{"product_id":"plant-teachings-from-my-auntie-gathering-coast-salish-plants-for-medicine-textiles-nourishment-and-ceremony","title":"Plant Teachings from my Auntie: Gathering Coast Salish Plants for Medicine, Textiles, Nourishment, and Ceremony","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat if learning about plants meant learning how to relate to land, language, and living knowledge?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlant Teachings from My Auntie\u003c\/em\u003e offers a rare opportunity to engage with Snuneymuxw (Coast Salish) plant knowledge as it is meant to be shared: through relationship, respect, and lived cultural practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrounded in the teachings of Snuneymuxw Elder and Knowledge Keeper Geraldine Manson (C'tasi:a), this richly illustrated guide brings forward knowledge passed down through generations - including the teachings of her Auntie Ellen (Kwulasulwut) - and rooted in the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than offering a purely technical field guide, this book shares knowledge within its cultural, linguistic, and ethical context-supporting learning that is both practical and respectful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticular attention is given to Western Red Cedar-the \"tree of life\"-and its central role within Snuneymuxw knowledge and practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're looking for ways to learn about plants while honoring the knowledge systems they come from, this book offers guidance grounded in lived experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of this book is Snu'y'ulh: teachings carried through generations that guide how to live, gather, and relate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than separating knowledge from context, this book emphasizes learning that honors continuity, responsibility, and relationship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeraldine Manson (C'tasi:a), a respected Snuneymuxw Elder and Knowledge Keeper, shares teachings passed down through generations within her community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCo-author Nancy J. Turner brings over 50 years of ethnobotanical research and collaboration with Indigenous communities, helping to document and support the continuity of plant-based knowledge across northwestern North America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTogether, their work reflects a relationship grounded in respect, trust, and shared commitment to cultural knowledge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt a time when many are seeking deeper connection to the natural world, this book offers a thoughtful path forward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy learning to gather with awareness and respect-and by understanding the teachings embedded in language and place-you can begin to build a more reciprocal relationship with the land.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGeraldine Manson, C'tasi:a \u003c\/strong\u003eis a respected Knowledge Keeper, Elder, and Matriarch of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. She recognizes and acknowledges her Snuneymuxw ancestors who shared their traditional knowledge with her. She is a Vancouver Island University Elder-in-Residence, where she supports faculty and students, assists with the understanding of First Nations practices in relation to traditional health and healing, provides guidance, blessings, and protocol for ceremonial and cultural events, and hosts guests and visiting elders. For over two decades C'tasi:a has worked with the Gabriola Historical and Museum Society on Truth and Reconciliation initiatives, collaborating on exhibits, providing tours onsite, teaching about the importance of petroglyphs, and helping settlers to understand the sacred significance of First Peoples' ongoing relationship to the land. C'tasi:a is the author of \u003cem\u003eSnuneymuxw Mulstimuxw \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eSnuneymuxw History: Written in Places and Spaces\u003c\/em\u003e. She lives in Nanaimo, BC on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNancy J. Turner \u003c\/strong\u003eis an ethnobotanist, distinguished Professor Emerita, and former Hakai Professor in Ethnoecology with the School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, BC. She has worked with First Nations elders and cultural specialists in northwestern North America for over 50 years, helping to document, retain, and promote their traditional plant-based knowledge, and has been formally adopted into Haida, Kwakwaka'wakw, Songhees, and Nisga'a families. Nancy has authored or co-authored over 30 books including her encyclopedic and award-winning \u003cem\u003eAncient Pathways\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAncestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eLuschiim's Plants: Traditional Indigenous Foods, Materials and Medicines \u003c\/em\u003e(coauthored with Quwut'sun Elder Dr. Luschiim Arvid Charlie). She is a member of the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada, and lives in Nanaimo, BC on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Royal Museum Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67808012861654,"sku":"91558","price":29.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0678\/4368\/6614\/files\/PlantTeachings.jpg?v=1793141450","url":"https:\/\/shop.rbcm.ca\/products\/plant-teachings-from-my-auntie-gathering-coast-salish-plants-for-medicine-textiles-nourishment-and-ceremony","provider":"Royal Museum Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}