Update: “Uy Tumxuytl!” (Good Winter Month).

Yesterday’s post on North American Indigenous peoples’ seasonal celebration sparked much interest. Doug Fenton has kindly provided the following update.

The Indigenous Peoples of North America refer to Turtle Island as the land between the US/Mexico border and North to the Arctic Ocean, and between the East and West oceanic coasts.

Before contact, Thetis was just called Penelakut/Pune’luxutth Island. I believe, the name, Thetis, came from MV Thetis (a British Navy vessel) and Penelakut was renamed Kuper by Captain Kuper of the MV Thetis (https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/thetis.html).

At that time, the elders Florence James and Augie Sylvester described a biodiversity-rich salt marsh between the two larger land masses. Clam Bay and areas around the salt marsh were accessed by canoes, pushed through at low tides.

Sadly, when the Cut was dredged, they stated that this change led to the permanent loss of this unique and rich salt marsh due to the changing of tidal waters that became diluted.

Huy ch q’a siem for asking. 

Doug

(Please feel free to reach out directly to dfenton12@gmail.com to share your reflections and questions.)