tems swiya Museum facts for kids

The tems swiya Museum' is a special museum that belongs to the First Nations people. It is owned and run by the shíshálh Nation. You can find it in Sechelt (which is called ch'atlich in the shíshálh language), in British Columbia, Canada.

The museum's name, tems swiya, means "Our World" in she shashishalhem, which is the language of the shíshálh people. The museum has many interesting things. These include beautiful cedar baskets, amazing art, old photographs, and recordings of voices and stories. It also has ancient tools made of stone and a very old sculpture called The Grieving Mother. The museum is part of a larger area that includes other cultural and administrative buildings. This area used to be the site of the St. Augustine's Indian Residential School, which closed in 1975.

The Grieving Mother Stone

The Grieving Mother (sometimes called Our Grieving Mother) is a very important item at the museum. Many people think it is the most amazing ancient sculpture found in British Columbia. This special stone is about 3,500 years old! It was made to remember a chief's wife who died after her only son passed away.

The stone was found in 1921. In 1926, Chief Dan Paull sold it to the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) for $25 so it would be kept safe. At the MOV, it was known as the Sechelt Image.

The shíshálh people asked for the stone to be returned in 1976. However, at that time, they did not have a safe place to keep it. The MOV offered to make a copy for them instead. When the tems swiya Museum opened in 1994, the shíshálh Nation started talking again about getting the stone back. These talks began in 2010.

Finally, in October 2010, the stone was returned to the shíshálh Nation! Leaders went to the museum to prepare the stone for its journey home. They said prayers and performed special rituals. The stone was then wrapped in a handmade Salish blanket and placed in a wooden box lined with cedar. Everyone celebrated its return to the shíshálh land with a special ceremony and a big feast.