Families, old friends and visitors gathered on the shore of Cape Mudge Village on Quadra Island on Wednesday, July 17 to await the arrival of Namaxsala, the cultural cedar xwax'wana (canoe) carved high up in the hills and miles away in the H'kusam Forest near Sayward.
In a testament to the strength of the thriving cultures of three First Nations, Namaxsala was formally welcomed to the host community of the We Wai Kai after being carved deep in the forest by master carvers of three First Nations: Max Chickite of the We Wai Kai, Junior Henderson of the Wei Wai Kum and Karver Everson of the K'omoks First Nations.
The canoe was carved using traditional methods from a windfall cedar tree located high up in the H'kusam Forest west of Sayward on Vancouver Island. The revitalization of the ancestral practice of xwax'wana carving is part of the three Nations' intergenerational forest stewardship strategy. This indigenous-led project brought together not only the carvers from the three Nations but knowledge keepers, elders, youth and Indigenous Guardians to help decolonize canoe carving and support connection to lands and waters, community wellbeing and cultural strength.
The 10-metre canoe was moved from the H'kusam Forest to the Kelsey Bay Spit in Sayward on May 20. There it is was completed and decorated in preparation for the blessing, naming and launching of the canoe in a formal ceremony that took place early in the morning on July 17. After that it was paddled to Cape Mudge in a 12-hour journey under blue skies and hot sun.
Late in the afternoon at Cape Mudge, members of the three Nations and visitors began to gather and await Namaxsala's arrival. Canoes from the Wei Wai Kum and the We Wai Kai set off to greet the new canoe as it approached shore. Traditional songs and dances were performed by First Nations members in cultural regalia to welcome the canoe.
When Namaxsala arrived and was escorted to the shore by the two other canoes, a formal welcome was extended after Junior Henderson put forward a formal request to come ashore following traditional customs.
"The We Wai Kai First Nation is delighted to welcome the carvers, the paddlers, our communities and our fellow Nations to Capde Mudge to witness together the arrival of Namaxsala," Chief Ronnie Chickite of the We Wai Kai Nation said prior to Wednesday's events. "Our forests, our large cultural cedar trees and our traditional use of those trees remain as important to us as they have been since time immemorial. The xwax'wana and the process to create it will be both a living legacy and a contemporary reminder of that for our people as we steward our territories now and into the future."
Chief Christopher Roberts of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation said, 鈥淭he word 鈥榩ride鈥� is ringing loud today. Pride in who we are, pride in our carvers, and pride in our resilience and strength in reclaiming not only our traditions, but our connections to our lands and waters, to the resources in our territories, and to our stewardship responsibilities and authority. We raise our hands today to the carvers, to the paddlers, to everyone who has worked to bring this xwax鈥檞ana to life.鈥�
The Namaxsala project was supported by the Nanwakolas Council, which is comprised of six member First Nations whose traditional territories are located in the Northern Vancouver Island and adjacent South Central Coast areas of B.C. (Mamalilikulla, Tlowitsis, Da鈥檔axda鈥檟w Awaetlala, We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and K鈥櫭砿oks).
鈥淭he significance of Namaxsala is immense. The journey today, in which paddlers from all three Nations have worked to bring the canoe from Kelsey Bay to Cape Mudge, is symbolic of the journey each of the Nations are taking toward a better future for their communities and for the territories. The Nations are all well on the way on their journey to reclaim self-determination and take back their rightful place as stewards of their lands, waters, and resources. Gilakas鈥檒a to everyone involved in this historic event,鈥� said Dallas Smith, President, Nanwakolas Council.
