Cheam people practice our culture in many ways. The best way to preserve our traditions and culture is by practicing them in our everyday life and teaching them to our children. As fishing is so important to our people here in Cheam, we have been practicing the First Salmon Ceremony for many years. We believe this ceremony is so important for the survival of the fish and to continue feeding our families for generations to come. Another important teaching that we practice is the way we have funerals. There are unwritten laws that we must follow to ensure a safe journey for our loved ones. Along with funerals, we have burnings. There are many significant cultural and traditional events that we practice in our everyday lives such as: dance groups; language classes; arts and crafts; fishing; hunting; singing and drumming; burnings; traditional weddings; ceremonies (naming, memorials, mask and honoring) and medicine harvesting.
Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer
Our culture and spiritual teachings are important to the Cheam Community, it is our teachings that build the person that we have become. Our most important teachings to ourselves are to have fun, respect ourselves and others, be proud of our community and be proud of who we are and where we came from.