Dozens of Nuu-chah-nulth families took part in in the Urban Healing Gathering held at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church April 21.
Sponsored by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s Teechuktl Program, the gathering provided an opportunity for Nuu-chah-nulth-aht in the Nanaimo area to share a meal, hear updates from NTC and have some cultural fun.
Hundreds of people arrived at Ahousaht’s Thunderbird Hall April 16 at the invitation of Edward ‘Squeak’ Campbell to share in a feast, and in song and dance, and to unite in a show of support for Campbell and his family.
In 2015 Campbell fell ill and was diagnosed with cancer that was already near end-stage. The married father of two diligently attended his medical appointments, never hearing any positive news on his diagnosis. He chronicled his appointments with specialists on his social media account.
A family dinner was held on April 16 at the Port Alberni Friendship Centre to honor late Maxine Sam and to dry the family's tears after their year-long public mourning.
A feast was put together by Maxine’s children and family members. Sister Alice Sam opened the dinner with a short message to those gathered.
“Kleco, kleco for coming to stand with us in this hardest year,” she said, adding that it is time for the family to move on.
A tlaakt'uuthla (memorial gathering) April 16 was held to celebrate the life of late James Dick of Tseshaht and mark the end of the family’s grieving period.
Robert Watts was the speaker for the family and emcee of the gathering, which was held at Maht Mahs gym and hosted by late James’ wife Gina Dick.
Ernie Smith saw some good traffic at his table at the Metal Jewellery Design course in Campbell River April 14.
Photos by Denise Titian
North Island College Campbell River Campus hosted an open house April 14 to celebrate their most recent graduates of the Metal Jewellery Design course.
According to Continuing Education Coordinator Julia Peters, the eight-month metal jewelry design course is in its fifth year and is gaining in popularity.
Hupacasath member Alana Sayers has received a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Grant to answer the question: “What is Indigenous Literature?”
Sayers explained that “Indigenous Literature” is a rapidly expanding field of academic study. But as yet, scholars have no formal ground rules for how to study (and interpret) the body of stories produced by Indigenous peoples around the world through the centuries.
Updated with remarks from Principal Joe McHale of Maaqtusiis High School: 3.33 p.m. April 13, 2016
It seems to have been a case of being the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Maaqtusiis Elementary and Secondary Schools had planned a lockdown drill for April 13, but in the morning of that day a visitor to the school did not follow the visitors’ protocol, and the school proceeded with an actual lockdown.
“We have a system where visitors must check in and they require appointments, and we had an issue with that today,” said Principal Joe McHale.
The Wolf Clan men’s basketball team, with organizers Tyson and Anita Touchie, hosted the Fish Head Soup All-Nuu-chah-nulth tournament in Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Nation gym April 8 to April 10, and nabbed the championship in the dust up.
There was no end of gripping games to watch, including an intense see-saw of a tilt between the Hawks of Port Alberni and the Hot Springs Wolves, with the Hawks finally taking the win.
Competing in the tournament were:
The long-running proposal to truck millions of tonnes of coal through Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations traditional territories is officially dead in the water.
On April 4, the provincial Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) advised Vancouver-based Compliance Energy Corporation that they had rejected their application for an environmental assessment for the Raven Underground Coal Project, largely based on their failure to conduct meaningful consultation with First Nations.
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council led by Uu-a-thluk (NTC Fisheries) has completed a project with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) to help Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations better protect their traditional knowledge.
For millennia, Indigenous peoples have relied on plants and animals in their environment for products, such as those to produce improved adhesives for construction and medical procedures. Researchers have drawn on this wealth of knowledge to screen for properties that may hold the key to developing new foods and medicines.