It was a łaakt’uuła to remember as hundreds of Charleson family and friends gathered to spend the day celebrating the lives of a sister and brother that left lasting legacies during their short time on earth.
Winiikinux (Jazmine) and her brother nuksʕaqƛ (Johnson) Charleson had large families and a mother determined to celebrate their spirits and goodness at a drying of the tears potlatch held at the Alberni Athletic Hall on March 15, 2025.
Maureen Charleson lost her daughter winiikinux (Jazmine) to uterine cancer in August 2021. Winiikinux, a young mother at the time of her death, wanted women, as sacred givers of life, to know how important it is to stay on top of their health with regular medical check ups.
Barely two years after her passing, in March 2023, Maureen lost her adult son, nuksʕaqƛ (Johnson), to an accidental overdose from illicit drugs. He, too, was a young parent, leaving behind two children.
While Maureen faced some resistance in the long months of potlatch preparation, she felt that it was important to reflect on the positive attributes and contributions of her children during their lifetimes, rather than focus on how they died.
“I put lots of love and thought into this for my children,” Maureen Charleson told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
The łaakt’uuła was done under the guidance of family elders, most notably by Maureen’s grandfather, Hesquiaht elder Pat Charleson Sr., who is in his 90s.
Besides the Charleson family, the Sam and Sutherland families of Ahousaht were there to dry their tears. Qwaya Sam was the father of Jazmine, and Johnson came from the Sutherland family.
The guests were served lunch before family business started in front of Pat Charleson Sr.’s ceremonial curtain. It started with the recorded voice of Johnson Charleson, singing a lullaby that he composed. Maureen told Ha-Shilth-Sa that her son was very cultural-minded and told her that the song came to him years before. He used to sing it to his younger brothers and sisters, and he also sang it for clients of a family treatment center where he worked.
Speaker Robert Watts explained that Johnson’s song was being used that evening as the yahts yahtsa, the drying of the tears song. It is a song used to take away fear, hurt, anger and sadness, giving these things back to the Creator, Watt’s explained.
“The family has let it all go,” Watts told the crowd.
Maureen said her son Johnson used the song as a soothing lullaby to put the children down to rest. For her it was fitting to use it that night to dry Maureen’s tears and put her two dear children to rest in a yahts yahtsa.
Two other newly created dances were performed for the first time in public; one on behalf of Jazmine and the other for Johnson.
Jazmine’s dance featured dancers draped in teal shawls performing a newly choreographed piece, shown for the first time. Led by Maureen Charleson, the dancers moved in unison to the drum beats and a song composed by Tseshaht member Aaron Watts that he shares with anyone afflicted by cancer.
Qwaya Sam said his daughter had been diagnosed with Stage 3 cervical cancer. It was only two weeks later when she went in for surgery that they discovered she was already in Stage 4.
“She fought hard and we tried every medicine we could think of,” said Sam.
By telling her story, both Sam and Charleson said their daughter needed to share a message with all young women to stay on top of their health. They reminded young women, as givers of life, to go in for regular pap smears and, if they feel like something is wrong, to get a second opinion.
Every dancer who performed this piece is battling cancer, has had cancer or has someone special in their life who has fought or is fighting cancer. They all came to dance for Jazmine that day.
Aaron Watts’ song is a gift to all Nuu-chah-nulth-aht, encouraging those who are fighting cancer “because your life matters,” Robert Watts said. Most importantly, Maureen wanted to convey a message on behalf of Jazmine that cancer is preventable.
Following the dance for Jazmine, dancers brought out framed portraits of Jazmine and Johnson.
The song that was performed in Johnson’s honour came from Brandon Smith of Ehattesaht, Maureen explained. It was a song to help those struggling with mental health issues. She admitted that her son, as happy and loving as he was, sometimes struggled with severe depression.
Dancers dressed in purple shawls performed with paddles and feathers to remember and say farewell to their beloved Johnson. The song, according to Charleson, was gifted to her son Jared from Brandon Smith.
During the dances, helpers handed out teal and purple ribbons to guests, raising awareness about cervical cancer as well as mental health and addictions issues.
The potlatch proved that, like the people, culture evolves as Nuu-chah-nulth families face life challenges that didn’t exist before contact.
“I am in awe of everything, of the significance of the songs and dances we used and how they were explained,” said Maureen Charleson.
She said the family didn’t get to a dance called Inner Child due to time constraints.
“It has an important message in that song from Johnson about no more wounded warriors and no more stolen sisters,” Maureen shared.
The potlatch was cut short, ending the following morning at 9 a.m. due to the venue rental agreement, but Charleson is pleased with how everything went. To those that disagree with how or why things were done - and there were a few according to Charleson - she points out that addiction is a disease, the same as cancer or any other illness.
“It was about my grandchildren, who do not have a mom and do not have a dad,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa, mentioning Julien, Owatin, Alexus, Cataleya, Isabelle and Rickalie (in heaven). “We were remembering their pure, good spirits, their sense of humour...the protective brother bear – his life wasn’t only addiction.”
