'He’s pulled generations along with him': Ucluelet teen completes third year of university degree
Although they’re separated by a decade in age, Hjalmer and his younger brother Timmy have always connected as the best of friends.
“We get along like a house on fire, so that helps!” Hjalmer laughs.
“We’ve always been right beside each other,” Timmy smiles.
Their journey took a turn a few years ago when Hjalmer was recovering from brain surgery.
“I had to learn to read and write and walk and talk,” Hjalmer recalls.
The older brother had to try and do all that while still attending university. So Timmy, who was 10 years old then, decided to postpone his schooling to support Hjalmer with his.
“I carried his bags and helped him take notes,” Timmy says.
“More than anything [he was] a huge support,” Hjalmer adds.
Helping his big brother with his physical struggle was one thing. Supporting his mental health was another.
“It was definitely hard to see that person beside you [who’s] so strong being weighed down by that,” Timmy says.
So they began making weekly visits to the University of Victoria’s First People’s House and Hjalmer started experiencing profound healing.
“When he was there [Timmy] just fell in love with the power that Coast Salish language and prayer and song had,” Hjalmer says.
“I was truly shocked at the amount that these elders knew,” Timmy says. “And from that I desperately wanted to learn my language.”
With Hjalmer on the mend, Timmy returned to Ucluelet, B.C., but was disappointed to find limited opportunities to really learn the Nuu-chah-nulth language in elementary school. So the then 11-year-old got special permission to take a couple university classes on the language.
“As I started to learn my language, I felt so strong in my identity as well,” Timmy says.
The feeling compelled Timmy to complete the language course, which made him eligible to teach when he was just 13.
“In Grade 8, I started teaching Nuu-chah-nulth language in my school,” Timmy smiles.
Timmy didn’t stop there. By Grade 9, he’d convinced UVic to let him pursue a diploma in language revitalization, which he achieved.
And by the time he’d graduated from Grade 12 this year, Timmy had also completed the first three years of a bachelor's degree in education.
“He’s pulled generations along with him,” Hjalmer says. “He’s asked us to come along this journey with him.”
Now the brothers are collaborating on creating music and dance videos like this one. It features Hjalmer’s carvings, Timmy’s writing, and subtitles in both Nuu-chah-nulth and English.
“We made it public so everybody could learn from it,” Timmy says. “The first step to bringing back language is having resources that people can use.”
“You can see how it's [inspiring] young people. I see my children speaking the language now,” Hjalmer smiles. “It’s because of their Uncle Tim who’s still our little boy!”
A “little boy” whose big brother couldn’t feel more proud.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.