Connecting to Nuu-chah-nulth art in the city

Connecting to Nuu-chah-nulth culture in the city

Joslyn Williams is carving out her own artistic practice from a small working space in her Victoria apartment

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Victoria, BC - Growing up in the city, away from her Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw homelands, Joslyn Williams struggled to understand her own identity. Without anyone around to teach her about her culture, she felt disconnected from herself. “I always felt like there was something missing,” she said. “It’s so hard to connect back to your roots when there’s no one there to teach you.” Williams’ mother, Rodrina Peter, shared what she knew by teaching Williams the basics of the Nuu-chah-nulth language. As just a teenager, Peter dealt with the loss of her own mother, who was her link to her culture. Although Peter was raised by “amazing” foster parents, Williams said they weren’t Nuu-chah-nulth and were unable to “teach her anything about her culture.” In high school, Williams said there were no Indigenous teachers at Mount Douglas Secondary. She recalled applying for a class about the history of First Nations peoples on Vancouver Island in Grade 12, but it was cancelled. “There wasn’t enough interest in that class,” she said. “Which really sucked.” In an attempt to learn more about her culture, Williams became involved with the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, where she was introduced to the Eagle Project in 2015. Along with being provided with career counseling, First Aid training, and business development programs, the Eagle Project led youth through the process of carving a totem pole under the instruction of master carver Moy Sutherland Jr. It was the fi rst time Williams was exposed to the Nuu-chah-nulth style of carving, and from that moment on, she was hooked. “I didn’t want to stop carving after that,” Williams said. The project led to a two-year long apprenticeship with Sutherland, who taught her how to create her own designs and carve paddles. But more than carving itself, he taught her how to distinguish the Nuu-chah-nulth aesthetic from other West Coast nations, as well as stories about the animals commonly referenced in Nuuchah-nulth art. Art, she said, is used to share these stories. Despite having Kwakwaka’wakw ancestry, Williams chose to develop a Nuu-chah-nulth aesthetic because she said there’s only a handful of people that continue to carve in the style. “There’s not a lot of representation of Nuu-chah-nulth carvings,” she said. It’s a sentiment echoed by Sutherland, who said “there’s only a handful of masters” who are represented in the commercial-art world. After Sutherland’s mother landed a teaching job in Alert Bay when he was 13 years old, his family moved to the remote Cormorant Island, near Port McNeill. There, he was exposed to cooperative carving spaces where community members could access bandsaws, chainsaws, wood, and teachers. “If you didn’t know how to make something, someone would be there to show you,” he said. But when he moved back to Port Alberni in the mid-90s, no spaces like it existed. It took him around fi ve years to fi nd someone willing to teach him how to carve, he recalled. Then, along came Art Thompson. Sutherland met Thompson at the Royal BC Museum during an exhibition in 1999. Soon after, he started a three-year long apprenticeship that ended when Thompson passed away in 2003. On his deathbed, Sutherland recalled Thompson telling him to continue passing down his teachings. “I learned a lot from that man,” said Sutherland. “And it wasn’t just about the artwork and art. It was about how to be a better dad and a better community member.” He attributes the “revival” of Nuu-chahnulth art in the 1970s to Thompson, Tim Paul and Ron Hamilton. “Those were the three guys that retained so much of our artistic knowledge that was handed down through the generations,” he said. “And now, we need to keep on with that struggle so that more people become empowered [to pass it on].” For the last 18 years, Sutherland has been working with apprentices to share Thompson’s teachings. It’s a sense of duty he takes seriously. “It’s one of the coolest things to see somebody teaching someone else the things that you taught them,” he said. “That’s empowerment. The more people that we can empower to have their own voice and have their own opinion – that’s how you change lives.” Williams stepped out on her own as an artist in 2019, using Instagram as a way to share and sell her pieces. On any day of the week you can fi nd wood shavings covering the dining room carpet inside her Victoria apartment, where she has created a makeshift studio. Nuu-chah-nulth art was the missing link that connected Williams back to her culture, and to herself. The shapes and patterns found in Williams’ designs often come to her in her dreams. “I love designing birds,” she said. “Any type of bird.” Ravens, eagles and the thunderbird are commonly found throughout her work. The birds are free, much like her designs. “Living in the city, you can easily forget your heritage,” she said. “It’s almost like you forget that you are native. It’s something that I don’t want [to forget] because I want to be able to pass down our language and our stories and our artwork to my children. It’s important not to let it go.” At seven months pregnant, Williams said she’s fi nding it increasingly diffi cult to lean over the panels she’s carving. Soon, she will be packing up her tools and doesn’t know when she’ll be able to pull them out again. “I wonder if I’m going to carve less, or if I’m going to carve more,” she contemplated. “I defi nitely wonder if my designs will change.” The 23-year-old isn’t putting any pressure on herself. She is letting the future of her art be steered by her heart. Williams often thinks about sharing her knowledge with her unborn daughter, and how her designs might morph from free birds into mother bears with their cubs. Now having found her place within the city, Williams said she has no plans to leave Victoria. “Art helped me to remember who I am and where I come from, and where my family comes from,” she said. “I don’t want our language to become so rare that people forget how to speak [it], or our stories to become so rare that people forget them. I don’t want my culture to disappear. I want to make sure that it stays alive for the younger generations.”

