This weekend, people are gathering at Lejac, British Columbia for another year of annual celebration for Rose Prince of the Carrier (Dakelh) Nation. This is in my own backyard and yet it seems harder to visit my neighbor than going on … Continue reading
Tag Archives: First Nation
After the war, remember them.
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Surviving the war must be harder than those who have died in combat. The heroes are mostly those that died during the war. I am saying this because of a chance encounter with someone who was willing enough to share … Continue reading
Good Morning, Sunshine
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Aboriginal Paper Mache
Cree Proverb
Realize that we as human beings have been put on this earth for only a short time and that we must use this time to gain wisdom, knowledge, respect and the understanding for all human beings since we are all relatives.
“ka-kí-kiskéyihtétan óma, namoya kinwés maka aciyowés pohko óma óta ka-hayayak wasétam askihk, ékwa ka-kakwéy miskétan kiskéyihtamowin, iyinísiwin, kistéyitowin, mina nánisitotatowin kakiya ayisiniwak, ékosi óma kakiya ka-wahkotowak.”
Class of 4/5 at Bayview Elementary School. The students are learning about First Nation culture. This project helps stimulate the children’s interest in other culture by integrating Social Studies, Language and Arts.
This one of many masks that are on display at the lobby of the Education Centre.
I will always love you.
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It’s time to go for a walk. I do that when a feeling of existential angst that wants to take over the day. That was the day knowing when I come home, Nymeria will be somewhere far away from my … Continue reading
Rose Prince of British Columbia, Canada
The annual pilgrimage to Lejac is almost here, from July 5 to 7, to honor an Aboriginal woman who has inspired many due to her simplicity of life and faith.
Rose Prince was born on Saturday, August 21, 1915, in a small house on a hill in the Carrier Nak’azdli First Nation and behind the convent near Fort James. Rose was a Dakelh woman who has inspired an ongoing Catholic pilgrimage. Prince was born in Fort St. James in 1915, the third of Jean-Marie and Agathe Prince’s nine children. Jean-Marie came from the lineage of the great chief Kwah.
When the Lejac Residential School was built in 1922, Prince was sent to this school along with the other children. At 16, still attending school at Lejac, her mother and two youngest sisters died in an influenza outbreak. Devastated, she opted not to return home for the summers, staying on at the school instead. She was a quiet and unassuming student. She was a gifted and attentive student, a child of deep faith and outstanding love for God.
After graduation, she remained at the school, completing chores such as mending, cleaning, embroidering, and sewing. Prince contracted tuberculosis at the age of 34. She died on 19 August 1949.
Two years later, in 1951, several graves west of the Lejac Residential School were relocated to a larger nearby cemetery because a railway passage has to be constructed. During the transfer, Prince’s casket broke open, and workers were apparently astonished to find Prince’s body and clothing in pristine condition, despite the years that had passed since her death. Other bodies were examined, but even those who had died after Prince showed signs of decay.
Witnesses said her body was still fresh, and “as if she was sleeping,” with “just a little smile on her face.” The bouquet of flowers on her chest was withered, but some observers maintained that a fresh rose lay in her hands. Others did not see the rose, which was said that the rose may have been a spiritual vision seen only by some. Although all of them agreed that the entire body and the clothing were in a state of perfect preservation. The story spread, especially in the Carrier Nation.
Miraculous happenings attributed to her through visiting her grave and taking earth from her grave.
Every year, my family joins the pilgrimage to bring roses to cover her grave and pay respect. Every year, I missed it due to work obligation.
I must say, I am proud for the Aboriginals to have an outstanding woman from their nation.
Pilgrims
Rose Prince Grave
Rose Prince
“Heavenly Father, you shared so deeply with Rose Prince, of the Carrier Nation, your gift of serenity, and shared with her your love for your creation. Grant through her intercession that we may share your serenity and your peace of soul, and may we too rejoice in the beauty of creation that surrounds us on every side.” Related articles
