Coast Mountain News Thursday, July 17, 2014
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Serving the Bella Coola Valley and the Chilcotin
Gary Runka receives prestigious post-humous award
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Vol. 30 | No. 14 Thursday, July 17, 2014
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Photo by Rhonda Sandoval
The ecstatic paddlers reach Bella Bella for the Qatuwas Festival
Nuxalk Nation takes part in historic paddle to Qatuwas Festival in Bella Bella BY EVANGELINE HANUSE On the morning of July 9, 2014, four canoes began their journey from Bella Coola to partake in the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys. Hosted this year by the Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella, it is estimated that there will be 100 canoes attending the Qatuwas Festival and 5,000 visitors going to Bella Bella for seven days of celebrating, feasting, and dancing. Tribal Journeys, also referred
to as Qatuwas, or ‘People Gathering Together,’ is planning to return to Bella Bella this year, 21 years after its first gathering was held in 1993. The Heiltsuk have played a key role in the resurgence of the ocean going canoe culture along the Pacific North West Coast when they first carved a canoe and paddled from Bella Bella to Vancouver for Expo 86, in 1986 and in 1989 participated in the “Paddle to Seattle”, and at this event invited other tribes to travel to
Bella Bella and hosted the 1993 Qatuwas Festival. Members of the Squamish Nation and their fellow paddlers from Hawaii towed two canoes from Vancouver, BC and were welcomed into Bella Coola by the Nuxalk Nation with a potluck at the Bella Coola Motel Campground. Together, they journeyed for three days with the help of support vessels, arriving in Bella Bella last weekend. Luke Mack, a skipper, who has been on several canoe
journeys, was cautious when speaking of facing the notorious Mesachie Nose, famous for its swirling currents and strong winds. “If the winds pick up we may have to be towed,” said Mack. To many, this canoe journey is seen as a healing opportunity for all involved. Cultural traditions and knowledge are being revived as traditionally Nuxalkmc were skilled navigators on the water, using the ocean as a highway for trade and
attending ceremonies all across the Coast, even traveling as far as the Hawaiian Islands. Hereditary Chief Q’umulha Rhonda Sandoval is excited to partake in the experience of a lifetime with her husband, Will, and daughter Anuxum. A former commercial fisher and experienced diver, Sandoval is right at home on the water and is hoping this journey will keep the momentum going and revive the Nuxalkmc canoe culture SEE THOUSANDS ON PAGE 3