INTERESTING NEWS
Building the way to food sovereignty, rock by rock
With three now on the Island’s west coast, restoring clam gardens provides space for intergenerational learning
Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
This is article is part of a series of stories on Nuu-chah-nulth clam gardens.
Meares Island, BC – Tofino dwindled in the distance as the water taxi followed a low, low spring tide out towards Meares Island Tribal Park or wanačas hiłhuuʔis, Nuu-chah-nulth words that translate to ‘the mountain and the shoreline’.
Elder Vince Smith was among the crew for the day, having journeyed roughly seven hours with family from Ehattesaht territory and the town of Zeballos on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.
The purpose of the trip was to grow the hiłhuuʔis clam garden with the Nuuchah-nulth Youth Warrior Family; Smith brought a notepad and pen to diarize the day and was eager to put shovels in the sand with his grandkids.
“I think it’s really important they learn something like this to bring back home. We didn’t do this when I was growing up,” said Smith, who attended the Christie Residential School on Meares Island for eight years and then was transferred to Mission.
As the group walked the cedar boardwalk to the site, Smith explained how Tofino and Ucluelet have one of the strongest currents on the west coast.
“It generates all the nutrients for everything that is on food chain,” Smith said.
“The tides, they come off a Japanese current and it usually hits around the Tofino area. It causes a really strong tide here. It’s different here than up in Zeballos and the Esperanza area.”
It’s hard to know exactly how many clams a garden like hiłhuuʔis produce, but according to the Clam Garden Network, gardens can yield 150 to 300 per cent more clams and double to quadruple the biomass of unmodified beaches.
Tribal Parks Guardian Gisele Martin says clams used to feed 10,000 Tla-o-quiaht people for millennia. She pulled out her phone and brought up a map to show the group Felice Island, located between Clayoquot Island and Tofino. During the lowest tides, the land mass between Tofino and Felice would be exposed, allowing for Tla-o-qui-aht to harvest hundreds and hundreds of clams.
“My dad said they used to dig five tonnes of clams a day,” Martin exclaimed. That’s about the weight of four small cars.
“As soon as Tofino waterfront became their dump, we lost that clam garden place.As more and more pollutants like fish farming and float homes came into
our territory, there are polka dots of areas that are now closed to us (for shellfish harvesting),” said Martin.
Within minutes of arriving at the site, Youth Warrior program coordinator Dr. Ricardo Manmohan unearthed a dozen huge Butter clams from a small patch of sand. He dropped them in a bucket and told the Ha-Shilth-Sa that Fisheries and Oceans Canada exempts Butters from shellfish testing because they are not commercially viable, but Butters are the ones that elders like the most.
“It’s like paddling in the fog, we are learning as we go,” said Manmohan.
“The reason you build the wall is that it retains the spawn. When the clams let off all their spawn, it retains. You’ll see as the tide comes back up, you’ll see how it may be ripply on the outside, it’s really calm in the clamming area,” he explained.
The crew spent a couple hours raking seaweed and removing rocks from within the garden to create more room for the clams to burrow into the sand. They stacked the rocks along the intertidal terrace to make it more stable and then started building a new terrace.
Traditionally, clam harvesters would rotate each year between the different terraces or arches to allow for regrowth.
Youth Warrior program operations lead and Huu-ay-aht First Nation member
Andrew Clappis Jr. was in his element, working the beach and spending time outdoors with friends.
“Moving rocks is a lot of fun,” he grinned. “Every time we come out here, there is always a Heron in that same spot. I’ve heard that if you point at it, you get pregnant or your finger shrivels off.”
The Youth Warrior team has built two other clam gardens in Nuu-chah-nulth territory: one is in Huu-ay-aht territory and the other is in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h/ Che:k’tles7et’h First Nations territory. Clappis says their focus for now is on maintaining the three sites rather than
building more, although they’d love to be able to expand in the future.
When asked why they were committed to restoring clam gardens, Clappis Jr. took a long, thoughtful pause before sharing his answer:
“We are bringing back a major food source for when all the grocery stores shut down. It’s food sovereignty,” said Clappis Jr.
This story was made possible in part by an award from the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Nora O'Malley photos
The restoration crew stands over their work after a gumboots-on-the-ground morning rock hauling and raking the hiłhuuʔis clam garden. Addison Harry (below) holds clams from the site.
Province pushes through on faster project approvals
Union of BC Municipalities, First Nations Leadership Council call for bill to be dropped, cite 'unfe ered power'
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Victoria, BC - Opposition is growing against legislation set for a final vote this week in Victoria, a bill that appears to give the province power to override the authority of municipalities and First Nations if a development is “designated as provincially significant.”
Bill 15, the Infrastructure ProjectsAct, was introduced in the legislature on May 1 with the aim of speeding up approvals for large developments in British Columbia, eliminating “unnecessary and costly delays,” said Premier David Eby.
The legislation is intended to move along vital public facilities like schools and hospitals, stated the province, as well as private sector projects “needed to drive economic growth”. Projects that are deemed to “create significant economic, social or environmental benefits for people in B.C.” would be reviewed more quickly through the province’s environmental assessment process, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure.
This comes amid alarms over how rhetoric from the US administration will damage Canada’s economy. President Donald Trump has pushed to severely tax Canadian exports – particularly lumber – as part of a tactic to encourage more manufacturing in the United States.
“At a time of uncertainty by Donald Trump’s tariffs, it’s more important than ever that we create more good-paying jobs by delivering the critical infrastructure projects people need – faster,” stated Eby when the legislation was introduced.
But certain municipalities and First Nations see Bill 15 as a threat to their decision making authority, as the legislation gives Eby’s cabinet “extraordinary power” to override local regulations, stated the Union of BC Municipalities.
On May 22 the UBCM joined the First Nations Leadership Council in a call to withdraw the bill. The leadership council is composed of representation from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the First Nations Summit and the B.C.Assembly of First Nations.
These parties recently discussed the legislation with Eby and Minister of Infrastructure Bowin Ma, but the province remains steadfast in passing the law through this spring. The Conservatives and Green Party have also opposed Bill 15, but with a slim NDP majority in the legislature, the act has passed through successive readings this month with a final vote expected Wednesday, May 28 – the day before MLAs break for the summer.
First Nations leaders contend that the bill threatens the path set by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.Adopted by Victoria in 2019, DRIPA sets to align B.C.’s laws with the internationally recognized United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“I cannot overstate the serious setback
15, the Infrastructure ProjectsAct,
“unnecessary and costly delays,” says
and harm these actions have on the years of hard work, the integrity of [DRIPA], and the future of reconciliation,” stated Terry Teegee, regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations. “Nothing short of repeal would be acceptable or serious amendments need to be made!”
Judith Sayers, president of the Nuuchah-nulth Tribal Council, sees Bill 15 as a step backward for the NDP government, which has demonstrated a collaborative approve with First Nations in the recent development of a law to better protect elements of heritage.
“B.C. knows how to put in place legislation that is Indigenous co-developed, as they are doing with the Heritage ConservationAct. Why not this act?” asked Sayers. “Things done in a rush will backfire on provincial government - First Nation relationships, reconciliation and all the work done to date on UNDRIP.”
The province has said that it will ensure projects get “robust environmental reviews and consultations with First Nations”. But contained in the pending legislation it states that the minister of Infrastructure could intervene and grant “alternative authorizations” to push a project forward if it’s mired in delays.
