Volume 15 Issue 8 August / September 2019
SUMMER CANOE CULTURE WHEY-AH-WICHEN CANOE FESTIVAL PAGES 22 - 25 KLAHOOSE PADDLES WITH ANCESTORS PAGE 4
Naut’sa mawt - Working together as one EDITORIAL TEAM Cara McKenna – Editor editor@salishseasentinel.ca Todd Peacey – Photographer Celestine Aleck (Sahiltiniye) - Columnist Edith Moore - Columnist
DISTRIBUTION Todd Peacey toddp@nautsamawt.com
DESIGN Kelly Landry - Director of Communications kellyl@nautsamawt.com
PUBLISHER Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council Gary Reith, Chief Administrative Officer 330-6165 Highway 17A Delta, B.C., V4K 5B8 604-943-6712 or 1-888-382-7711
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3. KLAHOOSE Qathen Xwegus Management Corp (250) 935-6536 www.klahoose.com
7. SNAW-NAW-AS (NANOOSE) (250) 390-3661 chris.bob@nanoose.org www.nanoose.org
8. STZ’UMINUS (LADYSMITH) (250) 245-7155 Ray.Gauthier@coastsalishdevcorp.com www.stzuminus.com
9. TSAWWASSEN
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The Salish Sea Sentinel is published monthly, ten times a year, by the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council, representing 6,500 people in 11 member nations. Undeliverable mail may be returned to: 330-6165 Highway 17A Delta, B.C., V4K 5B8 © Salish Sea Sentinel is all rights reserved. Contents and photographs may not be reprinted without written permission. The statements, opinions and points of view expressed in articles published in this magazine are those of the authors. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, transparencies or other materials.
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COVER: Paddling the Salish Dancer canoe on June 29, day two of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation-hosted annual canoe festival, a team of 11 paddlers from Stó:lō Nation faces off in the Burrard Inlet.
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KLAHOOSE YOUTH LEAD PROJECT TO ‘PADDLE WITH ANCESTORS’
Nation commissions eighteen new canoe paddles inscribed with ancestors’ names Klahoose First Nation has commissioned eighteen new canoe paddles that are etched with the names of ancestors from their village. The paddles are being used by the community in this year’s Tribal Journeys to Lummi Nation in Washington State, so that community members can make the long trip with ancestors beside them. Jodi Simkin, Klahoose’s director of cultural affairs and heritage, said the Paddling With Our Ancestors project was led by youth from the nation who took part in last year’s journey to Pullayup, WA. “For many young pullers this time away from the distractions of technology, school and work allowed for lingering conversations and interesting questions to be contemplated,” Simkin said in a written statement. “What was it like 150 years ago to move from village to village using only a canoe, and how might we honour the ancestors for whom this was a way of life?” Simkin said the youth had Klahoose history on their minds after recent museum repatriations of ancestors’ remains back to the nation. “(That) inspired the youth to think of a creative, respectful means that would both acknowledge the ancestors and carry them with us as we make our way to the Lummi,” she said. The youth garnered support from Klahoose chief and council as well as elders to go forward on the project. “Each (paddle) is inscribed with the names of ancestors from the first Indian Agent census for the village,” Simkin said. “These new paddles will be blessed prior to being used this summer, and as each paddle touches the water, we will be literally Paddling with our Ancestors.”
