INTERESTING NEWS
Whalers' shrine repatriated after 120 years in museum
Contents of a sacred Mowachaht site return to Yuquot, thanks to a coordinated effort with a New York museum
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
New York, NY - Moments after the official documents were signed, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht members broke into song, marking the return of a whale hunting shrine that has sat in a New York museum’s storage for 120 years.
Decades in the making, the transfer of ownership was made official on March 25 at the American Museum of Natural History, which has kept the Yuquot Whalers Washing House since 1904. A Mowachaht/Muchalaht delegation of about two dozen travelled across the continent for the occasion. As the ownership was transferred back to the First Nation, boxes and cases containing the shrine’s contents awaited their long journey back to Yuquot on the southern edge of Nootka Island, where they were taken under suspect circumstances over a century ago.
“Like other institutions right now, the museum is working to acknowledge its own history, face the past, and do so with honesty, humility, and a desire to learn,” said AMNH President Sean. M. Decatur in a statement, admitting that the repatriation is “long overdue”.
Containing 88 carved wooden human figures, four carved wooden whales, 16 human skulls and other components of the structure, the shrine once stood in a secret location on an islet at Jewitt Lake, which stretches around the ancient Mowachaht village site of Yuquot. As a location that could only be accessed by whalers for purification rituals in preparation for the hunt, very little is known about the original purpose of the shrine. Its details are hidden by protocols in place to uphold the sacred importance to a bygone practice that once sustained the Mowachaht people and helped Yuquot become a centre for Indigenous trade and culture.
“It wasn’t to be spoken of or displayed or anything like that,” explained Mowachaht/Muchalaht Tyee Ha’wilth Mike Maquinna, who awaits a period of helping his people understand how the shrine should be respected. “It will be something new for us to go through. What I feel is that it is an artifact that has a significant amount of culture that is going to be taking place once it’s home.”
The hereditary chief said it’s “still to be determined” how the shrine’s eventual resting place will be protected, but he doubts that it’s contents will ever be on display or photographed.
“It is a sacred artifact that we’re dealing with,” said Maquinna.
This differs from the circumstances of
Containing 88 carved wooden human figures, four wooden whales, 16 human skulls and other components of the structure, the shrine once stood in a secret location on an islet at Yuquot. Since 1904 it has been in the storage of a New York museum.
the shrine’s removal. In the early 1900s a photograph was taken by George Hunt, a Tlingit-Scottish ethnographer who travelled the West Coast at the time. The black and white photograph appeared haunting and mysterious, with multiple human-like carvings leaning under an elaborate shelter with skulls lining the ground. Hunt showed the image to Franz Boas, who was collecting objects from the North Pacific coast for the American Museum of Natural History “at a time when Indigenous cultures were threatened by decades of repressive government policies,” stated the AMNH.
In 1903 Hunt arranged for the sale of the shrine for $500 from two elders in the village – on the condition that the exchange took place when the rest of Yuquot’s inhabitants were away on a seal hunt.
Since it came to the museum the following year, the whalers’ shrine was never on display, although a small model was exhibited until the Northwest Coast Hall underwent a major renovation in 2018.
Maquinna was not part of the delegation who ventured to New York for the ownership transfer, but recalls travelling to the museum in the early 1990s to see the shrine’s contents.
“It was mixed emotions,” recalled the chief. “It was something that I felt certainly needed to be back home in its environment where it should be.”
Some in the First Nation have long felt that a critical element has been miss-
ing from the community every since the shrine was taken.
“It’s not just an artifact, but it is part of our culture - a very important part of our culture that some of us are missing - the spirituality aspect,” noted Maquinna.
In 1996 the Mowachaht/Muchalaht voted to formally request the shrine’s return for a future cultural centre at Yuquot. But not all agreed on how the shrine should be handled, or if it should even be touched at all.
The effort received a boost last year with the involvement of Albert and Alex Lara. The father and son from southern California had recently discovered ancestral ties to the First Nation, based on DNA analysis and old church records that linked them to children from Chief Maquinna. Historical records indicate that a daughter and son of the Mowachaht chief somehow were transported from Yuquot to California in the 1790s.
The Laras helped Mowachaht/Muchalaht request the repatriation of the whalers’ shrine in April 2024. Alex Lara was in the museum with his father when the ownership was transferred.
“The emotion, the awareness and just the coming together was beautiful,” recalled Alex, who helped to coordinate the complicated task of packaging and shipping the precious components back to Yuquot.
The shrine’s components were loaded onto a freight truck March 27, which made it to Blaine, Washington on March
31 to be welcomed with a blessing from Mowachaht/Muchalaht members at the Canadian border. Meanwhile, the human remains took a different journey across the continent.
“The ancestral remains were put into specialized cases that were suited to be carry-on cases,” explained Alex. “Then eight members of the delegation were escorted through special security in the airport and those were brought onto the plane with them.”
Once the shrine’s components make it to Gold River, the plan was for some to be shipped to Yuquot by the MV Uchuck III, while other parts are lifted to the Nootka Island site by helicopter. Forty to 50 of the First Nation’s members were to assist in this effort, leading to all components being safely secured in the Yuquot church before the shrine finally returns to its original, secret location.
“Once it’s in place and set back in its original site we know that nature will take its course,” said Maquinna. “Although it has been housed in the museum for many years, it doesn’t belong in a sheltered environment. It needs to be in the elements and the environment from which it came from, which is Yuquot.”
The chief thanks all those who helped to bring the Whalers Washing House home.
“I’m sure that at some point in time our nation will host a dinner for all those involved,” said Maquinna.
George Hunt photo
Real enforcement needed to curb bootlegging: Tyee
As Ahousaht's alcohol concerns continue, those close to the community point to complex interconnected factors
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Ahousaht, BC - Slowing the flood of booze into Ahousaht won’t be possible unless the remote community can enact effective bylaw enforcement, says the First Nation’s Tyee.
Tyee Ha’wilth Hasheukumiss, Richard George, addressed the prevalence of alcoholism in his community during a Nuuchah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries meeting Feb. 12. The toll of bootlegging has caused Ahousaht to “find ourselves in a worse position than we ever have been,” said Hasheukumiss.
He said that a gravesite that opened in Ahousaht’s on-reserve village of Maaqtusiis five years ago has been filling up – thanks in part to the tragic effects of binge drinking and alcoholism.
“One hundred and sixty-eight people have been in our new gravesite now,” said Hasheukumiss. “A lot of them are our youth that have passed way before their time.”
For years the Flores Island community has struggled with the flow of vodka that comes in by boat, which is then sold in Maaqtusiis by bootleggers at a hefty mark up. Over two decades ago Ahousaht passed a bylaw that prohibits alcohol from being brought into the remote community, but over the years enforcement has been a challenge, and binge drinking persisted.
A prohibition was enacted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as security at Ahousaht’s main dock confiscated incoming liquor. But some smuggling persisted, and vessels brought alcohol to other locations for it to taken into Maaqtusiis.
“We have bylaws in Ahousaht with a $1,000 fine for any liquor coming in,” said Hasheukumiss during the meeting in February. “Second offence was supposed to be six months jail term. That was implemented in 2012 by our nation, passed by 54 per cent.”
But the missing component to this remains any real enforcement, added the hereditary chief.
“It doesn’t matter how many bylaws we create, if we don’t have anybody to enforce it, those are for nothing,” he said. “We want to bring in an outside bylaw officer to enforce so there is no turning a blind eye, there is no nepotism, there is no shoving things under the rug anymore.”
The flow of alcohol into Ahousaht is often tied to safety and health concerns in the remote community. The Labour Day weekend last year brought a particularly trying period for the First Nations community when two unexpected deaths occurred in Maaqtusiis. One incident caused the death of 20-year-old Lennox Williams, the victim of a fatal stabbing that resulted in a second-degree murder charge. A publication ban remains in place for any court proceedings related to the accused.
“We have sexual assaults happening on a weekly basis, we have death now on our shoulders because we haven’t addressed the high concerns of the alcohol,” said Hasheukumiss.