“The province is saying ‘trust us’and that they won’t misuse the unfettered power these bills provide,” stated Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. “However, considering the bills were created without consultation and cooperation and that the province continues to refuse any amendments, it is unclear what this trust would be based on.”
Bill 14 has also attracted criticism from those who fear a movement to centralize
Judith Sayers.
power in British Columbia is underway. The Renewable Energy (Streamlined Permitting)Act aims to remove red tape delays by expanding the authority of the B.C. Energy Regulator.
This follows past comments from Adrian Dix, minster of Energy and Climate Solutions, that at times the permitting process in B.C. has taken longer than the construction of a project.At the First Nations Energy Summit in December Dix stressed the urgency of building renewable power sources, comments that came days after the province entered into purchase agreements with nine upcoming wind-generating projects. These projects
– eight of which are majority owned by Indigenous groups – are not being subjected to environmental assessments. This also applies to all future wind projects in B.C., according to a Dec. 9 press release from the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions.
More power generation will be needed in the coming years, according to BC Hydro. Its 10-year capital plan predicts that 15 per cent more electricity will need to be generated by 2030 to meet rising demand from increasingly common items like electric cars and household heat pumps.
Province of B.C. photo
Bill
will speed up approvals for large developments in British Columbia, eliminating
Premier David Eby.
Eric Plummer photo
The province developed the bill without talking to First Nations, says NTC President
Drug overdose deaths drop by 25 per cent
Port Alberni continues to be a ‘hotbed’ for illicit usage, but toxicology data shows a decline in fentanyl content
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
There is a heart fence in PortAlberni that memorializes some of the loved ones who have died due to the illicit drug supply in the past few years. The Heart Project features brightly coloured wooden hearts hanging from a chain-link fence at Dry Creek Park off of 4th Avenue.
But the few lovingly hand-painted wooden hearts represent only a small number of the lives lost to the opioid epidemic in PortAlberni since 2014. The actual number of lives lost to illicit drugs in the 11 years since the start of the opioid epidemic in theAlberni Clayoquot Local HealthArea, which includes Tofino and Ucluelet, is likely in the hundreds.
In British Columbia alone, 17,683 people have died due to the toxic illicit drug supply since 2014 and the number continues to grow daily. Compare that to the City of PortAlberni’s population of just over 18,000. The overdose crisis has been a provincial public health emergency since 2016, and a federal report states the leading cause of death in British Columbia last year continued to be accidental poisoning due to illicit drug toxicity.
But there may be some light at the end of tunnel. In its latest report on deaths related to unregulated drug toxicity, the BC Coroner’s Service is showing for the first time in years a reduction in the number of deaths in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year.
The provincial health authorities are seeing a monthly death toll from illicit drugs fall below 160 for as many as six months in a row. In January 2024, 219 deaths from illicit drugs in B.C. were recorded while there were 152 deaths recorded for the same time period in 2025.
In 2023 theAlberni-Clayoquot local health area was ranked third following Vancouver’s Downtown East Side for the most illicit drug deaths per capita.
For that reason, several concerned leaders and residents have come together to look for solutions.
The PortAlberni CommunityAction Team is a locally led initiative responding to the overdose crisis.Apeer-driven team, the PortAlberni CAT works collaboratively with emergency services and first responders, “with a focus on family support, strong relationships with local Indigenous partners and First Nations HealthAuthority.”
According to PortAlberni CAT, a 25 per cent drop in the rate of drug poisoning deaths so far this year in British Columbia “is being attributed to factors ranging
from a decline in the fentanyl concentration in the drug supply to harm reduction measures, such as wider availability of the drug-overdose reversing drug naloxone.”
There are many factors that could be contributing to the decline in deaths. Changing drug regulations could have altered illicit drug recipes, while to harm reduction measures such as outreach, safe supply and overdose prevention sites have focused on keeping user alive.
In September 2024 the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council declared a state of emergency, calling for dedicated and substantial funding to adequately provide
meaningful and culturally appropriate trauma-informed services to Nuu-chahnulth communities. They say that the opioid and mental health crises affect First Nations communities disproportionately.
In late May Nuu-chah-nulth leaders got together for a two-day meeting to strategize, with a focus on saving lives. While everyone is cautiously optimistic about the news that drug deaths have lessened, it comes with the knowledge that there is still much work to do.
One of the concerns is that the unregulated drug supply is just that – formulations are changing all the time.
“They’re mixing other things in, and Naloxone doesn’t work,” said NTC President Judith Sayers about the latest mixtures of illicit substances available. She learned that it is important for people to know how to resuscitate an unconscious person when Naloxone isn’t working.
“You need to help them breathe until help gets there,” Sayers said.
During the Nuu-chah-nulth leaders’ meeting on the toxic drug crisis, several actions were identified, like raising awareness, using a blend of traditional and modern healing/helping methods.
“We have excellent partners and together we can do this,” said Sayers, adding that until the death rate drops to zero, there will always be concern.
Despite the reduction in illicit drug deaths, the latest numbers from February and March 2025 mean an average of about five deaths a day in the province. For comparison, in 2024 there was an average of six deaths per day and, at its highest point, seven deaths per day in 2023.
Ron Merk is the editor of Learning
Moments and a long-term advocate for people with concurrent disorders and evidence-based drug policies in B.C. He says death numbers may have dropped because it appears fentanyl content in the drug supply has lessened somewhat.
“But PortAlberni is still a hotbed and there’s still significant risk,” said Merk. Merk said that a request for proposal was sent to Island Health in 2024, seeking eight to 10 recovery beds for Port Alberni, but he doesn’t know what is happening with the proposal. He said Port Alberni and region is in desperate need of recovery beds that anyone can access.
Pointing out that PortAlberni has only one psychiatrist, he said it would be nice if we had one more.
While the news that there are fewer drug deaths in 2025 is good, Merk hopes the numbers continue to drop so that it can be called a trend.
“We have lots of work to do,” he said. According to the BC Coroners Service, fentanyl and its analogues continue to be the most common substance detected in expedited toxicological testing.
“More than three-quarters of decedents who underwent expedited testing in 2025 were found to have fentanyl in their systems (70 per cent), followed by methamphetamine (50 per cent) and fluorofentanyl (47 per cent),” stated the coroner.
The cities experiencing the highest number of unregulated drug deaths so far in 2025 are Vancouver (97), Surrey (52) and Greater Victoria (28).
Dr.Alexis Crabtree, a public health physician, said overall the numbers represent a 25 per cent decrease in the rate of drugpoisoning deaths in 2025 compared with the prior year, and a 36 per cent decrease from the peak in October 2023.
Denise Titian photos
The Heart Project features brightly coloured wooden hearts hanging from a chain-link fence at Dry Creek Park off of 4th Avenue in PortAlberni.
Asmall bag like one commonly used to carry illicit drugs lies in PortAlberni’s Dry Creek Park
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Popular tourist a raction day closure
Closure imposed to avoid visitor interference as the Pacheedaht harvest from beach
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Port Renfrew, BC – The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks temporarily closed Botanical Beach in Juan de Fuca Park for 24 hours, beginning Sunday, May 25. The announced closure was intended to keep the public out of the popular tourist attraction to allow members of the Pacheedaht First Nation privacy and freedom to harvest marine resources and “to reconnect with an important part of their territory,” states a press release from the province.
