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məθkʷəy̓, transliterated as muthkwey,[1]: 545 [2] malkway,[3] mexwthi,[4] or muthkwuy,[5] is a legendary plant of uncertain identity which features in Musqueam oral histories. Anthropologist Wayne Suttles described it as "a plant no longer identifiable". In the Halkomelem language, it is described as a saχʷəl, a term which broadly means "plant."

Tradition

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A two-headed serpent, sʔi:ɬqəy̓ transliterated as seelthkey,[2][6] inhabited a small lake, xʷməm̓qʷe:m (Camosun Bog area),[7] in Pacific Spirit Nature Park. Elders warned the youth of the community to avoid the bog, fearing they would be taken by the serpent.[8] When it emerged from the bog and traversed the land, it would kill everything in its path. The two-headed serpent would leave behind droppings, from which the məθkʷəy̓ would sprout from.[9][10][6] The path that the serpent traversed would eventually become Musqueam Creek which passed through the Musqueam community,[8][7][10] stretching from Camosun Bog to the Fraser River.[11] The Musqueam people considered the plant sacred as it had emerged from the droppings of the serpent, and thus would refuse to harvest or walk over the plant.[12] The plant would inhabit the tidal flats and Fraser River delta.[13]

It was noted that the məθkʷəy̓ plant's population would flunctuate, at times being abundant and at other times being hardly found. The Musqueam people found that they shared that trait, with the Musqueam community flourishing at times or dwindling due to warfare or plague.[14][15] A Musqueam story stated that the Musqueam people would flourish at the same times the plant would, and dwindle at the same time the plant would.[16][12] The cycles of abundance that the plant undergone happened within a short period of time according to the Charles family.[1]: 568  It had once grown abundantly throughout the Musqueam territory,[17] but is considered scarce and no longer grows on the Musqueam territory.[12][11][15] For this reason, the Musqueam people felt an affinity with the plant.[11][1]: 568  The Halkomelem name for Musqueam, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, roughly translates to "the place where məθkʷəy̓ grows"[9] or "place of məθkʷəy."[13][8] The name for this exact location refers to a village where the character of Mink was playing with a log which had become entangled within the plant and the plants had become stuck to the log.[1]: 568 

Description

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In the Halkomelem language, the məθkʷəy̓ plant was described as a saχʷəl, a term which broadly means "grass" or "plant",[9][1]: 544  that is "unlike any other."[6][18] Wayne Suttles noted that the "plant for which the village is named has been described variously,"[1]: 568  and "a plant no longer identifiable."[19] The Charles family described the plant to Wayne Suttles as "grasslike, with an edible root" and noted that it no longer existed due to the presence of cattle which grazed on the plant.[1]: 568  James Point described the plant as having thorns and small violet flowers, and had been eradicated due to burning and dyking in the area.[1]: 568  Arnold Guerin, a native speaker, identified the plant as a "coarse grass."[19]

məθkʷəy̓ was originally transcribed into the English language as "grass". Later descriptions of məθkʷəy̓ identified it as another variety of flowering plant.[20][9] As a result of the initial translation, the Musqueam people were referred to as the "People of the River Grass."[9] It was later known by Vanessa Campbell and her team that saχʷəl denotes several varieties of plant, rather than referring to grass.[9]

Etymology

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Kinkade (1986) noted the linguistic similarities between məθkʷəy̓ and the Proto-Salishan *məcə́kʷ (blackcap, Rubus leucodermis)

Kinkade (1986) notes his examination of the phrase məθkʷəy̓, and removal of the affix -m and -əy̓, resulting in mə̀θkʷ or mə̀t̓ᶿkʷ, which he identified with the Proto-Salishan word for "blackcaps": *məcə́kʷ.[19] In consideration of the resulting change due to stress shift and regular changes.[19] This form is noted to have reflexes from the Comox language to Tillamook language, and from the Quinault language and Coeur d'Alene language. In the Lillooet language, Nuxalk language, and "all but two Central Salish languages", the term is replaced. In the Kwakʼwala language, it was borrowed into the lexicon.[19] Thirteen languages keep the reflexes of məcə́kʷ, while nine languages replaced the term. Note the similar terms "mə́cəkʷ" in the Thompson, "məcúkʷ" in Shuswap, Spokane, and Coeur d'Alene, "mcákʷ" in Okanagan, and "mə́ckʷ" in Columbia-Moses.[19]

The current term for blackcap raspberries in the Halkomelem language is cəlqáma, derived from the reconstructed root word *čəlq- of uncertain independent meaning.[19] Additional languages that use the aforementioned root include: Chilliwack, Nooksack, Lummi, and Lushootseed.[19]

