Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper June 26, 2025

INTERESTING NEWS

Full graduate cover-

Tseshaht member fights forest fires across Canada

The young crew leader is deployed in Manitoba, before returning to tend to a wildfire on Nahmint Mountain

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

PortAlberni, BC – Though his job is challenging and can be dangerous at times, Jacob Potter is thrilled he’s carrying on a tradition.

The Tseshaht First Nation member is on the PortAlberni-based Thunderbird Unit Crew. The crew, nicknamed the T-Birds, was an all-Indigenous firefighting team when it was established in 1992.

Potter, who is 23, is currently the only Indigenous member of the 22-person crew, which is part of the BC Wildfire Service. The T-Birds started off as a 20-person crew.A2022 uplift expanded the crew by two members.

Potter joined the T-Birds during the summer of 2021. He applied for the position after he saw a social media posting by fellow Tseshaht member Leon Gallic, who was retiring from the crew after 16 years of service.

“He put up a post on Facebook that I saw just asking for Indigenous applicants,” Potter said of Gallic. “So, I reached out to him. He helped me with the application and the interview.And I got lucky to be on the crew there.”

Potter recalls he was intrigued by Gallic’s posting.

“At the time, I was just working at Canadian Tire,” he said. “I was 19 years old when I applied. I was pretty much almost right out of high school.”

Potter is currently the only Indigenous

crew, which is part of the BC

And he credits Gallic for assisting him during the interview process.

“I didn’t really have much fire experience,” Potter said. “But Leon really helped me kind of make my resume stand out.”

After his application was sent in, Potter was selected for an interview. During the interview process he faced a three-person panel and was asked various behavioural questions.

Gallic remembers providing Potter with some advice prior to the interview.

“I told him as a First Nations person, we’re trying to make a presence of ourselves again,” said Gallic, who spent the last few years of his firefighting career working as the Vancouver Island representative, serving as a First Nations liaison/recruiter. “This is why I’m recruiting First Nations people.”

Gallic added Potter didn’t know much

about what the T-Birds job consisted of.

“He sounded very confident,” Gallic said. “And I told him to use that confidence and it will take him leaps and bounds.And now it is.”

Despite his relatively young age, Potter was made a temporary crew leader earlier this year.

“As a crew leader, I’m responsible for four crew members,” he said. “So, on the 22-person crew, there are four squads. Each squad has a crew leader.”

Potter said he is thoroughly enjoying his job.

“I love it,” he said, adding he’s rather proud of his promotion this year. “It’s helped me grow significantly and I definitely want to make a career out of it.”

Gallic is thrilled that a fellow member of his First Nation is following in his footsteps and is on the Thunderbird crew now.

“It’s so heartwarming,” he said. “I am so proud.”

Even more so because he is getting positive feedback about Potter’s efforts.

“I’ve heard nothing but good reviews about him,” Gallic said. “I’m still connected to some of the higher ups. They said he is one of the best workers that they have worked with.And he’s moving up the ranks like no tomorrow.”

News that Potter is now a crew leader is also uplifting for Gallic.

Continued on page 2.

BC Wildfire Service photo

member of the 22-person Thunderbirds

Wildfire Service. He’s pictured in the centre front.

Eric Plummer photo

Eli Ginger sits with other graduates during a celebration hosted by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council on June 7 atAlberni District Secondary.

age begins on Page 10.

IslandLink nixes service from Tofino and Ucluelet

Bus service refuses to pick up

Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ucluelet, BC - IslandLinkBus has cancelled their service from Tofino and Ucluelet to PortAlberni.

In a rather confusing string of emails, Islandlink says passengers riding between Tofino and Ucluelet must first go to Nanaimo’s Departure Bay Terminal, even though the bus stops in PortAlberni in front of the Casino en route to Nanaimo.

Aone-way ticket from Ucluelet Junction (the pick-up spot is Ukee Poke) to Departure Bay is $75. The cost for a bus ticket from Tofino to Departure Bay is $85. It’s $45 for a ticket from Departure Bay to PortAlberni.

“This is all necessary to fine tune our operations and costs of operations, we are not subsidized in any fashion,” said Lisa Brisco, IslandLinkBus operations manager.

“Passengers from Tofino and Ucluelet wanting to go to PortAlberni must first go to Nanaimo and then return to Port Alberni. We do understand there are added costs incurred, but that is the only way with our license,” she continued. “To make that stop would be operating contrary to our license. That in turn will risk our jobs and the services we offer on the island, so we do as we are licensed to do.”

“IslandLink has a ‘connector’license where Greyhound/Tofino Bus had an ‘inter-city’license,” Brisco explained. “Our one and only destination is Departure Bay in Nanaimo and our service connects with the BC Ferry service in Nanaimo.”

IslandLink also told the Ha-Shilth-Sa that they cancelled the Tofino/Ucluelet to PortAlberni service “as the numbers to and from the coast were not enough to keep that route at this time.” The company said to “check with BC Transit”. BC Transit confirmed in an email that “there has been no formal exploration of service between the West Coast and Port Alberni”.

Tla-o-qui-aht TribalAdministrator Iris Frank is deeply troubled by the reduction of bus service.

“We on the West Coast have an urgent need for reliable transportation,” said Frank.

“This service is not a luxury. It is a need. Tla-o-qui-aht members, along with members fromAhousaht and Hesquiaht, depend on this transportation to access medical care that is not available in our

westbound

passengers in Port Alberni, forcing them to first travel to Nanaimo

IslandLinkBus picks passengers up at Ukee Poke/West Coast Shapes for a cross-Island trip to Nanaimo. While this bus stops in PortAlberni to pick up more passengers, Tofino/Ucluelet passengers are not permitted to step off the bus.

home communities. These trips also allow our people to take care of vital needs—groceries, prescriptions, financial services, and family obligations—often all in one trip,” Frank continued.

“Without a consistent and affordable bus service, many will face impossible choices. The absence of this essential connection will create additional financial hardship for our people. This is not just about transportation. This is about equity and fairness. We must not allow our communities to be left behind,” she said.

IslandLinkBus has a trip leaving every morning from PortAlberni to Nanaimo’s Departure Bay Ferry Terminal at 8:40 a.m. The cost is $45, one-way. Then IslandLink picks up passengers at 10:40 a.m. in Nanaimo for a trip to Tofino and the Ucluelet Junction.

IslandLink collects passengers in Tofino at two stops (House of Himwitsa or Cox Bay Visitor Centre) and then Ukee Poke (2201 Pacific Rim Hwy) at 3 p.m. before heading eastbound to PortAlberni. The bus stops in PortAlberni at 4:30 p.m. to pick-up passengers headed to Nanaimo.

An IslandLink bus driver re-iterated that if he lets passengers off the bus in Port Alberni, they could lose their license.

The final trip of the day is a 6:10 p.m. service from Nanaimo, Departure Bay Ferry Terminal to PortAlberni, 3800

Block Maple Way, opposite the Casino.

“Our service originates and ends in PortAlberni daily, we employ three Port Alberni residents and have maintenance services and fuel purchases in Port as well,” said Brisco.

Elloise Hoey, 29, was waiting for the IslandLinkBus service from the Ucluelet Junction to Nanaimo on June 16. She missed the 3 p.m. bus and is out $75 because she was waiting at the Junction Visitor Centre instead of Ukee Poke where the bus collects passengers for its eastbound trip – an honest mistake coming from a U.K. traveller on a work visa.

Gutted having missed her bus, Hoey was unsure as to how she was going to get to Nanaimo for a flight the next day. Hitchhiking was not an option in her mind, but she did have a family member in Lake Cowichan that she could call on to do the roughly four-hour drive to collect her.

Frank called on all levels of government to recognize the urgent need for sustainable transportation solutions that “respect the realities of life in remote Indigenous communities.”

“This is a moment to rally together, to raise our voices, and to insist that no one should be denied access to basic services simply because of where they live,” said Frank.

MLAJosie Osborne reminded West Coasters that both Island Health and the First Nations HealthAuthority helps with travel for medical appointments.

“I encourage any constituent with questions about these programs to reach out to my office,” said Osborne in an email.

“Establishing a new inter-regional service between the West Coast and Port Alberni will require a strong partnership between the local governments, First Nations and B.C. Transit, especially knowing that most new routes and service expansions are initiated by local governments.As the local MLA, I will do everything I can to support communities and local voices in this important work to improve transportation access for people,” she continued.

Osborne noted that West Coast communities, local governments, and First Nations worked hard to establish a new public transit service on the Pacific Rim, the first new route added to BC Transit in eight years.

“We now have reliable, safe and affordable options for people to travel between Tofino, Ucluelet and Hitacu, and this is a massive accomplishment for our communities,” said Osborne.

Visit the IslandLink at www.IslandLinkBus.com for more information on rates and booking queries.

Crew works year-round, training, dealing with floods

Continued from page 1.

“I’m not surprised, not at all,” he said. “But I am so happy.”

Battling wildfires throughout British Columbia – and at times in other provinces – is one of the main responsibilities for those on the Thunderbird crew.

“The past few years have been really busy, averaging around six deployments,” Potter said. “And deployments last for (about) two weeks.”

Last month Potter and his T-Birds colleagues travelled to Manitoba, for just over two weeks, to assist with efforts battling wildfires in the province. For weeks this spring communities in northern Manitoba were under evacuation orders that have only recently been lifted And earlier in June Potter found himself helping out with the Nahmint fire, deep in Nuu-chah-nulth territory, south of Sproat

Lake. Believed to be human-caused, that fire emerged on June 8, growing to 19 hectares.

Besides dealing with wildfires, Potter’s crew also provides emergency response to issues floods.

“The rest of the year, like when there are no fires, it’s a full-time job, Monday to Friday,” he said. “And during those down times, we prioritize training, like getting chainsaw training, getting water delivery training, just trying to get the team as cohesive as we can before fire season starts.”

Firefighting can be an arduous job and it’s definitely not for everybody.

“What appeals to me the most, is I definitely just like the camaraderie we have,” Potter said. “It’s a job where I’m around the same 22 people almost every day.And we get really close, kind of the

interactions we have every day just kind of brings me back.And it’s also like a high-adrenaline job.And that also pulls me back every year for sure.”

It’s a job he wants to keep on doing for the foreseeable future.

“I think it’s definitely hard on the body,” he said. “But there are further career options in BC Wildfire, where it’s more like desk-oriented. But I think I’m just going to work on the crew as long as I can.”

For now, Potter prides himself on the tasks he is fulfilling with his fellow T-Birds. He derives satisfaction from looking back on a hard day’s work, such as kilometres of trail the team might cut to improve forest access.

“It’s just super fulfilling and I just like pushing myself and learning more and more what I’m capable of,” said Potter. “It’s just always growing.”

Jacob Potter

Nora O’Malley photo

A tourist town on steroids: Hotel rates soar in Tofino

Rates double since before the pandemic, causing a typical family visit in resort town to cost at least $1,000 a day

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofino, BC - For a midweek July night standard room at Long Beach Lodge Resort overlooking Cox Bay: $659, plus tax. Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort: $649, plus tax and there’s a nightly minimum, depending on the day.

Wickaninnish Inn on North Chesterman Beach: $980, with a four-night minimum. Oceanside suite at Pacific Sands: $699, with a three-night minimum.

For a king bed at Hotel Zed: $714, plus tax and the two-night minimum.

Tofino has always been pricey during the peak summer months, but this year a weekend getaway to the coast compares to a weeklong all-inclusive to Mexico.

“The rates are atrocious out here. It’s a beautiful experience, but it’s definitely catering to a different class,” said Jared Beaton, general manager at Tin Wis Resort, a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation owned and operated property.

“Between food, travel and miscellaneous goodies and expenses, it’s probably nothing to spend $1,000 a day when you have a family of four,” he continued.

U.S. policy changes coupled with a higher demand as more Canadians are vacationing at home and moreAmericans are crossing the border, taking advantage of the currency exchange ($1 USD currently equals about $1.37CAD), has created the “perfect storm” going into summer, says Beaton.And it’s not just Tofino, but everywhere on Vancouver Island that’s showing an uptick in hotel rates.

The average price of a hotel on Vancouver Island climbed inApril 2025 from $201.40 to $218.84 or 8.7 per cent, according to statistics shared in a national market report proprietary to the Canadian hotel industry. By comparison, Whistler ResortArea saw a 6.3 per cent increase in the average daily rate for a hotel inApril, jumping from $295.35 to $314.04.

