June 27, 2014 - 2:45am
A group of 29 faculty, staff, students and community members representing Vancouver Island University (VIU) are making final preparations to set out from Nanaimo’s Departure Bay Saturday, June 28 on a three-week canoe journey as participants in Tribal Journeys (Qatuwas) 2014.
Their final destination is the First Nations community of Bella Bella, located on an island off the BC mainland. As hosts for Tribal Journeys 2014, the Heiltsuk Tribal Council of Bella Bella expects to welcome more than 100 canoes, 1,000 paddlers, and as many as 5,000 people who will join the Tribal Journeys 2014 Protocol event July 13 to 19.
A dozen members of the VIU group gathered June 16 to review last minute details, encourage each other, and share their thoughts on the adventure that lies ahead.
“This is a spiritual journey,” said Gary Manson, Snuneymuxw Elder who also serves as Elder at VIU. As the experienced skipper of the VIU canoe, Manson fielded questions, calmed nerves, and gave advice on how to deal with long days on the water, changing weather, and the close quarters that result from long days in a canoe together.
“The more stuff you go through out there, the more you learn in here,” said Manson, placing his hand on his heart. “The more you go through, the more you will get to know yourself.”
Joan Wagner, a VIU employee in Disability Services, is one of 16 in the group paddling in Tribal Journeys for the first time.
“I keep thinking how beautiful the whole thing is, the First Nations, the land and the water,” she said. “It’s going to be a big adventure.”
The group has been preparing since January, and met their fundraising goal of $10,000 by hosting beer and burger nights, bannock and soup lunches, yoga sessions, among other activities. An online auction was also held to raise funds to support the host community of Bella Bella.
To further help Bella Bella in hosting the large gathering, VIU worked with the Heiltsuk Tribal Council to deliver an Event Management program through a model of blended learning. Instructors from VIU’s Tourism and Recreation faculty travelled to Bella Bella to teach students, allowing them to study and gain experience in event management without having to leave their community.
Sylvia Scow, Aboriginal Projects Coordinator and Elder Support, has been working with the group since January to coordinate a vast number of logistical details in preparation for the journey.
She agrees with Manson that the trip will be life-changing for those who paddle together on mostly Inside Passage waters, and looks forward to participating in the Protocol events held by each canoe family once they reach Bella Bella.
“When we land in a community there is a process involved in identifying who we are and where we have traveled from, and asking permission to land,” she said. “At some communities along the way there will be cultural protocol involved, where each canoe family is given an opportunity to take part, involving singing, drumming and dancing. Gary has taught us songs that we’ll sing together.”
VIU participated in Tribal Journeys in 2008, padding from Fort Rupert to Cowichan as part of the North American Indigenous Games. The opportunity for VIU to take part in Tribal Journeys 2014 came with an invitation to VIU President and Vice-Chancellor Ralph Nilson, extended by the host community.
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For more information:
Follow the paddlers’ journey on http://www2.viu.ca/tribaljourneys/ and on their Facebook page, “VIU Tribal Journey”.
Media Contact:
Shari Bishop Bowes, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University
P:250.740.6443 C: 250.618.1535 E: Communications@viu.ca T: @viunews
Tags: In the Community
