From the Daily News: Snuneymuxw chief worried about effect of Enbridge Gateway pipeline. Snuneymuxw First Nation chief Doug White fears for the First Nations and other people along B.C.’s coast if the proposed Enbridge Gateway pipeline proceeds.(…) White said the possibility of a dramatic increase of an activity in the area that could have devastating [...]
Filed in environment,First Nations,Gabriola Island 5 Comments so far
The University of York has published an article about the dog hair the Coast Salish used in weaving: Researchers from the University of York have produced the first clear evidence that textiles made by the indigenous population of the Pacific coast of North America contained dog hair. In recent years, scientists have hotly debated whether [...]
Filed in First Nations,history 7 Comments so far
Gabriola Island is part of the Snuneymuxw First Nation‘s traditional territory; so is Nanaimo. And in Nanaimo, the Snuneymuxw news today is what some geocachers found. A group of geocachers found more than they were searching for on the weekend. Nanaimo RCMP confirmed Monday that a group of people on an afternoon geocaching foray discovered [...]
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A year ago I blogged about clam gardens, and asked Were there clam gardens on Gabriola beaches? Now we have the answer: yes. From the Daily News: Ancient clam gardens a window on the past. The Snuneymuxw First Nation hopes to conduct aerial surveys that could provide more insight on ancient clam gardens that have [...]
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[Let me begin by thanking Gabriolan for the invitation to contribute to this blog. I expect any future contributions will likely follow the model of this one: infrequent but fairly lengthy coverage of a specific topic related to some human cultural aspect of Gabriola and nearby areas. I claim no expertise in most of these [...]
Filed in First Nations,Gabriola Island,Nanaimo 4 Comments so far
Oh my, I’ve got lots more petroglyphs to show you! And other things too. No time tonight, though, but I thought I’d at least post a preview photo for you before going off to bed. I’ll try to post more petroglyph photos soon, as well as blog entries for all the things I’ve been meaning [...]
Filed in First Nations 9 Comments so far
The ever-fascinating Northwest Coast Archaeology blog has some Gabriola content today: Rock art on Gabriola in 1792. The blogger, qmackie, has found this image in the University of Washington’s digital collections. Well, Gabriola, where could this be? The image label says near Descanso Bay. I’d say Malaspina Galleries, but I don’t think there is any [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,history 7 Comments so far
Here’s another one of Gabriola’s petroglyphs. What animal do you think it represents? It looks like a cheery dog to me, and I know that the Snuneymuxw did keep dogs… so? On the other hand, it’s not like I know much about Snuneymuxw rock art, so somebody else is bound to have a better answer.
Filed in First Nations,Gabriola Island,history 4 Comments so far
Here’s an article from The Tyee about a revival of First Nations’ staple foods. The article summary: Women are leading a revival of First Nations’ staple foods. To get lucky, you have to get mucky. I’ve never heard of wapato (it’s mentioned in the article) before — have you? But the article does mention a [...]
Filed in environment,First Nations,food,Gabriola Island,native plants 2 Comments so far
Recently I happened across a few posts about Gabriola on the Northwest Coast Archaeology blog. In this post about Gabriola petroglyphs the writer notes: I must comment on the destructive practice of rubbing, not so much through cloth but the scraping of the lines to remove weathering patina and lichen in order to take clearer [...]
Filed in First Nations,Gabriola Island,history 5 Comments so far
On Gabriola, what can compare to rose hips for cheery winter colour? Rose hips are useful as food, too. They’re very high in vitamin C, and can be used in all kinds of recipes. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples notes that the Vancouver Island Salish ate the outer rind of rose hips. Edible and [...]
Filed in First Nations,food,Gabriola Island,native plants 2 Comments so far
We’ve got lots of petroglyphs on Gabriola; this is one a friend pointed out in the woods last week. I’m glad we have all those petroglyph reproductions at the Gabriola Museum, but it’s way more fun to come across a real petroglyph in the middle of the forest somewhere.
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You know that BC First Nations people used cedar for all sort of things: canoes, housing, masks, clothing, blankets, baskets, totem poles, and probably lots of other purposes as well. The Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo Coast Salish) on Gabriola were no exception. Sometimes they took an entire cedar tree, but other times they just took part of [...]
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This is from the Snuneymuxw exhibit at the Nanaimo Museum: The Salish used the same technique to spin all fibres. While spinning the spindle whorl is pointed upwards and the fibres are drawn down onto it. As the spindle rotates, it creates tension and a twist in the fibres, producing yarn. When the spindle is [...]
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Concerned about Gabriola’s vanishing petroglyphs? You’re not the only one. Here’s an article from the Nanaimo Daily News: Sacred sites are defiled by misuse. Nick Doe wants to record as much information as he can about the remaining petrogylphs on Gabriola Island. "We’ve already lost some," said the amateur archeologist, the only person now actively [...]
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The other day I went to the Snuneymuxw exhibit at the Nanaimo Museum. The part that interested me most was a little plaque that said: The Snuneymuxw had a small breed of dog whose fur was spun and woven into fabric. Through trade, they also aquired wool from mountain goats and later, sheep. As with [...]
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From the Nanaimo News Bulletin: Exhibit honours Snuneymuxw. The history of the Snuneymuxw First Nation will come alive this weekend during the newest exhibit opening at the Nanaimo District Museum. The exhibit focuses on the traditional lifestyles of the Snuneymuxw people over the last 1,500 years. It’s an entirely new exhibit and it’s looking at [...]
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