“The rates have almost doubled since I started here in 2019. It’s like real estate. But it’s also incredibly expense to operate compared to four or five years ago,” he continued.

He says the consensus in town is that everything – groceries, gas, accommodation, dining out – has doubled in price since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While visitors are easily dropping $1,000 a day, a 2024 Living Wage report for the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Region showed a family of four (two parents with two young children) spend $1,323/ month on food, $2,706/month on housing and $967/month on owning and maintaining two vehicles.

Nuu-chah-nulth families living in rural First Nations communities of Hot Springs Cove,Ahousaht, Opitsaht and Macoah spend even more on food; a return trip

Visitors and locals cruise the waves at Cox Bay Beach on June 18, 2025. Heading into peak tourist season, the average rate for one night at a hotel on this popular Tofino surf beach is $700 and a campsite is $250.

to buy grocery forAhousaht members is $60 and Hot Springs Cove is $150, notes the Living Wage Report.

The West Coast currently has the second highest living wage in B.C. after Whistler with $27.40 being the “bare bones” hourly wage necessary to lift someone out of poverty and into an adequate quality of life, according to the 2024 Living Wage report published by the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust.

Water Works

Water utility for Tofino businesses have ballooned since the new sewage treatment facility went online in the fall of 2024.

Beaton said at the end of 2023, his water bill for three months (Oct, Nov, Dec) was $13,000. The same time a year later in 2024, it was $46,000.

“Bills have gone up, so rates go up, it’s a vicious cycle,” he said. “If somebody out there can find a solution to lower our costs enough so that we have the ability to lower our rates so that we can invite families that are wanting to come out but can’t swing it, send me over the recipe because I’m all ears.”

Brandon Manzardo, Surf Grove Campground Tofino general manager, echoed Beaton’s concerns.

“Overall costs are soaring everywhere.

Our water costs have almost tripled in the last four years because the district has moved to a fix cost system,” said Manzardo.

When Surf Grove opened in the summer of 2020, Manzardo said the rate for a basic tent site four rows back from the beach was $89/night. The rate for a fully serviced RV site closest to the beach was $109/night. This summer, those same sites are roughly $226.50 and $251.50/ night, respectively.

“Of course, our rates are higher than most campgrounds you’d experience, but you’re not getting all the value adds that we have brought to life here at any other campground in the country,” said Manzardo, noting they have laundry, a small grocery store, a business centre, wifi and 24-hour security throughout the property on Cox Bay Beach.

He said he manually manages the rate threshold and does not rely onAI management software. He likened theAI hotel rate management tools to casinos saying, “the house always wins”.

“Once the program realized it can double or triple that high demand time frame, it does it for you,” said Manzardo. “You see these dramatic rate increases… If somebody pays for it, there is still demand. It’s everywhere.”

He went on to say that he doesn’t see Surf Grove increasing their rates next year because they’re not adding anymore

value to the property.

“It really comes down to ethics and how you see your brand fitting in the scope of the world. For us, we have a limit. How can we justify ethically increasing our rate but not providing more value to our guest? For me it doesn’t sit right. For the ownership it doesn’t sit right,” he said.

Tofino’s prominentAirbnb market is a big ball of surf wax, considering the housing it’s taken away from the community over the years, but “whatever pain it does cause, it’s kind of taken away by accommodating some of the market segment,” as Beaton concedes.

Tourism Tofino executive director Brad Parsell says the good news is that rates are not that high all year round.

“Hotel rates are significantly cheaper outside of summer, and the experience can be much richer in slower times of the year,” said Parsell.

Nora O’Malley photos

Relations with DFO indicate a clash of world views

Despite role to ensure sustainable, successful fisheries, DFO has a history of being at odds with Nuu-chah-nulth

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

With an annual budget for over $4 billion and a workforce of more than 14,700 staff, Fisheries and Oceans Canada serves a mandate to ensure “aquatic ecosystems and fisheries are sustainable and economically successful.”

Guided by Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesAct, the federal department commonly referred to as DFO “is committed to building a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples that is based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership,” states an email from the department to Ha-Shilth-Sa.

This would appear to closely align with the values of Nuu-chah-nulth hereditary chiefs, who are tasked with the sustainable management of their Ḥahahuułi, territorial regions that includes rivers and oceans that a First Nation’s muschim rely on. Yet formal relations between Nuuchah-nulth leaders and the DFO have been historically tainted with problems, and tensions regularly boil during Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries meetings to this day.

During one of these such meetings in FebruaryAhousaht Tyee Ha’wilth Hasheukumiss accused the DFO of “criminal mismanagement” of his nation’s aquatic resources. With a federal election less than a year away, in June 2024 DFO announced that within five years all open net pens on the B.C. coast would be banned, effectively ending the standard practice for salmon farming. Ahousaht currently derives economic and social benefits from an agreement with Cermaq to farm in the First Nation’s territorial waters.

“The frustrations I have are literally a book at this point,” said Hasheukumiss. “We’re being told by another country what’s going to happen, much like our Indigenous nations have been told all along what’s going to happen.”

During another meeting on June 11, Council of Ha’wiih Chair Wickaninnish, CliffAtleo, spoke of other management issues on the coast, including how an surging population of sea otters are depleting shellfish. The otters are prohibited from being hunted - a regulation that differs from howAtleo’s ancestors kept the species under control in the past.

“They’re everywhere and it’s pathetic to allow them, uncontrolled,” he said. “God darn it, let’s do something about these things! They are interfering in our food chain.”

“In the government’s DNAis, without a doubt, an element of racism,” continued Atleo, addressing a room that included DFO representatives. “There are laws in the Supreme Court of Canada that says we are second to conservation. God darn, pay attention!”

‘Shared responsibilities’

The conflict appears to be rooted in a clash of world views, according to a report from a research team and advisory committee that works with the Huu-ayaht First Nations.An update on their work publicized earlier this year points to the inherent compartmentalization of DFO’s science-based approach to viewing fisheries, a concept that departs from the long-held Nuu-chah-nulth concept that everything is connected. In this report the team noted a “failure to recognize Nuu-chah-nulth law” from the federal department, something that led to

relatives Martin andArnold John to help. All three were spotted by a DFO officer, charged with fishing without a licence, in an unauthorized area and in contravention of their nations’FSC allowance.

For a hereditary chief whose forefathers had long held the stewardship of the Leiner, this came as a strange accusation to Jack.

“In response to the question of why they were fishing there then, the accused, Jack, answered, ‘because it’s my river’,” recounts court records from the case.

In what has become known as ‘The Triple J Case’, the court supported Jack’s Aboriginal right to access fish, a ruling that was upheld by the B.C. Court ofAppeal in 1995.

From $1 to $600

“frustrating and dysfunctional negotiations”.

During his last meeting as chair of the Nuu-chah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries, Wickaninnish, CliffAtleo, (far left) speaks alongsideAhousaht Ha’wiih and representatives on June 11 in Campbell River. Representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada were present at the meeting. ties - something that takes priority over recreational and commercial fisheries, and stands second only to conservation needs. But the right of First Nations to commercially catch and sell from their respective territories has been a sticky issue with the DFO, and led to the nearly two-decade-longAhousaht et al. court case that eventually ruled in favour of five Nuu-chah-nulth nations.

This has affected the implementation of the Maa-nulth FinalAgreement, one of B.C.’s few modern-day treaties that came into effect in 2011, states the report. DFO struggled to meet the conditions of the agreement in its first year of implementation, says the research team.An example is a dispute between DFO and the Maa-nulth treaty nations over accessing sockeye salmon outside of the domestic fishing areas, which is a provision in the treaty.According to the recent report, DFO told the nations they were not “proving their effort to fish” in these areas.

In response to these claims, the department says it will “continue to work closely with the Maa-nulth treaty nations to ensure that fisheries are managed sustainably and in a way that respects both Indigenous knowledge and scientific evidence.”

“The Government of Canada recognizes that modern treaties establish shared responsibilities for managing fish and aquatic resources,” stated DFO in an email. “Furthermore, fulfilling treaty fisheries commitments is essential to building trust and ensuring Indigenous self-determination and stewardship.”

‘Because it’s my river’

As Nuu-chah-nulth leaders and the DFO work on building trust, a vast disparity exists in the sheer scale of their respective interests. Fisheries and Oceans Canada oversees three coasts – the largest expanse of shoreline of any country in the world – within which live over 40 million people. Last year the department had 14,716 employees across Canada, hundreds more than the total number of Nuuchah-nulth people that call the west coast of Vancouver Island their ancestral home. And this enormous department is run with a complex bureaucratic structure, on top of which lies Canada’s fisheries minister. Currently MP Joanne Thompson holds this position, making her the fifth fisheries minister in the last seven years –a sharp difference in term duration from the many long-standing chiefs in the Nuu-chah-nulth hereditary system.

Under Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution, First Nations have the right to collectively fish for the “food, social and ceremonial” purposes of their communi-

Who owns the resource, and who has the responsibility to manage fisheries remains a central question in dealings with DFO, a matter that was clearly brought to court after a Mowachaht/Muchalaht chief was charged with illegally fishing in his own territory. In September 1989 the late Ha’wilth Jerry Jack was fishing in the Leiner River near Tahsis. He needed chinook salmon for his son’s wedding the following spring, and brought along his

As many West Coast salmon species remained threatened, the regulation of B.C.’s fisheries is destined to continue to be a issue facing First Nations who have long subsisted off of the resource. During the June Council of Ha’wiih meeting, Ahousaht delegate Errol Sam reflected on the warnings of his grandfather when young Errol was asked to pay a $1 fee for a fishing licence.

“My grandfather Pauly stomped on the table. He said, ‘Don’t you pay that $1! If you pay that $1, you’ll never stop paying’,” reflected Sam. “And it’s so true today. From that $1, from paying $20 annual fee for that licence, to now having to pay over $600 annually for this licence to go fishing.”

As DFO’sAboriginal program’s coordinator for the west coast of Vancouver Island, Kevin Conley regularly represents the federal department in the Nuu-chahnulth fishery meetings.

“I think that we agree that there’s definitely a need to work together,” said Conley on June 11. “I can appreciate that you’re speaking loudly to us to get others in our organization to hear.”

Eric Plummer photo

Makah await permit to assemble a whaling crew

The Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation could get approval from the US government this summer to hunt grey whales

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Campbell River, BC - If an application to resume a hunting tradition goes according to plan, the Makah Tribe hopes to host their Nuu-chah-nulth relatives from Vancouver Island this year for a whale feast.

The Washington State Nuu-chah-nulth nation currently eagerly awaits the result of a request for a permit from the United States government to hunt grey whales. If granted by the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, the Makah plan to assemble a whaling crew and take to the waters of its territory in Neah Bay this summer.

T.J. Greene, chair of the Makah Tribal Council, outlined the nation’s plans during a recent Nuu-chah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries. The meeting was hosted by the Nuchatlaht Tribe in Campbell River June 10-11. Greene mentioned that the hunt would be guided by a whaling commission that the Makah have assembled.

“They’re going to be the ones with that authority to put together a whaling crew and to carry out that hunt according to our traditions, cultures and protocols,” said Greene on June 11.

These traditions are over 1,000 years older than the United States ofAmerica, states the Makah Tribe. In 1855 the tribe signed the Treaty of Neah Bay with the US government, an agreement that ceded thousands of acres of Makah territory to the United States – but retained the Makah’s right to hunt whales.

Over the decades that followed that signing, commercial whaling would deplete many species to the brink of extinction, leading the Makah to cease their hunt in the early 20th century.

“We laid down our harpoons in the late 1920s,” said Greene.

Through the last century countries around the world would ban whale hunting, leading to a widespread moratorium announced by the International Whaling Commission in 1982, which remains in place to this day.

Meanwhile, the population of the Eastern Pacific grey whale has rebounded, growing to an estimated 17,400-21,300, according to the NOAA. The animal was taken off the United States’endangered species list in 1994, leading the Makah to pursue resuming its whale hunt under US law.

“It’s been difficult to exercise that right for a number of years,” said Greene. “In

good faith we chose to work with the United States and obtain a quota from the International Whaling Commission.”