Photo submitted by Joslyn Williams Williams holds an eagle panel she carved from red cedar.

Phrase†of†the†week:†N’aac^amit%is%a+†%aa%ic^um@aqkin†hi>%a+i†qwiis†nuuc^i†

Pronounced ‘Nah caa mit ish alth, Aah ii gym agk kin hilt alt ee qwis, He lah ii New gee’, it means our ancestors used to look at the mountains, to know where the snow line was, how it was out there. Supplied by ciisma.

Trades program brings smokehouses to Tseshaht

Nuu-chah-nulth students learn carpentry, plumbing and electrical, while contributing to the local First Nation

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Port Alberni, BC – An innovative trades education program is bringing muchneeded infrastructure to Nuu-chah-nulth communities, while delivering trades skills to students. The Trades Sampler Course, operating out of Port Alberni, is a partnership with the Nuu-chah-nulth Education Training Program, North Island College and the Industry Training Authority. It works like a launching pad, bringing together people interested in learning trades, who work on community projects to build their work skills. If the work appeals to them, they may enrol in North Island College’s carpentry program to further enhance their training and skills. This program brings together just over a dozen Nuu-chah-nulth learners who take in-class training along with hands-on experience in carpentry, plumbing and electrical. It is already in progress and will run until Feb. 17, 2022. “We hope that the students develop a passion for trades and move forward into taking technical training,” writes ITA. The students are working in space rented from the Port Alberni Shelter Society, on lower Third Avenue. Bob Haugen, director of Continuing Education and Contract Training for North Island College, said Carpentry Pathway students need projects to work on. In this case, the project has partnered with Tseshaht First Nation, who provided some of the funding to have three com-

Photo by Denise Titian Instructor Brian Walker (far left) stands with students Sharon Fred, Ralph Lucas, David Prest and Mercedes Brown, as Cody Neilsen-Robinson sits in front. munity smokehouses built. “This program is designed to get students introduced to the trades,” said Haugen. In the sampler course, students spend one week learning plumbing, another week on electrical training and the rest on carpentry. Students that develop a passion for the trades can then go onto registering for a course, like Level 1 Carpentry at North Island College. Haugen said similar projects were carried out in the past in Kyuquot and Gold River. Haugen said past trades sampler projects saw students construct storage facilities for Kyuquot’s fi re fi ghting equipment. In Gold River, students built a community smokehouse near their house of gathering. In this year’s Trades Sampler course, student will have the option of joining a local contractor as an apprentice after fi nishing the sampler course. “This is a fantastic opportunity,” said Haugen, adding that this arrangement will allow the students to have a paying job while they get hands-on learning. By taking part in the construction of much-needed facilities in their home communities, Haugen says the students fi nd extra motivation because the projects are meaningful to them. In fact, student Cody Nielsen-Robinson said he would love to see similar smokehouses built for Haahuupayak School, which is located on the Tseshaht First Nation. Haugen mentioned that another project in Anacla brought students together with Huu-ay-aht’s red seal carpenter Charlie Clappis, who teaches carpentry. Together, the class renovated an old, abandoned house, making it liveable again. Haugen says 18 students signed up for the sampler course and about a dozen of those remain active. The students meet in a leased space next to the Overdose Prevention Site. A portion of the space is set up for classroom learning while the back of the room is being used for construction. Haugen says the components of the smokehouses will be built at the space on Third Avenue. Later this spring a foundation will be laid in an area behind Maht Mahs. The students will then assemble the smokehouses at their permanent home.

Port Alberni Friendship Centre Volunteers Needed

This winter, we all have had challenges and stresses. How people eat when they are stressed is diff erent for everyone.

Whether you eat more, eat less, or eat junk food when stressed, here are some food tips to feel better and take care of yourself.

• Eat regular meals or snacks to keep your blood sugars even. High or low sugars can make us grumpy and feel unwell. o Eat breakfast o Instead of eating a large lunch and dinner, try eating smaller meals or snacks every 3-4 hours during the day. o Avoid foods which make your blood sugar rise and fall rapidly, such as sweets, biscuits, sugary drinks, and alcohol. • Cut down on caff eine: Caff eine is found in coff ee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and cola soft drinks. Caff eine disrupts sleep and makes stress worse. Choose water, herbal teas, decaff einated coff ee, or low fat milk. • Share tea or a meal with friends or family: Sharing over food is a traditional way to give and receive teachings, a time to talk with others that can help reduce stress in our lives • Keep healthy snacks handy: Enjoy cut-up veggies, fruit and other high fi bre snacks like whole grain crackers or popcorn.

There are lots of ways to eat well. If you have questions email jen.cody@nuuchahnulth.org. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

TSESHAHT MARKET

GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC RIM

Hours of operation - 7:00 am - 10:30 pm Phone: 724-3944 E-mail: claudine@tseshahtmarket.ca Find us on Facebook

Nessie “Mama” Watts The world changes from year to year Our lives from day to day But the love and memory of you Shall never go away We love you, Always missed by all her children.

January 13, 2022—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 13 NTC’s Child and Youth Services has a new manager

My full name is Sebastien Francois Michel Titone. As you probably already can tell from those names, I am French. I was born and raised in France. My family on my paternal side is from Sicily, hence my Italian last name. I moved to B.C. in 2001 to get married and start a family. I studied Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria and shortly after moved to Duncan for work and to raise our three kids who still reside there. I moved to Port Alberni almost two years ago for work. I have a master’s in public administration, and I have almost 15 years’ experience in social and health services, in both managerial and non-managerial roles. I am very excited and grateful to be working for NTC. My team is lovely, and I am looking forward to learning from them and supporting them in the very important services they provide your communities. I hope to deepen my knowledge in Nuu-chah-nulth language, culture and practices. Outside of work I like to play as much soccer as I can. I also enjoy hiking, camping, exploring the west coast, travelling and spending time with friends and family. Thank you all.

Receptionist/Front Desk

Full-time and part-time casual work is available in our Gold River NTC administrative offi ce. The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council is building a casual list of casual workers (to do daytime reception or evening offi ce cleaning/custodial work). If you are good on the phone and like greeting people, send your resume to us for casual work in reception. If you are good at keeping things clean and orderly, give us your resume and we may call you into work tomorrow.

Casual Receptionist Responsibilities include: • Operating a multi-line phone system • Multi-program reception • Welcome waiting visitors with good hospitality • Copying and fi ling • Maintaining confi dentiality Casual Custodian Responsibilities include: • General clean-up of building work areas • Empty garbage bins • Sanitize reception areas • Clean bathrooms • Sweep and mop fl oors when needed • Remove rubbish from building Qualifi cations that will get you to work: • Grade 12/GED graduation, plus a strong interest in working and earning a paycheck • Good communicator over the phone and like greeting people • Reliable with good interpersonal and organization skills • Willing to provide criminal record check to secure a spot on the on-call list • Living within a First Nations community would be considered an asset

For further information contact: Lisa Sam at (250) 724-5757 or send us your resume to: Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council P.O. Box 1383 Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7M2 Attn.: Human Resource Manager Fax: (250) 723-0463 Open till fi lled