Pacheedaht Chief CouncillorArliss Jones says her nation has not signed a treaty but her people continue to use their territories, including Botanical Beach, to meet the needs of the community.
PFN members use Botanical Beach for seafood harvests, as their ancestors did in generations past. They say the practice can come with “uncomfortable encounters” from visitors.
“Our people should not have to answer unwanted questions or deal with unruly people when they are only trying to put food on the table, and other people’s table,” reads a Pacheedaht First Nation statement.
ChiefArliss Jones, recuperating from major surgery in Vancouver, spoke to Ha-Shilth-Sa about why it is necessary to close the beach to the public for a day. She said delegates from Parks came to Pacheedaht, located in Port Renfrew, B.C., in early 2025 to discuss parks in PFN territories.
Jones told officials that since Botanical Beach was designated a provincial park in 1989 and opened up to the public, things have started change.
“I told them that my granny used to get her sons and their families together to spend the day there. We’d bring nothing but firewood and a big pot,” Jones recalled.
Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s an old dirt road leading out to Botanical Beach was mostly washed out and barely passable. Jones’father and uncles would go there in a boat, pulling crab traps along the way.At low tide, the extended family would hit the tide pools gathering sea urchins, gooseneck barnacles, chitons, mussels, sea cucumbers and large barnacles, which were steamed in a pot of ocean
water over an open fire.
“The kids would play in the tide pools and we’d spend the whole day out there,” she recalled.
Even though it was fun, Jones said it was important because the kids watched and learned.
“The barnacles and mussels were huge…they’re not like that anymore, 40 years later,” she noted.
Jones said it is important to get back to these old ways, so that today’s children can continue to teach their youngsters about Pacheedaht’s food “market” at Botanical Beach.
“It’s hard to live with today’s economy,” she noted.
The seafood at Botanical Beach was plentiful prior to the establishment of the park back in 1989. When that happened, a nice, new paved road was built along with groomed trails leading hikers from the parking lot down to the beach.
On a typical summer weekend, the large parking lot can be full, with overflow cars parking along the edges of the road and the beaches and trails teeming with visitors.
As a designated parkland and popular spot for viewing tide pools, collecting any marine life, including shellfish, is prohibited.
“Botanical Beach is part of Juan de Fuca Park, and the regulations emphasize leaving the natural environment undisturbed,” states BC Parks on its website.
The prohibition did not apply to Pacheedaht members harvesting seafood because Botanical Beach is within their traditional territory.
According to the province, Pacheedaht
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!
had a village called li:xʷa, located just above Botanical Beach.
“The village facilitated Pacheedaht’s stewardship of the area and its rich marine resources that continue to sustain Pacheedaht culture. These resources are now challenging for members to access due to the popularity of Botanical Beach,” stated the province.
The 24-hour closure promised to be a fun day for Pacheedaht to celebrate their history and culture - together, alone.
“We need to secure our market, because if we don’t use it, we’ll lost it,” said Jones.
While she could not attend the beach day for medical reasons, Jones says her people were allowed to camp at Botanical Beach on the Saturday night so they could collect seafood at low tide on the Sunday morning. From there they could enjoy culture and good food over campfires.
“We’ll celebrate our history with each other with good food and not being bothered by anybody,” said Jones.
The temporary closure for recreational visitors began at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, and ended at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, 2025. During this time, Parks invites people to visit other day-use areas in Juan de Fuca Park, such as Mystic Beach, Sombrio Beach and China Beach.
The temporary closure is part of a joint initiative by BC Parks and the Pacheedaht First Nation to collaboratively manage Juan de Fuca Park.
Jones says this is the first closure of Botanical Beach for traditional use, but she hopes that there will be other closure days over the summer.
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Wikimedia Commons/Bernard McManus photo
Pacheedaht First Nation members use Botanical Beach for seafood.
Killer whale swims into a fish farm near Tofino
The orca entered Creative Salmon’s Baxter Islets fish farm area on Feb. 18 while
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Tofino, BC. – Small town whispers about an orca swimming into a fish farm near Tofino are true.
On the morning of Feb. 18, 2025, a killer whale swam into the infrastructure at Creative Salmon’s Baxter Islets facility in Clayoquot Sound, states a May 23 email statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
“The animal safely swam back out shortly after on the same day,” said the department responsible for the conservation and protection of marine mammal species in Canadian waters as well as managing licences for aquaculture operations in B.C.
Tim Rundle, Creative Salmon managing director, says staff observed the orca near a predator net.
“The farm was in transition and there were no fish on site,” said Rundle in a May 22 email, four months after the incident occurred.
Rundle said that the fish farm was being prepped to receive smolts in the spring, and part of that preparation involved removing the predator net.
“The predator net surrounds the entire farm under the grower nets and up above the waterline on all sides; creating a barrier between marine mammals and the fish growing in the nets. To remove the predator net from the site, the net is cut into panels that are later hoisted out of the water with a crane on a boat or a barge,” said Rundle.
“The orca was not in distress and was swimming freely,” Rundle continued.
“Given that the nets were loose and cut into sections, the orca had many routes to leave. To help this to happen even more quickly, the crew lowered the net near the orca. It then swam away and rejoined its nearby pod,” Rundle said.
Creative Salmon made a call to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and then reported to the Observe, Record, Report (ORR) line, according to Rundle. The fish farm company then “contracted an external barge company to assist in getting the predator net panels out of the water more quickly than the company could do in-house.”
DFO corroborated Creative Salmon’s statement saying that the site was not culturing fish when the orca entered the area, and no containment nets were present.
the net pen was empty of fish
“Staff were in the process of removing the outside predator net, which created an opening through which a killer whale entered. To release the animal, the other side of the net was lowered, and the killer whale swam out freely. The predator net has since been fully removed,” said DFO. It is unclear as to how long the orca was “swimming freely” in the predator net.
Creative Salmon operates within the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht Hawiih (Chiefs). They have a dated protocol agreement with Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) from 2014.
Tla-o-qui-aht Chief Elmer Frank says Creative Salmon did not inform them about the Feb. 18 orca incident, and that clarity is needed on the relationship status between TFN and Creative.
Orcas, or kakawin as they’re called in Nuu-chah-nulth language, are highly respected species within First Nations communities up and down the coast. Tlao-qui-aht elder Joe Martin says kakawin often represent the female ancestry and teachings from another tribe.
“It’s how all this knowledge was passed
over the whole coast,” said Martin. He told the Ha-Shilth-Sa he was “quite shocked” upon learning, months after the incident took place, that an orca had entered a fish farm area.
“It’s sad that it got trapped in their pen. How on earth could an orca wind up in a pen? Those farm areas are disgusting. There is a lot of pollution under there. I figure that orca may have dove for a seal or something,” said Martin.
He thinks the sooner fish farms are removed from Clayoquot Sound, the better the water and the wild salmon stocks will be.
“I want them the hell out. In the BroughtonArchipelago where they have gotten rid of the farms, the salmon returned. The runs of fish have rebounded. There are positive effects from removing fish farms,” said Martin.