More professional support needed The Westcoast Community Resource Society has four staff who go to the village each week to support residents.
“Alcohol consumption, it reduces everyone’s ability to communicate properly,” said the society’s executive director, Laurie Hannah. “The messages that try to get across to set boundaries and to set
consent are blurred. The cognition to really set those boundaries are muddied when there’s consumption.”
Further complicating the issue of sexual assault is how deeply interconnected many Ahousaht residents are. Hannah observed this when her team held a session for elders in Maaqtusiis.
“There is such a code of silence,” she said. “Even when women often come through and want to do a forensic or even press charges, those things get withdrawn because there’s so much pressure from family members.”
Ahousaht bootleggers often bring vodka into the village of approximately 1,000 residents, an item known locally as ‘Red Cap’. In an effort to slow the sale of booze in the First Nations community, in November Tofino’s government-run liquor store introduced a limit four bottles per customer if they are sold in plastic containers.
“It has come to our attention that there has been an increase in alcohol misuse and illegal resale leading to associated crime and public harm with spirits packaged in plastic bottles that are available for sale at the BCLIQUOR (BCL) store in Tofino,” stated the ministry at the time.
But this hasn’t made much of a difference, according to Tristan Godberson, an outreach worker with the Westcoast Community Resource Society. Godberson ventures to Ahousaht each week to work in the community’s schools with at-risk youth and to provide mental health support to adults.
“Unfortunately, like what we’ve seen with all different types of substances across the board, just penalization and restriction alone, you’re not even touching half of the issue,” he said. “If meaningful change is going to be made, what it really needs is more community supports in place, more support for individuals going through things, as well as their families.”
“We don’t have the supports in place when people want to stop drinking,”
added Hannah, noting that the Tofino Hospital isn’t equipped to handle the issue. “We don’t have a sobering centre; the hospital can’t keep people in who are experiencing that.”
Last fall Ahousaht opened its new Wellness Centre, an investment that was built with a $2.5 million donation from a private, anonymous donor. The Wellness Centre opened its doors while the
community was under a state of emergency after the Labour Day weekend. But with no committed funding from the provincial or federal governments, the facility has operated without professionally trained mental health and addictions workers.
Godberson finds that the tight-knit nature of Ahousaht provides strong support for those who are struggling, but more professional assistance with an understanding of the community’s dynamics is needed.
“There’s a huge need there for further supports for people,” said Godberson. “Alcohol is specifically worse there than in other communities just because of the remoteness of it. I think it has become quite ingrained in people’s lives.”
The issue isn’t new, and Hasheukumiss referenced a historic plea from a member to Ahousaht’s elected government.
“I read an address from the late Peter Webster 45 years ago to our chief and council in an emergency meeting back in June when two ladies got brutally beaten and almost put to death,” said the hereditary chief.
That same year the concern received considerable attention during a meeting of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which was held in Port Alberni Sept. 14 and 15, 1979.
“The problem is not a minor one, it was mentioned that in the last 10 years in Ahousaht there have been 51 people lost in which alcohol has been a factor,” recounted a Ha-Shilth-Sa article from the time.
Lessons from the meal table
It was fitting that Hasheukumiss’ comments about alcohol concerns in Ahousaht came during a fisheries meeting, said Wickaninnish, Cliff Atleo. He is an Ahousaht elder and chair of the Nuuchah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries.
“I was born in an era when every nation was independent,” said Atleo, referencing a time when the fishery brought a widespread community involvement to Ahousaht. “The Indian agent was more of a pain than anything else. We built homes because we could, and that was very much tied to the aquatic resources.”
“We can no longer assume we don’t need healing. We’d be better off assuming that we all need healing,” continued Atleo. “Healing that has to do with trauma, healing that has to do with abuse, healing that has to do with just a way of life that was taken from us, where we used to be brought haʔuupčuu, every one of us was haʔuupčuu. That means we were well taught at the meal table.”
Eric Plummer photo
Tyee Ha’wilth Hasheukumiss, Richard George, addressed the prevalence of alcoholism in his community during a Nuuchah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries meeting Feb. 12. The meeting took place in the Hupacasath House of Gathering.
Submitted photo
Wally Thomas, Chief Hohomiius, an Ahousaht Tribal Police officer, dumps out a confiscated bottle of vodka at the main dock in Ahousaht in 2020. The enforcement was a measure to discourage gatherings and prevent spread of COVID-19.
Study on 2023 Hwy 4 wildfire calls for alternate route
Chambers
say $61 million
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Port Alberni, BC – The 2023 wildfire at Cameron Lake cut off Port Alberni and points west from the rest of the world for several weeks. It was summer 2023, the start of another lucrative tourist season, when a fire started on a mountain top high above Cameron Lake, about 22 kilometers east of Port Alberni.
It wasn’t long before wind drove the fire down the bluff, dropping debris onto the busy Highway 4 where it skirts along Cameron Lake. The highway was closed for two full weeks, cutting travel routes for locals, tourists, supply chains and more. Prolonged delays continued on the highway through the summer.
A network of industrial logging roads between Lake Cowichan, Nitinaht and Port Alberni was quickly prepared as an alternate route. But the narrow, dusty, winding dirt road was not only scary for many, it added several hours to the travel time between island cities.
According to a report prepared by the Alberni-Clayoquot Chambers of Commerce, the disruption to travel that the wildfire caused not only impacted tourism businesses in Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet, but also disrupted supply chains including fuel and groceries.
The Highway 4 Disruption and Resiliency report indicates that an estimated $61 million in revenues was lost between the three cut-off western communities that summer.
Even though the highway was opened for short periods in the ensuing weeks, the disruptions remained in effect into early September 2023.
Besides the loss in revenues, the closure also meant increased costs for locals and disruptions to important services like health care, as hospital workers sometimes had to be flown in. For business owners, the losses came immediately
in
revenues lost between Port Alberni,
Ucluelet
and Tofino as forest fire cut off access
after the COVID-19 pandemic, creating more anxiety and stress.
The chambers suggested solutions to address extended road closures in the future. Topping the list is the construction of critical infrastructure like an alternative land route to the west coast.
Would that mean paving and improving the logging roads around Cowichan Lake to Nitinaht and Port Alberni? Nitinaht
residents hope so. In a news release dated March 23, Chief Councillor Judi Thomas said the Ditidaht First Nation urges immediate action to address unsafe road conditions.
For decades, Nitinaht residents have had to contend with regular flooding of the only road into their community. In recent times, large holes have been opening up in the logging roads near the village, making it unsafe for travelers.
“The Ditidaht First Nation is calling on the provincial and local governments to urgently address unsafe road conditions and to take immediate steps toward
developing a reliable secondary access route through Ditidaht Traditional Territory,” Chief Thomas wrote.
The Ditidaht statement came as a result of the worsening conditions that closed the road to Nitinaht Lake on March 20, as well as the release of the Alberni Clayoquot Chamber of Commerce - Highway 4 Disruption and Resiliency Solutions Report.
Citing a recent incident that closed the road to Nitinaht, Thomas wrote, “access to Nitinaht Lake was cut off once again –this time due to the rapid deterioration of gravel road conditions at a bridge at Red Rock, immediately outside the community. This incident highlights the chronic vulnerability faced by Ditidaht members and travelers who rely on a single, deteriorating access road.”
“We cannot wait for another disaster to act. The solution is clear – and the province has already made a commitment,” she stated.
In Ditidaht’s 2019 Agreement-in-Prin-
ciple, part of ongoing treaty negotiations with the provincial and federal governments, the Province of British Columbia acknowledged the need for improved road access to Nitinaht Lake.
“(The province) committed to reclassifying temporary permit roads currently managed by timber licensees as Forest Service Roads,” Thomas stated in March.
The move would place the responsibility of road maintenance on the province.
Thomas demands that the process needs to start now.
“This is about safety and economic resilience. Reliable infrastructure is not a luxury – it’s essential,” stressed the chief councillor.
Thomas stated that their treaty negotiations have stalled because the province has failed to adequately staff and resource the table. She continues to raise concerns about these shortcomings at leadership meetings and with elected officials.