Alegal hunt did occur, and on May 17, 1999 the Makah brought in their first grey whale in nearly 80 years.Afeast hosting over 3,000 followed, including Nuuchah-nulth guests from Vancouver Island, with others that came as far asAlaska and Fiji.

Although the US government and International Whaling Commission supported that 1999 hunt, a quarter century of administrative delays would follow for the Makah. In 2002 a federal court ruled that the tribe needs a waiver under the existing whaling moratorium, which was finally granted in 2024. This allows the Makah to harvest up to 25 Eastern Pacific grey whales over a 10-year period. The waiver requires that the initial approach to the whale be made in a traditional dugout canoe carrying a harpoon person. Support boats are to be available carrying a Makah member bearing a high-power rifle to 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 NOAAreport, noting that the hunt is to take place outside the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

T.J. Greene, chair of the Makah Tribal Council, outlined the nation’s plans during a recent Nuu-chah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries. The meeting was hosted by the Nuchatlaht Tribe in Campbell River June 10-11.

Now the tribe awaits a permit from NOAAFisheries, which is expected any day now.

“We’ll go through these administrative burdens to be able to exercise what’s ours,” said Greene. “For thousands of years we stewarded that resource and took care of it. It provided a great deal for our people - not only as a traditional food, but the amount of respect that we have, the spiritual connection and the reverence that we have for that magnificent creature.”

When and if another grey whale is hunted, Greene extended an invitation to the other Nuu-chah-nulth representatives at the Council of Ha’wiih meeting to celebrate.

Jerry Jack, a hereditary chief with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, noted how his people had recently returned the sacred Whalers Washing House to Yuquot, after the contents of the shrine had sat in the storage of a New York museum for over a century.

“One of my late dad’s dreams was to have that whaling shrine brought back home to where it belongs. It’s back home now,” said Jack, who recalled his father explain the purpose of the skulls that are part of the whaling shrine. “Listening to

my dad talk, he said, ‘Those skulls are there because those whalers, they said when I die, you cut my head off and you put it down here and I’ll look after you when you go out.’Our whalers used to go there to prepare themselves spiritually before they went out whaling.”

Before the practice ceased, whaling was central to communities throughout Nuuchah-nulth territory. During the fisheries meetingAhousaht representative Kiista, KeithAtleo, described traditions exercised by his great grandparents. His great grandfather’s wife sat in a designated place in her home, praying while her husband was hunting whales.

“She stepped out of that circle for a tiny little bit and our great grandfather got towed up toAlaska,” said Kiista of one particular incident with a whale. “For them to come back, a little bird landed on the canoe. It gave the crew and our great grandfather passage, and told them to start chanting.As the whale was towing them that way, they started doing that chant. It turned them around, and our great grandmother was back in that sacred circle that she was supposed to be in praying. Whaling isn’t just a hunt; it’s a big ceremony.”

Makah Tribe photo

The Makah’s whaling traditions are over 1,000 years older than the United States ofAmerica, states the tribe. Pictured are Makah members dealing with a carcass in Neah Bay, before the nation ceased hunting whales in the late 1920s.

Eric Plummer photo

Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper is published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council for distribution to the members of the contributing First Nations, as well as other interested groups and individuals.

Information and original work contained in this newspaper is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without written permission from:

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council P.O. Box 1383, PortAlberni, B.C. V9Y 7M2.

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Non-Nuu-chah-nulth,Ahousaht, Ehattesaht,Toquaht and Ucluelet members are subject to a yearly subscription fee of $40 in Canada, $50 in the US and $60 for overseas. Payable to the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council

Manager/Editor/Reporter

Eric Plummer (Ext. 243) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 eric.plummer@nuuchahnulth.org

Reporter

Denise Titian (Ext. 240) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 denise.titian@nuuchahnulth.org

Reporter

Alexandra Mehl (Ext. 286) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 alexandra.mehl@nuuchahnulth.org

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Mike Watts (Ext. 238) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 mike.watts@nuuchahnulth.org

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Holly Stocking (Ext. 302) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org

DEADLINE:

Please note that the deadline for submissions for our next issue is July 11, 2025

After that date, material submitted and judged appropriate cannot be guaranteed placement but, if material is still relevant, will be included in the following issue.

In an ideal world, submissions would be typed rather than hand-written. Articles can be sent by e-mail to holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org (Windows PC).

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Pictures with no return address will remain on file.Allow two - four weeks for return.

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COVERAGE:

Although we would like to be able to cover all stories and events, we will only do so subject to:

- Sufficient advance notice addressed specifically to Ha-Shilth-Sa.

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Language journey leads to teaching

‘Every new language learner helps to keep our language alive,’ reflects ḥaka+

By Holly Stocking Ha-Shilth-Sa EditorialAssistant

h=akaƛ, Chrissie John, began speaking Nuu-chah-nulth at home at a young age; it was her mother’s first language before being taken off to residential school

“We were the first generation raised with English. We grew up knowing animals, kinship, terms of endearment, things like that but we didn’t speak fluently” h=akaƛ shares.

h=akaƛ has five siblings, and like other Nuu-chah-nulth people, grew up knowing different words tied to the language. h=akaƛ’s thirst for learning began to grow, and it has become a passion.

ʔiicʔa, Katie Fraser, was one of the first fluent mentors she worked with. There’s also her nan, Fedilia, “who I have worked with on and off from the beginning, but more in the last four years”, said Ḥakaƛ. Ciisma, Patti Frank, and Patti’s sister Tuu paat, Julia Lucas, were big influences through the teacher program h=akaƛ took in 2018.

“I am very lucky to have had time with all those speakers,” reflected h=akaƛ.

“It’s a selfless thing to want to pass on language and that’s what they have all done.”

The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation is in their first year of running a language program, partnering with the University of Victoria. Students work toward a certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization in the intensive program.

The classes delve into strategies to learn language and what works for language revitalization in general. It also explores history tied to language, what people might call language loss or language shift, approaches to learning language, to revitalizing language, to preserving language, documenting language - all that can be tied into language revitalization.

h=akaƛ, who is a member of the Ehattesaht First Nation, will be an in-person instructor for this two-weekend, four-day course in Gold River.

Because Nuu-chah-nulth isn’t historically a written language, teachers aren’t in a position to turn to a curriculum website. Teachers can’t find lessons in the language, they must create everything from scratch.

“How well we prepare is going to impact how well the student can learn,” said h=akaƛ. “Because it’s an oral language rather than written our level of fluency can impact the learning for the student as well.”

MMFN has already selected a cohort of 20 students who have already started their first language course. The one h=akaƛ picks up teaching begins on June 28; it will be the second level of the course.

The First Peoples Cultural Council (FPCC) reports a growing number of First Nations language learners in British Columbia. Their 2023 report indicates a 20 per cent increase in learners since 2018. The report also highlights the importance of younger generations learning

Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born.Acommunity 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!

and speaking these languages.

“Every new language learner helps to keep our language alive. It doesn’t matter which nation they may come from, every new learner has a key role in that, we all have a role, it’s not up to one person. It would be impossible for one person to save our language.” h=akaƛ said. “It’s really tough for one nation to only work with their nation, if we could work more together - because of the position all of [Nuu-chah-nulth] is in with language right now being endangered - working together I think is going to be essential. And that’s why I am so excited to work with our neighbor MMFN for this program.”

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Melody Charlie photo

This summer Chrissie John is teaching at a Nuu-chah-nulth language course being offered by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.

Food security funding at work in coastal communities

Huu-ay-aht invests in emergency walk-in freezer and generator in Anacla to ensure food storage for 72 hours

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Vancouver Island, BC – Last year’s provincial funding for Indigenous food security has benefited several Nuu-chahnulth nations and individuals, allowing them to build on projects and businesses that support local communities.

In a May 24, 2025 statement, MLA Josie Osborne said the funding, which comes from the province’s New Relationship Trust, helps to strengthen Indigenous food security in the Mid Island – Pacific Rim.

In 2024, eight Nuu-chah-nulth nations or Nuu-chah-nulth-owned businesses received amounts ranging from $94,975 to $250,000 to support projects relating to food production.

Ahousaht First Nation and Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society (Ahousaht Ha’wiih-owned) each received $250,000. The First Nation received funding for a traditional foods harvesting project while MHSS received funds for a separate food project.

The ministry statement says Huu-ay-aht First Nation received $250,000 from the program to support a seafood processing upgrade. Elected Chief John Jack said the funds were used to support food sustainability for his nation in three different ways.

Aportion of the fund was used to support Huu-ay-aht’s food fish program, which supplies home-use seafood to its members, both local and urban. In addition, the program collects and stores food for gatherings. The food security grant was used to support three areas of the nation’s food fish program, ensuring that members receive the highest quality home-use fish and that residents of Anacla are able to sustain themselves in the event of a disaster.

Because of its remote location on the west coast, the home community of Anacla faces many extended power failures, prompting leadership to make plans for supporting the community in the event of a disaster.Aportion of the provincial funding went to the installation of a backup propane generator at the House of Huu-ay-aht.

The House of Huu-ay-aht is a gathering place with kitchen facilities built high above the tsunami inundation zone. It is a place people can gather in the event of an emergency. To build on this concept, Huu-ay-aht used another portion of their

The House of Huu-ay-aht is a gathering place with kitchen facilities built high above the

place people can gather in the event of an emergency. To build on this concept, Huu-ay-aht used another portion of provincial funding to convert a shipping container into a walk-in freezer.

funding to convert a shipping container into a walk-in freezer.

In an extended power failure, the propane generator would be used to keep the nation’s food supply in the freezer safe. Jack says the freezer and back-up generator will support the nation. Government agencies urge people to prepare themselves and their families for disasters because, in the event of a major event like an earthquake or fire, it may take emergency workers 72 hours to get to your location. You can look online for emergency preparedness advice including how to build a 72-hour emergency kit.

For Huu-ay-ahts inAnacla, the emergency generator and stocked walk-in freezer is capable of sustaining the community for the recommended 72 hours.

For those citizens living away from the community, Huu-ay-aht has replaced the refrigeration unit on their five-ton truck used to transport home-use fish.

Not only does this assure that urban Huu-ay-aht citizens receive still frozen fish, but, according to Jack, it allows them to deliver more delicate seafood, like prawns, when they’re available.

“There is some seafood you can’t just transport on ice,” said Jack, adding that freezer truck is necessary to assure the highest quality food is delivered to citizens.

Jack says Huu-ay-aht is grateful for the grant. The work done with the grant benefits the nation in several ways. Not only does it enhance food security for nation, but it also helps to deliver the healthiest food support for members.

In terms of cultural support, the grant allows Huu-ay-aht to continue with the ability to provide traditional foods to families in their times of need and at community gatherings.

Other recipients of the 2024 round of Indigenous food security funding were Hupacasath First Nation, with $150,000 for their maple syrup production. Stevie Dennis ofAhousaht, an owner of Naas Foods, received $150,000 for his kelp business in Tofino.

Toquaht Nation received $94,975 for food processing facility planning while the Uchucklesaht Tribe Government used their $167,600 grant for cold fish storage

and transportation. Ucluelet First Nation received $185,000 for their community garden.

“It is so rewarding to see such a wide range of Nuu-chah-nulth-led projects receiving funding to strengthen traditional and local food systems,” said Josie Osborne, MLAfor Mid Island–Pacific Rim, in a press release. “From food harvesting and seafood processing to community gardens and aquaculture, these initiatives are deeply rooted in culture, sustainability, and self-determination. This funding is so important to not only support food security and sovereignty, but also economic development and community well-being across Nuu-chah-nulth territory.”

According to the provincial government more than 100 projects have been given funding since 2023.

“This is part of the BC NDP government’s commitments to reconciliation, increased Indigenous participation in agriculture and food systems, and supporting Indigenous-led food sovereignty,” stated the province.

CYPRESS RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

Eric Plummer photo

tsunami inundation zone. It is a

Aboriginal day starts early with Friday events

National Indigenous People’s Day fell on a Saturday this year, making the occasion a two-day celebratory event

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

PortAlberni, BC -Aboriginal day festivities started early this year, with events in different corners of Nuu-chah-nulth territory.

Recognized on June 21, National Indigenous People’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, prompting events to be held the day before in some communities.

Alunch-time seafood feast was held at the PortAlberni Friendship Center on June 20, a lively event featuring a rock band and face painting for children. Before the meal representatives from the local Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations addressed the crowd, noting the difficult history with its Indigenous people that the PortAlberni community is still working to overcome.

