he potlatch was a ceremony of celebration or recognition, and giving away. It is not only a distribution of gifts but a time for the native to gather and acknowledge the birth of a baby, a death, or a marriage, succession to a leading position in the village, the taking of a new and more honorable name, the coming of age of a daughter or a nephew, the building of a new long house, or just to bring the community together.

he native healers were very important people within the community. Some were the midwives , the native equivalent to the modern doctor . Moreover , they played a leading part in all of the ceremonial functions and were much sought after for their help and advice in times of trouble and distress.

mong the Sliammon people there were two classes of native healers-those who held supreme powers in the arts of clairvoyance, the curing of the sick and the controlling of shadows of men, and those of lesser powers who concerned themselves with minor illnesses and the warding off of adverse influences. There were also those who made medicine from vegetation, forestry, roots etc. for various ailments.

he Sliammon people believed that disease originated as an evil spirit which had penetrated the body and induced pain and suffering. The native healers would perform ritualistic songs and dances and sprinkle water over the patient, attempting to draw out the evil spirit by sucking or blowing on the afflicted part. Proof of the native healers success was based on the patients recovery. If the native healers were successful in removing the evil spirit they would then be consulted on almost every occasion and commanded more obedience than the chief of the village. They would be feared as well as respected and their prominence in the village was forever assured.

mong the Sliammon people, as indeed with all of the Northwest Coast tribes, almost every action in life was centered around "Spirit Power." Animals, birds, rocks, trees, fish - in fact all objects, whether animate or inanimate-contained spirits which could influence the natives' life.

ince the native deeply felt the influence of the unseen world in every happening, he had to constantly strive to positively influence these spirits on his behalf. When the Europeans came to Canada, they tried to wipe out native beliefs, and "Christianize" the natives, they had no understanding of how deeply they were reaching into Native moral codes and behavioral patterns. There was a mistaken belief among early missionaries that native carvings representing family crests on totem poles or welcoming figures, etc., in the form of animals, birds, sea mammals, were worshiped in some form of pagan idolatry.

he Sliammon people lived in a world filled with many spirit forms, guardian spirits, supernatural beings, transformers, and demi-gods endowed with various powers and jurisdictions. The Sliammon people, like most North American Natives, were more inclined to think that of life's force as pervading the world like an electric current. This power might show itself in almost anything, from the cry of the loon to a flash of lightning. There existed an underlying belief in the essential oneness of man with nature, all living creatures shared in a world of mutual harmony and understanding.

ne must at all times preserve a proper respect for the habits and dwelling places of all species of life. This "oneness of life philosophy" led to the concept of "animal people" -beings with the characteristics of both animals and man.