The Chambers of Commerce report identified a need for local businesses and government to prepare for future travel disruption - not only with alternate routes but to also find ways to improve communication with the public via social media platforms. They suggest diversifying business models to reduce the seasonality of the tourism economy.
They also identified the need to develop long and short-term recovery funding by identifying new and potential funding sources, such as tourism funds for disruption responses, emergency financial assistance from the province,and insurance solutions.
For the proposed solutions to be carried out, the Alberni-Clayoquot Chambers of Commerce is asking that their report be shared broadly “in order to develop the momentum and commitment required to implement actions that ensure the region is better prepared to handle future disruptions.”
More holes in road to Nitinaht, cutting village's access
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Nitinaht, BC - More holes have opened on the road to Nitinaht, renewing calls for adequate maintenance of the route as access in and out of the remote community is temporarily severed.
On Thursday, March 20 the Ditidaht First Nation announced that road access to its community at Nitinaht Lake was cut off due to “severe gravel deterioration” at a bridge outside the village. Repair work was scheduled on March 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the following day 7 a.m. to noon. At these times there is no access through Carmanah Main and South Road, part of the route from Nitinaht that runs northeast to Port Alberni.
Photos released by the First Nation show two large enough for a person to stick their leg inside where the wooden bridge meets the gravel road. Meanwhile access on the other side of Nitinaht is compromised as well, as Caycuse Main to Lake Cowichan “is also impassible due to road washouts,” stated the Ditidaht First Nation in a press release.
“We need to do better to protect the livelihood and safety of our people,” stated Ditidaht Chief Councillor Judi Thomas in the release. “The lack of proper road maintenance and infrastructure puts lives at risk, and we are calling on the government to take immediate action.”
A year ago other holes appeared on the road outside of Nitinaht village. On Feb. 10, 2024 a hole large enough for a person to fall into was discovered when an old wooden culvert collapsed.
Personnel from the First Nation quickly constructed a temporary culvert, but the next month, on March 24, 2024, another hole opened nearby on Carmanah Main. Discovered close to the Nitinaht Hatchery, this hole was five feet wide.
Located on southwestern Vancouver Island, each winter road access in and out of the village on Nitinaht Lake has been a pressing concern for the Ditidaht First Nation. Sections of the route are susceptible to flooding from the Nitinaht River, and during the November migration of chum salmon fish have been seen swimming across the washed-out road.
In early 2023 a 2.8-kilometre bypass was completed to improve winter access, an $1.7-million investment from the First Nation, plus undisclosed assistance from the San Group. But this bypass was added to a section of the road that lies north of where the holes have recently opened.
The road’s designation presents a challenge for improved maintenance.
Although Nitinaht residents rely on the route to get home, it is not a public highway but a service road under the jurisdiction of forestry companies.
“Access to Nitinaht Lake and Nitinaht village is predominantly via permit roads
On March 20 the Ditidaht First Nation reported “severe gravel deterioration at the bridge connection near Red Rock.” Repairs were scheduled soon afterwards.
that are held by timber forest licensees, who are responsible for maintaining the access route,” wrote the B.C. Ministry of Forests in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa in March 2024.
But this didn’t stop the province from including Carmanah Main in a detour route for essential traffic while Highway 4 was closed due to a forest fire at Cameron Lake. As the wildfire closed the highway to Port Alberni and other communities on Vancouver Island’s west coast, essential transport relied on the route that passes Nitinaht and Lake
Cowichan. Thousands of vehicles, including convoys of transport trucks, used the forestry permit road each day.
“Now is the time to get back to the table with the provincial and local governments, as well as industry, to discuss the development of a secondary route into and out of Port Alberni,” stated Thomas.
“The wildfires at Cameron Lake in 2023 led to road closures that severely impacted access to the region, and we must work together to establish a viable and resilient transportation network to prevent further disruptions.”
Ditidaht First Nation photo
BC Wildfire Service photo
The Cameron Bluffs wildfire started in early June 2023, burning for several weeks as the adjacent highway faced shutdowns and severe delays.
Makah eagerly await permit to hunt grey whales
The Washington Nuu-chah-nulth tribe is in the final stage of a decades-long quest to exercise their treaty right
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Neah Bay, WA – The Makah Tribe has made an application to harvest a grey whale in accordance with their treaty rights. If successful, they could be carrying out a traditional hunt in just a few weeks.
According to the Makah Tribe website, they have explicitly reserved their right to hunt whales in the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay. The Treaty, between the Makah Tribe and the United States, expressly provides the tribe the right to hunt whales.
In 1920 the Makah voluntarily paused their right to hunt whales when the commercial whaling industry overharvested some species to the point of near extinction. The situation prompted a national moratorium on whaling that remains in place to this day.
In the past century, conservations efforts have seen the Eastern Pacific grey whale population rebound to a healthier number.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Eastern Pacific grey whale population is between 17,400 and 21,300. It was removed from the US endangered species list in 1994.
According to the NOAA website, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals specified the process the tribe must follow in order to exercise their whale harvest right, including seeking a waiver of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and obtaining the necessary permits from NOAA Fisheries. Both NOAA Fisheries and the tribe are following this process, which is expected to be completed this spring.
Whaling and whales are central to Makah (and Nuu-chah-nulth) culture.
According to information found on the Makah Tribe website, the event of a whale hunt requires rituals and ceremonies which are deeply spiritual. The Makah’s whale hunting culture is older than the United States of America by more than 1,000 years.
“For the Makah Tribe, whale hunting provides a purpose and a discipline which benefits their entire community,” reads the website. “It is so important to the Makah, that in 1855 when the Makah ceded thousands of acres of land to the government of the United States, they explicitly reserved their right to whale within the Treaty of Neah Bay.”
The Makah Tribe resumed whale hunting under international and domestic law, and on May 17, 1999 harvested their first gray whale in nearly 80 years. At that time the Tribe had the support of the US government and the International Whaling Commission.
While the hunt drew protests and threats from outside the Makah’s main village, their Nuu-chah-nulth neighbors to the north took part in the jubilation at a Makah Tribe celebration feast.
Five days after the hunt the Makah hosted more than 3,000 guests at their Back to Tradition feast. Their guests in-
cluded their Nuu-chah-nulth brothers and sisters from Vancouver Island and other guests from places as far away as Alaska and Fiji.
At that time, Wayne Johnson, who was part of the Makah whaling crew, described how difficult protestors and hovering news crews made the hunt. Following the death of the whale, he said there were helicopters and watercrafts hovering around as the crew attempted important cultural work that, in effect, thanked the whale for giving its life.
Their work wasn’t complete until they towed the whale back to the beach and when they reached shore, the people let out a cheer.
“Some people have criticized us for this celebration, saying that it should have been a somber event and that we should have mourned the whale the way they imagine proper. I am so tired of Paul Watson’s crew and the long line of missionaries and government agents that preceded them – pushing their cultural values on Makah. People telling us how and how not be Makah,” Johnson wrote in Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper back in 1999, referencing the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that Paul Watson founded.
“My grandfather was proud to be a whaler and so am I,” Johnson declared.
For most people at the feast, it was their first taste of whale meat. For many, it will likely be their last.
In 2002 a federal court ruled that the Makah Tribe now requires a waiver under the existing moratorium to resume their traditional whale hunt.
In September 2007, a crew of five Makah people took part in a whale hunt that was illegal under US law. They were caught and the whale they attempted to harvest was confiscated by the Unites States Coast Guard. It died from its injuries hours later while being brought back
to sea. It sank beneath the ocean’s surface, the resources it could have provided going to waste.
According to an April 2019 report in the Ha-Shilth-Sa, the Makah Tribal Council denounced this hunt, announcing its intention to try the individuals in tribal court. Two served jail time.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling under the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW).
From 1998 to the present, the IWC has approved five separate multi-year Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling catch limits for hunting gray whales based on joint requests from the United States (Makah Tribe) and the Russian Federation (Chukotka Natives).
