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The following is a story as related by our founder, Herb Rice. Herb is a Coast Salish Native Indian Artist from the Pacific Northwest, a Master Wood Carver, whose work is in private collections all over the world. To view his beautiful work, or find out about the carving classes he offers, click on links above.
The Coast Salish Tribe are the First Nation people who inhabit the Southwestern part of British Columbia, Canada. They were traditionally dependent on the waterways for their travel and are still dependent on them to supply their primary food source. In a story related among the Salish people the value of the environment around us started with meeting the basic needs of our lifestyle within our community:| There was a good man who was always helping others. Whenever they needed, he gave. He gave whatever they needed whether it was food or clothing. When the Great Spirit saw this He said. "That man has done his work; when he dies and where he is buried, a Cedar Tree will grow and be useful to the people - the roots for baskets the bark for clothing, the wood for shelter. " The Red Cedar tree to this day is called the "Tree of Life" by the Salish people, because they did and still use the tree parts for many of their utilitarian and traditional needs. Thus the survival of the people depended on how they could use and respect the wealth of the environment around them. |