Courage to Speak shares the story of the early efforts of a handful of Elders to develop a written form of their Halq'emeylem language that could easily be learned. Working with Brent Galloway, a trained linguist, the Coqualeetza Elders adopted a modified and illustrated alphabet, recorded thousands of words and created a dictionary. Their early curriculum work presented experiential teaching methods and rusulted in publication of seven teaching stories based on traditional life experiences and knowledge. Capturing the experience of three strong Elders - Qwe'et'osiya Nancy Joe Phillips, Siyamiya Amelia Aleck Douglas and Xwiy'alemot Matilda Jackson Gutierrez influenced by leaders in Sto:lo communities in the upper Fraser River, these stories will entertain and inspire today's generations of teachers and learners