Ayajuthem

Description

The ʔayʔaǰuθəm speaking people live among four communities: ɬəʔamɛn, k̓ómoks, χʷɛmaɬkʷu, & ƛohos. Our people are considered
to be the most Northern Coast Salish group. The Salish sea has been our highway to connecting to each other since time
immemorial. We are all interconnected, related, and share the same stories and taʔow.

Our four communities agreed to work together to produce a resource that can be used by all of our people. We are indebted
to our elders who are now gone, and the present elders we are working with. They have been very generous to give their
knowledge and time. We raise our hands to all of them for their dedication, knowledge, and patience. Our people want
to honor the memory of our ƛaχƛaχay (elders) that previously held vast tracks of knowledge throughout the traditional
territory, and lived according to our taʔow.

This ʔayʔaǰuθəm dictionary is a work in progress and is being developed in partnership with Dr. Henry Davis, of UBC.

We will continue to work to breath life into ʔayʔaǰuθəm, as language and culture brings healing and pride back to our people.