National Film Board of Canada

Presents

Indigenous Plant Diva

CHYRON: Cease Wyss, Skxwumish Nation

Cease Wyss: [Skxwumish language][unintelligible] Siyam and Siyay. T’Uy’Tanat kwi en snas. And Cease
Wyss is my nickname. And what I’ve said to you is, “Greetings to you, chiefs and special people.”

CHYRON: Vancouver, BC

Cease Wyss: T’Uy’Tanat is my name, and Cease Wyss is my nickname.

CHYRON: T’Uy’Tanat, Woman who travels by canoe to gather medicines for all people

Cease Wyss: The language of plants is so extensive. It carries on, beyond our abilities as humans to even
imagine. Because they are the second oldest beings on the planet. They are our teachers. And without
them, we wouldn’t even have air to breathe. So that it feels, I feel so humble at times, and little, even
when I’m picking the littlest plants.

Cease Wyss: I think, you’ve existed longer than I could ever imagine existing. You’re many generations
that I’m picking from. I’m picking a tribe of this plant. That a tribe member, I’m taking that tribe member
home with me and that tribe member is sustaining my family.

Cease Wyss: Everywhere I go in this city, I find plant life. I find it growing up through the cracks of the
sidewalk, I see it growing out of the side of buildings, I see it in the community gardens especially,
throughout the whole landscape of the city. I see it in people’s gardens. I see wild plant life growing right
on lawns, and parks, and in alleyways, everywhere.

Cease Wyss: So I really think that plant life in the city is way bigger, I think it’s a bigger tribe than
everybody knows.

CHYRON: Comfrey, the Comfort Plant.

CHYRON: Good for bruises, sprains, bug bites, eczema, psoriasis, sinus congestion

CHYRON: Frog Leaf, the Lung Plant

CHYRON: Good for bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, coughs, colds, helps you quit smoking

Cease Wyss: It’s an amazing medicine that’s so powerful. And when you look at this particular one, you
see all the red in it, so you can see how it’s a blood cleanser because it has red right in the stalk. That’s
so powerful.

Cease Wyss: And another way, part of that language of herbs, you know, the language of plants, they
tell us what they’re good for, and they tell us in their shapes, they tell us in their colors and in their
textures. So you become more insightful about your body when you learn more about medicines that
are growing around you. Because they do tell a lot of stories about human beings.
Cease Wyss: And since they’re the second oldest beings on the planet, it makes sense, because the first
oldest beings on the planet are the rocks, the grandfathers. So the grandmothers are the plant spirits,
and they have always good things to share with us. Their medicine is good.

CHYRON: Horse Tail, The Bone Knitter

CHYRON: Heals broken bones and relieves arthritis

CHYRON: Helps stop bleeding and acts as a diuretic

CHYRON: Salmonberry, A Woman’s Medicine

CHYRON: The leaves help strengthen the uterus and relieve nausea

CHYRON: The berries are blood builders and are high in Vitamin C

Cease Wyss: I always know, in my heart, in my mind, that I'm connected to this land for many centuries.
And I feel really good about that. I feel good in my heart, and in my mind, and in my spirit that my
connection with the Squamish people, with the Coast Salish people. And with other elements of my
cultural background, with Hawaiian people and with Swiss people, and I think that mixture makes it very
strong for me as somebody who's been given an name like T’Uy’Tanat, to gather medicines for all
people. I have to be at peace with how I feel about both native and non-native people all the time.
Because I am both.

Cease Wyss: Since I became a mother, which was just over 12 years ago, I, through my pregnancy, drank
teas, so I felt like I was feeding my daughter before she was born, and giving her that good nutrients.
And through her whole life I've taken her with me gathering, so even when she was a little baby unable
to walk I'd carry her in a backpack, baby carrier. So I felt very natural about that, and I felt like no matter
where I am, even if she's facing backwards and can't see me, she's with me, and she's in the nature, and
this is a safe place for her.

Cease Wyss: Going back to my naming ceremony, somebody came up to me on our break and said, “you
won't believe what your daughter is doing. She has a group of kids around all these plants outside, and
she's teaching them what plants are good and what plants are not. And she's telling them all about the
berries.” I was, like, “I'm going to cry.” That is so amazing. That’s, like, I've done the right thing. I didn’t
ever force this knowledge on her, but by bringing her out and teaching her this on a daily basis through
her whole life, I have filtered this knowledge through her.

Cease Wyss: She’ll always have this teaching. She’ll always have this place that she can grow up knowing
that when she's not well, it's as easy as going into her yard or into the forest and gathering something
and taking it as a tea. So knowing that, it’s, I've given her a big gift. And I hope that she carries that her
whole life.