More than a decade after the old Somass Hall was shut down for safety reasons, on July 31 the Tseshaht First Nation opened a new facility for community gathering – with a lower floor dedicated to children’s and family services.
The new Somass Hall provides approximately 7,000 square feet of space in the middle of the Tseshaht’s main reserve, a structure built with over $9 million of government funding. With sunlight pouring in from the many windows on the main floor, the facility’s large room offers a high ceiling with a modern kitchen off to one side.
The new Somass Hall was built with $3.45 million from the federal and provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, plus another $6.3 million from Indigenous Services Canada. This federal amount came according to a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal order which dictates that the federal government “fund the full cost of projects that are needed to support the delivery of [First Nation Child and Family Services] to First Nations children, youth and families on reserve”.
As a result, the lower floor of the new hall houses a youth centre, offices and a room for cultural craft-making. It’s part of a broad range of “prevention” services, explained Tseshaht Chief Councillor Wahmeesh, Ken Watts.
“Prevention, the way we look at it as Tseshaht, are the things that help keep kids within their families,” he said. “It’s their culture, it’s their mental health, it’s their wellness, it’s education, it’s employment and training.”
During the hall’s grand opening many expressed the hope that the building will facilitate regular singing and dance practices, as was the case with the old Somass Hall that stood on the same site for over 70 years.
“It was both Tseshaht and Hupacasath,” recalled Tseshaht Councillor Les Sam of the cultural practices at the old hall. “It was one of our greatest gathering places.”
“In the mid ‘80s I joined in on the dance practices here,” Sam continued. “It was really something. I got to sing with some people who are no longer here. I learned all the songs and dances, they shared them out and taught us to carry them on.”
Sam remembers his family coming to the hall when community meals were served.
“Our whole family would take our bowls with us, we used to come here and they’d make a big pot of soup and bannock and stuff,” he remembered. “We’d all just come and share the dinner song, sit down and eat together.”
Built at the end of the Second World War with funding from Bloedel, Stewart and Welch and labour from Tseshaht members, at around 2012 it was becoming painfully apparent that the old hall had outlived its lifespan.
“It was very aged at the time,” said Sam. “We brought in some Māori dancers. They have a very aggressive dance and they collapsed part of the floor. We had about 15 or 20 of those great big Māoris there dancing in one corner and it almost collapsed the floor, which ended up being the closure of the hall for safety reasons.”
“The moment it was condemned we realized we had a huge gap in our community,” said Tseshaht Chief Councillor Wahmeesh, Ken Watts, referencing the shortcomings of other facilities in the community. “The cultural centre was too small, Maht Mahs sometimes was too big, this former hall was the perfect size.”
The new hall can house gatherings of up to 150 people, an ideal space for the many large families within Tseshaht, said Sam.
“It’s the perfect size for big families,” he said. “It will provide more family unity in our community.”
With its own backup generator and water tank, the new Somass Hall can also serve as an emergency gathering place for those living on the Tseshaht reserve.
“We have a 30-day supply of water, we have a generator on it,” said Sam.
“The rebar that’s in the concrete here is much thicker and more sturdy than other ones because it’s supposed to withstand an earthquake,” added Watts.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway for a larger structure to replace Maht Mahs. One of the two remaining buildings from the Alberni Indian Residential School, Maht Mahs is still frequently used for funerals and sports events, but Tseshaht members have voted to tear it down if a replacement can be built.
“We’ve got the mandate from community and support from [residential school] survivors to build a new gym,” said Watts. “We’re working on it right now to secure the funding, but we have to finalize the design.”