According to International Whaling Commission rules, the harvest quota of grey whales is shared between the Makah Tribe and Russia. The unused portion of the Makah tribe’s quota, which is an average of four whales up to a maximum of five per year, could go to Russia.
“Either country may yield their share of the quota to the other if it is unused,” states the NOAA. “Consequently, regardless of whether the Makah hunt goes forward, the overall number of ENP whales taken under the IWC catch allowance is unlikely to be significantly affected.”
Acting on a February 2005 request from the Makah Indian Tribe for a limited grey whale harvest under the Marine Mammal Protection Act moratorium, NOAA Fish-
eries proposed a waiver and regulations, as well as a hearing and how interested parties can participate.
On June 13, 2024 NOAA Fisheries announced its final decision granting a waiver to the Makah Tribe to allow a limited subsistence and ceremonial hunt of Eastern North Pacific gray whales. NOAA Fisheries also set out regulations to govern the issuance of hunt permits and the hunt itself.
A detailed description of how the hunt will proceed requires that the initial approach to the whale be made in a traditional dugout canoe carrying a harpoon person. Support boats will be available to carry a Makah member bearing a highpower rifle to humanely dispatch the whale.
“The use of modern technologies (e.g., support vessel, rifle) will help ensure that the hunt is humane by reducing the time to death over using traditional measures,” reads a statement from a NOAA report. Further, the hunt is to take place outside the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Effective June 18, 2024, NOAA has stated that they, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service, would waive the Marine Mammal Protection Act moratorium for the Makah Tribe. This would enable the tribe to conduct a limited ceremonial and subsistence hunt of up to 25 Eastern North Pacific gray whales over a 10-year period in accordance with the Treaty of Neah Bay of 1855.
If a permit is approved, Makah intends to begin the hunt by the end of July 2025.
Ha-Shilth-Sa archive photos
Members of the Makah Tribe and guests watch a grey whale being towed into Neah Bay on May 17, 1999. Children eat whale meat (below) during the Makah's Back to Tradition feast on May 22, 1999 in Neah Bay.
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LETTERS and KLECOS
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Questions surround teenager’s death
Family awaits coroner’s findings, after 18-year-old found unresponsive on street
By
Nora O’Malley, Denise Titian & Eric Plummer
Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporters & Editor
Port Alberni, BC - Chantelle Williams was a teenager who loved to walk the sand of Pachena Bay, recalls her aunt, reflecting on the 18-year-old who died on the streets of Port Alberni during a cold night in January.
“She’d walk to the beach by herself and just get time alone there. She’d come back happy,” said Shannon Nookemus.
“She liked crafts,” she continued, reflecting on the short life of her niece. “She had this shawl that she wanted to work on for a long time. She just finished school a few months ago. She was a good girl.”
Williams was found by a passerby in the early morning hours of Jan. 28, unresponsive on the 4900 block of Ian Avenue in Port Alberni. Shortly after 5 a.m. she was transported by ambulance to the West Coast General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead later that day.
Since that tragic morning Williams’ family have been haunted by unanswered questions around her death. Now this is in the hands of the coroner, in an investigation with no anticipated end date.
“The death of Chantelle Williams is currently under active investigation,” stated the BC Coroners Service in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “Cause and manner of death are established by the coroner at the conclusion of their investigation, and we cannot speculate about their investigative findings until the process concludes and the coroner’s report is finalized.”
At the time of her death Williams was under the guardianship of Usma Nuuchah-nulth Child and Family Services, and living in a group home run by the Inside Out Care Corporation.
Usma is part of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and NTC President Judith Sayers sympathizes with family members who feel left in the dark regarding what caused the 18-year-old’s passing.
“Nobody knows what happened that night yet,” said Sayers. “I feel really awful; it’s just tragic. We’ve had too much trauma in our communities already.”
“Everything possible is being done to find out what went on,” she added.
“We’re doing everything we can as Usma.”
Usma is a delegated Aboriginal agency that provides child welfare services on behalf of the provincial ministry. B.C. Minister of Children and Families Jodie Wickens said strong privacy provisions prohibit the government and agencies from sharing information related to children in care.
“What I can say is that when a child or youth dies in care my expectation as the minister and as a mother is that we get to the truth regarding the ministry’s or Indigenous child and family service agency’s involvement to examine practice and learn from the circumstances,” said Wickens in a statement. “If a child or youth dies while in care of the ministry or an Indigenous child and family service agency, a practice review is always undertaken. If the review identifies areas that require improvement, the ministry develops an action plan to address those areas to strengthen practice, policy and services.”
Nookemus said that at one point in 2021 Williams was coming out of a treatment centre for alcohol. The aunt tried to take the 14-year-old into her care while she was living in Anacla. Nookemus says she tried to keep the teen at home and sober, but Williams kept taking off to stay with friends.
“I didn’t know where she was. It didn’t work out. We got in an argument and went our separate ways. She went back to the group home,” said Nookemus.
The aunt said that alcoholism and ad-
Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born. A community newspaper cannot exist without community involvement. If you have any great pictures you’ve taken, stories or poems you’ve written, or artwork you have done, please let us know so we can include it in your newspaper. E-mail holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org. This year is Ha-Shilth-Sa’s 51st year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!
diction issues are prevalent in Williams’ family. She doesn’t believe the teenager should have been able to decide where she would live.
“I think you should be able to make the decision for a child that is 14-years-old. That’s my opinion,” said Nookemus. “I tried with Chantelle and I’m really sorry that it didn’t work out. She did apologize for the argument that we had. She reached out and said, ‘Let’s go for a walk some time’.”
One of the last times she saw Williams was about eight months ago over a meal at Port Alberni’s Dairy Queen with her grandfather.
“I said as sort of a joke, ‘You should come live with me again’,” recalls Nookemus, adding that her niece had a black eye and a big cut on her nose at the time. “She didn’t want to. She was too far gone.”
Williams is survived by her two older brothers and a younger sister who live in Pachena.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear about the loss of Chantelle Williams. My thoughts are with the family, and I truly hope they find the answers they need for healing during this incredibly difficult time,” said Huuay-aht Chief Councillor John Jack. “As a community, it’s vital that we come together to support one another, and reflect on this tragedy, with a collective commitment to minimize the risks of something similar happening again.”
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Submitted photo
Chantelle Williams passed on Jan. 28, after she was found unresponsive on a Port Alberni street at 5 a.m. on Jan. 28.
Yuu>u%i>%ath and Tseshaht 10U teams rule the court
Nuu-chah-nulth squads dominate the youngest division at the 2025 Junior All-Native Tournament in Kelowna
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Kelowna, BC - All Nuu-chah-nulth teams have reason to celebrate after a jam-packed Junior All Native Tournament in Kelowna, but it might just be the Hitacu Itty Bitty Ballerz 10U team that hit the road with the biggest feather in their cap.
The super young squad from Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ went undefeated, and the tournament organizers even had to enforce new rules after the Ballerz blew out the first team they played.
“In our first game they scored 68 points,” said Ballerz coach Tyson Touchie. “They scored more points than some of the juniors were scoring. They weren’t allowed to fast break (after). That was the big one because our guys were just running the ball and scoring hoops real fast. It was good for the tournament to slow it down and give the guys a chance.”
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tatuus 10U team out of Port Alberni was the only group that could keep pace with the Itty Bitty Ballerz.
“It was a close one. We lost by one point. The teams were absolute champions. They were amazing. No tears. Immediately after they went to support their U13 team. You wouldn’t even be able to tell they lost,” said Tatuus coach Oswald Felsman IV while holding his toddler, Malcolm.
Tatuus won all their other games in the 10U round robin.
“It’s been more than we can possibly imagine and we just can’t wait to do it all over again,” said Felsman. “It’s been a real blessing to have all the parents and families trust us with their children and to have all the support from our community and our Chief Ken Watts.”
When Touchie first started holding practices for the Itty Bitty Ballerz in the fall, he says they didn’t even know what a “practice” was or what a “coach” was.
“The kids know the importance of practice now,” said Touchie.