“We have a really complex history here in the valley,” said Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts during the event.

But Watts also noted how encouraged he was of the hundreds who partake in the annual Orange Shirt Day walk each Sept. 30.

“It’s what we do after those walks that’s important,” he added.

Ahousaht elder Wally Samuel noted that this September the PortAlberni Friendship Centre celebrates 60 years in the community.

“It was like a communal way of living again when they opened the friendship centre,” reflected Tseshaht member Jessica Sault, who performed The Welcome Song with others before the meal was served.

AnotherAboriginal day event was hosted by the Huu-ay-aht inAnacla, followed by other festivities on June 21, including a gathering in Tseshaht’s Paper Mill Dam Park. Events near Tofino on

On June 20 the PortAlberni Friendship Center celebratedAboriginal

few months ahead of its 60th anniversary in September.

June 21 include a reopening of the Lone Cone Trail on Meares Island, hosted by the Maaqutusiis Hahoulthlee Stewardship Society from 9-3, followed by Yoga with Tla-o-qui-aht teachings about the %iisaak† Pledge†at†the†Tofino†Visitor† Centre†at†5:30†p.m.

Huu-ay-aht hosts neighbors for Indigenous day event

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Anacla, BC – Bamfield neighbours and students from the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre joined the Huu-ay-aht locals at the beach inAnacla for their annual NationalAboriginal Day celebrations on Friday, June 20.

Huu-ay-aht organizers made sure there was plenty for the children to do with games set up on a grassy area. Some children played in the sand by the river, flying kites, chasing bubbles or just playing in the sand and water. Meanwhile, some of the adults set up barbecues and prepared food to serve their guests. Steven Smith of the HFN Lands and Resources department oversaw the salmon barbecue over an open fire as youngsters helped remove the cooked salmon from the cedar frames.

Earlier that day, a group of young Huuay-ahts went out in the islands in their territory to harvest tuts’up (sea urchin). Andrew Clappis demonstrated the proper way to handle, open and eat tuts’up. Some brave guests stepped up to taste the bright orange roe for the first time. One described it as the taste of the ocean. During the event a group of swimmers arrived at the river. They were a group from the Bamfield Swim Team taking part in an annual fundraiser. They swam across the chilly waters of Pachena Bay to Pachena River in order to raise funds in support of the Kuu-Us Crisis Line

neighbours and students from the

for

Society.

They were welcomed ashore by Huuay-aht beach keepers then invited to join the others for lunch. The Bamfield Swim Team is accepting donations on the Canada Helps website

Huu-ay-aht singers drummed as their guests lined up for barbeque salmon, burgers and hot dogs. Following lunch, organizers planned games and activities for the rest of the afternoon.

Eric Plummer photos

day, a

Denise Titian photos

Bamfield

Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre joined the Huu-ay-aht locals at the beach in Anacla

their annual NationalAboriginal Day celebrations on Friday, June 20. During the celebration people with the Bamfield Swim Team (below) were welcomed to the Pachena River, after crossing Pachena Bay.

Pacific Rim’s Land-Based Learning program blossoms

The outdoor sessions incorporate Environmental Science, Math, Language Arts, Active Living and Food Studies

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Reflecting on the new Pacific Rim School District 70 Land-Based Learning (LBL) program that set sail at the beginning of the 2024-25 scholastic year,Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) teacher Sarah Williams spills over with joy.

She says attendance records for LBL students increased dramatically, their marks went up and, overall, they were happier and feeling better about themselves.

“I am living out my professional dream,” said Williams, who took a oneyear leave of absence to help bring the vision of the LBL program to life.

“We’re doing something right. It’s working. The kids want to be in school, they are showing up and they are engaging, and they are being present more than they ever have,” she said.

Ucluelet Secondary Schools’(USS) LBL program mirrored the success of ADSS.

“Their mental health and self-worth have increased; and sense of community and belonging,” said USS LBL teacher Jackson, who has Sheena Charleson by his side as a support worker.

“I’m really lucky to have Sheena Charleson here. She is auntie to a lot of my students. Having her here really helps create that safe space,” said Jackson.

While not specifically targeting Indigenous students, most of the inaugural LBL cohorts were First Nations.

“The majority of learners that have been disengaging have been Indigenous students because they haven’t connected with either the content or the lack of community or the traditional four-wall setting,” said Williams.

Each semester, Williams and Jackson took on a cohort of 16 students from Grade 9 to 12. The group stayed together for the entire semester and met daily.

“We start in a circle and we end in a circle. I work very hard to create a com-

munity and a sense of safe space,” said Williams. “It’s not a top-down approach. I am learning alongside them.”

“We do a lot of circle work as well.

Mostly our Monday mornings are our big circle. We start in a good way by just checking in and hearing about people’s weekend. We do a lot of looking back on the weekend or the previous week to work on building our retention of memory,” said Jackson.

The LBL teachers incorporated a framework based on values from the Nuu-chah-nulth seasonal food round and engaged an “entire village of elders and knowledge keepers” to help teach Environmental Science, Math, LanguageArts, Active Living and Food Studies, all in an outdoor setting.

“It’s not the same each semester. It’s very seasonal and changes with each of the moons. We design activities so that

the students are out there on the land and water appreciating those changes that happen throughout the season,” Williams shared.

In the fall,ADSS LBL students helped biologists install a trap to capture wild salmon spawners at Ward Creek while the USS cohort camped out on upper Kennedy River and participated in forest ecology, plotting species and habitat work with Redd Fish Restoration. The students practiced ‘isaak’, which means respect, by chopping and delivering wood to elders to keep them warm. Overnight canoe journeys taught them tidal predictions, and many finished the course with Paddle Canada Level 1 canoeing certification.

David Maher, SD70’s principal of Learning and Innovation, championed the birth of the LBL program alongside the Indigenous Education Council and the SD 70 Board of Education.As the former Principal of EighthAvenue Learning Centre, Maher experienced suc-

cess with skills-based learning, so he set about bringing Land-Based Learning into traditional high schools.

“It’s the brainchild of many, many different people. Of course, as always, we stand on the shoulders of those who went before us and other school districts are doing this in the province and we just customized it to the needs and wants of our families, our communities and our kids,” said Maher.

LBL allows for complete alignment with the Dogwood Diploma, B.C.’s certificate of graduation, and received a Youth Resiliency grant from Island Health to take flight.

“The textbook is Mother Nature and the outdoors, and we do all our learning by action rather than a traditional academic approach,” he said.

Looking forward to the 2025-2026 school year, Maher is very pleased to say that, due to its overwhelming success, the LBL program will be hosted atADSS, USS and EighthAvenue Learning Centre.

Submitted photos

Students in the Land Based Learning program climbed to the peak of 50-40 (above), collected cedar for weaving from the forest (below) and paddled in a dugout-style canoe (below left). Each Monday students check in while in a circle.

‘Our ancestors wildest dreams’: 2025 grads celebrate

Standardized tests show academic gap, but a Nuu-chah-nulth presence is helping students through high school

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

PortAlberni, BC -Amid a growing number ofAboriginal students earning their secondary diploma, this month Nuuchah-nulth-aht are celebrating a generational shift towards formal education – a development that elders see as strides ahead of their residential school past.

“We’re our ancestors wildest dreams,” said Damon Rampanen, a cultural support worker atAlberni District Secondary, during a two-day celebration of graduates and scholarship winners that was held at the high school June 6 and 7.

To start proceedings on each of those days Rampanen performed the Equality Song on the stage with a group of students, a piece that he explained was composed by PatrickAlex during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Nuuchah-nulth people were prevented from gathering,Alex created the song as a piece belonging to everyone, including non-Indigenous people.

“This is how our ancestors wanted to see us; celebrating our culture, but also getting an education,” said Rampanen before the crowd. “We have a place in this work, and that’s exactly what that song is about.”

Hosted by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, dozens of scholarships were awarded on June 6, ranging from Kindergarten to post-secondary studies. Then on the second day of proceedings 77 Nuuchah-nulth high school and post-secondary graduates were recognized with their respective First Nations.

Announcer Tyson Touchie reflected on how things have changed since he graduated high school in 1989.

“I always felt like an alien in my own country going to school,” said Touchie, who works as a case manager with the Nuu-chah-nulth Employment and Training Program. “Fast forward to now, I go into that same school in Ucluelet and you’ll see house posts, Nuu-chah-nulth house posts carved by the students. Just like you see here withADSS’s team names, their logo, integrating quu’aas culture. The step up that our kids know is a huge jump from where their grandparents came from.”

Not far from where theAlberni high school now stands, on the other side of the Somass River theAlberni Indian Residential School operated for nearly a century. That institution closed for good in 1974, but its legacy remains as a reminder of what several past generations of Nuu-chah-nulth-aht faced in school. During the graduation ceremony former AIRS student Jeff Cook reflected on being forced to live away from his family for 10 months of the year.

“You’ve heard about residential school,

I was there for 13 years, and it was tough,” said the Huu-ay-aht elder. “I acknowledge the educators today and the parents today that bring up their children, that they didn’t have to do the struggles that a lot of our people did. I acknowledge how you take care of them, how you look after them, how you cherish them and how you support them, which was something that we never got in residential school.”

Rising graduation rates

Two generations after the segregation of the residential school system, First Nations now comprise a significant portion of public schools on western Vancouver Island – and a growing number are finishing Grade 12. Thirty-seven per cent of the Pacific Rim School District currently identifies as Indigenous. Back in 2010, just 34 per cent of SD70’sAboriginal students completed high school within six years of starting Grade 8 – thirty points behind other students in the district at the time. But by 2024 the Indigenous high school completion rate had risen to 81 per cent, while other Pacific Rim students increased to 90.

Further north on the coast, the most recent numbers from School District 84 are even more encouraging. Last year 87 per cent of SD84’s Indigenous students finished high school within six years of starting Grade 8, while others in the district tracked a completion rate of 75 per cent. Comprising schools in Gold River, Tahsis, Zeballos and Kyuquot, most of the district’s students this year – 193 out of 318 – identify as Indigenous.

As he awaits retirement this summer, SD84 Superintendent Lawrence Tarasoff reflects on the value of Nuu-chah-nulth students being taught by adults from their own communities. When he started in the district in 2008, he recalls that there weren’t any Nuu-chah-nulth teachers. Now there are seven out of the 30 working in SD84, thanks in part to an initiative that trains people to become teachers in remote communities without them having to relocate.

For Tarasoff, this made more sense than solely relying on educated outsiders to come teach in coastal communities with a large proportion of Indigenous students.

“The philosophy behind it was it’s a lot easier to teach people to be teachers,

than it is to teach people to be able to be effective in Nuu-chah-nulth,” he said of the training initiative. “I was supportive, but it was really community that drove it forward.”

“They can stay home and do it, that was the philosophy. The outcome of that is that our kids are doing better, we can see it,” continued Tarasoff during the scholarship celebration atADSS on June 6. “The young people of today, they can become teachers, and they can become teachers at home. Staying at home, being the leaders of their communities teaching the kids.”

In recent years SD84’s schools have taken turns hosting a cultural celebration near the end of each school year. In May it was Zeballos Elementary Secondary’s turn, and it held a potlatch that brought hundreds to the village, an event that began with giving Nuu-chah-nulth names to every child in the school.

‘You have every right to be competitive’

Amid these efforts to integrate more First Nations culture into the educational environment, most students appear to be feeling at home in school.Alearning survey tracked by the B.C. Ministry of Education over 2023-24 found that 67 per cent of SD84’s Indigenous elementary students felt welcome at their school, while 57 per cent of the district’s overall primary student body reported this sense of belonging.

Over the same school year, a similar survey taken in the Pacific Rim district found that 64 per cent of the Indigenous elementary students felt welcome at school, part of an overall rate of 69 per cent among the primary grades. The district reported similar results with its high schoolers, coming in at 65 and 71 per cent for Indigenous and the total student body respectively.

While encouragement can be found in these surveys that gauge student satisfaction and wellness, there appears to still be significant gaps in the standardized skills assessments that are given to students in Grades 4, 7, 10 and 12. During this school year in SD84 Indigenous students scored up to 20 per cent lower than the district’s overall results from some literacy and numeracy categories, while Pacific Rim also saw itsAboriginal students score lower from these provincial

assessments.

