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Van Isle barbecue approved
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Gazette staff The District of Port Hardy has given the green light to a request from the chamber to use part of Carrot Park for a barbecue for participants in the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race. Sailors are expected to arrive in Port Hardy late in the afternoon
on Thursday, June 11 and dock at Seagate Wharf. “It’s a big deal really,” said Councillor Rick Marcotte, of the event that happens every other year. “It’s a good idea if we support it,” Marcotte said. Council unanimously approved the request.
Kathy O’Reilly-Taylor Photo
Look Way Up Submitted photo Caitlin Hartnett, Jozi Child and Joshua Terry share food and knowledge across cultures as part of NIC’s Indigenous and International Food Project.
Creating a culture of food security When Jozi Child shares a jar of t’lina with a new friend, she is sharing a sacred gift. The coveted condiment is a rare delicacy in Kwakiutl culture, rendered from the oil of the eulachon fish and considered a symbol of cultural wealth. “T’lina is definitely the most treasured food,” said Child. “It’s hard to come by. If you get it at a potlatch or feast you know you’re getting a really good gift.” Sharing traditional food is more than just nourishment. It’s a vital means to build community, connecting individuals to the land and to each other. NIC’s Indigenous and International Foods Project is making this connection. “Over the past year, interest in food security has increased considerably in our region,” says NIC instructor and project co-coordinator, Caitlin Hartnett. “Our goal was to begin to plant the seed of sustainable solutions by educating our community about our own position with food security, and the position of those around the world.” With this in mind, Hartnett and colleague Leslie Dyck gathered Diane Bell, Kwakiutl elder; Julia Falla-Wood, international mentor; Joshua Terry, former NIC student; and Jozi Child, youth liaison for the Kwakiutl Band Awinakola Project to share food and knowledge across cultures. Participants met weekly, sharing food while discussing ways to build intercultural intelligence. They researched international food systems, discussed global citizenship, equity, and social justice, and analyzed how these factors interconnect with themes of food security, locally and globally. They then invited the community to share in a multi-cultural feast that included traditional Chilean, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and Peruvian cuisine prepared by NIC ESL students, alongside Kwakiutl foods prepared by the project group and generous volunteers at U’Gwamalis Hall in T’saxis, Fort Rupert.
Joshua Terry grew up in the North Island, but didn’t have a clear understanding of local Indigenous food systems until he took part in this project. He was both nervous and excited to learn about traditional Kwakiutl food preparation as he had previously relied heavily on the grocery store for food. “I was really excited to have the opportunity to learn in an environment that feels so safe,” he said. “I had been hesitant to ask questions because of cultural sensitivities. Being invited to be part of this project felt like a trust extended.” Child and Terry learned how to prepare clam fritters made from clams that participants dug, shucked and prepared themselves under the guidance of Kwakiutl elder, Rupert Wilson Sr. This was a highlight for Child. “It’s something that I’d wanted to do for so long that I had a hard time sleeping the night before,” she said. “The time flew by. It was really nice doing it with Rupert, especially once he started telling us his stories.” Without the knowledge base to identify, harvest and prepare local foods, Indigenous food systems risk being supplanted by generic food production, with dire consequences such as chronic disease, obesity, and depression. Indigenous Kwakiutl foods, such as barbecue salmon (known regionally as t’lubakw), is a nutritious, easy to prepare, abundant food source. “If we ever got cut off from the grocery stores that is what I’d be cooking every night for my family,” said Child. “It’s so easy.” NIC’s Indigenous and International Foods Project was funded by NIC’s Department of Aboriginal Education, and NIC’s Global Learning Innovation Fund which provides up to $5,000 per project to foster awareness of global issues. Child and Terry created a digital story to highlight what they learned through the project, available at international.nic.bc.ca/ connectglobally/projects/food.
District of Port Hardy Public Works employee Richard Mose puts up a windsock and replaces the whirley gig on top of a flag pole at the Twinning Garden in Carrot Park. “Koinobori”, carp windsocks, decorate the landscape of Japan from April through early May, in honour of Children’s Day (originally Boys’ festival) on May 5. In Japanese culture, the carp symbolizes courage and strength because of its ability to swim up a waterfall.
Gilford elects chief/council
Gazette staff Gilford Village citizens elected their Chief and three new Band councillors to a three-year term on Friday, May 22. Robert Chamberlin was reelected Chief Councillor, along with council members Tamara Alfred, Rick Johnson, and Robert Scow. Chamberlin was first elected Chief Councillor of Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation in 2005. Previous councillors were Herb Chamberlin and Sandy Johnson. The
number of councillors went up this year, because the band membership reached the 300-plus mark. Gilford Island, home to the First Nation of Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis, is located North of Vancouver Island between Tribune Channel and Knight Inlet. The Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation is part of the larger Kwakwaka’wakw tribal grouping and they speak the Kwawala language.
Fireworks at meeting
By Kathy O’Reilly-Taylor Editor The District of Port Hardy will be lighting up the skies for Filomi Days. Instead of giving a cash donation to the Filomi Days committee this year, the District will be paying for the fireworks which have a price tag of about $10,000. “That’s a really good
idea,” said Councillor Pat Corbett-Labatt. Council was assured the entire amount would be used. “John (Councillor Tidsbury) likes to make things go boom,” joked Mayor Hank Bood. Council is still waiting on an audited financial statement from the committee, which is required by all groups seeking funds from the District. “There’s
Sacred Wolf run
Gazette staff The Sacred Wolf Friendship Centre will be hosting a walk/run again this year for Aboriginal Days on June 14. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with the walk/ run starting at 10 a.m. and ending about 11:30 a.m. This year, the group would like to host the event at Carrot Park. At their regular meeting May 26, District of Port Hardy council approved the request.
some doubt about this last time (2013),” said Bood. “There was a possibility of some of the (District) funds not being dispersed as they should have been,” Bood said. “We have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure that money is used appropriately,” Bood said. Council postponed making a decision on another request to increase the number of port-a-potties at the event. According to Director of Financial Services Allison McCarrick, the district needs to find out if the Filomi Days committee plans on offsetting some of the cost. “It’s expensive,” McCarrick said, adding the cost to clean three is $50 or more for one day.