendly to hold the boughs down into the water. It is exciting to see our students honour and connect with the land and animals in the territory.
Below is a link to the article from the Chief about the event: