Participants at a Nuu-chah-nulth Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries meeting were treated to a large performance from Haahuupayak students today, bringing a particularly emotional reaction to those who formerly attended residential school.
Discussion of topics like salmon farm licences and Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s plans to rebuild chinook stocks were broken up by a period designated for song and dance from over two dozen students of the school, which is located on the Tseshaht reserve.
At the Port Alberni venue Haahuupayak teacher Trevor Little explained the importance of each dance before they were performed by students wearing elaborately crafted regalia and masks.
“Human beings are responsible for how the earth looks today,” said Little, stressing the importance of not extracting too much from nature in order to preserve the balance of things.
After the students exited the Italian Hall, Nuchatlaht Councillor Archie Little referenced his time at Christie Indian Residential School. He said those in his generation were allowed to be First Nations for only two months while they were at home during the summer, followed by another 10 months of being made to feel like “savages”.
“It gives us hope, it gives us pride,” said Little of the performance given by Haahuupayak students. “It makes us proud of who we are.”