In 2018, the Mamalilikulla, Namgis, and Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nations began working with aquaculture operators and the government to decommission fish farms and support the recovery of wild salmon in the Broughton
Archipelago (DFOArea 12), located on
Declines in Pacific salmon abundance are widespread across B.C. and Yukon, according to the 2024 State of Salmon report published by the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and factors affecting the state of salmon are not limited to aquaculture. Climate change and fluctuations in ocean conditions impact salmon throughout their life cycle as does industrial development like forestry, poor fisheries management and hatchery salmon interbreeding with wild salmon, reducing genetic diversity and resilience.
DFO encourages everyone to report possible occurrences of whales being harassed or disturbed, and instances of collision with whales or whale entanglements by calling the Fisheries and Ocean’s Observe, Record, Report/Marine Mammal Incident Hotline at 1-800-4654336 or by email at: DFO.ORR-ONS. MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
For current marine mammal guidelines visit: Canadian Marine Mammal Regulations.
CYPRESS RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Jérémy Mathieu photos
An orca, or kakawin in Nuu-chah-nulth language, swims by a Creative Salmon fish farm in December 2024.
the central coast of B.C.
Uchucklesaht gets funds for climate-related projects
Tribe looks to the future effects of sea level rise, coastal storms & other emerging environmental inevitabilities
By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
PortAlberni, BC – The British Columbia government is providing the funds to the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation via its Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding (DRIF) program. This funding will in part help create projects that will assist communities with their ability to mitigate climate-caused disasters.
Earlier this month government officials announced they would spend a total of about $41 million to fund 61 projects throughout the province.
Besides its DRIF program, about half of the funding that was announced will be coming through the province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). The CEPF is administered by the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM).
“Climate change is with us now,” said Nigel Moore, the special projects manager with Uchucklesaht’s lands and resources department. “It’s not going to be going away.And we acknowledge that and so it’s a sort of a forever project for us to be always looking to adapt and understand and build our resilience.”
Moore said it was perfect timing for Uchucklesaht to receive the provincial funding. The First Nation recently completed its climate action plan. It staged its final community engagement and a celebration event for the plan onApril 26.
The plan details how Uchucklesaht is going to address both mitigation of climate change and adaptation methods.
As for the new provincial funding, Moore said it will be utilized for what Uchucklesaht officials are calling its Climate Monitoring and Resilience Project. Work will start later this year. It’s expected to be a two-year project.
“This work is stuff that builds on a lot of things that we’re already trying to do but allows us to take it a step further and also to do this work in a more sort of comprehensive manner,” Moore said. “So, we’re able to do this comprehensive project, to look at all of our climate adaptation priorities rather than just doing little one offs with the smaller amounts of funding that we have from other sources.”
Moore said Uchucklesaht’s recently completed climate action plan helped determine many next steps.
“We’re doing some upgrades to some climate monitoring stations throughout our territory that we’ve already installed,” he said. “We also have some marine monitoring stations that we’re going to be doing some upgrades to improving
our data management processes, and just building out our ability to over time track local climate changes that we’re experiencing in the territory.”
Moore provided details on other work that is planned.
“We’re also going to be doing a local climate baseline and forecast report,” he said.
This entails looking into local information that is specific to Uchucklesaht territory, an analysis over time that looks deeper than the “global-scale models” that are often used to track the effects of climate, explained Moore.
Another upcoming study will see Uchucklesaht representatives examining its long-term freshwater access for its village of Ehthlateese.
“We’re going to be looking at access to freshwater for Ehthlateese and whether our current freshwater systems will need to be upgraded and how climate change might impact groundwater levels,” Moore said.
He added another initiative is a sea-level rise study looking at a lake in the First Nation’s territory.
“We already experience at really high tides, some backwatering of seawater into the river, so the river actually begins to flow backwards in some sections near the ocean there,” Moore said. “So, the concern that many of our citizens have brought up is that what happens when we have more sea level rise, bigger coastal storms that drive those higher tides. We
Josie Osborne, the MLAfor Mid Island - Pacific Rim, said the provincial funding, including money that Uchucklesaht is getting, will help communities be better prepared for emergencies caused by climate change.
“These projects reflect a shared commitment to proactive, community-led emergency planning,” Osborne said.
“By funding projects like these, we’re building resilient communities that can withstand climate threats, protecting both our residents and ecosystems.”
Kelly Greene, the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, also believes the provincial funding is vital.
start to see more backwatering of seawater all the way into the lake, and how might that change the lake, the biology in the lake, the habitability of the lake for salmon and other species over time.”
Moore also said Uchucklesaht reps will be looking at shoreline protection options for Ehthlateese.
“The village and many of the homes are very close to sea level,” he said. “We have a coastal protection berm there already. But the idea is to look at more robust options and also some naturebased solutions.”
“The frequency of climate-caused events is increasing, and managing and reducing these risks is essential,” she said. “By supporting communities on these projects, we are helping to better protect these communities and the people who call them home. Our new DRIF program provides reliable, long-term funding so communities can better plan for and address their most pressing disaster-mitigation needs.”
Trish Mandewo, the president of UBCM, said local governments deal with climate-caused emergencies and there is a great need to have proactive solutions driven by communities in place.
Mandewo is pleased the UBCM has joined forces with the province to provide funding “which equips communities across B.C. with the tools and resources they need to adapt to a changing climate and reduce disaster risks before they happen.”
Uchucklesaht tribe government photos
Approximately two dozen people live in the village of Ethlateese, which is located in Barkley Sound.
Fire erupts in Tseshaht home, destroying contents
Port Alberni Fire Department visits homes on First Nation’s land, offering to check smoke alarms after disaster
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
PortAlberni, BC - With her family helping her to deal with a list of health issues that hospitalized Gloria Fred for over two months this year, she was hoping to soon move back into her house on the Tseshaht reserve. But now plans have changed for the family, after a fire devastated the building on May 14.
Most recently discharged from the West Coast General Hospital on March 11, Gloria was staying with and being cared for by her daughter Christine Fred, leaving Gloria’s spouse, Frank Pollard, alone in the house on Wattys Road with the family’s pets. It appeared that the fire started while Pollard was cooking dinner.
“I was just cooking hamburgers on lowmedium heat and I was checking on it every once in a while,” said Pollard. “I was in my room and all of a sudden I heard a big explosion. I ran out and it was real smoky, black smoke right to the floor. I couldn’t even see the floor, but I could see the flames just roaring like crazy.”
Pollard ran out of the house to call for help, but had to get back in to retrieve something. He barely managed to get back out due to the smoke.
“I tried to run outside and I couldn’t even see, I crashed into a wall,” he said.
“I felt my way around and got outside.”
Gloria’s daughter Christine came with a fire extinguisher, but had to get another one from a neighbour when this failed to put out the flames.
Meanwhile several calls from the area were made to 911, alerting the PortAlberni Fire Department at 6:38 p.m. Eight minutes later the fire department arrived, using both on-duty and off-duty staff.
Assistance also arrived from the Sproat Lake, Beaver Creek and Cherry Creek fire departments.
Eventually there were about two dozen personnel at the scene, with three fire engines, two rescue trucks and two command vehicles.An ambulance was also there to assess Pollard, Christine and firefighters.
“We found pressurized smoke pushing out the front door of the house and some heavy fire that was more towards the rear of the building,” said PortAlberni Fire Chief Mike Owens. “Fire crews initially attacked that from the exterior of the building and made it safe to transition into an interior attack at that point.”
Crews of firefighters took turns working through the burning structure, hauling heavy hoses and tearing away pieces to expose areas where flames could be hiding. Usually members of a crew will each use up two tanks of oxygen before letting another group of firefighters into a building, explained Owens.
