General

A celebration was held at the Nanaimo St. Jean's Cannery and Smoke House on June 3 to commemorate the Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood Development Corporation’s purchase of majority shares of a family-owned island-based cannery.

St. Jean’s Cannery and Smokehouse has operated their stores and facilities in Port Alberni, Nanaimo, Campbell River and Richmond, B.C. since 1961. Gerard St. Jean said his family has a long-standing working relationship with Nuu-chah-nulth communities.

A significant totem pole given to Cowichan Tribes decades ago has been restored in an effort to preserve its beauty and extend its longevity. Carved by late Arthur Thompson of Ditidaht, a renowned artist who was instrumental in the fight for justice for residential school survivors, the pole has special significance because Thompson has roots in Cowichan.

The totem pole, which stands in front of the Cowichan Tribes Administration building, was carved in 1996 by Thompson, who was proud of his Cowichan heritage. Thompson’s mother Ida came from the Modeste family of Cowichan Tribes.

This week in Vancouver, more than 400 First Nations leaders, front line workers and representatives from Aboriginal children and family organizations gathered to meet with the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) at the BC First Nations Child and Family Gathering.

Meetings held this week have shown little progress and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) is frustrated with the lack of committed action from the Ministry and the province of BC.

Directors of West Coast General Hospital received an unusual request for the return of an oil painting gifted to the hospital during the 1970’s. The request came from a young Ditidaht woman, who said she was the daughter of artist Thomas Joseph Jr. and she had nothing to remember him by.

Dorothy Burn was a very young child when her father died in an accident in 1981. The Thunderbird oil painting he made for the old West Coast General Hospital was painted before her 1977 birth, coincidentally, at West Coast General Hospital.

Students and staff of Zeballos Elementary Secondary School greeted hundreds of guests that honoured their invitation to take part in their school potlatch.

School buses began arriving in Zeballos on the morning of May 26. Guests came from Port Alberni, Gold River, Kyuquot, Coal Harbour and Port Hardy. The schools they represented were Haahuupayuk, Ray Watkins Elementary School, Gold River Secondary School, Quatsino K’ak’ot’lats’I School, and Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw School.

Students of Port Alberni’s AW Neill Elementary School spent the week of May 17 to May 20 learning about Nuu-chah-nulth culture through hands-on activities, including projects that they’ve been working on throughout the year.

Prior to Aboriginal Awareness Week the students, under the guidance of their teachers and guests, took part in lessons and projects focused aboriginal culture. These projects were on display in the school hallways.

Nuu-chah-nulth women gathered at Nanoose Bay Pentecostal Camp for three days of fun, friendship and the chance to reconnect and learn from one another.

The event started May 17 and women were promised the opportunity to learn about traditional healing, partake in self-care and indulge in plenty of laughter.

The theme for 2016 was SuWaqsa?i, which translates to ‘be yourself’. 

Tseshaht First Nation has elected its first-ever female, and youngest, elected chief councillor.

Cynthia Dick, who turns 27 today, was elected May 12 along with Corey Anderson, Hugh Braker, Melanie Fred, Jennifer Gallic, Luke George, John Gomez, Eunice Joe and Trevor Little. She is one of four new councillors. On May 19, at the first meeting of the new Tseshaht council, Dick was chosen from among the group to sit as elected chief, replacing Hugh Braker who served in that position the last term.

Tla-o-qui-aht member Ann Barker, 56, begins her day early in the morning by having her favourite cup of coffee, does her household chores and sets out for her walk.

 The sun, bright and warm, is a delight for Ann, but she walks no matter what the weather conditions may be. It’s a relief to finally get some sunny weather, but Ann will walk whether it is raining, snowing, freezing or hot.

Fire Safety experts arrived in Ahousaht May 11 to spend two days working with senior Maaqtusiis Secondary students and interested community members on home fire safety and firefighting training.

The Fire Prevention Boot Camp, spearheaded by First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS), with support from Kidde Canada and the Ahousaht Volunteer Fire Department, took aim at younger people with the goal of training them to teach fire safety skills to other people.