Canoe Launch & Celebration Feast
At noon today, a gathering of First Nation tribes and interested palefaces met at Crab Park on Burrard Inlet at the north end of Main Street ...the occasion was the launching of a yellow cedar canoe carved by nine young people from Britannia Community under the direction of carver Mervyn Child of the Kwakiutl people ... the cedar was donated by Vancouver Parks Board following cleanup of Stanley Park from the devastating winter storms of 2006-07 ... the canoe took several months to complete and was stained a rust red with symbols painted on the seats ... oars were carved from the same cedar tree and painted with similar symbols in the style of the Coast Salish tribe ... two more cedar trees donated by the Parks Board will be rendered into a totem pole and a second canoe ... the completed pole will stand in Britannia Community Centre.
Among the crowd at the beach were two city policemen whom I approached for details about the gathering ... my request was overheard by Debra Martel, District Principal for Aboriginal Education ... she told me that the event was jointly sponsored by the Parks Board, Vancouver Police Department, Aboriginal Friendship House, Britannia Secondary School and Britannia Community Centre as part of The Community Carving Experience.
First came welcome speeches by the Chiefs of the Salish, Squamish, Musqueam and Kwakiutl people ... a young woman with raven hair spoke eloquently of the lost aboriginal women of the Downtown Eastside who had either disappeared or been murdered ... this young woman came from Fort St. James representing the Carrier Sekani tribe ... in their welcoming speeches, the Chiefs dedicated the canoe to the young people who created it and in memory of the young women who had disappeared ... next were short speeches by four chosen witnesses, including Mervyn Child (the carver) and Constable Rick Lavallee, Liaison Officer with the Diversity & Aboriginal Section of the Vancouver Police Department ...
The dedication ceremony, conducted on Coast Salish land, opened with drumming and singing while the carvers circled the canoe four times, brushing its surfaces with small cedar branches ... the canoe was blessed by the Salish Chief and named "Perfect Storm" ... it was then pushed into the bay by the carvers who climbed aboard with Mervyn Child and rowed out and back a hundred yards from shore ...
The ceremony continues this afternoon at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre on Hastings Street near Commercial Drive for dance, drums, songs and refreshments until 7:00 pm, followed by an evening of music, improv and slapstick comedy, gymnastics, martial arts, and performances such as hip hop, powwow, capoerira and break dancing, by an all-star lineup of musicians and singers.
Flora and I were joined by a Winnipeg visitor, Rosemary, who enjoyed the occasion ... her son is interested in First Nations culture and her daughter collects aboriginal art, so now she has something to share with them on her return to Winnipeg at the end of November.
In keeping with Remembrance Day, next Saturday's walk may focus on visiting a memorial site dedicated to the thousands of young men and women who served in the two great wars and the Korean war and to those who continue to serve in the Afghanistan war.
Contributor Virginia B.
At noon today, a gathering of First Nation tribes and interested palefaces met at Crab Park on Burrard Inlet at the north end of Main Street ...the occasion was the launching of a yellow cedar canoe carved by nine young people from Britannia Community under the direction of carver Mervyn Child of the Kwakiutl people ... the cedar was donated by Vancouver Parks Board following cleanup of Stanley Park from the devastating winter storms of 2006-07 ... the canoe took several months to complete and was stained a rust red with symbols painted on the seats ... oars were carved from the same cedar tree and painted with similar symbols in the style of the Coast Salish tribe ... two more cedar trees donated by the Parks Board will be rendered into a totem pole and a second canoe ... the completed pole will stand in Britannia Community Centre.
Among the crowd at the beach were two city policemen whom I approached for details about the gathering ... my request was overheard by Debra Martel, District Principal for Aboriginal Education ... she told me that the event was jointly sponsored by the Parks Board, Vancouver Police Department, Aboriginal Friendship House, Britannia Secondary School and Britannia Community Centre as part of The Community Carving Experience.
First came welcome speeches by the Chiefs of the Salish, Squamish, Musqueam and Kwakiutl people ... a young woman with raven hair spoke eloquently of the lost aboriginal women of the Downtown Eastside who had either disappeared or been murdered ... this young woman came from Fort St. James representing the Carrier Sekani tribe ... in their welcoming speeches, the Chiefs dedicated the canoe to the young people who created it and in memory of the young women who had disappeared ... next were short speeches by four chosen witnesses, including Mervyn Child (the carver) and Constable Rick Lavallee, Liaison Officer with the Diversity & Aboriginal Section of the Vancouver Police Department ...
The dedication ceremony, conducted on Coast Salish land, opened with drumming and singing while the carvers circled the canoe four times, brushing its surfaces with small cedar branches ... the canoe was blessed by the Salish Chief and named "Perfect Storm" ... it was then pushed into the bay by the carvers who climbed aboard with Mervyn Child and rowed out and back a hundred yards from shore ...
The ceremony continues this afternoon at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre on Hastings Street near Commercial Drive for dance, drums, songs and refreshments until 7:00 pm, followed by an evening of music, improv and slapstick comedy, gymnastics, martial arts, and performances such as hip hop, powwow, capoerira and break dancing, by an all-star lineup of musicians and singers.
Flora and I were joined by a Winnipeg visitor, Rosemary, who enjoyed the occasion ... her son is interested in First Nations culture and her daughter collects aboriginal art, so now she has something to share with them on her return to Winnipeg at the end of November.
In keeping with Remembrance Day, next Saturday's walk may focus on visiting a memorial site dedicated to the thousands of young men and women who served in the two great wars and the Korean war and to those who continue to serve in the Afghanistan war.
Contributor Virginia B.
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