“It’s very intensive work,” he said.
“Typically, we’ll cycle the single crews through for a couple of cylinders.”
The fire was out by 7:39 p.m., within an hour of when the crews first arrived.
Pollard and Christine Fred, who briefly went into the burning home, were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, but do not appear to be seriously harmed.Adog and three cats found their way out of the fire and were located afterwards, but one of the family’s cats was lost from the blaze.
It’s yet to be determined if the house can be repaired or if anything can be salvaged from the fire. Firefighters gathered a few things from Pollard’s room in a garbage bag, giving a grim indication of the extent of the fire.
“That was completely covered in black smoke,” said Gloria’s other daughter, Amanda Watts, of the belongings. “I don’t think there’s going to be much to salvage.”
Like many houses on the Tseshaht reserve, Gloria’s home wasn’t covered by property insurance. The family has
started a fundraising campaign to cover immediate costs of recovering from the
It’s a devastating setback for the family, after Gloria recently dealt with kidney failure, pneumonia, severe infection and ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication of diabetes, according toAmanda Watts. Gloria was on dialysis for three weeks at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, said her daughter.
“My mom got really deathly ill Jan. 1 and just about died,” saidAmanda, adding that her mom was blind after she came out of a medically induced coma.
“She doesn’t see very well and needs care. We were actually preparing the house for her to go back home,” continuedAmanda. “Now she doesn’t have a home to go to.”
Checking community’s smoke alarms
In the aftermath of the incident on Wattys Road, the PortAlberni Fire Department plans to visit homes on the Tseshaht reserve this spring, offering to check if smoke alarms are properly functioning. It’s part of a project already underway that identifies areas of higher safety risk due to fire, and Owens says that the fire department can provide new smoke alarms to homes on the reserve.
“We’ll actually install it with our firefighters, and it’s all free of charge,” he said. “We’re happy to be out there engaging with the community and making the homes safe.”
The official cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Due to the location on a First Nation reserve, this responsibility falls under the jurisdiction of the RCMP, said Owens.
Chrstine Fred video still
On May 14 a fire broke out in a home on the Tseshaht reserve, drawing the attention of four local fire departments.
fire.
‘Be proud of your kids’: Potlatch brings hundreds to Zeballos
Groups travel from Ahousaht, Kyuquot, Gold River, Tahsis and Nanaimo for the +iic^uu, which included giving 46 children traditional
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Zeballos, BC - In a district-wide event that brought hundreds to a tiny coastal community, Zeballos Elementary Secondary School hosted a potlatch on May 22.
Known as a ƛiicuu, the cultural event in Ehattesaht territory included giving all of the school’s students traditional names. The morning’s ʕumptnaqšiƛ, or naming ceremony, encompassed 46 students at the school, ranging from pre-school to Grade 12. The desire to undertake this started years ago, following the wishes of an elder who has since passed, said Maaxmowcimaq, who teaches Nuu-chah-nulth language and culture at the Zeballos school.
“The way we planned it through is we watched the kids, we learned about them, we learned about their characteristics and who their family was,” she said after the morning naming process was complete.
“We consulted with families for family names, and we consulted with our elders for other names. We also used our language dictionary to find a name in there, find something that fits.”
Grade 9 studentAddison Harry received the name n’aan’aayaʔa, which means northern lights.
“I feel happy. It feels like they’re calling me pretty because the northern lights are pretty,” she said.
“In our culture we name people throughout their lives,” noted Maaxmowcimaq.
“We knew it was important. We wanted to connect the kids to the land, to the people, to their history.”
Non-Indigenous students at the school also received traditional Nuu-chah-nulth names.
“The names that we chose for the nonFirst Nations students really fit who they are,” explained Maaxmowcimaq. “They’re part of us. They’re learning our culture, they’ve been really respectful, they’re part of our community.”
Indigenous content is a consistent part of the school’s curriculum, entailing an hour daily for each class. This includes language learning, protocol, medicine harvesting and anything tied to the land on Ehattesaht/ Chinehkint territory.
“It’s a sign of respect to the land that you’re living on,” said Maaxmowcimaq of
the Indigenous content.
Singing and dancing filled the gymansium of Zeballos Elementary Secondary School for hours on May 22, as the community hosted a potlatch. The preparations, performers came from across northern Nuu-chah-nulth territory, with a group from Nanaimo as well. really important that the kids are encouraged.”
Adam Barber, the Zeballos school’s principal, finds that the Nuu-chah-nulth element of the curriculum grounds students to the place where they live.
“That’s the primary connection they have to the school,” he said of some of his students. “It’s definitely the most important part of some of their days.”
Each year a different community in School District 84 hosts an Indigenous cultural event, a tradition that started in 2010 with a school feast and naming ceremony in Tahsis. Preparations for the Zeballos ƛiicuu were underway since September, with weekly dance practices, the preparation of gifts and even formal invitations that students delivered in person to the schools
that attended to participate. Joining the local performers from Ehattesaht territory, contingents came fromAhousaht, Gold River, Tahsis, Kyuquot and even Hisukʔiš c’awaak, a cultural group from Nanaimo.
Meeting Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at Wellington Secondary School, Hisukʔiš c’awaak attracts up to 100 people to its practices, drawing members from a variety of First Nations across the B.C. coast.
“When you see a little child start dancing, that’s their dancing spirit waking up,” said Greg Charleson of the Nanaimo cultural group, noting that he discourages parents from just leaving their children at Hisukʔiš c’awaak. “It’s really important that parents are part of the program. It’s like basketball, or hockey, the parents are right there. It’s
Charleson was part of the 40 who ventured to Zeballos for the May 22 potlatch, leaving Nanaimo at 5:15 a.m. He admitted that the excitement of performing made sleeping difficult.
The Hesquiaht member and his group performed a song that originated from Charleson’s time at the Christie Indian Residential School. He always remembered singing Praise Him in the Morning, a Christian song from the residential school’s Sunday morning bible studies.
“I used to sing it to my son when he was a little boy. When he was 5, 6 I would sing it to him in English,” recalls Charleson. With the help of some language teachers, his son ended up translating the Christian song into his Hesquiaht dialect, and this version filled the Kyuquot school gymnasium with singing and drumming before a full audience on May 22.
“We pray, that’s why it goes with the prayer song,” said Charleson. “We pray for
to Zeballos school
giving 46 children traditional names
all those kids that didn’t make it, for the families that are still grieving and suffering trauma from things that happened to their kids or to themselves.”
Mowachaht/Muchalaht Tyee Ha’wilth
Mike Maquinna travelled to the potlatch by boat to witness his people perform.
Eric Plummer photos community hosted a potlatch. The result of nine months of kids are encourwho ventured 22 potlatch, leaving admitted that the made sleeping and his group peroriginated from CharleIndian Residential remembered singing Morning, a Christian s Sunday
son when he was a 5, 6 I would sing it recalls Charleson. language teachers, translating the Christian dialect, and this Kyuquot school gymnadrumming before a goes with the e pray for
Addressing the audience, he noted the prior generations that weren’t able to practice their culture due to Canada’s potlatch ban and the residential school system. But today’s parents still need to be involved in the cultural activities that are happening at their children’s schools, stressed the chief.
“Teachers have sometimes a tough time getting parents involved and going to the school,” he said. “Parents also need to be part of this. You need to support your kids in these schools.”