From the current school year, Pacific Rim’s Grade 4 literacy test found that 55 per cent of students were “on track or extending” for their age level, but just 34 per cent of the district’s Indigenous youngsters were at this level. Numbers were similar for the numeracy assessment, with 62 and 39 per cent respectively.

This gap was also present among Grade 10 students, with Indigenous learners tracking a 35 per cent rate compared to the 56 per cent overall “on-track” assessment for literacy, and numeracy coming in at 23 and 31 per cent forAboriginal students and the total district.

During her valedictorian speech on June 7, Tia-Paige Watts reminded her fellow graduates that academics are only one part of getting through high school.

“High school was never just about textbooks and tests,” she said. “It was about showing up when we were tired, helping a friend through a rough day, and learning how to be ourselves – all while going through the challenges of becoming an adult.”

“If you have doors closed, kick them open, because you have every right to be competitive,” said Nuchatlaht elderArchie Little, who is also a survivor of the Christie Indian Residential School. “We were in a box in residential school, and we were never allowed to think outside that box.”

Eric Plummer photos

Stephen Mack Jr. stands amongst the crowd of other graduates on June 7, awaiting his call to the stage to be individually recognized during a celebration hosted by the Nuu-chah-nulth-Tribal Council atAlberni District Secondary School.

Tyson Touchie

‘We feel like we belong here’ says valedictorian

Eighth Avenue Learning Centre recognizes its latest class of 54 students to complete their secondary education

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

PortAlberni, BC – The EighthAvenue Learning Centre honoured 54 of its graduates at theAlberni District Secondary School auditorium on Thursday, June 19.

They were a group of people, that, for whatever reason, didn’t fit into a traditional school system. They were young adults, parents, and even grandparents earning their diplomas later in life. There were even young students who used the program to accelerate their educational journeys, earning diplomas ahead of schedule.

There were several Nuu-chah-nulth graduates in the group and the evening got off to a Nuu-chah-nulth start with words of welcome from Tseshaht’sAaron Watts and Hupacasath’s Serena Mayer. Tamiko Rampanen, a Tseshaht First Nation councillor, also welcomed the crowd, saying that she also graduated from EighthAvenue Learning Centre years before.

Principal Nick Seredick welcomed the guests and acknowledged that the celebration was taking place in the territories of the Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations, as did SD 70 Board Chair, Pam Craig. Both educators delivered their remarks in the Nuu-chah-nulth language, as well as in English.

Craig congratulated the graduates, telling them that education is a constant journey and their diplomas represent a huge step in many more successes.

SD 70 Superintendent Peter Klaver also spoke in the Nuu-chah-nulth language.

“We are here to celebrate the courage, resilience and achievement of every graduate here,” he said.

He thanked the community and families for creating a space that allowed this class to succeed.

“Congratulations class of 2025, we are proud of you!” he told them.

Principal Seredick also congratulated the students, acknowledging that some of them faced uphill challenges on their road to success.

“For some of you, this (alternative education) is the best fit for you. Some

of you are carrying very heavy loads… anger, self-doubt, disconnection,” he shared.

By sticking with the program, Seredick said they proved to themselves that they can grow, they can succeed.

“You’ve learned how to rise when life knocks you down,” he told them. He thanked the families and friends of the graduates as well as the staff, “from the custodians and bus drivers to the teachers and administrators,” for offering this connection with the students and never, ever giving up.

To the graduates, Seredick said, “You are stepping into the future, and you have proof that you can do it.As your principal, I am incredibly proud of you.”

Vice-Principal Lisa Fryer said that this is her 18th VAST (former name of Eighth Avenue Learning Centre) grad. She invited the class valedictorian, Stephen Mack Jr., to say a few words before she

handed out diplomas.

With is grandfather, Steve Lucas Sr. by his side, Mack thanked him for sharing his strength and love. The elder drummed a celebration song for the graduating class.

“EighthAvenue Learning Centre is not just students,” said Mack Jr. “We are individuals with stories. We work with our hands outside and we celebrate culture, diversity and individuality.”

He went on to say that what he and his classmates had at EALC was not only what they learned, but also how the teachers made them feel.

“We feel like we belong here, like we matter,” said Mack.

Mack said their success came not from fitting a mold, but from showing up and doing the work.

The ceremony ended with the presentation of diplomas to the graduates.

Denise Titian photos

The EighthAvenue Learning Centre honoured 54 of its graduates at theAlberni District Secondary School auditorium on Thursday, June 19. Valedictorian Stephen Mack Jr. stands at the podium (below) with his grandfather Steve Lucas Sr. by his side, as Principal Nick Seredick watches.

Aiden GeorgeAlden Seitcher WattsAlyssa ClarkeAndrea LucasAngelene BarneyAshton Mack

Cassidy WilliamsCatrina CharlieChance FredCiara JosephCrystal LittleDaniel George Jr.

Jayden CorbeilJean ThomasJimmy Joseph Johnny Savey JohnsonJoni JohnsonKaleb Thomas

Leisa HassallLillian DickLucy JackMarissa MackMary RobinsonMatilda Charleson

Sasha LucasSharon DickShae MarkSheila MickeyShelby CathersSonya-Rae Maquinna

and Post-Secondary Graduates of 2025

Barry SamuelBecki NookemisBrandee RobinsonCJ GeorgeCaleb HansenCamille Hamel

Eli GingerEverly HarryEvieAmosGabe CallicumHannah FrankJasmine Freeze

Kaleb ThomasKalob JohnKate EdgarKeiraAmosKevin JulesKrista Samuel

Matilda CharlesonMichelle FrankMohkwin MassoNoelani WattsOlivia PetersParis McIntyre

Sonya-Rae MaquinnaStephen Mack JrSteve WannacottTamara

WattsTyeesum Mattice

Mowachaht/Muchalaht woman earns doctorate degree

Chipping away at university since 1997, Sherry Ma ice is the Gustavson school’s first Indigenous teaching prof

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Nanaimo, BC – She learned family history young, while listening to the teachings of her grandmother, Louise Dick. Those early years of learning helped shape the future of Sherry Mattice, who went on a long path to higher education.

Dr. Sherry Mattice, a resident of Nanaimo, had to find creative options to upgrade her education. She earned her doctorate degree at the BusinessAdministration in Leadership Program through Walden University out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She took her program via online studies.

“There was one (program) inAlberta, but it had a long wait list,” said Mattice. But it was that long wait list that led her to a non-Canadian university. There was no waitlist at Walden, so Mattice was approved for funding through the Nuuchah-nulth Tribal Council’s post secondary program to take her studies there.

Previously, Mattice earned a master’s degree in administration and another master’s of science in international business management.

She estimates that it took her six or seven years to complete her doctorate program as she needed to take some time off during her studies.

Mattice started her career in the healthcare industry as a care aide for seven years. But the work is physically demanding, and she says not a lot of money in it. So, she set her sights on advanced education. She earned her Bachelor of BusinessAdministration degree at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo and followed that with a master’s degree in business administration.

ABBA(Bachelor of BusinessAdministration) is an undergraduate degree providing a broad foundation in business principles, while an MBA(Master of BusinessAdministration) is a graduatelevel degree focused on advanced business management and leadership skills.

Mattice said that she first began her post secondary studies around 1997, but motivation escaped her. Struggling with her grades, she would sometimes fail, and sometimes the party lifestyle got in the way. But each time she went back to her

“Sometimes you just need to pass. We’re not all perfect.Attend class and hand in your homework.”

~ Sherry Ma ice

studies she did so more prepared.

“If I struggled, I went and got a tutor,” she shared.

And Mattice worked hard to get through her program.

“Sometimes you just need to pass.

We’re not all perfect.Attend class and hand in your homework,” she advised.

Mattice worked as an academic advisor

at VIU.As a student advisor, she learned that Indigenous learners long for something they don’t have.

“They said they never see people like us in front of the classroom,” said Mattice.

“They want to see us teaching.”

She believes that hard work and determination are what it takes to succeed at university-level studies.

“You don’t know what you can do until you’re there, but you sure learn fast,” said Mattice of her time in university.

Her academic struggles showed in her grades as she went from a 2.0 GPA(grade point average) to a 3.79 GPA. In Canada, a 2.0 GPAis a C average and is considered fair, while a 4.0 GPAis considered excellent, straightA’s.

There are mentors and tutors available to help, said Mattice.

“You just have to be present and show up,” she advised.

Mattice was teaching Indigenous Stud-

ies at VIU. She has accepted a job at UVic in the Faculty ofArts and Humanities and, for the time, plans to commute to Victoria for work.

The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations grandmother is proud to announce that she is the first Indigenous teaching professor at the Gustavson School of Business.

The framework for her thesis, she says, is cultivating safe spaces in the classroom. This was important to Mattice because of what her mother endured.An Alberni Indian Residential School survivor, Mabel Cathers (nee: George) fought hard to give her children the best life she could.And she continued to support Mattice on her educational journey.

Mattice’s adult daughter is a university graduate working at the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Mattice has two teenage children living with her in Nanaimo and a young grandson.

Phrase†of†the†week:†%uus^saah=†t’ak†%is^†huh=†tak†q#ac’iy’uk†%itk

Pronounced ‘Ooh s saa har tuck ish he s shill tuck kwa c’ii yuk it k’, it means ‘Education is very important to life’s journey’. Supplied by ciisma.

Eric Plummer photo

Sherry Mattice earned her doctorate degree at the BusinessAdministration in Leadership Program through Walden University out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. On June 7 she celebrated with other Nuu-chah-nulth graduates in PortAlberni.

Long, winding road leads to Ahousaht woman’s PhD

After years of balancing work and family, Christine Webster has earned a PhD degree and a professor position

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Victoria, BC – She dreamed of reaching her higher educational goals but the demands of parenthood and employment forced Christine Webster to take a more circuitous route. With the love and support of family, this spring Webster walked the stage to receive a PhD in Leadership Studies in Victoria.

Surrounded by family that included her husband Martin, her sons and parents, Dr. Christine Webster proudly received her degree at the University of Victoria’s Convocation ceremony held Thursday, June 12.

Webster was born and grew up in Victoria, and was raised by her late grandparents,Andrew and Sarah Webster ofAhousaht. The elder Websters, according to Christine, always supported anyone going to school and would take Ahousaht’s high school students in, allowing them to board at their large Victorian home.

“That was before the high school in Ahousaht was built,” Christine recalls.

Alarge family, the Websters were rich with children and grandchildren who always stepped up to support one another.

When Christine married and started her own family, she bought the house next door to her grandparents’home, always staying close by.

According to a UVic article written by Michelle Butterfield, Christine said she attempted many times to pursue post secondary higher education.

“Being a new mom made things difficult even with the unwavering support of her grandparents. So, there were many times where she withdrew from programs but she always found her way back,” Butterfield wrote.

Webster worked at the university supporting otherAboriginal students in her role as administrator for UVic’s Department of Indigenous Education.After completing a master’s degree in 2017, Webster found educational opportunities that would allow her to continue to work while pursuing her studies.

“My boss at time told me to look into Royal Roads University for masters work,” Webster recalled.

While she was interested in higher education, she felt the need to continue

Christine Webster credits her late grandparents,Andrew and Sarah Webster, for their unwavering support over her journey to gain a doctorate degree in Leadership Studies at the University of Victoria. working and to honor her family commitments.

“I didn’t plan to do doctorate. It was kind of like this door opened and I stepped into it,” she shared.

Webster says she saw an opportunity to pair the Indigenous Language Revitalization with a PhD program in Indigenous Leadership Studies. In her studies, she explored how programs could be more welcoming to Indigenous Students.

It was the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when Webster began her doctoral work. With the world on lockdown, there were language warriors looking for ways to keep their studies going.

“The Hesquiaht language program offered (lessons on) Zoom so I started that,” said Webster. “We would meet online to hear the language, learn the stories, archives. It was really a grounding experience, and I really found community

support in that avenue.”

Webster proudly shares that she has been taking the Indigenous language program with her two sons.

For her doctoral work, Webster turned to Nuu-chah-nulth scholars like Umeek (Dr. RichardAtleo), Ḥaa’yuups (Ron Hamilton), as well as archives and the NTC video collection.

“I went there all the time, citing them,” she shared.

But it was the support of her grandparents,Andrew and Sarah Webster of Ahousaht, that was the beacon that kept Webster on her educational path forward.