He says their first tournament was all about learning to be ready rather than winning, which entails coming to the gym an hour before their game and get-
ting their runners on. (Some of the players are so young they can’t tie their own shoes yet!)
“Seeing them do what we worked on as coach of a bunch of young little kids is so rewarding,” said Touchie. “Them winning was really good, but I think (the best part) was seeing all the things that we worked on at practice.”
Marissa Mack, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Ravens 13U girls coach, echoed the sentiment.
“When we started the team, the girls didn’t know what a travel was, they didn’t know what a double dribble was.
This year, they were in the championship bracket. They got knocked out by one point by a pretty good team. It was a crazy good game,” she said.
“They pushed really hard to the end. Just like Tyson said, it was practice. Just practice and showing up,” said Mack.
Last year was an extremely hard time for the Ravens because they lost Joseph Clutesi, their coach, friend and father of three girls.
“We weren’t ready to come to JANT this year,” said Mack. “But one of the kids said, ‘We’re so excited for JANT’ and suddenly all the kids were excited, so we just knew we had to take them.”
“We’re going to do it again next year in Langley,” she added. “We heard they are going to do the 10U and they are going to do the Gold and Silver division, so our girls will be playing again and hopefully a boys team too.”
Nora O'Malley photos
Ballerz player Taleah Touchie brings the ball up the court during their final game of JANT 2025. The young team went undefeated in the basketball tournament.
Ballerz player James Mack picked up Player of the Game.
Nuu-chah-nulth Tatuus coach Oswald Felsman IV rallies the young squad.
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tatuus 10U team are all smiles after their inaugural JANT experience in March.
Maaqtusiis Suns score JANT championship fo
Basketball-crazy First Nation sends seven teams to Kelowna tournament, while Ahousaht Guardians make the 13U fin
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Kelowna, BC – It was a radiant night for the Maaqtusiis Suns girls 13U basketball team from Ahousaht First Nation.
With 10 seconds left on the clock and a comfortable 18-point lead over Lax kxeen United from Prince Rupert, Suns fans started to drum and sing their Victory Song.
“When I heard that Victory Song, I was excited,” said Suns coach Robert Stanley.
“I really don’t know what to say. I’m still at a loss for words. I’m super proud of them. I was happy because our girls worked so hard. They’d done it.”
Emotions ran deep as Eva Thomas received the game MVP shirt, and the following day at the awards ceremony on March 21, she was named Junior All Nation Tournament (JANT) MVP for the girls 13U Silver division.
Every fan from Ahousaht was saying,
“She plays like her dad.”
“Her dad is my oldest brother, Travis Thomas,” said Stanley, referencing an Ahousaht member who went missing from the remote Bartlett Island in the summer of 2018. “She trains every day. She trained every day to get where she wants to be. We didn’t force it upon her to train, she took it upon herself and that’s exactly how her dad was. Her dad was a work horse in and out of the gym and that’s how my coaching is…You work for what you want and we reward you with the court.”
Maaqtusiis Suns were undefeated, winning three games in the round robin and three playoff games. Coach Stanley said they opted to enter the Silver division instead of the Gold to give their younger players a chance to play.
“Our mentality was to take it one game at a time,” he said.
The Suns practiced twice a week, and many players jogged and ran stairs every morning in preparation for JANT.
“We learned in Terrace, you know, morning games are going to come out of nowhere. We ended up with an 8:30 a.m. game at the start of our playoffs and the girls’ legs were ready to go. They started off strong,” said Stanley.
“The morning runs paid off. You can see the difference in our girls in the first game. Our girls’ legs were ready to run and they were ready to shoot. They were full of energy,” he continued.
Suns players Ellenore John won a First
Suns girls 13U basketball team
Kelowna’s École Dr. Knox Middle School gymnasium on March 20. Team All Star and Aliyah Williams picked up a Second Team All Star.
Ahousaht Guardians boys 13U made the championship final for the second year in row, but failed to defend their title from 2024, conceding 58-50 to Coastal Pride from Prince Rupert
“It was a challenge for our kids. We had a younger team this year compared to last year,” said Guardians coach Luke Swan Jr. after the awards ceremony at Kelowna Secondary School.
The Guardians beat two, tough rival teams from Haida Gwaii to earn their spot in final; Skidegate Saints fell 61-33 and then they ousted the Jr. Haida Raiders representing Old Masset by six points.
“We worked our butts off. We ran hills, we ran the water and we were in the gym four days a week,” said Swan Jr. “Our goal was to compete and let them have fun. In saying that, I think our program is just growing and getting bigger, not only for our teams, but for all the teams. The competitive level
is getting better.”
Ahousaht, the largest Nuu-chah-nulth nation with over 2,000 members, sent a whopping seven teams to JANT this year. Most of the Ahousaht players that went to JANT live in the village of Maaqtusiis located on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound.
“The village was pretty quiet,” coach Stanley laughed.
“Basketball is life here,” Stanley told the Ha-Shilth-Sa. “It’s something we as adults can’t take away. Basketball is the life of the children today. Everybody deserves to play. It got tough at the very end, competing against other teams fundraising, but we were able to pull it off with the help of a lot of donations.”
Stanley played his last basketball game for Ahousaht at the 2005 All Natives. He walked away with an All Star.
“The skills I was taught are not mine to keep. That’s why I hand them off to our younger generation,” he said.
Coach Swan Jr. added that the ‘Ahousaht
way’ means opening the gym for all teams.
“We try help each other out in Ahousaht. Nothing is closed door other than team meetings. Our goal is to make everybody better, not just my team. This is not political. This is for the kids. I’m just excited for the opportunity to be here with them,” said Swan Jr., who mentors
Maaqtusiis
were crowned 2025 Junior All Native Tournament Champions after beating Lax kxeen
or 13U girls
nal for second year in a row
Nora O'Malley photos United in an evening final game at 25 players from Ahousaht’s 13U and 17U boys’ programs.
Guardians player Christopher Hernandez scored the ‘Mr. Hustle Award’. Jordan Francis and Mason Mallette (George) were named First Team All Stars.
Ocean Storm, Ahousaht’s other 13U girls team in the Silver division, was named ‘Most Sportsmanlike Team’ at JANT 2025.
'The girls woke up hungry': Tseshaht's youth basketball teams bronzed at JANT
Under 13 and under 17 teams earn third place at March Junior All-Native Tournament
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Kelowna, BC - Tseshaht Pride 17U and Tseshaht Lightning 13U hustled their way to a pair of third places at the 2025 Junior All Nation Tournament (JANT) in Kelowna on March 16 to 21.
After winning their first three games, Pride fell to Nuxalk (Bella Coola) At’Maakw, who went on to win the tournament for the second year running.
Pride went on to battle the Van City Panthers for a chance at redemption and a ticket to the final, but the Panthers nabbed the early morning game 60-57.
“It was a long week,” said Pride coach Joe Charleson Jr. after the heartbreaking loss to the Panthers. “Our girls ran out of steam playing against the teams that were left in the tournament. They wanted it more than us. We are a good team, but we just ran out of gas. We haven’t played an early game all week.”
The Panthers also knocked out Tla-oqui-aht Thunderbirds by one bucket in an earlier match. They lost 78-47 against At’Maakw in the championship game.
Last year, Pride placed second at JANT and the year before that they were third.
“We’ve been in the top three consistently the last three or four years,” said coach Charleson.
Veteran Pride player Jaidin Knighton picked up the ‘Big Man Award’.
“This is my fourth and final year at JANT. It’s a full circle moment for me. I started here with the original crew and now I’m ending it here in Kelowna,” she said.
Her final moments on the court as a 17U Pride player were spent on defence.
“My only thought was, ‘I have to keep my eye on my check’,” said Knighton. “I knew I wasn’t scoring much, so I just (focused) on my screens. My brain was on autopilot and my hands were out. I had four fouls.”
The Alberni District Secondary School Grade 12 student has been accepted to the University of British Columbia.
“I’ll talk to some coaches and make some connections,” said Knighton. “My number one priority was to get into a good college and get a good education first, and then I’ll figure out basketball.”
