St Ann's Academy | Student's Corner

First Nations

hen people came to settle in Victoria, Native communities in the area continued to live their traditional way of life. Many First Nations people came to Victoria to trade furs, salmon and berries in exchange for HBC blankets and household goods. Members of the Songhees nation were employed by the Hudsons' Bay Company in construction and transportation.

Some of the children from Native communities attended St. Ann’s.

Mrs. Carrie Ewing, a former student of St. Ann’s, remembers many recipes that she learned from the Natives at that time. “The Indians told me that they found out about the soapberries one day when they killed a deer that had been eating them. The animal was filled with foam from the berries and this gave them the idea. “

Mrs. Ewing said that she had learned enough about foraging during that time that she felt confident that she could survive alone in the wild. Here are some of the recipes she remembers:

Soapberry Icecream
Soapberry plant is an evergreen bush native to tidewater land (Chuckanut is one location) and the pioneer housewife put them to good use. With a bit of lukewarm water added, plus energetic whipping, the berries will foam and billow and fill all available pots and pans. It made tasty eating, although slightly bitter to those who weren't used to it!

Seaweed
Another delicacy, "good for the stomach", was seaweed, dried and cooked like any greens, and spruced up if desired by butter and pepper. Not every amateur can do this, however, as the seaweed must be a certain species. May is the harvest month and usually seaweed is found near the shore rocks.

Activities:
1. Think about how life was different during the early days. How has technology influenced your life? Think about computers, airplanes, electricity How might your life be different without these things?

2. Talk to a grandparent or an older person you know about what life was like when they were young. Ask them for a recipe from something of the good ol’ days!

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