“My education pathway always included my grandparents’aspirations for me,” said Webster.

With her three sons now grown and pursuing their own post secondary education dreams, Christine, following in the footsteps of her grandparents, has taken in a niece. Providing a home in the city for her niece provides an opportunity for the young lady to dream big.

When asked what she would say to her grandparents if they were here to see her walk the stage, Christine wept. Just thinking of her grandparents brought strong emotion.

“I don’t know that I’d need to say anything, I’d just want to hug them,” said Webster.

“When I think about the journey, sometimes you have to find the motivation... they believed so much in education,” said Webster, adding that her grandparents were like her parents. Still living next door tothe old Victorian Webster home, Christine says they were really with her the whole time.

With doctorate in hand, Webster will be a faculty member at UVic in July 2025 as an assistant professor.

“I’m excited,” she shared. “I feel like asan Indigenous scholar teaching about Indigenous knowledge systems, it’s a little more reassuring and grounding.”

Submitted photo

Congratulations to this year’s NTC scholarship winners

Ditidaht

Emily Haiyupis 1 K-3Athletic

FannyAdams 3 K-3Hahopchu

AdinaWilliams 10 4-12Artistic

DakotaKnighton 11 4-12Academic&Athletic

HaileyThompson 11 4-12Academic&4-12Academic

KirstaSamuel 12 4-12Academic&Artistic

BarrySamuel 12 4-12Exceptional

KateEdgar 12 4-12Academic&Athletic

TessaCharleson 12 4-12Academic

DanielGeorgeJr 12 4-12Hahopchu

Ehattesaht

CarsonJohn K K-3Athletic/Hahopchu

FreddieAdams 2 K-3Athletic

JaxonHanson 2 K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

JackJohn 2 K-3Hahopchu

AubreyOmeasoo 3 K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

BrandonJohnJr 4 4-12Academic

TawniJohn 4 4-12Academic

JamesJohn 5 4-12Academic

AmaleeHanson 7 4-12Academic

MabelAdams 7 4-12Hahopchu

MariaJohn 8 4-12Artistic

Hesquiaht

HuukustaWhite 1 K-3Hahopchu

MaliyahRobinson 3 K-3Athletic

AlexanderAmbrose 7 4-12Academic

LindenLucas 11 4-12Acdemic&Exceptional

PeytonLucas 11 4-12Academic

Mercedes-MarieGlaim 11 4-12Hahopchu

Hupacasath

KeiraDick 3 K-3Athletic

CandiceWatts 6 4-12Academic

RoryTatooshMacLeod 10 4-12Academic

TealaMcAnerin 11 4-12Academic

Huu-ay-aht

KylieRobinson 4 4-12Academic

BennettMalcomson 4 4-12Athletic

AdeleneFred 6 4-12Academic&Hahopchu

SydneyNookemus 9 4-12Academic&Exceptional

SummerLittle 10 4-12Academic

MadisonLucas 10 4-12Hahopchu

DakotaJohnson 10 4-12Hahopchu

Kyuquot

MarkylaHanson 4 4-12Hahopchu

QuintenSmith-Hanson 7 4-12Hahopchu

JacksonJules 9 4-12Academic

ChristinePuglas 10 4-12Atheltic

Grayson Joseph 11 4-12Academic

MicahJules 11 4-12Exceptional

SerinaBlackstone 11 4-12Exceptional

CalebHansen 12 4-12Academic

Shea Mark 12 4-12Hahopchu&Heechis

Mowachaht

KameronSavey 2 K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

AndrewJayCallicum 7 4-12Academic

CarterMichael 8 4-12Exceptional

DaveAmos 10 4-12Academic

SamuelJohnson 11 4-12Hahopchu

Nuchatlaht

KaylynKeim 1 K-3Hahopchu

TluupinJohn 2 K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

RogerKeim 3 K-3Hahopchu

TylerMichael 4 4-12Artistic

IvaMichael 6 4-12Artistic

NevaehAmos 9 4-12Hahopchu

Tla-o-qui-aht

DesiraeCampbell K K-3Hahopchu

EllieBlackbird K K-3Hahopchu

RussellCampbell 2 K-3Hahopchu

KatinaThomas 6 4-12Acdemic&Hahopchu

MelissaFrank 6 4-12Academic

MasonFrank 7 4-12Academic

BodeAmos 9 4-12Academic

JayneLucas-Noel 11 4-12Academic

OwenWilson 12 4-12Academic&BMO

PaitonTom 12 4-12Academic

TritonMartin 12 4-12Academic

Toquaht

OakleyEmerson 1 K-3Athletic

CarterEmerson 4 4-12Academic

DavinaWebber 11 4-12Academic

Tseshaht

HarlowRampanen K K-3Hahopchu

BreaTaylor K K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

LanaleyHassall 1 K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

KodaGoodwill 1 K-3Hahopchu

AmeliaFred 2 K-3Hahopchu

RhodesVliegenthart 2 K-3Hahopchu

RoamGoodwill 2 K-3Hahopchu

EmmettRampanen 2 K-3Athletic&Hahopchu

KameronWatts 4 4-12Academic&Hahopchu

AlannahPeters 5 4-12Academic

AnderLucas 5 4-12Academic

AnnikaAnderson 5 4-12Academic

KessaWatts 5 4-12Academic

RileyHassall 5 4-12Athletic&Hahopchu

ScarlettSieber 5 4-12Hahopchu

DawsonBill 6 4-12Academic&Athletic

DesiderioGomez-Charles 7 4-12Academic&Artistic

GertrudeLucas 7 4-12Academic

TessaAuerbach 7 4-12Academic&Athletic

KailandWatts 7 4-12Exceptional

LoganKnighton 8 4-12Academic

OdisAnderson 8 4-12Academic

SolomanWatts 8 4-12Academic&Athletic

AnthonyHoltslag 8 4-12Hahopchu

DanikaTaylor-Charleson 9 4-12Hahopchu

AidenLomsdalen 9 4-12Academic&Exceptional

NismaMarshall 9 4-12Academic&Artistic

EmeryAuerbach 9 4-12Academic&Athletic

LorelaiSeitcher-Watts 9 4-12Hahopchu

CarmenBill 10 4-12Academic

MariahNelson 10 4-12Academic

BraidenThomas 10 4-12Hahopchu

KellySam 11 4-12Artistic

CiannaGregory 11 4-12Hahopchu

AngeleneBarney 12 4-12Exceptional&Heechis

MaryRobinson 12 4-12Academic

StephenMackJr 12 4-12Exceptional&Heechis

TiaWatts 12 4-12Academic

RaelynnJohnson 12 4-12Artistic

NoelaniWatts 12 4-12Academic&BMO

AldenSeitcher-Watts 12 4-12Hahopchu

Ditidaht

AmandaProulx

BachelorofSocialWorkIndigenous,LaurentianUniversity

MarynaMacdonald JD/JID,UVic

BudgetCarandTruckRentalScholarship

MLGLawCorporation

DeannaSamuel ITEP,UVic WawmeeshMemorialScholarship

Ehattesaht

ChristinaJohn MasterArtsIndigenousLanguageRevitalization,UVic

JohnThomasMemorialScholarship

AdrienneMichael HumanServicesDiploma,NIC NTCGeneral

Hesquiaht

KatrinaRowe AssociateDegreePyschology,CamosunCollege Generalacademicscholarship

GraceMoyer BachelorArtsClassicalCivilization,UniversityofToronto Forastudentstudyingjournalism

VerenaWilhelmson PhDIndigenousGovernance,UVic Fieldofcultureand/orteachingeducation

Hupacasath

LucasCarlson BachelorofScience,TRU

BankofMontrealScholarship

RusteeWatts MastersofEducationinEducationalLeadership,VIU NTCGeneral

Mowachaht

MonicaAmos JurisDoctorProgram,UVic

BankofMontrealScholarship

MargarettaJames MasterArtsgender,race,sexuality&socialjustice,UBC NTCEducationGeneralScholarship

Nuchatlaht

AmberVincent CertificateHairArtDesign,JCI

Tla-o-qui-aht

AndieWilson DiplomaArtsandScience,CamosunCollege

ChristinaEnns Certificate IndigenousLanguageRevitalization,UVic

NTCEducationGeneralScholarship

BankofMontrealScholarship

BankofMontrealScholarship

ColtonVanDerMinne MasterScienceOceansandFisheries,UBC NTCGeneral

CorinneMartin CertificateIndigenousLeadership,NIC NTCEducationGeneralScholarship

EllyWilson BachelorScienceKinesiology,CamosunCollege NTCHealthDepartmentScholarship

Tseshaht

KayleighFredGuzman CertificateHS/EA/CommunitySupport,NIC

RoyandDaisyHaiyupisScholarship

CiceliaArsenault Master’sinbusinessAdmin,TRU MPSChartedProfessionalAccountants

CynthiaSieber BachelorArtsChild&YouthCare,UVic NTCHealthDepartmentScholarship

EdwardFred BachelorofSocialWork,UVic TommyJackMemorialScholarship

ElissaFred-Cranmer DiplomaPracticalNursing,NIC NTCHealthDepartmentScholarship

The orange crosswalk and plaque were undertaken byAlberni District Secondary’s Social Justice class in recognition

project was started the previous year by an earlier class.

Orange crosswalk a reminder of residential legacy

Project undertaken by Alberni District Secondary’s Social Justice class in recognition of residential school system

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

PortAlberni, BC –ASocial Justice class atAlberni District Secondary School has turned project into a lesson for the entire community. Through banners, plaques and a freshly painted orange crosswalk in front of the school, theADSS Social Justice class in raising awareness of the legacy of Canada’s Indian residential school system, and - more importantly - is teaching future generations about acceptance.

On June 11ADSS students and staff invited dignitaries and survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School to a ceremony that not only showcased their work but also delivered a promise that their message will be passed on to future generations.AIRS survivors and other guests gathered at the entrance of the school to learn about the project and witness the unveiling of a plaque at the orange crosswalk.

Blake Sayers of the Hupacasath First Nation and Raelene Brown opened the ceremony by welcoming guests and acknowledging the event was taking place on the traditional, unceded territories of the Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations. The welcome remarks were delivered in both English and Nuu-chahnulth languages.

Surrounded by a sea of orange shirts, AIRS survivors were given front row seats, shielded from the hot sun by students holding umbrellas for them.

In his opening remarks, Blake Sayers called it a day of celebration. He said the Social Justice class, taught byAnne Ostwald, affectionately known as Ozzy at the school, have worked hard to put together elements for this day.

“We’re gathered here today to celebrate and commemorate our new orange crosswalk, banners, poles and plaque that will

be unveiled,” he told the crowd.

While the new orange symbols cannot be missed, Sayers said this day is about more than that.

“It’s about honouring the people who’ve been impacted by residential schools, ongoing colonialism and erasure, and creating something that invites reflection and action,” he stated.

The project was started the previous year by an earlier class. Student Sophie Burrows-Weber thanked the ones that started it but could not finish due to time constraints.

“Thank you, Kate Edgar, Ditidaht, Klara Hahn,Ava Lowery, Kelcie Sam, Tseshaht, Tia Watts, Tseshaht, andAbby Mazzone,” she said.

In 2025 students Sahara Oosthuyzen, Aaliya Dube, Hali Stafford, Trenton Nelson, Blake Sayers (Hupacasath) and Billy Morris (Ahousaht) continued the project, bringing the people together for this day.

The project was not only supported by the high school and School District 70, but also by the City of PortAlberni, and local First Nations, the Tseshaht and Hupacasath.

Bethany Watts of Hupacasath thanked the students and the school, saying their work demonstrates a powerful commitment to reconciliation. The banners and crosswalk are symbols of reconciliation and the ongoing commitment to continue the work is uplifting.

“The future is in strong hands,” said Watts.

Wahmeesh, Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts, acknowledged theAIRS survivors in attendance.

“There’s a reason we can get up and speak our language today, and that we can still sing our song,” said Watts, nodding to the survivors.

He praised the work of the students and the school staff. He reminded people that everyone has a responsibility to get

educated, especially about the injustices of the world.

“Stand up against racism,” he said, adding that there are residential school deniers out there.

He advised students to learn about it, to stand up and speak out when they see it.

“You’re doing amazing work. You’ve made a difference. Everyone who drives by here will be reminded,” he told the students.