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AROUND THE SALISH SEA
UVIC Convocation
RECOGNIZING KLAHOOSE BOAT CAPTAIN HARDY FRANCIS By Edith Moore, NmTC communications liaison As part of my work as Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council’s communications liaison, I often travel to our member communities to meet with leadership. In early July, I was making a trip to Klahoose First Nation to meet with their chief and council along with Gary Reith, NmTC’s Chief Administrative Officer. Klahoose is located on remote Cortes Island, so it is a more challenging place to visit. We were pleased that the administration sent their band-owned
boat to Campbell River to pick us up in order to make the trip easier. As we waited at the dock, boat captain Hardy Francis (a.k.a. “Hout” as he is called by his family) pulled up in a 27-foot aluminum boat. It immediately became clear that Hardy was very reliable, skilled and kind. He drove us to Klahoose and back safely, and even though it was a little rough out, Hardy kept a smile on his face and navigated the conditions with ease. Hardy has been operating the boat for Klahoose for 38 years. On a normal day, he
works as a fishing guide, charters goods back and forth from his nation and generally helps people to get around. On rare occasions, he helps people to get back to Vancouver Island during emergencies — once, he shared, his niece went into labour, and he drove her to Campbell River during heavy December wind and rain so she could deliver the healthy baby. I want to recognize Hardy because he inspired me. He has followed his passion and is contributing to his community, making a living at doing what he loves. Klahoose is blessed to have you! SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 5
Joe Gallagher (k̓ ʷunəmɛn)
Tsawwassen Chief Ken Baird, left, cuts the ribbon to a new container examination facility on TFN lands with officials from the port authority and CBSA.
TFN MOVES AHEAD ON INDUSTRIAL PARK WITH CBSA, AMAZON Nation hosted grand opening of container examination facility in June, while Amazon facility set to open later this year By Cara McKenna Tsawwassen First Nation is moving forward on developing its industrial lands with the opening of a new container examination facility. Meanwhile, plans are advancing around a massive Amazon fulfillment centre across the street that’s set to open later this year. The modern treaty nation has about 300 acres of industrial land at the Deltaport Logistics Centre that’s gradually being constructed — the first operating tenant was Chevron, with a diesel cardlock facility that opened in 2016. On June 17, Tsawwassen members gathered with representatives from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to celebrate the new container examination facility. 6 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Chief Ken Baird said the state-of-the-art facility fits into the nation’s wider plan to provide for members — the nation has been steadily expanding since its treaty effective date a decade ago with its mall development, new homes and more.
“The houses, the mall, the industrial grounds built on our lands, these are about more than just making money,” he said. “It’s about making a community for all of us together.” The building will allow CBSA officials to examine marine containers being imported from around the world. At 55,000-square feet is roughly twice the size of an existing facility in Burnaby, B.C. Robin Silvester, president and CEO of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said a capacity increase was necessary as trade volumes increase. He said cargo volumes are projected to continue to grow at around 3.5 per cent per year, while container volumes were up by 4.5 per cent last year.
“It’s projected that the West Coast will run out of capacity by the mid-2020s unless we see some significant capacity increase,” he said. “That’s where this container examination facility plays an important role in helping to respond to and alleviate some of those stresses.” Silvester said that also means there will be less truck traffic to the Burnaby facility, which he expects will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Baird said the building was previously blessed by Tsawwassen elders, and he is pleased that there are young members working at the facility, which started operations in February. “These are jobs with great opportunities for promotion and advancement,” he said. “I’m grateful to the CBSA for providing those opportunities for our youth.” A convocation ceremony at UVic. Photos courtesy of UVic Two days after the grand opening of the CBSA facility, Tsawwassen leadership and media were invited to tour the massive Amazon facility nearby. The 450,000-square-foot fulfillment centre is Amazon’s first on lands leased from a First Nation and is now under construction. Donning hard hats and construction vests, a group walked around the massive, four-storey centre on June 19 to see the progress on various departments including processing, receiving, packing, shipping and offices. Tsawwassen Executive Councillor Steve Stark said there has been a lot of buzz around the centre since it was announced last September that the nation was chosen by Amazon to partner with. It’s expected that the facility will create about 700 new jobs by its opening at the end of the year. “We’ve … been strategically setting up our industrial lands, not only to host international but global markets,” Stark said. “We take really big pride in everything that we do here, and we continue to keep moving forward and looking for ongoing partnership in a positive and productive way, that’s going to give members the benefits that we’re looking for.”
Robin Silvester, left, celebrates with Chief Ken Baird.
