Hope Secondary School got a taste of Sts’ailes culture on Tuesday afternoon.
The Sts’ailes First Nation Sasquatch Dancers visited HSS to perform a variety of traditional dances for students, teachers and staff.
The Sasquatch Dancers are beloved performers in the Agassiz-Harrison area, frequently appearing at a variety of events in the area, including Sasquatch Days, Canada Day and the Harrison Festival of the Arts. The dancers also perform during Sts’ailes ceremonies; in 2023, this includes a repatriation of 29 baskets to the First Nations community in March and a name acknowledgement ceremony in January in honour of Thunderbird Entertainment.
The Sasquatch – called Sásq’ets in Halq’emeylem – is a sacred being in Sts’ailes tradition. The word translates to “hairy man,” and it refers to the caretaker of the land of the traditional Sts’ailes territory. According to tradition, not only does the evasive entity shift between the spiritual and physical realms but can also shift shape. It is only seen when it wishes to be seen.
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.