Teachings

The Pacific Educational Press has published a book by Snuneymuxw Elder and storyteller Ellen Rice White, whose stories, though ancient, are ageless and have surprisingly modern relevance.

Legends and Teachings of Xeel's, the Creator deals in tales about how a mother can help her baby survive and thrive, how a community can prevent pre-teens from becoming angry and rebellious, how people from different cultures can learn to respect one another and how a man can learn to take responsibility for the children he has fathered.

Convinced that the teachings of Xeel's are needed in today?s world, White wrote the book to share his lessons with a wider audience.

White, whose Coast Salish name is Kwulasulwut (Many Stars), is turning 84 this year. She was born on Norway Island in the Gulf Islands, but is from the Snueymuxw Nations of Nanaimo on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island.

She is a resident Elder at Malaspina University College and acts as a guide in both spiritual and practical matters for students and instructors in the First Nations studies program.

For classroom use, Legends and Teaching of Xeel's, the Creator provides a rich source of Coast Salish history. The book is relevant for the curriculum, because it fulfills many of the prescribed learning outcomes listed in the BC Ministry of Education Integrated Resource Package and is especially well-suited as a learning resource for First Nations studies students.