Maquinna gestured towards the crowd as his muschim started to sing.
“That’s what this is about. Take it to heart. Be proud of your kids,” he emphasized.
Agrowing number of people in British Columbia are engaged in learning their ancestral Indigenous language. Pictured are teenagers singing in Nuu-chah-nulth at a language gathering hosted by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in Tofino inApril 2024.
Funding for language falls short, as learners increase
Indigenous language learners have increased 20 per cent in last five years, says First People’s Cultural Council
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
The provincial government announced a $45 million investment in new funding for preserving Indigenous languages in its Budget 2025. Spread over three years, the new funding would go to the First People’s Cultural Council (FPCC) to support Indigenous language preservation and revitalization work.
In a written statement, the province said this investment nearly doubles its past annual allotment to First Nations-led language programming.
The FPCC says this is the first time it has received a long-term funding commitment for programs from the province.
“FPCC will receive $15 milion annually with $12 million designated for language revitalization,” stated the organization in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
The FPCC is a First Nations-led Crown corporation whose mandate is to enable language revitalization in British Columbia. The government is obligated to
support language revitalization under the Indigenous LanguagesAct, Bill C-91.
The federal government also announced funding for Indigenous languages in its 2024 Budget – an allocation of $225 million over five years for Indigenous languages across Canada. Forty-five million of that is allocated to British Columbia for 2024-25. But the FPCC says this falls short of what is needed.
In previous budgets, the federal government allocated $4.1 billion for official languages support.
According to the FPCC, there has been a 20 per cent increase in people learning their Indigenous language over the past five years, since the introduction of the federal Indigenous LanguagesAct, Bill C-91.
“Last year, FPCC received $40.3 million in federal funding for 2023-24. Based on the budget and funding formula, FPCC estimates receiving about half that amount in 2024-25,” stated the cultural council.
“B.C. has a globally recognized model
for language revitalization and its programming is now in jeopardy, including community-based jobs for hundreds of women,” according to an FPCC statement.
They went on to say that B.C. has 36 unique languages with more than 95 dialects, representing half of all First Nations languages in Canada.
While the FPCC says it appreciates the funding is multi-year, it is concerned because it falls short of what is needed.
“FPCC’s evidence-based research shows the actual need to fully implement the work with communities to revitalize First Nations languages in B.C. alone is $69 million for the 2024-25 and increasing amounts ongoing annually,” they stated.
Concerned about the future of B.C.’s First Nations languages, the FPCC says persistent underfunding of language programs could prevent the achievement of language saving goals.
“The amount announced only partially covers what is needed to continue many of the valued programs that are underway
and fails to establish adequate support to fully realize languages being spoke fluently, and used in all aspects of daily life,” said Tracey Herbert, CEO of the First Peoples’Cultural Council.
The FPCC promises to continue advocating for adequate, sustainable funding for language revitalization work. Its mandate is to support the revitalization of First Nations languages, arts, cultures and heritage in British Columbia.
Despite the budget shortfall, the FPCC says there are no current changes in programming planned.
“We will continue to invest in community-based work through our programs that have proven effectiveness,” stated the cultural council in an email. “We look forward to delivering the funding for this program year and continuing our support of the revitalization of B.C. First Nations languages, arts and heritage.”
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Pronounced 'Kleco n’aas koo alth cha maa tuk ish alth ma maa t’ii new nil jim alth tu up ni wa choo', it means 'Spring time, fresh air, the wonderful sound and smell of the beautiful day.' Supplied by ciisma
Illustration by Christine Sparks
Eric Plummer photo
Warrior Games bring youth to the land and water
Dozens gathered in the woods at an Eha esaht camp, the annual culmination of a leadership program for boys
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Zeballos, BC - Thick hair hanging in a dark cloak to cover his boyish face, young Darryl McCarthy crouches on the forest floor over a pile of wood shavings. For several minutes he’s been scraping pieces of steel together, patiently trying to arouse fire from the sparks. Next to him sits ƛuupin, a boy of similar age, tapping a knife edge with wood, driving it down the grain of cedar pieces to feed the fire they hope will soon appear. Wearing a camouflage cap, Jordan Touchie comes with a cup full of wood shavings, silently helping the younger boy to produce the necessary eruption of sparks.
This activity unfolds late one May morning, deep in the woods by a logging road near Zeballos. The boys are practicing their fire-starting skills in preparation for the ‘Boil Water Challenge’, the last component of a series of games being held for the Nuu-chah-nulth Warriors.
The culmination of months of regular meetings in their respective communities, the games took place at the Ehattesaht On The Land Camp May 23-25, where approximately 30 young men – plus their adult supporters - converged to live under the trees and compete in a series of challenges. Boys came from across Nuuchah-nulth territory, with groups from Ehattesaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, Uchucklesaht, Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht and PortAlberni.
This occasion marks 10 years since the Nuu-chah-nulth Warriors started, a program that engages boys up until age 18 in activities and community projects.
The Warriors now have chapters in seven Nuu-chah-nulth nations – plus the Port Alberni contingent – usually meeting for one evening a week and one weekend getaway a month, which often entails camping in the territory of Vancouver Island’s west coast. Other First Nations in B.C. have adopted the program, and female chapters are emerging, including an initiative coming from the Huu-ay-aht. Dr. Ricardo Manmohan, a coordinator with the Warrior program, calls it “a sandbox of safety” for boys going through their formative years.
“They don’t have a safe place to just try stuff and not get made fun of,” he said. “Of course you’re not going to be the best in everything. You’re not supposed to be. We all have a role in the village.”
Manmohan speaks under the trees as the dozens of boys await their afternoon of competitions. Over a campfire that’s already been burning for hours, a drum
is played as singing drifts through the surrounding wilderness.Andrew Clappis Jr. scurries around the camp with a fat marker in his hand, filling out the details of the afternoon’s activities on a display board. The last will be the evening’s challenge of boiling water over a fire made without a match. Other events include the forest run, archery, slingshot, hatchet throwing, log balancing and the feather swim, a traditional challenge from Nuuchah-nulth society that entails swimming across a river while holding a feather.A wet feather brings disqualification.
Elders from the various nations involved helped to select the events.
“The idea with Warrior Games was it’s their traditional games, what they would do to earn a wife,” explained Manmohan.
Clappis joined the Warrior program at the age of 13, when he had just moved fromAnacla to PortAlberni.
“It was a good opportunity for me to have something to do after school,” said the Huu-ay-aht member. “I had just moved to PortAlberni for high school and I found it real hard to fit in.”
Now 18 and a 2024 high school graduate, Clappis serves as the operations lead with the Warriors support team, as well
as the youth lead with the PortAlberni chapter. While at the Ehattesaht camp, he keeps an eye on his younger peers.
“We have to make sure the guys are being responsible and not just running off randomly,” said Clappis.
Over the last decade the Warriors program has evolved. Gatherings are still intended for young men, as coordinators find that the boys can hesitate to try new things with the pressure of having girls present. But the decision was made about six years ago to include female adult support workers. This helped to balance out the masculine energy that, at times, proved to be overbearing, said Manmohan.
“For the first four years of the program we only had uncles out, and it’s not healthy,” he reflected. “Once the aunties started coming out, we could show respect to women on the land, we could model things we are trying to teach them. It really became a healthier place.”
