A wolf in it's natural habitat.
There’s a reason they call eating ravenously “wolfing down your food.”

The Wolf

The wolf is the symbol of the Tsleil-Waututh peoples. The wolf is depicted on Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) flags and banners as an anthropomorphic wolf playing a drum and dancing; this originates from the TWN creation story, an oral history, in which The Creator transformed a wolf into the first Tsleil-Waututh male. When that ancestor became lonely, The Creator transformed the mud and clay from the shores of the Burrard Inlet into the first Tsleil-Waututh female. This creation story encapsulates the belief of the Tsleil-Waututh peoples that we are all connected to nature, both through animals and through the land itself on which we, the people and animals, live.

Orcas jumping out of the water.
They had a whale of a time doing synchronized swimming routines.

Southern Resident Killer Whales

This is an Orca. They are sometimes referred to as Killer Whales, and there are distinct sub-groups of them beyond this general introduction. The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) is one of those sub-groups, and is a prominently featured animal in First Nations culture all along the West Coast of British Columbia (and into the US). Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and many other First Nations on the West Coast, treat these animals as sacred, and they often signify change, or act as a good omen for things to come.

A raven's face, up close.
This guy will steal your shiny trinkets and not even consider apologizing.

The Raven

I’ve included the Raven in this list, because First Nations have several tales about them. The most prominent of these is one titled “Raven Brings the Light.” A summary of the tale is “In a time when darkness covered the land, a boy named Weget is born who is destined to bring the light. With the gift of a raven’s skin that allows him to fly as well as transform, Weget turns into a bird and journeys from Haida Gwaii into the sky. There he finds the Chief of the Heavens who keeps the light in a box.“[1] There are other tales of Raven, as told by various Indigenous communities, all with different beliefs. In almost all the tales, Raven is a trickster, which is to say that they are clever and cunning animals. While they are treated as mischievous creatures in First Nations culture, they are not necessarily viewed in a negative way, as opposed to….

Coyote in snow
Unimpressed: Wile E. Coyote learns that ACME products do not qualify for Amazon Prime’s 2-day delivery.

The Coyote

The coyote is another trickster in Coast Salish tales – but unlike the raven, the coyote is viewed as if it has a stigma attached to it; in some First Nations communities the coyote takes the place of raven in some trickster tales but it is, overall, generally viewed as a negative type of mischief that the coyote generates. They are often determined to be an ill omen, and there are many superstitions surrounding this animal – that vary from region to region. In Tsleil-Waututh teachings, the coyotes are to be viewed with caution, as you never know what they’re up to. Since they tend to avoid human interaction, the thought is that if you see one it has some bad news to share, or something will go wrong in short order.

A salmon, clearing having a fun time out of the water.
My friend is making a lot of easy money by taking pictures of salmon dressed in human clothes.
It’s like shooting fish in apparel.

Salmon

Salmon are probably one of the most important animals for First Nations that have traditional territories connected to both fresh water and salt water bodies. As salmon instinctively migrate home to lay and fertilize their eggs, they travel through salt water to reach freshwater bodies for spawning and rearing. There are festivals that celebrate salmon here in the Lower Mainland, such as the Metro Vancouver’s highly publicized and annual Coho Festival, as well as others such as the celebratory events that take place during spawning season in Brackendale, BC – but these events are specifically geared more towards the high number of Bald Eagles in the area, however without the salmon spawning process, the eagles would not be present at all. Tsleil-Waututh Nation has a long-standing tradition of travelling to the mouth of the Fraser River to harvest salmon. This practice helps strengthen the bond between various First Nations who share the overlapping territory surrounding the Fraser River and promotes a culture of collaborative, traditional, and ethical harvesting. Large industrial and marine development projects are making it harder for both the salmon to navigate the waters, and First Nations to exercise their Right (as in Section 35 Indigenous Rights & Title, per the Canadian Constitution) to food sovereignty when it comes to food fish.