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What if learning about plants meant learning how to relate to land, language, and living knowledge?
Plant Teachings from My Auntie 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.
Grounded 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.
What You'll Gain
- A deeper understanding of Snuneymuxw (Coast Salish) plant knowledge and teachings
- Guidance for identifying and working with 65 culturally significant plants
- Insight into Hul'q'umi'num plant names and their connection to meaning, use, and place
- Practical approaches to respectful, sustainable gathering and preparation
- A more grounded, reciprocal relationship with the land
Rather 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.
A Guide Rooted in Language, Land, and Relationship
Each plant profile includes:
- Hul'q'umi'num names alongside botanical identification
- Habitat and seasonal context within Snuneymuxw territory
- Traditional uses for medicine, nourishment, textiles, and ceremony
- Cultural teachings and protocols for respectful gathering and preparation
Particular attention is given to Western Red Cedar—the "tree of life"—and its central role within Snuneymuxw knowledge and practice.
If 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.
Learning Through Snu'y'ulh—Teachings Passed Down
At the heart of this book is Snu'y'ulh: teachings carried through generations that guide how to live, gather, and relate.
You'll find:
- Recipes and preparation methods rooted in traditional knowledge
- Guidance for ethical harvesting and ecological responsibility
- Insights into how language, culture, and land are interconnected
- A deeper understanding of reciprocity and respect in practice
Rather than separating knowledge from context, this book emphasizes learning that honors continuity, responsibility, and relationship.
Who This Book Is For
- Herbalists and foragers seeking culturally grounded plant knowledge
- Educators and students of ethnobotany and Indigenous studies
- Readers committed to reconciliation and respectful land-based learning
- Naturalists and outdoor learners in the Pacific Northwest
- Anyone seeking a deeper, more relational understanding of plants and place
Guidance from Knowledge Keepers and Long-Term Collaboration
Geraldine Manson (C'tasi:a), a respected Snuneymuxw Elder and Knowledge Keeper, shares teachings passed down through generations within her community.
Co-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.
Together, their work reflects a relationship grounded in respect, trust, and shared commitment to cultural knowledge.
A Path Toward Respectful Relationship with the Land
At a time when many are seeking deeper connection to the natural world, this book offers a thoughtful path forward.
By 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.
Geraldine Manson, C'tasi:a is 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 Snuneymuxw Mulstimuxw and Snuneymuxw History: Written in Places and Spaces. She lives in Nanaimo, BC on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
Nancy J. Turner is 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 Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America, and Luschiim's Plants: Traditional Indigenous Foods, Materials and Medicines (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.
Recognitions
Dedication
Plant Use, Protection, and Preservation
Introduction
Locations of Plants Cited Within this Book
Plant Walks
Plants and their Uses
Plants Used for Tools
Working with Cedar Tree Parts
Plants Used as Food, Clothing, Making Netting, or as Thread
Plants Connected to Ceremony – Spiritual
Recipes Using Plants
Community of Trees
Cedar Tree
Invasive Plants in Native Plant Habitats
Stories, Connection, and Spirituality of Plants
Photos from Sites Visited within Snuneymuxw Lands
Kwulasulwut Garden Welcome Figure
Gabriola Island Museum – Snuneymuxw Plant Trail
Morrell Nature Sanctuary and its Plants
Hul'q'umi'num Plant and Tree Names
Index: English and Scientific Plant Names within the book
Photos Credited
About the Authors
References Cited