This year’s round of urban gatherings wrapped up on Dec. 19, with a lively event at Port Alberni’s Italian Hall.
Young and old enjoyed a Christmas feast, followed by the singing of Nuu-chah-nulth songs and dancing. Put on by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, the Port Alberni gathering was the last of six that began in early December, with prior feasts held in Campbell River, Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo and Seattle.
Urban gatherings were held each December in these cities in the past, but the practice was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, making this year’s events the first to be held since 2019. With nearly 70 per cent of Nuu-chah-nulth-aht living off reserve and treaty settlement lands, the tribal council resumed the gatherings in 2024 to give city residents a chance to connect with relatives and enjoy a meal amid their ancestral culture.
