鈥淲hen I was a little girl, my late papa used to take me up to Squamish every other weekend. We would pass by the Chief, go way up into Squamish Valley and go hunting or berry picking鈥�. I鈥檇 get so excited because my papa would tell me the story of the two-headed serpent every time we鈥檇 pass by it.聽
鈥淗e鈥檇 time it just right so at the part in the story when the snake goes up over the mountain, he鈥檇 point out the mark going all the way up. That was a huge impact when I was a child. I loved it.鈥澛�
From the North Vancouver offices of the Squamish Nation where she works as a language teacher and translation specialist, Rebecca Duncan, Tsitsayxemaat, recounted how she came to know the story of the S铆nulhka, the two-headed serpent. This story features prominently among Squamish narratives involving the Stawamus Chief, a mountain known historically as Siy谩m Sm谩nit.
Duncan went on to tell the tale of the S铆nulhka. It was a massive two-headed serpent that once roamed through the Squamish territory, its horrible shrieks frightening the people in the village of St谩7mes, Squamish. Xwecht谩al, a young warrior, was tasked with killing the serpent. He pursued it up Siy谩m Sm谩nit where it left a striking black streak, now known as the Black Dyke. For four years, Xwecht谩al pursued the serpent until he was able to slay it as it rested in a lake.聽
From its body, he procured a special bone with which he was able to induce trances in other beings, an ability which granted Xwecht谩al substantial power. He stopped at neighbouring villages, gaining many wives on his return to St谩7mes.
St谩7mes was one of the major villages in this region.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 perfect in its location at the mouth of the Squamish River: you鈥檝e got the salmon going up and also all the shellfish in the bay, the hillsides have deer and bear, and then the Chief being the protector, rising up there,鈥� noted Duncan.
Hers is one of many Squamish Nation stories behind the Stawamus Chief.
The name, Stawamus Chief, is somewhat dubious. Its title in the Squamish language, Siy谩m Sm谩nit, refers to something that is deeply respected like a leader, a role model, a teacher or an elder, not a chief per se.聽
Khelsilem is the founder of the Skwomesh Language Academy and on the board of Kwi Awt Stelmexw, a group focused on protecting Squamish identity. He explained that although, 鈥淪iy谩m Sm谩nit gets translated as the Chief, it doesn鈥檛 really mean that. It鈥檚 a modern interpretation of the word, it鈥檚 not a historical interpretation of the word.鈥�
He noted the error in the word Stawamus, as well. 鈥淎s far as I can tell with my linguistic training, Stawamus is an attempt to spell a word in our language: St谩7mes. I think the reason the 鈥榳鈥� is in there is whoever wrote it that way was trying to capture the glottal stop, which we use a seven to represent nowadays. So it got written down as Stawamus and then that got transposed on to the nearby reserve named the Stawamus Number 24 Reserve.鈥澛�
Khelsilem went on to retell the creation story of Siy谩m Sm谩nit that he had been told in his youth. It occurred during a time when four brothers, supernatural beings called Xaays, came to this region to give teachings and moral understandings of the world to people who were living here.聽
鈥淭hey transformed the landscape, they transformed life; they created things, they destroyed things,鈥� said Khelsilem.
鈥淭he mountain, this granite monolith, was originally a longhouse, and there was a potlatch or a big feast going on. The longhouse was transformed into this mountain. All of the spirits that were in the longhouse at the time of the transformation were stuck inside and so on the rock face today, you鈥檒l see different animals appearing through the rocks.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of our elders and people often look at it and try and make interpretations of what they see, the same way people look at the stars or clouds and make meaning out of it,鈥� said Khelsilem.聽
Duncan commented that seeing a face in the rock is a mysterious event.聽
鈥淭hey鈥檙e hard to spot. All my life, I鈥檝e looked and looked. Just recently, during an event at Totem Hall, I went and stood outside and I finally saw one, clear as day. It was the face of a man.鈥�
Joshua Joseph, Skwetsi7meltxw, is currently the youngest councillor for the Squamish Nation. As he was seated outside of Totem Hall, he looked up to Siy谩m Sm谩nit and explained how the mountain is significant to him.
鈥淚 grew up hearing many stories around the Chief. It鈥檚 right on the land that our family comes from and it鈥檚 significant 鈥� of high importance 鈥� to our family.鈥澛�
He has to yet to spot any faces in the featured granite, but he was happy to discuss existing narratives associated with the mountain. As he explained some different pieces of history, he did so without pointing up to, indicating this is a sign of disrespect to Siy谩m Sm谩nit.
Joseph says that he has always wanted to climb the Chief, but has never gained the necessary skills or experience, so he usually opts to run up the backside instead.聽
鈥淚 can really feel it when I鈥檓 running through there, that spirituality and energy. I think it鈥檚 imperative that we tell our story because people don鈥檛 know.聽
鈥淲e just see this mountain; it鈥檚 beautiful and it鈥檚 amazing to climb or hike, but no one knows the history and the stories around it.鈥�
