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Tuesday, June 30, 2015
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Reeks Island ‘face’ in the rock
Extreme fire risk warning persists, more heat in forecast
Mysterious image resembles First Nation artwork MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
About 40 feet up from the ocean in a narrow gorge, on a steep cliff on the south side of Reeks Island in the Broken Group of Barkley Sound, there is a face. Or what looks like a face, formed from the rock, resembling Tseshaht First Nation artwork of an ancient spirit – one of their culturally revered deities. Tseshaht Beach Keeper Hank Gus re-discovered the uncanny image in early June. Gus had been searching for the mysterious face during the past few years after it was first spotted by kayakers from the U.S. in 2008. The Tseshaht Beach Keepers were established three years ago to tend to the First Nation’s traditional territory in Barkley Sound in partnership with Parks Canada. Now, the Beach Keepers have made the Reeks Island “face in the rock” famous in international news headlines, and the location – with a photo – is clearly indicated on Google Maps. The kayakers who originally discovered the rocky visage were from Washington State, said Gus. “They didn’t describe exactly where it was at. They sent coordinates and a picture to Parks Canada,” Gus said. Parks Canada then forwarded the picture to the Tseshaht administration office. One of the kayakers, Sandy Floe, described what they found in an email to Parks Canada: “I went in closer to shore...through kelp to explore a small gap in the rocky shore on the southeast side of Reeks Island,” Floe wrote. “Suddenly I saw what you see in the picture. A face! I almost fell out of the kayak! Snapped the first picture and noticed my hands were shaking. “I went in as close as I could down the narrow water-filled ‘chute’ and got a closer picture,” Floe continued. “It would be quite dangerous to get out of the kayak in that little nook with the waves pushing me further in, I couldn’t get out and climb up to it. It appears, to me at least, to be definitely a native design face similar to what I have seen on other native drawings and carvings.” Gus noted that Reeks Island is in the Tseshaht traditional territory. “We, the Beach Keepers, monitor all the campsites in the islands in the territory in
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MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
McMillan wrote in an email to the Times. “But just looking from the boat we reached the conclusion that it is probably a natural feature. “If someone could manage to land a boat and climb up there and found only the natural stone blocks that make up the ‘face’ features, with no signs of human alteration, then that would pretty well establish that the ‘face’ is a product of nature.” McMillan noted. But even if it is natural, it’s still significant, he added. Darrell Ross Sr. is the Tseshaht cultural research and planning director. Ross said the First Nation is discussing whether to undertake further archeological investigation of the face in the rock, to determine for certain if it is man-made or natural.
An extreme wildfire danger warning continues in the Alberni Valley this week. A heat wave rolled through the region over the weekend, spiking temperatures at 36.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday. That was the hottest June 27 on record, according to Environment Canada, breaking the last record set in 2000. Temperatures are forecasted to stay sunny and hot through the week, reaching 36 degrees again on Wednesday. The heat is expected to gradually cool off to 27 degrees on Saturday. B.C.’s Wildfire Management Branch indicates an ongoing “extreme” danger rating for the risk of a wildfire in the Alberni Valley. Extreme danger is defined as “extremely dry forest fuels and the fire risk is very serious. New fires will start easily, spread rapidly, and challenge fire suppression efforts,” on the B.C. Wildfire Service website (bcwildfire.ca). “Conditions continue to be hot and dry in the Port Alberni region,” noted Marg Drysdale, information assistant with the Coastal Fire Centre. Thunderstorms are expected on the eastern mid-coast region; otherwise “unseasonably warm and dry conditions continue each day.” The province issued a campfire ban for the mid-Island region on Thursday. The hot and dry conditions over the past two months have left water levels low in the Valley. May was the driest month on record, with a total precipitation of only 1.4 millimetres of rainfall. As of Monday only 14.2 millimetres of rain in June had fallen, a fraction of the 70-mm average. The province’s River Forecast Centre issued a streamflow advisory last week, reporting the Valley’s Sproat River at 10 per cent of its median level of water flow.
See FACE, Page 3
Martin.Wissmath@avtimes.net
Tseshaht Beach Keepers pass what appears to be a face in the cliffs of Reeks Island. The Beach Keepers re-discovered the face earlier this month after it was first reported in 2008. [Inset] a closer view of the ‘face.’ [HANK GUS, TSESHAHT BEACH KEEPERS]
“We were passing by and we happened to look up higher. And we noticed it. There was a lot of excitement in our work boat.” Hank Gus, Teseshaht Beach Keeper
the summer. For the past couple years we knew about this face in the rock. But...it was a vague description.” Gus and a fellow Beach Keeper happened upon the re-discovery this month without knowing exactly where to look. “We were passing by [Reeks Island] and we happened to look up higher. And we noticed it,” he said. “There was a lot of excitement in our work boat.” With the ocean swells
it’s rough going to get closer to the rock face to examine it, Gus added. He’s not sure whether it’s some kind of ancient man-made artwork, or a natural formation. “It’s hard to say, because it’s kind of hard to get close to it.” Gus said. “But either way, man-made or natural, it’s another beautiful attraction for people to come out and see in the Broken Group Islands.” Archeologists Dr. Alan McMillan and Denis St. Claire have studied Nuu-chah-nulth culture for decades, with a number of publications about the First Nations in the Alberni Valley and Barkley Sound. After the face was discovered in 2008 McMillan and St. Claire took a boat out to Reeks Island to have a look. “We found it – but it was far too difficult to access to get up to it,”
McLean Mill entrance benefits from grading
West Coast Golf Tourney back for 86th
The pothole-ridden road leading into the historic site received complimentary maintenance last week. » Alberni Region, 3
Twelve teams showed up for the Big Break competitions to see who would amass the largest number of points. » Sports, 5
Inside today Weather 2 What’s On 2
Alberni Region 3 Opinion 4
ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES VOLUME 66, NUMBER 124
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