Pride teammates Ambrose Haintz was named Miss Hustle and Kionah Williams was named First Team All Star.
Tseshaht Lightning 13U burst into tears after a loss to the Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) Islanders, but regrouped for a clutch 35-17 win against the Skeena Sisters to claim bronze.
“It was an amazing run. The girls woke up hungry and they were in ‘go mode’. All this
The Tseshaht Pride battle the Van City Panthers in a chance for a ticket to the final, but the Panthers nabbed the early morning game 60-57. The Pride came away with a third-place finish at the tournament, which concluded March 21.
work they’ve done for the last year was for here,” said Lightning coach Nasimius Ross. “They left it all out on the court. We have five girls aging out this year. We’ll be recruiting for more under 13 girls and even more older girls to join our program,” he continued.
The Islanders won the 13U Gold division and the Van City Grizzlies took second.
Tseshaht Lightning players Innisa DickRoss and Mia Dick-Ross were named first team all stars. The sisters move up to the 17U next year.
Ross told the Ha-Shilth-Sa that when Indigenous players lace up for all-native basketball tournaments, they’re joined on the court with their spirit.
“There is structure in school ball, but in
native ball you just let it go; let the energy flow and let them run their faces off to the ground and just let it all out. I think that’s the difference. It’s their spirits running around out there,” he said, adding that he’d like to see all the nations and the Nuuchah-nulth Tribal Council invest more into programs that bring out that spirit.
“Whatever allows their spirt to come out, that’s what we should be nurturing inside of our kids,” he said.
Tseshaht Pride and Lightning sent a sincere thank you to all their supporters.
“It’s the grandmas, it’s the moms, it’s the aunties. It’s the community that made this happen and we couldn’t have done it without them,” said coach Ross.
Mask returned to Nuu-chah-nulth artist's family
Washington resident shares fond memories of visiting Nuu-chah-nulth territories, as brother collected masks
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Seattle, WA – Nearly 50 years after artist
Nick Howard sold his newly carved mask to a visiting American tourist, an elderly brother has made the decision to give the mask back.
Peter Burr, 80, of Seattle said he was given the beautiful mask from his older brother about 10 years ago.
“Now I am 80 years old, and, before I meet MY Maker, I wished to give it back to ITS maker!” Burr wrote in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
According to Burr, his older brother, John Terry Burr, took several trips to British Columbia and Alaska during the 1980s, enjoying the natural beauty.
During his journeys, he purchased three carvings. One came directly from artist Nick Howard of Mowachaht/Muchalaht.
Included in the email was a photograph of young Nick Howard working on the mask.
“But I was deeply saddened to learn Nick Howard had passed away,” said Peter Burr.
Getting on in years, the elder John Burr gave three masks to his younger brother as he was downsizing his home. Thinking along the same lines a decade later, Peter Burr tried to find a suitable home for the masks so that they can bring the same joy that the two brothers had for the art.
“I have really enjoyed this mask!” said Peter Burr. “It reminds me, a white man, of the beautiful, wild, untamed spirit that resides deep within each of us!”
He recalled his visits to Vancouver Island.
“I have deeply enjoyed your stunning land, by hiking the unforgettable West Coast Trail, eating hamburgers at Chez Marie, and an awesome fresh crab dinner cooked for us before we took the water taxi across the Nitinaht Narrows,” he shared.
Peter Burr first thought of donating the pieces to American and Canadian museums, but they had conditions that Burr believed would not ensure that the carvings would wind up in storage and away from public enjoyment.
Afraid the masks would end up never seeing the light of day again, Burr decided to locate the artists and send the works back to those that would appreci-
Phrase of the week:
ate their beauty.
One mask has gone back to Alaska and the other to the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, where Nick Howard’s mask was delivered to a surviving family member.
“When I shipped it back to his people I sent a little piece of my heart with it… but it was time for it to go home,” Burr wrote. “I have returned Mr. Howard’s mask to you, his amazing tribe, his people, in memory of, and as a tribute to this fine artist!”
Now in his 80s, Peter Burr says he has survived serious health issues and has had major heart surgeries.
“Before I meet my Maker, I wished to return these beautiful creations to the public domain, to be released forever from the private collections of white people,” he wrote.
Burr said a quick internet search of the artists helped him locate contact informa-
“I have deeply enjoyed the privilege of living with these masks – they are so intense, they do seem to have a living presence!” he added.
He wants to return the masks while he is still able, back to their makers and their people.
Peter Burr says his older brother John is now in his 90s.
“The returning of these lovely treasures has brought, both me and my brother, great happiness.
Thank you!” he wrote.
Pronounced ‘keek alt ish mii tlah hiis saw chu Aaaya sa hee Quu
feeding our trees and planet, filling our watersheds too.’ Supplied by ciisma
Illustration by Koyah Morgan Banke
Submitted photos
Nick Howard is pictured carving a mask. The late artist carved a piece (below) that was recently returned to his family. tion for the respective First Nation administrations. According to Burr, they were happy to receive the masks.
Uchucklesaht buys popular Port Alberni meat store
Modern treaty nation ensures ‘business as usual’ at delicatessen, as former owners ensure a smooth transition
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Port Alberni, BC – The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government is the proud new owner of Pete’s Mountain Meats and is promising to deliver the same high quality and service that Peter Kurucz and his family has been delivering for 30 years.
“Uchucklesaht Capital Assets Inc. (UCAI) is excited to announce the purchase of Pete’s Mountain Meats,” said UCAI Director Wilfred Cootes in a statement. “This acquisition aligns with our broader vision of fostering economic growth while preserving the values and traditions that define us.”
Kurucz said it was back in the ‘90s that he and his mother started making smoked meat and sausage, selling their goods at Port Alberni’s farmer’s market every Saturday. He launched his business in 1995, selling “old fashioned sausage, healthy dinner ideas, imported European goods, great lunches and fresh meats.”
In 2010 he bought and renovated a brick heritage building at 4888 Johnston Road that once served as the Alberni Post Office. With a smoker out back, lunch-time customers can enjoy the aroma of freshly smoked meat as they wait for custommade sandwiches.
But as fun and successful as the business has been Pete knows it’s time to move on.
“I’m going to be 65 this year – my brain wants to do it, but…,” he trailed off with a chuckle.
The business has been on the market for several months and, according to a photo showing a ‘SOLD’ sign on social media, the sale took place around March 8.
Neither side has disclosed the price, but Pete says he is so far excited about the care Uchucklesaht is putting into keeping the business growing and successful.
“I know some that enquired (about
On April 1 the Uchucklesaht Tribe
and his
Uchucklesaht Ha’wilth Tom
buying the business) would not make it a year, but with UCA it’s just going to go up,” Kurucz told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
Known for its quality of product and service Kurucz said that UCA has hired a butcher that is training under him.
“The gentleman used to work for me and is a great person,” said Kurucz.
The new butcher is being retrained not
only in making the old family favorite recipes, but also in buying and selling.
“It will be the same recipes and product…the quality will stay the same or better,” said Kurucz.
Cootes concurs, adding, “UCAI expects Pete’s Mountain Meats will continue operating as ‘business as usual’ thanks to the commitment of Pete and Anita to support us during a transition period.”
Some of the current staff will remain on board, ensuring continuity of service.
“We are also thankful that the great current staff will remain with us so the community will continue to see the helpful, happy and dedicated staff that Pete’s has become known for having, in addition to top quality products,” explained Cootes.
Pete and his wife Anita are staying on to
train new staff for a short period of time.
Kurucz says he’s had assurances from UCA’s chief executive officer.
“He told me straight up that if something is not right, come to us and we’ll make the same or better,” he told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
“The staff and the public have brought forward many great ideas that we look to incorporate over time but, rest assured, the products and services that have made
Pete’s Mountain Meats a success will continue to be offered while exploring new opportunities to serve the community even better,” Cootes promised.
“And we’re happy to say that Pete will be sticking around the shop to make sure the product and service remain at the high standard he and staff set.”
henna artist
By Aleesha Sharma
Book your henna session for community events, weddings, birthday parties, school events or any special event.
