Today we had an extra day in Terrace and I spent some time connecting with people to find out more about the resilience of First Nations people along Highway of Tears. Sonja and Colleen headed out for a trip north to the Nisga’a Nation and the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park.
But first I had an Interview with CFTK TV for their 6 o’clock news, which went very well. Then I spoke with a woman from the Kitselas Nation, just outside of Terrace, who said that as part of dealing with their losses they engage member of the community in traditional crafts and activities. This year they chose to make regalia for every person in the community. She also pointed out that they have a close knit community along the highway.
Then I spoke with Denis Gagne, the Executive Assistant of Robin Austin the MLA of Skeena, about Highway of Tears and violence against women. He has a background as a social worker and is engaged in violence against women issues. Denis said transportation is a big issue in the area. How do people get around without a public transportation system and when there is wide ranging poverty? And as a male its a relatively small risk to hitchhike, but the risks for women are so high. That’s where the inequality lies. He said there are initiatives to develop a transportation system along Highway of Tears but he admitted that if there are men who prey on young women they still will find their victims. Denis is also concerned about how boys grow up: on the one hand they are dealing with “Raging Puberty” in a culture that is repressive and does not offer healthy sexual expressions, and on the other hand boys are continually exposed to sexist and violent media, pornography, and a misogynist peer culture.
Later I spoke with Lisa Schmidt and Joelle McKiernan at K’san House Society. They empahasized the social injustice faced by Aboriginal people and the fact that there is still focus on what women wear and blaming them for how they are treated. Joelle spoke out strongly about the fact that non native Canadians still are not really are interested in First Nations people, their lives and their history. The Highway of Tears doesn’t get the attention it needs and deserves at all levels of society, even after so many women have gone missing. Joelle noted that communities along Highway of Tears engage in various forms of healing processes, but she believes that ultimately we need however a shift in male culture to stop the violence.
Colleen and Sonja had a great day trip to the Nisga’a Nation – the first nation to complete a treaty with the BC government. The Nisga’a Lava Bed Memorial Park is a about an hour north of Terrace and it is a truly unbelievable sight. In the 1700s a volcano erupted and spilled lava along the the river valley, damming up the river to form Lava Lake and then flowing for kilometers down the valley. It is a lava floodplain – almost entirely without vegetation and in some places over a km wide. The highway cuts through the lava and the mountains surround it. Over 7,000 Nisga’a people died at the time – the lava flowed over the main village and buried it under 12 meters of molten rock. We met a young man at the visitor centre (we were the only visitors – for such a stunningly beautiful place it is off the beaten track for tourists). We had a long and deep conversation about the Cycle of Change tour, his experience of growing up witnessing violence and the impact of the residential schools on his generation. He said that because of his own experience of violence in the family he is very engaged in addressing the issue. He told us a story of going to a neighbour’s door when the fighting got loud, and telling his girlfriend to call 911 if she heard things get worse. He said it was better for the guy to yell at him, than at his wife! He spoke at length about the strong culture and traditions of the Nisga’a people and how he came home again after living in many cities, to care for his grandmother. He said that the people and the place called to him. He suggested that we go to the new museum, which we did – a drive through a canyon flanked by high mountains to a wonderful museum of Nisga’a totem poles, ceremonial dress, masks and regalia.
When Sonja and Colleen returned Sonja and I biked 36 km on the highway while Colleen searched for a campsite. Our friends John and Sonja told us about a great campsite at the Exstew River Recreational Area (no signs and a very rough road off the highway) so we were lucky to find yet another spectacular campsite – with a mountain river and amazing views of the mountains around. We camped right by the river and had a campfire while we watched the sun on the snowy mountain tops.
Below is a picture of the lava fields at Lava Memorial Park, north of Terrace.
Evening at the remote Exstew River recreation site where we camped.