The suffix -əy̓ denotes ‘plant, tree, wood’ according to Suttles (2004). For example: sə̀k̓ʷməy̓ "birch tree" is a combination of sák̓ʷm "whole bark" and the suffix -əy̓.[1]: 312  The Halkomelem language name for Musqueam, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, consists of the prefix xʷ- and suffix -əm, which is a typical structure for location names which incorporate plants or animals.[1]: 500 

Botanical identity

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At times it is referred to as "river grass",[21] stemming from the original English translation.[20] The book Musqueam: A Living Culture, a publication by the Musqueam First Nation, refers to it explicitly as a "grass."[15] Wayne Suttles in the Musqueam Reference Grammar describes it as a "rush-like plant."[1]: 566  Xwei’;ya Deanna Marie Point refers to the plant as "bullrushes. [sic]"[6]

M. Dale Kinkade identifies the plant as blackcap raspberry (Rubus leucodermis), citing the expected language shift from the Proto-Salishan root word *məcə́kʷ.[19] He notes that the Musqueam do not associate the place name with the blackcaps.[19]

Vanessa Campbell, a Musqueam educator, is currently working alongside the University of British Columbia to determine the identity of the plant.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Suttles, Wayne P. (2004). Musqueam Reference Grammar. UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-1002-9. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b LeCompte Mastenbrook, Joyce (31 December 2010). "Envisioning shxwqwәltәn – The Sounds of Musqueam". Canadian Studies Center Arctic and International Relations. University of Washington. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  3. ^ Point, Susan. "A - GBHW - UBC Totem with serpent". Trails BC. Trails Society of BC. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ Kew, J.E. Michael (14 June 2017). "Reflections on Anthropology at the University of British Columbia". BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly: 184. doi:10.14288/bcs.v0i193.189198. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  5. ^ Compton, Brian D.; Gerdts, Donna. "SOME DOWNRIVER HALKOMELEM NAMES REFERRING TO PLANTS AND ANIMALS". A Halkomelem Ethnobiology Web Site. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Hilton, Carol Anne; van der Woerd, Kim (2022). "Indigenous Reconciliation and Connectivity Report 2022 Edition" (PDF). Telus. Telus Corporation. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Musqueam's Story". Musqueam A Living Culture. Musqueam Indian Band. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Tattersfield, Kaitlin; Pillai, Manuel. "Re-conceptualization & Repair: Camosun bog and the manipulation of natural systems" (PDF). British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects (BCSLA). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Wood, Stephanie (17 June 2019). "A blossoming partnership pursues 'biocultural diversity' at the UBC Botanical Garden". National Observer. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b Motegi, Natsuko (23 October 2019). "Reconciliation as Relationship: Exploring Indigenous Cultures and Perspectives Through Stories". Journal of Childhood Studies: 82–97. doi:10.18357/jcs444201919214. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Brauer, Celia (2017). "Paths to sustainability : creating connections through place-based Indigenous knowledge". University of British Columbia Library. doi:10.14288/1.0354701. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Sparrow, Corrina (2006). "Reclaiming Spaces Between: Coast Salish Two Spirit Identities and Experiences". Bachelor of Social Work, University of Victoria: 50–51. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  13. ^ a b Grant, Wade (28 June 2022). "Re: Fraser River Tunnel (FRT) Project Participating Indigenous Nation" (PDF). Musqueam Indian Band. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  14. ^ "National Native Alcohol & Drug Awareness Program (NNADAP) Worker" (PDF). Musqueam Indian Band. First Nations Housing Authority. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Musqueam: A Living Culture (PDF). CopperMoon Communications. 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  16. ^ Point, Susan A. (2012). "Musqueam Foreshore". Salish Weave. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  17. ^ "FIRST NATIONS IN THE REGION FACTS AND STATS" (PDF). Metro Vancouver. 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  18. ^ LeCompte-Mastenbrook, Joyce (Fall 2008). "CANADIAN STUDIES CENTER Summer / Fall Quarter Report 2008" (PDF). Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. University of Washington. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kinkade, M. Dale (1986). "BLACKCAPS AND MUSQUEAM" (PDF). International Conference on Salish and Neighbouring Languages. University of British Columbia: 60–62.
  20. ^ a b "Indigenous Peoples and Reconciliation". Port Moody City of the Arts. City of Port Moody. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  21. ^ Craig-Sparrow, Zoë (27 September 2023). "Unveiling the River's Secrets: A Musqueam Woman's Journey of Environmental Stewardship". Science World. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
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