It has been 22 years since Lisa Marie Young went missing from Nanaimo and advocates continue to gather annually to celebrate the memory of the Tla-o-qui-aht woman, raising awareness for her ongoing investigation.
Close to 80 people gathered at Nanaimo’s RCMP detachment on June 30, 2024, marching with posters and banners down to Maffeo Sutton Park to celebrate and remember Young.
The Smith family of Ehattesaht have heard a story that’s been passed down the generations from grandparent to grandchild. It is the story of three men that traveled a great distance, finally paddling ashore in Ehattesaht territory where they were welcomed and invited to stay.
“When I was a teenager, my Grampa Mo Smith told me the story about the Māori coming to live with us,” said Ernie Smith, now an elected councillor at Ehattesaht/Chinehkint. “He didn’t say when it was, but he said there were three of them and they stayed for three years.”
This June 74 students are graduating from the Eighth Avenue Learning Centre. As they took the stage to celebrate this milestone a common sentiment was apparent: a deep sense of gratitude to the faculty for supporting them through their high school years.
Serving as an alternative to Port Alberni’s much larger high school, Eighth Avenue stresses the importance of forming close relationships with its students, fostering an adaptable educational environment according to individual learning needs.
A team of researchers from the University of Victoria (UVic) and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre are working closely with coastal First Nations in attempts to regrow kelp forests.
With the days being warmer and longer, summer break is just around the corner, but for students in Grade 12, June also marks a larger milestone: the completion of their high-school journey.
Katie Ambrose, a member of Ehattesaht with ties to Mowachaht, Hesquiaht, Kyuquot and Ahousaht, reflected with Ha-Shilth-Sa on her journey through school. Despite the challenges she’s faced during her time at Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS), including being a student there during the pandemic, she’s proud of making it to where she is now.
Sitting side-by-side, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation elder Moses Martin and Ahousaht Ha'wilth Maquinna (Lewis George) gazed thoughtfully at the scene unfolding at Tofino’s Village Green on June 21, as young dancers welcomed family and guests to a celebration that’s been a long time coming.
Haahuupayak’s gymnasium was filled with proud family members, and vibrant decorations, as teachers, students and the surrounding community gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2024 graduates that will be moving on to ADSS in the fall.
The streets of Tofino were buzzing with activity on June 21, as the Tla-o-qui-aht first Nation led a parade through town to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Hereditary and elected chiefs from the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations participated as well as Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA Josie Osborne, MP Gord Johns and Tofino Mayor Dan Law. Speeches and cultural performances followed for the many in attendance.
A blanket of fog and a chilly breeze swept over the beach as volunteers built a fire so that they could barbecue salmon the traditional way, on cedar sticks over an open fire. Meanwhile, children played on the river bank building sand castles and flying kites as the sun slowly burned off the fog
Today National Indigenous Peoples Day is being recognized across Canada, and in Port Alberni a number of events are taking place that celebrate the region’s Nuu-chah-nulth heritage.
For many Nuu-chah-nulth-aht, Port Alberni is considered an urban hub for the surrounding west communities, and nearly one fifth of the small city’s population identifies as Indigenous.