TFN leadership attended a tour of the new Amazon facility.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 7
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TFN PLANS TO INCREASE GREEN SPACE, OPENS OSPREY PARK
TFN PLANS TO INCREASE GREEN SPACE, OPENS OSPREY PARK Community celebrated grand opening of park in Tsawwassen Shores housing development Tsawwassen First Nation has opened a new public park as part of a wider plan to increase green spaces in the community. Osprey Park was designed and built by Aquilini Development Group as part of their ongoing Tsawwassen Shores development project. The multi-use park — which includes a basketball, playground, picnic area and walking paths — officially opened on June 28 with a community celebration and barbeque. TFN Chief Ken Baird said Osprey Park is one of many that TFN in its partners have built and plan to build in the near future. It’s also the first TFN public park in a leaseholder development. “There has been a big focus on how Tsawwassen First Nation has created many large developments on our lands — the malls, the houses, and the industrial area,” he said. “These were all important developments because they provided our government with the financial means to create and maintain green spaces like Osprey Park.” Baird welcomed the leaseholders at Tsawwassen Shores, adding that ten per cent of the land that’s being developed for housing by Aquilini on TFN’s land will be going towards park space. The nation has a plan to build more than 2,800 homes, with 850 being within the Tsawwassen Shores development. “A healthy community needs public spaces where families can come together and play and share time with one another,” Baird said. “Osprey Park is a part of building that healthy community.” SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 9
From left: T’Sou-ke Coun. Allan Planes, Coun. Rose Dumont, Natassia Davies, Shelley Davies and Chief Gordon Planes.
T’SOU-KE CUTS RIBBON ON NEW BUSINESSES Nation opens Petro-Canada gas station, Tim Hortons and retail space as leaders look toward future business in area T’Sou-ke First Nation has officially opened a gas station, coffee shop and Indigenous retail store on its land — something leaders say will be the first of several developments to come in the area. The nation held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the new building on July 4, bringing together community members and proponents to celebrate the new venture. The Petro-Canada gas station is the only one on Vancouver Island to include an Indigenous retail space. It also features two large, colourful murals on the sides of the building by T’Sou-ke mother10 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
daughter painters Natassia and Shelley Davies, which showcase plants and animals that are Indigenous to the area. T’Sou-ke Chief Gordon Planes said there are now plans to add a canoe shed to the lot so that visitors can learn more about Coast Salish culture. “We look forward to the future of this area,” Planes said. “It’s up to the community to decide that, and that will come in time. But … we’re going to do it together, and it’s going to be exciting. We’re doing it for our babies.” The gas station sits on an eight-hectare parcel
of land that will eventually include more businesses. Jeff Frank, who is managing the project, said the second phase will be to build a new T’Souke administration building and health clinic across the way from the Petro-Canada, as the people in those offices are currently working out of portables. He said the nation is now being consulted about what developments will come next in the area — there has already been interest from hotels, financial institutions and more. “Once you build something like this, the phone starts to ring,” he said.
Charles Elliot, Anna Spahan, Leona Nelson
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HELISET TŦE SḰÁL: HUNDREDS GATHER IN VICTORIA TO PROMOTE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE RESURGENCE WORLDWIDE International conference involving delegates from more than 20 countries held as part of UN-declared International Year of Indigenous Languages
By Cara McKenna Songhees Nation’s Indigenous Lekwungen language has been in a precarious state in the community, says Coun. Garry Sam, with just one fluent speaker who is in his 80s. But now, the language has started to come full circle — children are the ones who are bringing the sound of Lekwungen back into homes. “On a recent annual survey about language involvement, for the first time, family members reported that it was their children who were the ones speaking most often at home,” Sam said. He shared the story during the first day of a huge international Indigenous language conference called HELISET TŦE SḰÁL – ‘Let the Languages Live’ that took place in Victoria from June 24 to 26. Held to commemorate the UN-declared International Year of Indigenous Languages, more than 1,000 delegates from over 20 countries attended the event at the Victoria Conference Centre. It was co-hosted by the B.C.-based First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation and First Peoples’ Cultural Council, in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The event was hosted in British Columbia because of the incredible language diversity and leadership in language revitalization, said First Peoples’ Cultural Council CEO Tracey Herbert. The province is home to more than half of Canada’s 60-plus Indigenous languages, with 34 languages and over 90 dialects — though many speakers have lost that ability because of residential school, its intergenerational impacts, and other assimilation efforts. “As is the case around the world, Indigenous languages in Canada are at risk,” Herbert said. “Just three per cent of First Nations people here in B.C. consider themselves to be fluent in their ancestral language. That’s about 4,200 people, and many of those are elders.” She said despite the alarming statistics, there has been a positive and growing change, thanks in part to the increased visibility of the languages that uplifts and supports the existing work being done in communities. She said the resurgence of young speakers in Songhees reflects a larger trend across the province. “Our research also tells us that there’s an Songhees Coun. Garry Sam speaks at the start of the ‘Let the Languages Live’ conference in Victoria.