Phone: 250-730-1262 or 250-720-3096
E-mail: aleesha_sharma1@hotmail.com
Submitted photo
Government announced the acquisition of Pete's Mountain Meats in Port Alberni. Peter Kurucz
family have run the business for the past 30 years. Pictured from the left are Pete and Anita Kuruz,
Rush, Chief Councillor Wilfred Cootes jr. and Councillor Regina Frank.
Interpretive centre opens at Ukee's Amphitrite Point
Facility offers a wraparound deck, with naturalists available daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to chat with visitors
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ucluelet, BC – One of Canada’s most iconic ocean storm watching spots has a new interpretive centre with a wraparound observation deck.
Located at the end of Coast Guard Drive in the town of Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, B.C., the public space overlooking the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse on the legendary Wild Pacific Trail was officially unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 25.
“This place is called ʔicaačišt and it means, ‘One sees the place rise up out of the water as one approaches it’,” said Jeneva Touchie, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government manager of language services.
“It’s an old placename. My grandma used to make us come all the time to go for a quick walk before the trail was built. She just loved being here. I like to come here in the summertime to do my morning prayer,” said Touchie.
Operated by the District of Ucluelet, the new 50-60 capacity venue creates a special space for non-profits to run daily programming.
“Amphitrite centre is an 11-year dream come true,” said Barbara Schramm, president of the Wild Pacific Trail Society. Naturalists with the Wild Pacific Trail Society and Raincoast Education Society will be around daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to chat to visitors and west coasters about wildlife, surf conditions and all the wonders of the coastal rainforest.
“With district support, we can actually take the leap of faith into year-round programming, which is a huge financial leap forward. If we had to pay high rent, it would be impossible,” said Schramm. Touchie says she’d like to offer Nuuchah-nulth language classes in the new space.
For Ucluelet Mayor Marilyn McEwen, who is a 28-year board member of the Pacific Rim Whale Festival Society, the spot has always been her favourite place to see whales, especially during the March migration.
She said “no tax dollars were spent” on the roughly $1.3 million Amphitrite interpretive centre, with costs being split
between by the province (33 per cent), the federal government (40 per cent) and Resort Municipality Initiative revenue (27 per cent).
The price tag included site prep, building renovation, the new wraparound deck and the installation of an accessible washroom, according to McEwen.
B.C. Minister of Health and MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim Josie Osborne was home visiting her riding and helped cut the ceremonial red ribbon.
“We owe a lot of gratitude to the Nuuchah-nulth for stewarding this place and sharing it with us,” said MLA Osborne.
“This is a really remarkable achievement that can only come about with partnerships; the district, the province, the federal government, and all these local partners.”
Ucluelet and Area Historical Society (UAHS) is currently working on more informational panels with the help from Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government language department.
“What’s really exciting about right now is all of this together represents almost 6,000 years of history, right here on this spot,” said Phil Hood, UAHS board member.
He shared that the region has always been a diverse cultural centre with its incredible First Nations heritage, as well as the Japanese and colonial history.
“We are here because of the colonial history right now. Our job with the historical society is to make sure we balance those three cultures and balance the good and bad with all of it and not take a position that places the colonial history over the other histories. That’s a real challenge,” said Hood.
District of Ucluelet’s director of community services Abby Fortune has championed the revival of the old lightkeeper’s house at Amphitrite Point for years.
“We’re just really excited that it’s open and operating. This is just the start of things to come,” said Fortune. “We’re getting weddings booked here already.”
The Amphitrite Point interpretive centre is fully rentable during evening and early morning hours. For inquiries, contact the District of Ucluelet: 250-726-7744.
Parenting 101
Jan. 20th to April 11th
Various Locations
Tla-o-qui-aht - Jan 20 to 24. UclueletFeb 3 to 7. Port Alberni - Feb 24 to 28. Tseshaht - Mar 10 to 14. UchucklesahtMar 24 to 28. Port Alberni - Apr 7 to 11. For more information call 250.724.3232 or 1.877.722.3232
Nurturing our roots
Every Wednesday
4841 Redford Street
Every Wednesday 1:30pm – 3:00pm Drop-In. A safe space for parents and their young children to learn Nuu-chahnulth culture and language through storytelling, songs, and connection. Join our supportive group in a relaxed environment where you can connect with others without any pressure. Share your experiences and make new friends while we create a space of acceptance and understanding. For more information contact Fanifau @ 250-724-3939
NTC Haahuupa with Cherie Elliot
April 9th, 22nd, 28th
4841 Redford Street, Port Alberni, BC
1:30pm to 3:30pm Everyone Welcome
Cultural Brushings
April 14th
4841 Redford Street, 5th avenue entrance, Port Alberni, BC
1:30 – 3:30pm NTC Health Department
&Community Beyond
presents Cultural Brushings with Lee Lucas
Driver's L Training
April 25th
4090 9th Ave.Port Alberni, BC
9:00am to 3:30pm. Call the NETP office to register 250-7231331, seats are limited.
NTC Men’s Group with Lee Lucas and Richard Watts
April 29th
4841 Redford Street, Port Alberni, BC
1:30pm to 3:30pm Snacks and drinks provided
Second annual Tseshaht Lightning Open Basketball Tournament
May 16th to 19th
Port Alberni, BC
Senior Mens, senior womens, U17 boys, U17 girl, U13 boys and U13 girls teams. There will be awards, a dance and lahal halls. Live streamed on hashilthsa.com. All vendors are welcome. Location details to come.
Annual Yuquot Camp-Out
July 27th to August 10th
Dates are set; I am taking names for U-chuck, friendly reminder MMFN members are top priority on the list. Email names to recreation@yuquot.ca
25 Years Ago in Ha-Shilth-Sa Vol. 27 – No. 7April 6, 2000
The Seventh Generation Club hosts Haahuupayuk students at Vancouver Grizzlies basketball game
Two fun-filled days of educational experiences were had by 59 First Nations students and 22 parents and teachers from Bella Bella, Lytton, Port Alberni, and Port Hardy. The Seventh Generation Club, supported by BC Hydro, offered rewards each year for outstanding scholastic and attendance records. The participants enjoyed a Vancouver Grizzlies game, a personal autograph session with Grizzlies’ co-captain Cherokee Parks, and visits to Science World and the Vancouver Aquarium.
The seventh Generation Club, launched in 1997 by BC Hydro, Health Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, and the First Nations Schools Association, encouraged First Nations Students to participate in sports, stay in school and be active in their community. The club’s name is derived from advice given by First Nations elders who say that a decision made today must positively affect the next seven generations to follow.
Nora O'Malley photo
Ucluelet’s Amphitrite House grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on March 25. Front row from left: Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government Manager of Language Services Jeneva Touchie, Ucluelet Mayor Marilyn McEwen, MLA Josie Osborne and District of Ucluelet’s Abby Fortune.
Port Alberni
Friendship Centre Volunteers Needed
Need work experience? The Port Alberni Friendship Centre is looking for interested applicants for various positions. Call 250-723-8281
NIC students witness Indigenous culture in Hawaii
North Island College sends 17 students & staff to connect with youth & teachers in the distant Pacific islands
By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Port Alberni, BC – Ian Caplette is hoping a recent trip to Hawaii for some Indigenous post-secondary students is just the beginning of a long relationship.
Caplette is an Indigenous education instructor at the Port Alberni campus of North Island College (NIC).
In late January 17 students from his school travelled to Hawaii for a 10-day trip so they could learn about Indigenous education and culture.
Several partners made the trip possible, including the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC).
O
fficials with the NTC assisted with the planning process of the trip. NTC also provided some financial support.
The majority of the costs for the trip, however, were covered by Global Skills Opportunity scholarships, which are funded by the Canadian government’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.
Vancouver Island University and the University of Hawai’i Maui College were also partners in the trip.
