Written As I Remember It ─ Teachings from the Life of a Sliammon Elder

Long before vacationers and boaters discovered BC's Sunshine
Coast, the Sliammon, a Coast Salish people, called it and surrounding
regions home. In this remarkable book, Elsie Paul, one of the last
surviving mother-tongue speakers of the Sliammon language, collaborates
with a scholar, Paige Raibmon, and her granddaughter, Harmony Johnson,
to tell her life story and the history of her people, in her own words
and storytelling style.

Raised by grandparents who took her on their seasonal travels, Paul
spent her childhood immersed in Sliammon ways, stories, and legends.
Paul's adult life unfolded against a backdrop of colonialism and
racism. As she worked to sustain a healthy marriage, raise a large
family, cope with tremendous grief and loss, and develop a career and
give back to community, she drew strength and guidance from the
Sliammon teachings she learned as a child. She shares this traditional
knowledge for the first time in Written as I Remember It.

This rare glimpse into the life of Coast Salish woman and the
history of the Sliammon people stands as a fruitful model for
collaborative research and storytelling, a model that has the power to
transform relations between settlers and indigenous peoples in
Canada.

Elsie Paul, a Sliammon Elder, has spent her life
and career in service to others. In recognition of a lifetime of effort
dedicated to supporting First Nations well-being, she received an
honorary doctorate degree from Vancouver Island University in
2010.Paige Raibmon is an associate professor in the
Department of History at the University of British
Columbia.Harmony Johnson is Elsie Paul's
granddaughter. She holds a BA from Simon Fraser University and has
served in a number of policy and executive roles in BC First Nations
organizations.

Elsie Paul, a Sliammon Elder, has spent her life and career in service to others. In recognition of a lifetime of effort dedicated to supporting First Nations well-being, she received an honorary doctorate degree from Vancouver Island University in 2010.Paige Raibmon is an associate professor in the department of history at the University of British Columbia.Harmony Johnson is Elsie Paul's granddaughter. She holds a BA from Simon Fraser University and has served in a number of policy and executive roles in BC First Nations organizations.