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FPCC CEO Tracey Herbert.
A drum group from the ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School performs.
Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams.
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increasing number of people, especially young people, (learning their Indigenous languages),” Herbert said. In Songhees, creating more speakers has been the result of seven weekly language classes for members and staff, as well as chief and council endorsing paid time to learn Lekwungen. Other communities have found many other creative ways to keep their languages strong using technology, mentor-apprentice programs, language nests and more. There are more than 7,000 languages worldwide, with about 3,700 of those being Indigenous languages. During the conference, dozens of experts, speakers and advocates shared their community’s stories, presenting on a range of topics including science, technology, learning away from home and documentation. Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams of Lil’wat Nation, who has dedicated her career to revitalizing language in her community and advocating for Indigenous education, received a standing ovation for her keynote talk on June 25. Williams, a professor at the University of Victoria, spoke about the challenges around bringing back language and ways to overcome them. She encouraged the crowd to support one even if the words aren’t said perfectly, to encourage silent speakers and to welcome people who live off-reserve to learn and speak. “It’s only with regenerating the habitual use of our languages in every part of our community that we’ll begin to learn and speaking will become naturalized. That’s our challenge,” she said. “When we reconnect with our language, we reconnect with our identity … Every person who is Indigenous, who belongs to a language community, has a right to that language.” Williams said that it is a huge challenge to bring the languages back, and she thanked other language advocates for the work they have done. “We live in a world where many resources have been put into ensuring, in this part of the world, that English takes precedence over everything,” she said. “To bring our languages back to everyday use, we need to be imaginative, we need to be courageous, we need to be persistent.” Herbert said it was a “watershed moment” for language revitalization when the UN sanctioned 2019 as the year of Indigenous languages. “This global recognition of the importance of Indigenous languages and the threat that they face is key to mobilizing support for the work that we all do at the local level,” she said. Sebastien Goupil, the secretary general of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO agreed, saying that his organization is starting to perceive a real change in Canadian awareness in the need to preserve and revitalize Indigenous languages. “There is no doubt for me that this important conference will be recognized as one of the most defining moments of the International Year of Indigenous Languages,” he said. “We are highly motivated as a commission to keep this momentum going, and maybe it is now time to ask to turn this year into an international decade.”
CANOE CEREMONY HONOURS INDIGENOUS WOMEN
Ta’Kaiya Blaney of Tla’amin at forefront of procession, singing in honour of her late mother and sister
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE EXHIBIT TO TRAVEL ACROSS B.C. RBCM takes permanent ‘Our Living Languages’ exhibit on tour for UN’s International Year of Indigenous Languages The Royal BC Museum is taking its permanent Indigenous language exhibition on tour across the province. The museum has created travelling versions of its Our Living Languages showcase that are being sent to a series of regional museums and community centres. The three-year initiative is part of a wider effort to showcase the languages after the United Nations sanctioned 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The project began June 21 when the museum loaned two travelling versions of Our Living Languages to the Langley Centennial Museum and the Alberni Valley Museum. Those two are the first of many stops in B.C., according to the museum, with more than 20 institutions having expressed interest. RBCM CEO Jack Lohman said in an interview that the travelling exhibits have already been so successful that the museum is already looking at expanding it.
