The latest book to join the Huble Homestead's children's history series is called Ceepee and the Fish Camp.
The three others in the series are Mr. Huble Builds a House, Mrs. Huble Grows a Garden, and Mr. Seebach and the New Store, which are all published by Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society, the non-profit charity that operates Huble Homestead Historic Site.
The book is about Ceepee, a young Lheidli girl and her family, telling the story about how they gathered food and other resources as they traveled through their territory.
Ceepee can't wait to get to the fish camp as that's the highlight of the year.
Throughout the book are illustrations which are collaborations between local water colour artist Cliff Mann and Lheidli artist Jennifer Pighin.
“We’re excited to share a story that centres around Lheidli T’enneh history," Krystal Leason, executive director, said. "I think the book helps paint the broader picture of the historical life of this region and it’s both our honour and our duty to use our reach and audience to share Lheidli T’enneh history with the public."
The history society's mission is to preserve and promote the history of the area and Leason said she knows the book does that.
Words in the book include Dakelh, the traditional language of the Lheidli T’enneh. Input was provided by Lheidli elder and language teacher Edith Frederick.
The Lheidli T'enneh dialect is now only spoken by a handful of elders and is at risk of extinction. Within the pages of the book the words are used with a pronunciation guide.
And further to keeping the language alive, Huble Homestead's website will soon host recordings of the words spoken by Elder Frederick.
“I can’t say how deeply grateful we are to Elder Frederick, not only for her support and language assistance, but for the incredible gift of some of her family’s names for characters in the story; we feel very privileged to help celebrate the Lheidli T’enneh’s rich history, and authentic names really make the story extra special,” Leason said.
The society would like to thank Elder Clifford Quaw, for his early assistance, and Lheidli T’enneh administrative office staff for their direction and assistance with distribution of the books to Lheidli members.
Targeted to children aged three to eight the book is also suitable for Dakelh language beginners, art lovers, and local history enthusiasts of all ages.
Ceepee and the Fish Camp is now available for free to members of the Lheidli T’enneh and can contact the downtown office on Brunswick Street to request copies to be picked up or mailed out.
The book will be donated to Dakelh language classrooms and First Nations education programs in early May with release to the public on May 22, the first day of Huble Homestead Historic Site’s 2021 season.
The books will be available for $10 through the Seebach & Huble General Store at Huble Homestead, as well as local bookstores and museum partners including Books & Company,
Ceepee and the Fish Camp was made possible thanks to financial support from the
Huble Homestead Historic Site is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, 40 km north of
