Reviews by Margaret Tessman
BIG RIVER: RESILIENCE AND RENEWAL IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN DAVE MOSKOWITZ, PHOTOGRAPHS EILEEN DELEHANTY PEARKES, NARRATIVE Braided River, an imprint of Mountaineers Books, 2024 The Columbia River flows more than 1,600 kilometres across B.C. and seven U.S. states, traversing myriad landscapes, supporting diverse ecosystems and providing the economic and ecological backbone for farmers, fishers, hydroelectric industries and more. Part coffee table book, part scientific study, part historical treatise, Big River examines the Columbia through a number of different lenses: wildlife biologist Dave Moskowitz’s striking photography takes readers on a visual travelogue; Eileen Delehanty Pearkes’ text spans time, from the prehistoric origins of the Columbia Basin to the present-day challenges the region faces; and interviews with individuals who live and work in the Basin add a personal touch to the narrative. Pearkes’ exhaustive research takes the reader into the history of the Columbia River Treaty, signed in 1964 and due to expire this year. The treaty was a cross-border effort to control water levels on the Columbia by damming the flow of the river. The catastrophic impact on the salmon fishery by the building of the Grand Coulee dam illustrates the conflicting interests of “built capital” versus “natural capital.” As well as generating power and providing irrigation water, the dam cut off salmon from returning to their spawning grounds, wiping out a fishery with no chance of reversal. Although the Columbia River doesn’t discriminate between national jurisdictions, the American perspective tends to predominate in the book. Hopefully, Pearkes writes, “The entire Columbia River … has the potential to dissolve the boundary. Indigenous people do not recognize the line separating the two countries but instead see one river, one ecology.” Based in Nelson, Pearkes has been researching and writing about the Columbia River for over two decades. Her previous books include Heart of a River (2004; revised 2024) and A River Captured (2016). mountaineers.org, edpearkes.com
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
FORGOTTEN KIMBERLEY: A PHOTO HISTORY OF EARLY KIMBERLEY AND DISTRICT ERIN KNUTSON, KEITH POWELL AND DERRYLL WHITE Wild Horse Creek Press, 2023 Forgotten Kimberley is the second in a series of Forgotten books that began with Forgotten Cranbrook in 2022 and will continue with Forgotten Fort Steele in late 2024. The current volume showcases the best early images from the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History (CBIRH) archives, in partnership with the Kimberley Heritage Museum. “This is a keepsake book showcasing the development of a community from its earliest years, with a special focus on the people and their activities,” says publisher and co-author Keith Powell. Co-author Derryll White is a lifelong historian who worked as chief curator at Fort Steele for three decades. “Examining the records of community growth, listening to the stories and viewing the photographs of Kimberley-area old-timers has been our pleasure,” he says. The CBIRH began digitizing its artifacts 20 years ago, says executive director Erin Knutson. She hopes that the importance of preserving these images will be strengthened by the publication of Forgotten Kimberley. Copies of the book are available from retailers in Kimberley and Cranbrook, and through the CBIRH’s online store at basininstitute.org.
BODIES OF WATER CURVESAND Food of Love Records, 2024 curvesand are Jeremy Down (electric guitar) and Paul “Garbanzo” Gibbons (bansuri, keys/beats, percussion). They describe their first CD as “a musical conversation between two Slocan Valley artists.” The duo’s music ranges from meditative free improvisation and avant-garde cinematic soundscapes to funk/dub grooves. “From years living, working and playing in the mountains and near the lake, we bring a wild Slocan consciousness to the music, always in the moment as it unfolds,” says Garbanzo. The CD was mixed and mastered by Garbanzo at Food of Love Records. Check out Garbanzo’s painting, photography and words at garbanzomusic.ca and Jeremy’s work at jeremydown.com. You can listen to clips from the CD here: https://curvesand. hearnow.com/ and stream them on Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes, among others.
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