Weaving by Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow.
“What I’m hoping is as it travels, we can add components to it from each language group,” he said.
Lohman said he hopes that as the project goes on, it can become the basis for RBCM to completely redo its main Our Living Languages exhibit in Victoria. “Every time Indigenous languages are spoken or heard, they describe our collective national memory and history,” he said in a statement. “Our museum’s responsibility and duty is to make them heard, understood and ultimately celebrated.” The travelling exhibit will highlight the 34 different Indigenous languages in B.C. and the efforts to preserve them. Our Living Languages features languages through interactive stations, audio, video and more — the original exhibition was developed in partnership with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. Kate Kerr, RBCM’s travelling exhibits coordinator, can be contacted at travelling@ royalbcmuseum.bc.ca for more information.
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Strength Through Relationships
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LEGACY CARVING PROJECT: VSB UNVEILS TOTEM, WELCOME FIGURES SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 17
Rick (Xwa-lack-tun) Harry, left, and his son James (Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun) of Squamish Nation.
Educational project involved father-son and sibling artists from Musqueam, Squamish By Cara McKenna Two Coast Salish welcome figures and a totem pole now stand outside of the Vancouver School Board’s office after a carving process that involved about 1,500 students. The three new carvings were done by artists from the Musqueam and Squamish nations, and unveiled during a celebration on National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21. The event was opened by hundreds of children from the school district who sang the Coast Salish Anthem, a song that comes from the late Tsleil-Waututh chief Dan George and his family. The three pieces — a female welcome figure, a male welcome figure and a “reconciliation pole” — were created as part of the VSB’s “Legacy Carving Project.” VSB Superintendent Suzanne Hoffman said the school board commissioned the works as a way to engage with the community to 18 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
decolonize the space. “The reconciliation pole reminds us of the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and those specifically tied to education,” she said. “The welcome figures, to the school district, remind us that we welcome all learners, and that we have to be mindful and thoughtful of each and every child that is in our care.” The carving process involved children from the school district who observed the process and learned about the meaning of each figure. During the process, the children also learned about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and TRC calls to action, according to the VSB. The three family carving teams who created the works utilized red cedar trees that originated in Squamish territory and are estimated to be 300 to 500 years old. James (Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun) Harry and his
father Rick (Xwa-lack-tun) Harry of Squamish Nation worked on the 13-metre totem pole. James said he wanted to apply as a duo with his father because it was such a large project and he wanted mentorship — his dad carved the top half of the pole while James carved the bottom and they met in the middle. “That’s really what resonated with us both the most, because my dad, his whole life, he’s taught kids … about our culture and our ways,” he said. “I’ve grown up watching him do that, and it’s been very empowering for me because I’ve been able to follow in his footsteps.” The reconciliation pole is rich with symbolism, featuring a bear and ancestor at the bottom, stemming upwards to an eagle, a buffalo head, cedar-woven blanket, frog and Coast Salish eye, finishing up top with a thunderbird and Mother Earth to represent the Creator protecting the planet.
There is a cedar weaving throughout the pole to represent how the symbols are tied together. “Every culture around the world has some form of weaving,” James said. “That represents the diversity that we all share, too. We’re all human and we all can connect. It all starts with a conversation. That’s why we were here too is to be open to the public and share our ways of life.” The back of the pole is rounded with the bark still intact to show was the log was before it was carved, and a loonie was hammered into the very top of the pole to show the year it was created. Meanwhile, the male welcome figure was carved by another father-son duo: William and Eric Dan of Musqueam Nation. Their carving depicts a man welcoming everyone to Vancouver, holding a salmon to feed those he greets. At 69 years old, William said this was his last
carving before he retires, and aside from Eric he also received help from his cousin Ramsey Louis and friend Kevin Seward. William said in an artist statement that the concept of reconciliation in education is difficult for him to think about as survivor of boarding school. “I lost my language and the experience was painful,” he said. “Reconciliation to me is about acknowledging what happened to me and healing myself. Working on this project, which will be my last, made me happy.” A female welcome figure which stands beside the one by the Dans was carved by brothersister duo Chrystal and Chris Sparrow, also from Musqueam. The Sparrows asked their relative Morgan Guerin to speak on their behalf, saying how the siblings learned from their late father Irving Sparrow.