The COVID-19 pandemic also revealed the need for stronger food security in Nuu-chah-nulth communities, which has led the Warriors to help establish three clam gardens in the last two years. They have also harvested seals, waterfowls and sea urchins.
“If more young people can do that, they can get their community members back out on the land, safely,” said Manmohan.
Eric Plummer photos
Darryl McCarthy takes aim at a rubber deer target during the archery challenge, part of the 2025 Warrior Games. The games took place at the Ehattesaht On The Land Camp May 23-25, engaging the youth in other challenges like slingshot, hatchet throwing, forest running, starting a fire without a match to boil water and swimming across a river holding a feather (below left).
Ethan Joseph starts his way back across a river holding a feather, after swimming through the frigid water to receive it fromAndrew Clappis Jr.
Asher Tom takes off during the forest run competition.Asher and his Tla-o-quiaht Warriors won the games this year.
Yarrow: A medicinal plant used around the world
A painkiller, anti-inflamatory and aromatic, the herb has been employed for so long there's no record of its origins, with traditional use dating to ancient times
By Holly Stocking Ha-Shilth-Sa EditorialAssistant
Yarrow, also known as bloodwort, soldier’s wort or +astpapt, is a native plant that has been used by nearly every culture in the world for medicinal purposes. It’s been used for so long is there is no exact record or its origins, with some traditions dating back to ancient times.
Like many traditional herbal medicines, the knowledge on how to use yarrow was considered private property by families. Secrecy was very important and in many instances the identity of the herbs used in a tonic or poultice were only known by the healer themselves. Often a patient wouldn’t even know what was being used on them, writes Nancy J. Turner in her 1983 study Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island.
Healing and the knowledge of herbs like yarrow was inherited, passed down from a parent or grandparent to a younger member of the family.
Yarrow is an aromatic herb, 10 to 80 centimetres tall with alternating fernlike leaves. Flower heads are white or sometimes pinkish, about five millimetres across. Other varieties can be yellow or even a pale peach.
Yarrow is often found in open, sunny areas like fields, road sides and disturbed sites. It thrives in well-drained, moderately rich and acidic soil, in meadows, pastures and grasslands all across North America, Europe,Asia, and South America.
All parts of yarrow can be used medicinally. Yarrow can be eaten for nutritional value, as it is very high in VitaminsAand C as well as the minerals, zinc, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. But the plant has a very bitter taste - too bitter for most to find appetizing.
Yarrow contains alkaloids that reduce clotting time in blood, making it a vital plant in times of war. The Makah would gather an abundance of yarrow before going off to war and would pack wounds with the herb to stop the bleeding and save their warriors’lives. It was a staple in a hunter’s medical kit as well.
Awell-made poultice of mashed leaves can staunch bleeding, aid in clotting of an open wound, treat burns, sores, boils
and pimples.Awash can be made using the leaves and fresh water, which is used as an antiseptic to reduce pain and stop infection.
Fresh flowers can be picked and dried thoroughly, then stored in airtight containers for future use in tea. Yarrow was also widely used as a sedative and painkiller or for its anti-inflammatory properties. It stimulates sweating and lowers blood pressure, making it a preferred treatment for fevers, colds, sore throats, urinary tract infections and even diabetes. Ditidaht men would chew the fresh picked leaves and swallow the juice to eliminate cold symptoms, according to Turner’s 1983 study.
NorthAmerican and European women alike have used a yarrow infusion - two heaping spoonfuls of the dried flowers steeped in boiling water for five minutes - for its anti-spasmatic properties. This reduces menstruation cramps, suppresses menstruation, speeds labor and heals the uterus after giving birth.
Yarrow also contains a very small amount of menthol, which has some medicinal properties but can be harmful in excess.
The flowers have a pleasant, sweet, herbaceous scent which made them a favorite amongst many NorthAmerican Indigenous women, as it was infused in oil and used as a perfume, or dried and used as a bath powder. The men would use the fresh flowers rubbed under their armpits as deodorant or the fresh leaves rubbed on their skin as a mosquito repellent. Some people with sensitive skin can get a rash from the thujone in yarrow, as it is a mild neurotoxin that is responsible for the herb’s antibacterial properties. The flowers can also leave harmless white spots on the skin that could easily be mistaken for ringworm.
The flowers of yellow yarrow or golden yarrow can be simmered in water to create a light green or yellow dye often used color textiles for clothing or rugs.
Culturally, Yarrow was believed to ward off evil spirits and was hung with cedar on doors and windows. Most North American tribes use yarrow in a cultural way, and the Navajo,Anishinaabe and Blackfeet tribes even consider yarrow to be sacred.
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
YOUR ICU STORY MATTERS
June 4th
Victoria, BC
Have you or a loved one spent time in the ICU? If you’re Indigenous and from Vancouver Island, join us for this Indigenous-focused, interactive gathering to share stories, experiences, and insights—whether from your own ICU journey or through supporting a loved one. Location: Songhees Wellness Centre Oceanview Conference Room, 1100Admirals Road, Victoria, V9A2P6
&Community Beyond
lək k ʷəŋən Traditional Territory, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. To register, please email Paula:paula.sevestre@ccctg.ca
GRADUATIONAND SCHOLARSHIP CEREMONIES
June 6th to 7th
PortAlberni, BC
Scholarship Ceremony - Friday June 6th. Doors @ 3:30 pm; Dinner @ 4:30pm; Ceremony @ 6:00pm. Graduation Ceremony - Saturday June 7th. Doors @ 1:30pm; Ceremony @ 2:30pm; Dinner @ 4:00pm.All Trades and Vocational program graduates please contact the N.E.T.P. Office to confirm attendance: (250) 723-133. For more information, please contact Laurissa Lucas at (250) 724-5757 or by e-mail: laurissa.lucas@ nuuchahnulth.org.
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
House of Huu-ay-aht nears completion
Scheduled to open July 15th, 2000, the House of Huu-ay-aht nears completion. Huu-ay-aht carpenter Herb Nelson combined traditional architecture with the modern building codes to construct the massive superstructure. “It involved a lot of mathematical theory to put the
poles in the right places,” said Herb. “The top four logs each weigh around 30 tons, so everything has to fit just right to hold the 108- and 118-foot-long spruce logs up there.” The big house was the first constructed in Huu-ay-aht territory in over one hundred years.
Huu-ay-aht fundraising coordinator Molly Clappis stands in front of the nearly completed House of Huu-ay-aht, scheduled to officially open on July 15th, 2000.
Wikimedia Commons photo
White yarrow flowers are found growing in open sunny feilds, road sides and disturbed sites.
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
Visit www.tla-o-qui-aht.org for full job description
Visit www.tla-o-qui-aht.org for full
Lightning tournament showcases Indigenous culture
Hundreds filled
venues in Port
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
PortAlberni, BC - The elders looked happy cracking open crab with their hands on Sunday at theAlberniAthletic Hall during last day of the second annual Tseshaht Lightning Open Basketball Tournament.
They also enjoyed a free seafood feast of clams and frybread the day before.
“The Tseshaht families are very generous. This is their traditional territories,” saidAndreaAmos-Baker.
Elder Donna Samuel’s pink beaded Nike cap and pink sweater matched the huge plate of prawns she was served after finishing her crab.
“It’s not political or anything this tournament. Tseshaht really helps the residential school survivors,” said Samuel, who is of Gitxsan descent and went toAlberni Indian Residential School.