Speaking on behalf of theAIRS survivors, Richard Samuel acknowledged the growth of Indigenous learning opportunities at SD70s schools throughout the region before thanking the school’s administrators and staff.

Federal NDP MP Gord Johns said he flew back from Ottawa for this historic event.

“The message from the students to future generations, that we must never let this (Indian residential schools) happen again, is an important one,” said Johns.

“Students are great teachers, and we are learning so much from them today.”

Students in the Social Justice class then led a brushing ceremony of the freshly painted crosswalk, while the cultural class drummed. Once complete, another student unveiled the commemorative plaque.

It reads:

“With the Survivor’s flag, Indigenousdesigned banners, and orange crosswalk, this area represents the many steps we must take to Truth and Reconciliation.

“As the future leaders of our community, we the students atAlberni District Secondary School, acknowledge the inter-generational traumas to Indigenous children and communities who were impacted through the Indian residential school system.

“We honour and recognize the ongoing healing process that Survivors and Indigenous communities are pursuing, including the incredible resilience, strength, and spirit that animates and transforms each individual.

“We, the students, strongly commit to this year-round.”

Alberni District Secondary School.

Denise Titian photos

of the residential school system’s impacts. The

Play brings fate of Yankee ship Tonquin to life

‘Had it not been for this trade dispute, this might be part of America today,’ says Gisele Martin during the show

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofino, BC – Children playing “Tla-oqui-aht warriors” paddled in cardboard cutouts of dugout canoes around the wooden pirate ship play structure at Tofino’s Village Green to recount the fate of the Tonquin. The 269-tonAmerican trade ship sank to the bottom of Clayoquot Sound in 1811 after being overwhelmed by the warriors – and blew up.

As told by Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s Gisele Martin and her father Joe Martin on June 11, the Tonquin’s goal was to establish a trade post and claim the region as part of the United States ofAmerica.

The Tonquin’s captain Jonathan Thorn, who was played by Tofino resident Hugo Hall, was brash, and not well-liked by his crew. Thorn wanted to trade for sea otter furs with Gisele’s great, great grandfather Nookmis. But when Nookmis told him the price for one pelt was three blankets, 30 beads, 30 buckets and three knifes, Thorn scoffed and shoved the otter pelt in Nookemis’face.

In the novelAstoria byAmerican historian Washington Irving, which chronicles the entire journey of the Tonquin, Thorn is said to have “slapped” the chief in the face.

The next day, angry Tla-o-qui-aht warriors boarded the ship and threw the captain overboard.

“The captain got clubbed by the women and disappeared under water,” Gisele regaled the audience on the sunny June 11 afternoon.

One crew member, James Lewis, who was played by ClayoquotAction’s Dan Lewis, allegedly scuttled to the bottom of the ship and lit five tons of gun powder. “KA-BOOM!” Joe exclaimed as the children ran around the mock Tonquin ship with sparklers. “Sparks flew and Nookmis got thrown overboard.”

Tonquin’s crew and roughly 100 brave Tla-o-qui-aht warriors perished in the sea. Martin says Lewis became the first “suicide bomber” of Clayoquot Sound.

“People in Opitsaht could see the mass of the ship for three years poking out of the water. During that time, Tla-o-qui-aht became very diligent about protecting this coast,” said Gisele.

It wasn’t until 20 years later that Tla-oqui-aht started having a relationship with some of the British trading companies.

“That’s why Tofino is here today and that’s also why this is not part of the United States today. We’ve never sold this land. We’ve never ceded it; we’ve never signed it away in a treaty,” said

Gisele, noting Tla-o-qui-aht’s fight to protect Meares Island from old growth logging, preserving the source of Tofino’s drinking water. “[I]n 1984 Tla-o-qui-aht took the government all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. In their own courts, the government could not prove that they owned this land.”

Forty-one years ago, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, with support from the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council (NTC), famously declared Meares Island the “Wanachis Hilth-huu-is Tribal Park” under Nuuchah-nulth law.

The Meares Declaration protected the old-growth forest from being logged, and is recognized as one of the largest

demonstrations of civil disobedience in NorthAmerica. Prior to the conservation stance, there was no “tribal park” in existence under provincial or federal legislation.

The wreck of the Tonquin was never found… But one day in the spring of 2000, a local crab fisherman found his trap hooked on the end of an old, old anchor – that anchor, encrusted with blue trading beads, is believed to be the Tonquin’s.

The anchor is on display at the Village Green in the gazebo to this day and belongs to the Tla-o-qui-aht.

Group calls for gender-neutral washroom signs

By Roniya Sahin Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Tofino, BC - This Pride Month, the Coastal QueerAlliance (CQA) is calling on Clayoquot Sound’s businesses to update washroom signs to be genderinclusive.

The CQA’s Swap the Signs Campaign is being launched in partnership with Tourism Tofino and Surfrider Pacific Rim as an effort to make the region more accessible.

“There’s [transgender] people in our community that we care about that don’t have the same access to the same things that other people do, and this is an opportunity to remedy that.” said CQADirector Sully Rogalski, who uses the pronouns they and them.

This June, businesses can pick up free signage and educational toolkits from Tourism Tofino and the Tofino Chamber of Commerce. Free printable signs can be found on the CQAwebsite.

The gender-neutral signs display images of urinals or toilets, a break away from traditional stick figures depicting a woman or man. Some signs contain text that simply reads “Toilets” or “Washroom” – a subtle but clear shift away from any indicators that signify the washroom being solely for one gender.

Halfway into the month, Rogalski reports the CQAhad a positive number of responses from local businesses looking

to show support amidst the busy tourist season.

The CQAare no stranger to queer advocacy work. The organization primarily focuses on increasing representation for queer folks, as well as providing resources and opportunities for community connection. The CQAadminister several queer-centred programs yearly and focuses its efforts on different 2SLGBTQI+ advocacy campaigns.

With help from the Clayoquot Community Fund and a partnership with Tourism Tofino and Surfrider Pacific Rim, the Swap the Signs Campaign intends to increase the safety and visibility of transgender folks in the community.

The aim of swapping a gendered washroom sign in favour of a genderinclusive one is to frame accessibility to public washrooms as a basic human right. Gendered washroom signage prevents an entire demographic from accessing that public right, says Rogalski. By lessening the importance of gender-designated washrooms, the stress of accessing that basic human right also lessens.

Anti-trans sentiments continue to rise in both Canada andAmerica, withAlberta Premier Danielle Smith limiting access to gender affirming care and U.S. President Donald Trump’s similar executive orders. 2SLGBTQI+ advocacy groups are working to demystify the harmful myths about trans folks.

Clearing up the confusion about gender-

inclusive washrooms is one efficient step towards demystification, says Rogalski. UCLA’s Williams Institute of Law researched the possible safety risks of transgender peoples using washrooms that comply with their gender. Their findings, released early this year, show providing access to public washrooms to transgender folks had no significant impact on violent victimization amongst strangers in public washrooms.

Anegative byproduct of gendered washrooms was discovered by the Williams Institute when their research findings showed harassment was more likely to occur to transgender people if they tried to use a washroom that did not align with their biological gender at birth.

Aresearch report by Ontario’s Queens

University in 2021 on gender-inclusive washrooms found that many transgender and gender non-conforming folks avoid sex-designated public washrooms altogether. The study cited the chronic stress of possible harassment and overall anxiety about being unsafe in gendered spaces to be the leading cause.

Queen’s University found little risk in spontaneous violent acts between strangers in their research on gender-inclusive washrooms.

The CQA’s own Sully Rogalski shared their personal negative experience with gendered washrooms. Suffering from chronic pain, Rogalski found themself struggling to walk around 300 metres to a public washroom on the beach they were relaxing at. They expressed frustration towards the inaccessibility of both the path to the washroom and the gendered washroom itself.

“I could either sit there and just be uncomfortable in my own body and not listen to my needs,” explains Rogalski, “or walk back up a path to go to something that was explicitly not made for me.”

The Swap the Signs Campaign is designed to be easily replicable by other communities who are looking for ways to show their support for Pride Month.

Local businesses interested in joining the campaign can sign the Google Form on the CQAwebsite, and individuals can sign a petition showing their support on a separate form.

Nora O’Malley photo

On June 11 the story of the Tonquin was re-enacted in Tofino’s Village Green. The 269-tonAmerican trade ship sank to the bottom of Clayoquot Sound in 1811 after being overwhelmed by the warriors – and blew up.

Greetings everyone. We are now into a beautiful summer time. The sockeye are running, the salmon berries are ready and there is new life in bushes and trees and medicines are growing. I wish you all a very bountiful summer of fish and fruit and vegetables as we prepare for next winter.

Sympathies to all families, friends and communities who have lost dear ones. It can be a difficult time to get through and our hearts are with you.

We are having difficulties with the B.C. and federal governments in their actions to counteract Trump’s tariffs and the economic downshifts due to those tariffs. Both governments passed laws to fast track or streamline national projects in the case of Canada, and infrastructure projects in the case of B.C. Both laws give full powers to cabinet to override conditions to develop a project that may be holding up its building. They can override environmental and other laws that may safeguard the carrying out of our rights and disrupt habitat and ecosystems. They say because First Nations are involved in projects they will have a say. This is not always the case and is not a sure thing.

The governments feel they have to do this for the good of everyone and to help the economy of B.C. and Canada. Even though First Nations across the province and country have confronted the premier and prime Minister and other ministers that they have violated UNDRIP and reconciliation, they say that they have not. Even the new Indigenous Services Canada minister, who is First Nations, and other Indigenous members of Parliament are in agreement or have to toe the prime minister’s lines and not break rank. Sad reflection on Indigenous values. It is funny to see statements from the prime minister, premier and other minsters making statements about how important our relationships with them are and how they want to continue to work with us, when they can depart from that when they feel it is necessary. The PM said he would never rush another law through like this one, but we know if he feels he has to he will. First Nations put their trust in the Liberal government in the election and now feel their trust was violated with this action.

We have been working with the B.C. government on the Heritage Conservation Act and aligning it with UNDRIP. We have worked for around three years and have hopefully moved it along to transformational ways like we wanted. We will know this soon. The B.C. government has shown it knows how to work with First Nations and can’t just totally pass a law without any consultation and collaboration leading to free prior and informed consent of our nations.

The First Nations across B.C. are meeting and planning their response to both the provincial government and Canada. Will it be court? Protests? Or other ac-

tions ss yet to be seen, but the passing of these laws provincially and federally sets us back at least 10 or more years.

I have been busy in the clean energy field as well. I attended an industry conference where there was much excitement with the calls for power now being made by BC Hydro. There hadn’t been a call for power for 15 years as B.C. kept saying Site C would be enough for many years. They were wrong and industry had been telling them that for years. BC hydro put in place an implementation plan for UNDRIP and they had a one-day meeting to find out from First Nations if they were making progress. They have made some progress but not enough and more work needs to be done. In the last call for power they required 50 per cent ownership of First Nations and arranged with the Canadian Infrastructure bank to provide loans for equity. We have yet to see a call for power for smaller projects under 15 megawatts. The New Relationship Trust is looking for expressions of interest for smaller projects and will design a program with some funding to build these projects.

As you are aware we had two masks returned to Nuu-Chah-nulth. One to our office and one to Ucluelet. This took some time but the museum at the university in San Francisco was very cooperative and helpful and great to work with.

The United States had a law that artifacts and objects need to be returned to First Nations and tribes and we will probably get more requests for proof of ownership.

At the NTC we do not have a person who can work on these kinds of returns, but we do what we can to work with those who contact us.

I continue to work on the Heritage ConservationAct transformation process and am hoping we can proceed to legislation for next spring that will ensure protection of what is sacred and important to us.

I also continue to work on matters of justice with the justice council. The First Nations Justice Council continues to expand its services across B.C. as it implements its justice strategy. Visit their website for services offered.

Cloy-e-iis

Judith Sayers

NCN Mental Health Counselling

Tuesdays and Thursdays

8:30am – 4:30pm

4841 Redford Street, PortAlberni

NCN Mental Health Services – DropIn Counselling with Margaret Bird, Registered Clinical Counsellor and Play Therapist. For on and off reserve members of all ages of the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council. Call (250) 724-3939 to book your appointment.