“We’ve been hosted by them so the next opportunity will be for hosting to take place over here,” Caplette said. “So, it will be NIC working on plans with the University of Hawaii to welcome students from Hawaii. We anticipate this will be reciprocated over and over again. So, we will be pursuing opportunities to send students again over to Hawaii.”
Caplette said officials are looking at the spring of 2026 to have students from Hawaii come to British Columbia.
“That timeline is up in the air,” he said. “A lot of planning has to be done. There’s a lot of logistics which need to be addressed.”
NIC has had several other field trips for Indigenous students to learn in other countries around the world in recent years. But the latest initiative was new since a tribal council, the NTC, not only provided some funding but was also involved with the planning.
Caplette said those who helped organize the trip specifically targeted Hawaii.
“The conversation led to what they are doing there with their language and cultural (Kindergarten to Grade 12) education systems,” he said. “They have an immersion system over there, which is in Hawaiian language and culture. So, we targeted that for looking into.”
Caplette said the trip proved to be extremely beneficial.
“I think there’s a diversity of learnings which took place,” he said. “Many of the
ing for residents of Maui and they were able to secure the land for restoring traditional agricultural and teaching practices. students expressed that they sort of walked away with a deeper appreciation for the strengthening of cultural and language knowledge that they still need to embark on. They looked at a lot of the instructors and even many of the students that they had encountered and noted how far advanced their language and culture skills were.”
As a result, Caplette said the local NIC teachers were keen to bolster their own knowledge in that area with their own learning.
“So, as a result, what has happened is many of the students enrolled in language programs, almost directly after we returned,” he said.
Caplette added the trip showed many similarities between Nuuchah-nulth and Indigenous people from Hawaii.
“There was definite connections made just in terms of how we greeted one another,” he said. “We took part in traditional welcoming and shared what our family connections are. And that’s a similar practice that they do in Hawaii - just to
share where they are from, who are their parents and grandparents and where and what lands do they come from. That was very much similar.”
Caplette said another similarity was the canoe culture.
“And a really interesting connection was made through the humpback whales,” Caplette said, adding whaling is a longpracticed Nuu-chah-nulth tradition.
The visiting NIC students were able to see whales breaching and where they are born.
The trip began on Jan. 23 and lasted until Feb. 1. Of the 17 students who went on the trip, 15 of them are Indigenous. And about half of them are from Nuuchah-nulth First Nations.
All of the students who travelled to Hawaii are in their third year of studies.
Jade Hobenshield was one of the local students who went on the Hawaii trip.
“The Maui field school was an inspiring experience reminding me of the potential students have with language learning and of the importance of starting young, as early as pre-school, to set the foundation for older years,” she said. “I’ve brought back many teaching tools for my future in education.”
The local group also had an opportunity
to witness some land-based work, which included the cultivation of local plants. That work, which Hawaii school children participated in, was on a site that had been designated for real estate development.
“For young people to come on a field trip from the local schools to participate in these learning activities out on the land that’s part of their reclamation, it was really powerful,” Caplette said.
As for Melissa Bartier, the NTC’s director of education, training and social development, she said many of the local students had a cause for optimism when they saw young children speaking at school in their Indigenous language. That’s even though they themselves did not have the same experience growing up.
“That provides some hope for them,” said Bartier. “I think it was very moving for a lot of students. It was a cool thing to see. It was really striking and beautiful.”
Bartier added the local contingent was ecstatic with the hospitality they received in Hawaii.
“They were incredible,” she said of the hosts. “They were so kind and gracious. We really did feel like they’re family.”
Submitted photo
Visitors from Vancouver Island, Hawaiian students and teachers pose for a group photo taken before leaving the Paeloco farm, which was reclaimed land that was going to be used for development of a resort complex. This land has special mean-
The group shares a song and dance which is done at many gatherings on the west coast of Vancouver Island, as they celebrate the signing of a Cooperation and Friendship Agreement.
First Nation designs renewable energy microgrid
Mowachaht/Muchalaht plan to eventually have up to 50 homes in Yuquot, relying on non-diesel power sources
By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Tsaxana, BC – Officials from Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation have some grandiose plans.
And thanks to some substantial funding from the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund, they are a step closer to one of their goals.
It was announced on March 21 that the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation was one of 12 in British Columbia that will receive provincial funding to help support cleanenergy initiatives.
Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation received a total of $357,715 in funding. With these funds reps from the First Nation will be able to move towards completing the designs for a renewableenergy microgrid.
“Our longer-term and a bigger vision that the nation has is (for members) to eventually have the opportunity to go back to where they come from, which is Friendly Cove,” said Azar Kamran, the CEO of Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.
The Mowachaht and Muchalaht First Nations formally amalgamated in the 1950s, and made the ancient village of Yuquot (Friendly Cove) their home base. Due to Yuquot’s remote location on the southern tip of Nootka Island, the First Nation’s main reserve was moved from Yuquot to Gold River in the 1960s and then again, about 30 years later, in the 1990s to nearby Tsaxana.
Members of the First Nation return to Yuquot each summer to camp, and the desire has remained among many to eventually return to live in the ancient village site year-round. But this is not a simple task.
“Of course, you can't just go back because the way people live now is not what it used to be,” said Kamran. “So, to do it responsibly will require having a proper economy over there, having a form of life that will not have a burden on the ecosystems. In order to do that we need to have green-energy sources that can support the modern life of people, but not based on diesel and things like that.”
Kamran said the recently announced funding will only be enough to help create some detailed designs of what the infrastructure in Friendly Cove, or Yuquot, will look like.
“We are starting that as we speak,” Kamran said, adding he anticipates the designs to be completed within the next 6-12 months.
But it would be quite some time after that before members from the First Nation start returning to Yuquot.
Building the necessary infrastructure will require substantial funding and it is hoped that other grants will be obtained to assist with this process.
Kamran said building up Yuquot is expected to be done “in small steps.” A possible start would include constructing a couple of homes where people could live while assisting with the infrastructure operations.
The plan is to eventually have as many as 50 homes and several public buildings on the remote Nootka Island location. Meanwhile, another Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation was also a recipient of the money provided by the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund.
Hupačasath First Nation was awarded
$150,000 in funding. The First Nation will use this money to install 27 heat pumps in homes. These heat pumps will
replace the existing oil and natural gas furnaces which were in the houses.
This month’s funding announcement is collectively providing about $1.49 million in capacity and equity for the dozen First Nations to develop clean-energy projects.
These ventures will provide more affordable energy options that are also expected to reduce emissions, give a boost to local economies and protect the environment.
Adrian Dix, the minister of energy and climate solutions, spoke highly of the funding and the anticipated benefits.
“First Nations are leaders in the cleanenergy sector with innovative and diverse projects, and we look forward to continued partnership together as we create a cleaner, greener future for all British Columbians,” Dix said.
The First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund was launched 14 years ago.
More than $21 million in funding has been provided since its inception.
More than 150 First Nations communities have benefited from the funding, which has been utilized for clean-energy and energy-efficiency initiatives.
The fund also supports those projects which align with British Columbia’s CleanBC plan. This initiative is aimed at lowering climate-changing emissions by 40 per cent by the year 2030.
Projects under the CleanBC plan include community energy initiatives and cleanenergy feasibility studies - projects such as heat-pump installations, improving insulation in homes and clean-energy generation projects.
A pair of other provincial politicians are also among those supportive of the various projects.
“Whether it's microgrid, solar power, run-of-river or planning for community energy efficiency and peak load management, First Nations around B.C. are taking action to reduce energy use and switch to cleaner energy options,” said Christine Boyle, the minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. “First Nations' community participation in the clean energy sector is vital as we work together on a low-carbon future.”
Tamara Davidson, the minister of Environment and Parks, said First Nations have long been land stewards and their leadership in the transition to clean energy is considered an extension of this.
“These projects will provide lasting
benefits to communities and to our environment, and are another example of the progress we can make together to support a sustainable economic future,” Davidson added.
Submitted photos
The MMFN Archaeology Lead Adrienne Jack and Ecoarc archaeologist Daniel Proano complete site testing by hand in March 2025 to inform the microgrid project final layout and design in Yuquot.