“They hold meetings for us. They include us because the residential school is on their land. They treat us so well. They make us feel like human beings, like we are accepted. You feel so unaccepted with all the politics that are going on,” she continued.
Len Watts, Tseshaht Lightning U13 girls coach, praised tournament organizer Nasimius Ross for recognizing the elders.
Alberni,
but the organizers are considering adding 20 more teams for next year
“It’s his upbringing. He’s really good at incorporating our people’s culture within the sport and taking care of elders,” said Watts.
Ross says it’s because he was fortunate to live and see the late Tseshaht Chief Adam Shewish.
“I felt loved, I felt proud when I was in his presence. He always told us, ‘You want people to leave your territory talking about you, how they were treated’,” said Ross.
“I think sports is the closest thing that we have to potlatches rights now. It’s just coming together and all the visiting. It’s around the bleachers, it’s around the food table, that people are just catching up,” he shared.
Ross found other ways to weave Indigenous culture into the May Long weekend hoops tournament – the logo is a raven stealing a basketball.
“It’s a modern theme; we meshed our culture with sports. The raven steals the sun or the moon and you see that on all kinds of art. The raven is a trickster and he’s stealing the ball,” said Ross.
All-stars received beautiful cedar necklaces with trade beads made by Jan Green with “good energy and intention”. Other players winning MVP, Most Inspirational or Mr. Hustle went home with silver pendants of the raven logo crafted by artist
Norman Seaweed.
Ross and Watts offered a tremendous amount of gratitude towards all the parents, scorekeepers, kitchen crew, security, tournament scheduler and clean-up crew.
“Volunteers are hard to find, but the ones we got, though - oh man, they just go, go, go. They are in it for the right reason. We couldn’t do it without these people,” said Watts.
Tseshaht Nation donated 72 championship sweaters and Canadian Tire gifted 60 new basketballs so all the U10 players can “ignite their dream”.
Watts adds that the main reason they set about to host a tournament is to “keep the kids busy, active and to show them com-
munity.”
“Prevention is a huge part of it for me. We’re not blind to just go down the road and see lots of our people down there…” he said.
For next year, Tseshaht Lighting is considering taking on another 20 teams (on top of the 67 that entered this year) and changing the youth divisions from a double knock-out format to a round robin so the kids get more court time.
“My daughters were watching their sister knock threes back. It was like they were watching their hero do that, and that’s what we need,” said Ross.
“Kids. That’s what started it all, kids,” said Watts.
“We couldn’t do it without the volunteers,” says tournament host Len Watts.
Gwen David went home with a cool $503 for winning the tournament 50/50 draw.
Artist Jan Green made beautiful cedar necklaces with trade beads for every tournamentAll-Star.
Nora O'Malley photos
AndreaAmos-Baker, left, relishes a crab feast with Donna and Wally Samuel on the basketball tournament's finals day at theAlberniAthletic Hall on May 18.
Port Alberni basketball tournament breaks barriers
‘It feels very safe and happy,’says Most Inspirational player Harriette Mackenzie from the tournament, held May 16-18
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
PortAlberni, BC - Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ player
Matthew Jack Jr. didn’t say much after being named ‘Mr. Hustle’in the U17 boys division, but his take on the May Long Tseshaht Lightning Open Basketball Tournament was pretty on point.
“I love playing with my friends who are not Native. It’s really more fun,” said Jack Jr.
His new team is theAlberni Naani, a mix of PortAlberni and Ucluelet ballers. They cruised to second place, falling only in the final 62-44 to Rain, who powered through four games on the same day to score a back-door victory.
Tla-o-qui-aht U17 girls team, also a mix of Nuu-chah-nulth and non-Indigenous players from the west coast, handily defeatedAhousaht’s Maaqtusiis Suns 4827 in the final. The Tla-o-qui-aht squad was an easy pick-up of the girls high school team that qualified the Ucluelet Secondary School (USS) Warriors for provincials this year – breaking a 36-year drought.
“I’ve been playing with these girls since the beginning of eighth grade. We stuck together right until the end,” said Kerissa Curly.
Tla-o-qui-aht non-Indigenous player Iris Sylvester was named MVP and Most Inspirational for the girls U17 division.
“We have good relationships on our team. This is built on a friendship. We don’t fall apart under pressure here,” said Sylvester.
In the open women’s division, defending champions Rez Coast took the trophy once again, defeating the Hesquiaht Descendants 45-31.
Rez Coast’s Jasmine Montgomery Reid was named tournament MVP.
“Open tournaments bring more inclusivity. I mean, look at all the teams that showed up. We have more teams than All Natives does right now in small town PortAlberni, so that’s pretty amazing,” said Montgomery Reid of the Syilx and Heiltsuk Nation.
Atotal of 67 teams registered for Tseshaht’s second annual May Long basketball tournament, which was contested over three days throughout five Port Alberni venues.
Montgomery Reid travelled roughly 12-hours with her family from Penticton in the interior of B.C. to play with the Rez Coast.
“I’m really excited about PortAlberni opening up again at tournaments. This used to be a tournament town. It’s great seeing all the people; the restaurants are full, it’s good medicine. I think that’s what every community needs right now. We’re all struggling, and I think basketball is gonna get us out of it,” said Montgomery Reid.
Rez Coast recruited 6’2” non-Indigenous trans-athlete Harriette Mackenzie to their team this year. Mackenzie, a forward for the Vancouver Island University Mariners, was also running the court as a referee.
“I just feel so lucky to be invited and included. It’s such a nice switch up from the college season. It feels very safe and happy,” said Mackenzie, who was named Most Inspirational Player.
On the men’s side, Tom Campbell’s indestructible pick-up team took the win from the Outsiders, 70-59.
“This tournament is getting bigger and bigger and more fun. We went 7-0 this year. We didn’t lose last year either,” said
Campbell, a longtimeAhousaht First Nation coach.
“The competition is way better (in open tournaments). These guys just don’t lay at home; they play ball quite often.As you can see, they are big boys. They can jump. They can run,” Campbell continued.
In front of a roaring crowd,Ahousaht’s Maaqtusiis Guardians pulled off a memorable 31-25 comeback win over PortAlberni’s Tatuus to defend their U13 crown.
Tournament hosts Tseshaht Lightning U13 girls fell 41-18 to rival squad and defending champions the Snuneymuxw Islanders from Nanaimo.
Lightning coach and tournament organizer Nasimius Ross says the rivalry only pushes his girls to work harder and for him, the tournament is all about connecting.
He shared that some of his most beautiful memories over the weekend was when those gym doors opened and people reconnected for the first-time after months or maybe even years.
“We live together in a world where lines are drawn, but sport erases those lines. We go in the trenches together. We sweat together. We bleed together. They become brothers and sisters, and that bond becomes strong,” said Ross.
Nora O'Malley photos
Alberni Naani player Matthew Jack Jr., or ‘Mr. Hustle’, plays with heart during the U17 boys final against Rain on May 18 at theAlberniAthletic Hall.
Rez Coast player and trans-athlete Harriette Mackenzie goes for a big block during the women’s final against Hesquiaht on May 18.
Tla-o-qui-aht teammates Kerissa Curly and Iris Sylvester beam after winning the U17 girls division.
Six-year-old JJ Tom was awarded the title 'Mr. Hustle' in the U13 division.
