Silence in Coast Salish Societies

Recalling how she listened to the Elders of her childhood, Elder Roberta Price is astonished to find that she herself is now called to offer wisdom in the same way. In this inaugural talk of the Transforming Silence series, Elder Roberta Price will describe the importance of silence in Coast Salish communities. She will draw on her years working in Indigenous health initiatives to convey the healing effects of silent presence among those who have experienced trauma and illness, and how silence invites the ancestors to act as benevolent sources of well-being, knowledge and interconnectedness across the realms.

Elder Roberta Price is from the Coast Salish Snuneymuxw (SNA-NEIGH-MUH) and Cowichan Nations. She is the mother of 4 children and a grandmother of 8.  Roberta has worked for many years as an Elder for the Richmond, Delta, and Burnaby School Districts as well as in the Elder Visiting Program for BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital where she has served many families.  Roberta is Elder in Residence with Vancouver Coastal Health’s Aboriginal Wellness Program.  She has facilitated cultural teaching circles for 31 years in Lower Mainland schools, within communities, at St. Paul’s Hospital, and at the UBC Learning Exchange, and is also the co-principal investigator for Critical Research in Health and Health Care Inequities (CriHHCI) at the University of British Columbia's School of Nursing.  Elder Roberta Price is now in her second year as Adjunct Professor in UBC’s Department of Family Practice Post-Graduate Program, and will serve as the Indigenous Co-Lead-Elder for the UBC Family Medicine Residency Program.