Port Alberni–Two groups in Tseshaht are pulling together in an effort to raise funds for their Canoe Shed and Ocean-Going Canoe Project.
Tseshaht Ahp-cii-uk, a grassroots, community-driven leadership initiative, and the Tseshaht Recreation department are working in partnership in an effort to bring the art of canoe carving back to their nation.
The vision is to offer their people the chance to learn the art of canoe-making and, eventually, to build a community canoe fleet.
If successful, this effort would help to preserve Tseshaht culture, passing skills and cultural teachings onto the next generation.
For more than two years Ahp-cii-uk has been talking about canoes for their community. A couple of years ago the Tseshaht Ahp-cii-uk working group discussed their desire for a community canoe and about the challenges they would need to overcome in order to have one.
“We would need a caretaker for the canoe, and a storage place so that it would not be left out to the elements,” said Robinson. The challenges were so great that the project was set aside for a few months.
In 2010 Tseshaht First Nation bought a Nuu-chah-nulth style fiber glass canoe. Robinson said it was purchased so that Tseshaht members could take part in the 2011 Pulling Together event.
Organized by the RCMP, Pulling Together 2011 culminated in a multi-canoe family summer celebration of culture in Port Alberni.
“It’s great on rivers and lakes, but not on the open ocean,” Robinson said of the fiberglass canoe. It is being used by members and is being cared for by Tseshaht Recreation worker Tyrone Marshall.
The canoe project re-emerged this summer when Ahp-cii-uk director Mark Selman brought forth a unique fundraising opportunity. The Aviva Community Online Project Competition for Funds will provide cash awards for winning community projects in a variety of categories. Winners are selected by votes received from the public.
For this reason, Anne Robinson and Tyrone Marshall are urging everyone to register and log onto http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11193to vote for the Tseshaht Community Project.
The first of three rounds of voting began Oct. 3 and will end Oct. 19. Finalists will go onto a second round, and then a third round of voting.
At present, Tseshaht is in a heated battle for first place in their category, so every vote counts.
People are allowed one vote per day for a maximum of 15 votes per round.
Winners will be announced Jan. 25, 2012.
If successful, leaders of the Tseshaht Going Home Canoe and Canoe Shed Project plan to build a canoe shed that would house up to four canoes, along with a 30-foot ocean going traditional canoe. A log has already been secured for the project.
Tyrone Marshall has proven to be a respectful caretaker of the community canoe and has agreed to take care of future canoes.
Robinson recalled past Tseshaht elders who were master carvers. She said they would need to bring a master carver in to teach young people the art of traditional canoe making.
“We want to reinstate the canoe carving tradition and bring elders and the young together to teach them the protocols, the canoe culture and being on the water and the teachings, she said.
An important benefit of bringing the canoe culture back to Tseshaht is to allow the people their dream; the ability to go home to the Broken Group Islands in traditional style.
Having canoes would also allow the people to take part in annual canoe gatherings held up and down the coast.
Aviva is an insurance company that supports charitable organizations and community development projects. This is the third year the company has invited the public to compete for up to $150,000 for projects that benefit the community.
The Aviva Community Fund competition is intended to help make “a positive impact in Canadian communities—whether that's through providing new opportunities for at-risk youth, education, helping the environment, or cultural activities—by funding local and national initiatives for change,” as reported on avivacommunitylife.com
For more information contact C. Anne Robinson, Ahp cii uk Coordinator at 250-720-8907 or email FirstNationsWildcrafters1@shaw.ca; or Tyrone Marshall, Tseshaht Recreation Coordinator at 250-724-7320 or email recreation@tseshaht.com
