"We believe you must give before you receive."

Lorraine Billy, of the Stuctwesemc ("Stluck-TAOW-eh-sen") Nation. Her people live in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.
With her warmth and 'open door' philosophy she keeps her culture alive.

The kekuli was the winter lodging for a Shuswap family. The First People who live in the Bonaparte valley around Hat Creek Ranch are the Stuctswemc Nation. It was the women's role to dig the pit for the extended family. The men would gather the wood, trying to use only natural blown down trees if possible. They used local pine for its straightness and long life. The bark of the pine logs was stripped and the wood smoked to preserve it.The four central poles are driven into the pit floor. These four poles support the main weight of the structure. Four is a very meaningful number for the Stuctswemc people representing the four directions.

The position of everything in the kekuli has meaning and logic.



Pine logs were made into a conical structure on top of the support poles. Fir boughs, humus, the stripped bark and other natural insulation was piled on and then finally the earth the women had dug was put on top creating a heat-efficient home.

The kekuli has two openings. The men's entrance is through the top of the pit using a notched log as a ladder. The lower entrance was reserved for elders, women and children. These two entrances were handy in case of attack or aggressive animal. Each family would usually position the lower entrance toward the creek or river to create circulation and to push the smoke out the top hole. A movable reed screen would be positioned to block the weather.


FISHING, HUNTING AND COOKING

Berries, fruit and herbs grow in abundance during the spring and summer seasons. Salmon was abundant in the rivers. All of these are caught or collected, and then dried. A special smoke house, with a fire pit in the bottom, is built for drying salmon and meat such as venison. Berries are dried and pounded into cakes. Herbs are hung upside down from a lean-to and dried in the sun. These foods are stored and eaten during the cold winters, when food is scarce.


STORYTELLING

During the winters in the kekuli, there is much time for storytelling. The Stuctwesemc language is an oral one. Families own stories, and pass them down from one generation to the next by telling these stories during family gatherings and potlatches. Potlatches are huge celebrations thrown by the chief of a village to commemorate the naming of a child, a marriage, etc.


CEREMONIES

With each new year or new home, a ceremony is carried out to celebrate and purify it. Lorraine and the staff at Hat Creek Ranch take down and burn the old structures (made of branches) at the end of each summer season as a ceremony to end one year and begin the next afresh. Each new place, or new use of a place, is purified with sage smoke.

	"Canada has all the efficiencies of the U.S. without the inhumanities,                 and all the humanities of the U.K. without the inefficiencies."                 William Gibson    Have you met any Canadians? Are you Canadian? What does it mean to be Canadian? Share your experiences on Talking Stick, our discussion board.    Did you know...?    - Canada contains more than half of the world's lakes.    - 27% of Canada's land mass is north of the tree line and consists of tundra       and ice.      - Over 50% of Canadians live in only two provinces: Ontario and Quebec.    - Over 90% of Canadians live 250 kilometres or less from the United States border.