www.Aviawest.com
Aboriginal Day: Much more than just a day
Well, this week we marked “Aboriginal Day.” But sometimes, I feel that our nation’s Aboriginal Day represents a romantic vision of how native people “were,” rather than recognizing that they are still here, and reflecting how they “are.”
Aboriginal Day is very important, both here on Vancouver Island and across our country.
But, rather than focussing only on past First Nations traditions—some of which are still carried on today, but some of which are not—I think it is really important to also recognize that many of Canada’s First Nations people and their communities still exist, and that they face many challenges.
One of the most exciting initiatives in this country, I think, is Haa’uukmin Tribal Park. In the Nuu-chah-nulth language, haa’uukmin means “feast bowl”—a reference to the richness of the giant watershed that includes the Kennedy River as well as Kennedy Lake, both of which any visitor who drives in to Tofino or Ucluelet drives past.
Haa’uukmin lies within Tla-o-qui-aht territory. Tla-o-qui-aht are one of the 15 or so tribes who are included within the umbrella of Nuu-chah-nulth-aht, “the people who live along the mountains and the sea.”
And Haa’uukmin Tribal Park is an innovative and unique initiative: an eye-opening example of cooperation between the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and partners such as Parks Canada, BC Parks, several environmental groups such as Ecotrust and the Western Canadian Wilderness Committee and several universities, as well as private companies.
Kennedy Lake
The declaration of Haa’uukmin Tribal Park marks a new spirit of cooperation between the traditional owners and occupiers of this land, the current Canadian governments, and private enterprise. It means that First Nations can find a compromise position, where they can participate in the market economy while still maintaining traditional values.
In Haa’uukmin, this translates to commercial initiative ranging from tourism ventures such as a zipline down the Kennedy River canyon, to small-scale hydroelectric power ventures.
For a more detailed background to this tribal park, please see my article in The Tyee newspaper.
It is easy for Canadians to think of First Nations people in a romantic way: as people who lived off the land only in times past. And in some parts of Canada, sadly, this is true. The First Nations people are gone: either relocated or extinct.
But here on Vancouver Island, the First Nations communities are vibrant and, in many regions, growing. Initiatives like Haa’uukmin Tribal Park are truly exciting, and form cutting-edge models world-wide for how traditional values and economic models can co-exist.
How do you find Haa’uukmin Tribal Park? The boundaries are the natural drainage divides. As soon as you cross Sutton Pass, between Port Alberni and the west coast, you have entered Haa’uukmin. The zipline is located roughly 60km west of Port Alberni, about 70km east of Tofino and 50km from Ucluelet; the turn-off is well marked on the highway.
(Jacqueline Windh’s book, First Nations of the Pacific Northwest: Change and Tradition, talks both about how First Nations people on the coast were, as well as the issues that they face today).
Ziplining down the Kennedy River canyon
- Photos & text by Jacqueline Windh©