Their house post depicts a woman with copper eyes, wrapped in a blanket and standing below a killer whale. “It was my sister’s intention while she was carving it, that it’s not just reflective of our First Nations ladies … but of all ladies who walk this land now,” Guerin said. “Above, we see the killer whale. The killer whale reminds us of our connection to the water, Mother Earth.” Chas Dejarlais, the VSB’s district vice principal of Indigenous education, helped to conceptualize the project and said the works will keep the district accountable for the next 150 years and beyond. “We still have a lot of hard work to do when we talk about reconciliation,” she said. “Only your actions can make change. Words don’t.” More information about the posts and their meaning can be found at govsb.ca/legacy.
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Rueben George of Tsleil-Waututh speaks at a press conference on June 18. Renewable Energy and Community Energy System Specialists Since 2003, we have provided the capacity and support needed for First Nation communities to successfully navigate the clean energy project development process, from idea to operation. Have a community energy idea? Let's chat.
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First Nations whose territories cover much of the Trans Mountain pipeline route in B.C. have launched appeals on the recent re-approval of the expansion project. Leaders from six communities announced on July 9 that they had filed documents at the Federal Court of Appeal to start a judicial review of Canada’s second approval of the project. The nations who launched the recent appeals are: Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Ts’elxweyeqw, Shxw’owhamel, Coldwater and Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc. An earlier legal challenge resulted in the Federal Court of Appeal quashing the expansion’s first approval by Canada last August, forcing the government to reassess before again approving the project on June 18. After Canada’s first approval was overturned partially on the basis of a lack of consultation with Indigenous communities, the National Energy Board launched a series of hearings and heard feedback from Tsleil-Waututh and other communities. But during an announcement on July 9, Tsleil-Waututh Chief Leah George-Wilson said that she felt that process wasn’t genuine. “It was clear that Canada had already made up their mind,” she said, adding that many of the same mistakes were repeated. “The federal government has again failed to respond to the concerns we have been raising in regards to this project. This feels like déja vu.” The nations appealing the project say there are constitutional violations around a failed duty to consult, accommodate and seek consent from First Nations. They also argue that the pipeline expansion would destroy significant spiritual and historic sites and could cause significant environmental impacts. “We have no choice but to appeal again and we expect the same results – the approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline will be overturned,” George-Wilson said.
From left: Joyce White and Doug White II of Snuneymuxw with their son Coun. Doug White III, Coun. Emmy Manson and VIU president Ralph Nilson.
VIU RAISES SNUNEYMUXW FLAG ON CAMPUS Nation’s flag now flies alongside Métis Nation flag after ceremony on National Indigenous Peoples Day Snuneymuxw First Nation’s flag has been permanently raised at the Vancouver Island University campus in Nanaimo. The Snuneymuxw flag was raised on National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 along with the Métis Nation flag — both now fly alongside the Canadian, B.C. and VIU flags. The ceremony was held after VIU recently raised the Cowichan Nation and Métis flags on its Cowichan campus, according to a media release from the school. Snuneymuxw Coun. Doug White III said the nation decided to share the flag with the university because it accepts and cares for Indigenous students. “The education system is a place of incredible power in terms of shaping what this country is,” he said.
“VIU is demonstrating the kinds of things that can be done now to get on the path of where this country needs to be.” Fellow Snuneymuxw Coun. Emmy Manson, who works as an Indigenous Education Navigator at VIU, said she hopes the flags will encourage students to research whose lands they are studying on. VIU president and vice-chancellor Ralph Nilson agreed, saying he hopes it will lead to increased partnerships between the university and Indigenous community. “Every day going forward, students, employees and community members will see these flags and get inspired,” he said.
