Haboo: A Native American Word for "I'm Listening"

In a classroom of brilliant, engaged, eager students, it's often difficult to hear let alone listen. This was the first of four important skills that Ronn "Long Claw" Wilson, a Native American of the North Vancouver Island Kwakwala Clan, taught us. He called it haboo.

"Skills must be taught, learned and practiced."

He got our attention right away with drumming and chanting.

He welcomed us into the beautiful outdoor "living room" of the Kwakwala Clan and encouraged us to use our manners. 

We hung on to every word. 

"You, my little tribe, must remember that no one has the power to make you angry or to make you happy. You have that control."

A Native American form of Simon Says. 

A game called "Deer Eyes." The wolves were required to sneak up on the deer without being heard.

"If you cannot come together and learn to work as a team, you will not survive."

We also learned about reverence: 

having a good kind of fear can save your life!

“We need to learn how to respect. Show that you care. Begin to place ‘value’ on someone, something or some place. We have forgotten to show respect for what we have. We take a lot more than what we need. How might we change that?”

We were entrusted to carefully touch the wonderful collection of 

bears, cats, dogs, skunks and weasels. 

One panel of Long Claw's Northwest Coast Pelt Collection

And lastly, we learned that we must remember to remember and learn from the things that bring us pleasure and the things that bring us pain. 

Long Claw ended with his clan's story, 

"Why the Deer Never Show Their Teeth." Above is the ending of the story.

Thank you, Ronn Wilson from "Of Cedar and Salmon," for bringing history to life, immersing the Navigators and the Spirits into the culture of early Pacific Northwest peoples. We have become better people as a result. 

Haboo? Haboo!