Welcome to Klah-Ah-Men, a place of refuge

This proud, self-governing Indigenous Nation, 1,100 strong, has embraced their culture through education and entrepreneurship. A Final (treaty) Agreement was entered into in April 2016 opening up new opportunities for investment for future generations. Most notably, the Tla’amin Nation has taken over 100 per cent ownership of The Historic Lund Hotel.

Built in 1905, The Historic Lund Hotel is the backbone of the village. The hotel’s general store supplies visitors and residents of the many nearby islands and is a busy sailing and yachting moorage. Be sure to visit the Lund Pub and its deck with stunning views and some of the most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever see.

The Historic Lund Hotel and marina is a busy place for water travellers and fisherman, much like it was thousands of years ago by the Tla’amin people. Lund is known as the “Gateway to Desolation Sound,” a famous nature destination in British Columbia. Desolation Sound Marine Park is the oldest and largest provincial marine park in B.C., with Lund as the most popular starting point.

Water-locked to the north, west and east, the town of Lund is the end of the road for travellers, via land and it’s also the terminus of the Pan-American Highway. Known as Mile 0 of the more than 15,000-km highway, it goes all the way Chile in South America. Busy as it is today, you can easily imagine what it was like thousands of years ago for the Tla’amin.

Through the hardship of Canada’s colonial past and its effect on the First Nations people of Canada, Tla’amin language warrior, Koosen Pielle helps to educate visitors. Through her work as a facilitator of the Kairos Blanket Exercise, she fosters the Reconciliation process in Canada. Using an interactive experience, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people learn about the real history of Canada and the First Nations people. It’s a place of respect and understanding that was powerful for me. David Tiriakin, originally from France, participated with us. “I had an idea of what happened but didn’t realize how much it is still affecting people. I have so much more to learn,” he said.

Elsie Paul is a nationally renowned Tla’amin Elder, known for her Tla’amin language and cultural work and most notably for her award-winning book, Written As I Remember It. Elsie told us how the Tla’amin people once lived in harmony on their land but endured years of hardship and pain as Canada went through colonialism. Now, with a promising future for her people, she works to carry on the traditions and language of Tla’amin residents. “I am happy to see our new self-reliance. We are a nation with a treaty and now we have our voice back, we are here to stay,” she says.

The cedar is the most sacred part of the Coast Salish culture; it is where their people received energy and direction in life. Cedar trees provided shelter, clothing, transportation, tools and more in the daily life of the Tla’amin. Tla’amin member, Sosan Blainey led us through a cedar-weaving workshop, saying, “The wellness of the cedar was important to our well-being. We treated it as a living being that provides for us and is not just a resource.”

The Tla’amin, like all Coast Salish peoples, are welcoming and because of its location, the people of Lund have always been well situated to see approaching visitors by water. As the sun set, I had the good fortune of watching local Nations members perform a greeting song and drum as they would have thousands of years ago.

Hopefully, many more people will get the chance to travel to Lund and experience the Tla’amin culture as I did.