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Dozens of families, including some grandparents and their grandkids, took part in the intergenerational pairs race, which brought 40-and-older paddlers together SEA with under-sevens to compete. 22 • SALISH SENTINEL
ORCA RELATIVES BLESS ANNUAL TWN CANOE FESTIVAL
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 23
As hundreds of paddlers from all shores of the Salish Sea pushed themselves during three tiring days of canoe races at Tsleil-Waututh Nation, the crowning blessing was a pod of orcas surfacing just offshore. Racers and supporters onshore cheered as the killer whales appeared just metres away in the Burrard Inlet during the second-to-last night of the community’s annual Whey-ah-wichen Canoe Festival from June 28 to 30. The event included teams from Vancouver Island, Washington, the Greater Vancouver area and the Fraser Valley. “It’s a blessing for our waters and our family,” announced Gabriel George, Sr., who emceed the event alongside Phil Lockerbie, as onlookers applauded with delight. Races included both single, pair and canoe team competitions of women’s, men’s and over-50 masters, as well as 16-and-under, 13-and-under, and 10-and-under — plus intergenerational pairs — competing for cash and prizes. But it was Saturday night’s appearance of the orcas in the Burrard Inlet that left many of the event’s Tsleil-Waututh hosts — whose name means “People Of the Inlet” — with an extra sense of pride and gratitude. The killer whales surfaced just as seven-and-under racers faced off and as the family category teams were entering the water, many of them having camped out and feasted together the entire weekend in the park. “I feel so blessed to have had this time with all our visitors, including our Black Fish relatives at Tsleil-Waututh First Nation,” wrote Tsleil-Waututh’s community development director on Facebook. “All of the good canoe energy and prayers brought a blessing on us.”
A child plays on the shores of the Salish Sea on TsleilWaututh Nation territory as annual canoe races see families from across the region face off in the annual festival.
Children smile after racing as part of Stó:lō Nation’s Three Siste
ers Canoe Club.
The Rikkole Cree Canoe Club team from Nooksack tribe in Washington state paddles their Ravenchief canoe to victory, winning in the women’s 11-paddler canoe category.
A pair of paddlers competes in the under-7 and under-16 category at Cates Park.
Canoes arrive to Tla’amin shores.
TLA’AMIN HOSTS PULLING TOGETHER JOURNEY Photos by Todd Peacey Tla’amin Nation welcomed dozens of canoe pullers to its territory during this year’s Pulling Together Canoe Journey — an event focused on building relationships between Indigenous people and public service organizations. This year’s journey started at Saltery Bay Provincial Park, southeast of Powell River, and moved upwards along the Sunshine Coast between July 4 to 11. There were teams from the Vancouver Police Department, the Navy, the RCMP and the Sto:lo and Katzie Nations. The annual Pulling Together Canoe Journey began in 2001 as a way to grow understanding between public service agencies—primarily law enforcement—and Indigenous people. Many youth organizations are also involved.
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Tla’amin culture and heritage manager Drew Blaney greets canoes.
The West Vancouver Police were one of many agencies that participated in the journey.
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TLA’AMIN PROMOTES FOOD SECURITY WITH COMMUNITY GARDEN By Doreen Hopkins, Tla’amin community garden coordinator Tla’amin Nation has a community garden that’s promoting food security and composting. The purpose of the garden is to encourage our community members to start a garden of their own — if an emergency were ever to happen, people would have healthy, local food available at home. We planted the seeds of April and the garden consists of five fruit trees and 14 raised beds. In the beds, we planted tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, green peppers, potatoes, and garlic, spinach, pumpkin, and watermelon, green and yellow beans. And when we opened it up, the compost had turned to beautiful black soil, rich and moist, with big fat worms. We took the compost and mixed it into the soil for fertilizer. The plants are just now starting to really flourish! We will certainly enjoy the produce from this garden. The garden welcomes the community, recently outlying neighbours, children, young adults and anyone who wants to visit to drop by.
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