Nurturing our roots

Every Wednesday

4841 Redford Street

Every Wednesday 1:30pm – 3:00pm Drop-In.Asafe 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

NETPBabysitter Course

July 3, 2025

PortAlberni – NetPOffice

President’s Message &Community Beyond

The Nuu-chah-nulth Employment and Training Program is inviting youth to start building their resume and employment readiness skills. Course content will include information on managing difficult behaviors, to essential content on leadership and professional conduct as a babysitter. FirstAid content includes: Check, call, care, calling EMS 911, glove removal, recovery position, conscious choking (CPR (baby/child)), illness, asthma, anaphylaxis, poisoning, insect stings, wound care, head/neck/back injuries, broken bones and seizures. Eligibility: Indigenous YouthAges 11+ must have a valid SIN number. Registration required. To register contact Gregory Thomas @ 250-723-1331

Rattle making with Quuasa

July 18th or 19th, 2025

4841 Redford Street, PortAlberni, 5th avenue entrance 1:30pm - 4:30pm Learn about Indigenous crafts from our cultural team and get a chance to try your hand at them. No cost, no fees, everyone welcome.

Annual Yuquot Camp-Out

July 27th toAugust 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

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

Years Ago

Vol. 27 – No.

National Aboriginal Day Celebrated in Anacla

More than 300 people celebrated NationalAboriginal Day inAnacla, an event organized by Connie Nookemis and the people ofAnacla. Held at the Pachena Bay Campground, the festivities included a feast of barbequed sockeye provided by Oscar Nookemis

and singing and drumming with Huuay-aht Tyee Ha’wiith Tlii-shin (Spencer Peters) leading the group. Matt Vicker of Kitkatla spoke on the meaning of NationalAboriginal Day, while in the background children welcomed the first day of summer out on the beach.

Huu-ay-aht Tyee Ha’wiith Tlii-shin (Spencer Peters) leads singers and drummers, including Robert Dennis Jr., during NationalAboriginal Day festivities at the Pachena Bay Campground inAnacla.

Employment and Training

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

Kelp forests ‘alleviate the impact of climate change’

Underneath Canada’s ocean surface lies two-million-hectares of carbon storage, says a UVic research project

By Antonella Medine Arias Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Victoria, BC — Anew study is offering the first national assessment of Canada’s kelp Forest, indicating a potential naturebased solution for the climate crisis.

Aresearch team from the University of Victoria investigated how much carbon ocean ecosystems absorb and whether this process stores it long enough to help counter climate change. Over the last six years, scientists have increasingly focused on ecosystems like kelp forests, grasslands and wetlands as natural carbon sinks - areas that capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“We’ve been turning to nature to help alleviate the impact of climate change,” said Jennifer McHenry, lead researcher and UVic postdoctoral fellow with the Blue Carbon Canada association. “It comes down to wanting to store and draw down carbon in natural ecosystems that would otherwise circulate in the atmosphere, [that] potentially contributes to the climate crisis.”

Kelp forests not only capture carbon, they also help transport it across marine environments.

“It sort of washes back and forth with the waves,” McHenry said. “Pieces of carbon break and get transported across the ecosystem. Some of it [ends up] in shell sediments, [some] get buried . . . some of it breaks down to the point of where it’s no [longer] usable by marine organisms. Therefore, it’s just trapped in this pool of dissolved carbon.”

According to McHenry, kelp is one of Canada’s largest coastal marine ecosystems, covering an estimated two million hectares, about twice the size of seagrass and salt marsh areas combined. The study was applied to the Canadian coasts, accounting for 16.2 per cent of the wold’s coastlines with kelp forests expanding in theAtlantic, Pacific andArctic oceans.

Current ocean current models show kelp’s high productivity, capturing between 40,000 and 400,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

“Until recently, it’s been hard to measure how much carbon is produced and where it actually goes in the ecosystem,” McHenry added. “So, the study was really trying to, for the first time, determine how much carbon is in our kelp system in Canada.”

Even with a national data set for kelp ecosystems now available, there are still gaps in their mapping. More extensive mapping and long-term monitoring will be the next priority for researchers.

“There is a real opportunity for more

to truly understand what the potential will be,” said McHenry.

This also opens the door for communityled science. Marine Plan Partnership, an organization co-led by 17 First Nations organizations and the Provincial Government of British Columbia, is actively gathering data on kelp forests across regions like Haida Gwaii, the North Coast, Central Coast, and Nanwakolas Council territory.

McHenry hopes that with the publication of the research, communities already supervising kelp forest can make more informed decisions about conservation and protection. The ongoing research process also allows community scientists to take a more hands-on approach, like measuring the carbon uptake of kelp.

“Communities for a long time have known the value of kelp forests for other reasons. Their support for fisheries, [and their] contributions to coastal communities are absolutely invaluable,” said McHenry.

According to Oceana, kelp forests are underwater habitats for thousands of invertebrate species, fish and other algae.

Some species spawn in kelp forests or use these areas as nurseries for their young, and predatory species like sharks and marine mammals use these areas as hunting grounds.

“It’s not just about the carbon [kelp is] capturing. It’s also about their role in

the ecosystems and the role they play in supporting local communities.” McHenry said.

However, researchers point out the risks of depending entirely on kelp forests for carbon dioxide reduction.

“I don’t think kelp solutions alone will help us out of the climate crisis. The evidence [shows] that these systems capture a lot of carbon, but kelp investments don’t take away from the need for drastic fossil fuel reductions,” said McHenry. Excessive carbon uptake can alter the ocean’s pH levels, impacting marine life that depends on these ecosystems. The higher the absorption of carbon dioxide, the more the pH decreases, making the ocean more acidic.

Researches note that kelp forest can aid, but not replace, other actions to reduce the climbing temperatures. For instance, the Center for Science and Education estimates transportation contributues 14 per

cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Local communities can aim to reduce carbon dioxide by using alternative ways of transportation like bikes, using the public transportation or carpooling. Hence, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and help cut emissions.

“I want to continue to emphasize that our results are really promising,” stressed McHenry. “It suggests that [kelp] systems are taking a lot of carbon and...there’s a lot of potential climate mitigation benefits of protecting and restoring our kelp forests.”

To read the full article, visit npj Ocean Sustainability online. The study is a collaboration amongst 24 co-authors from various institutions in Canada,Australia, and the United States, with funding by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Wikimedia Commons photos

Agrowing volume of scientific evidence, including a recent study from the University of Victoria, is pointing to kelp as a factor to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. research

Ferns:

A long, nearly forgo en history of health use

First Nations commonly used seven species of the plant, but proper preparation is critical to avoid hazards

By Holly Stocking Ha-Shilth-Sa EditorialAssistant

While British Columbia has nearly 40 species of native ferns, not all are edible or used for medicinal purposes. These seven species are the most commonly used by the West Coast First Nations. The most well-known is the ostrich fern, a large stout deciduous plant sought after for its fiddleheads, eaten by First Nations all across Canada but most notably a traditional dish in Quebec and New Brunswick and now sold commercially around the world.Afood-borne illness outbreak in B.C. back in 1990 was attributed to the consumption of raw or under-cooked ostrich fern fiddleheads, so they must be harvested and prepared properly. Fiddleheads are collected mid spring when the fronds are still coiled, and it is recommended that no more than three tops per plant be harvested. Overpicking can deplete the rhizome’s energy reserves and kill the plant. Fiddleheads contain vitaminsAand C as well as potassium and iron, making them a beneficially nutritious plant.According to Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada, First Nations across the country also drank a decoction of the ostrich fern’s leaf stalk base from a sterile frond to alleviate back pain and to speed the expulsion of the afterbirth.

Alarge stout evergreen plant, the fiddleheads of the Christmas or sword fern were also eaten, much in the same way as the ostrich fern. But this fern must be boiled for at least 10 minutes, with two water changes as they contain small amounts of carcinogens. Not only was the Christmas fern used as a famine food, it has been used by First Nations to treat a wide variety of ailments.An infusion of the plant was taken to treat rheumatism, fever, chills, tooth aches, cramps, diarrhea and used as a blood purifier for venereal disease. The rhizomes were also mixed into a rub and massaged into the body on rheumatic areas to relieve pain. Apoultice of wet rhizomes were topically applied to boils, sores and even dandruff. Nancy J. Turner’s 1983 study Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island writes the mature fronds of the sword ferns and bracken ferns were used in cooking pits, below and above the food or woven into temporary plates or place mats. There has also been documentation the fronds were used as bedding material. The bracken fern, a tall single stalk deciduous fern, is also an important traditional food for West Coast First Nations - but proper preparation is crucial as it contains a very strong carcinogen that has been proven to cause stomach cancer. Young, coiled leaves are harvested early in spring, rubbed free of their tiny hairs and boiled for no less than 30 minutes with two water changes. The bracken fern

was commonly eaten with oily foods like animal or fish grease, as well as salmon eggs because the rhizomes could cause constipation.Abracken fern tonic can be made to treat rickets, stomach ailments, diarrhea and worms.Asalve of boiled leaves in fat can be used to treat burns and sores, while smoked leaves treat headaches. Turner’s 1983 study notes the Nitinaht people slept on a thick layer the bracken fronds and the Makah would use them to lay their fish on and for wiping the slime off fish. Bracken fern was also used as a hair rinse to stimulate growth.

The tannin-rich leaves can tan leather and the rhizomes would later up well in water for use as a soap substitute.

The deer fern, a tufted ever-green, was only eaten when there was nothing else.

The young stalks were peeled, and the center part can be eaten to relieve hunger or chewed to alleviate thirst. The deer fern was more regularly used as a medicinal plant, leaflets being chewed to treat internal tumors, respiratory or gastric complaints. Tonics can relieve general ill health and fronds can be applied directly to the skin on open sores.

The rarely known licorice fern is a summer deciduous plant, growing a single frond in very shady damp locations like mossy rocks or logs of downed trees. It’s eaten for its sweet unique flavor due to the high concentration of ploypodoside.

Nuu-chah-nulth used the licorice fern for coughs and colds, and it was said they were often just chewed for the sweet flavor.

The rhizomes of this fern can be eaten raw when young, the Nitinaht people would chew the rhizomes and swallow the licorice flavored juice to treat a cough or sore chest. Turner’s study notes the juice had a strong flavor and water was drunk after. While Nuu-chah-nulth used this fern for coughs and colds, it was said they were often just chewed for the sweet flavor. While this fern is generally safe it could interfere with vitamin B absorption in some individuals.

The lady fern was mainly used medicinally for the complaints of women.A decoction of pounded stems simmered

in water would ease the pains of labour, and the rhizomes would ease breast pain. An infusion of the rhizomes steeped in water would stimulate the flow of milk.

The young, unfurled fronds can be eaten for internal disorders like cancer of the womb, while dried powdered rhizomes are applied to sores to speed healing or mixed with water to create an eye wash. Oils are extracted from the plant to treat worms in both humans and livestock, but caution must be taken because a dose too strong was known to cause muscle weakness, coma or blindness. When travelling through the wilderness the sight of the lady fern was a sign of clean drinkable water.

And finally, the maiden hair fern, a small and delicate perennial plant found in moist areas of the forest. Turner’s

study states that Nitinaht people didn’t consider this plant medicinal, but their dancers would rub the fronds on their feet and ankles to make them light footed, writes Turner. The Mowachaht and Hesquiaht dancers and athletes considered this plant good medicine, they

would drink an infusion of the ashes of the maiden hair fronds mixed with other herbs for taste to give them strength and endurance. The Makah would chew the fronds for stomach trouble, sore chest or internal hemorrhaging. Smashed wet fronds could be used to treat snake bites or venereal disease sores.Astrong infusion of the plant was brewed and used as an emetic (causes vomiting). The rhizomes were brewed into bitters to treat excessive menstruation, as a stimulant or to treat rheumatism. The bitters could be taken internally or externally massaged into the skin to treat joint aches. Once the Europeans discovered the benefits of the maiden hair fern it was exported overseas to make cough medicine. Maiden hair fern was also combined with chamomile or yarrow to create a rinse to make hair shiny.

The conditions of Vancouver Island’s temperate rainforest provides ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of fern species that have been utilized by First Nations in many capacities for centuries.

The ostrich fern is a a large stout deciduous plant sought after for its fiddleheads. It was eaten by First Nations all across Canada, but most notably a traditional dish in Quebec and New Brunswick and now sold commercially around the world.

Sword Fern

Bracken Fern

Deer Fern

Lady Fern

Maiden Hair Fern