Did you know this year is the 150th anniversary of the founding of British Columbia as a Crown colony? Part of the celebration will include the North American Indigenous Games that will be held in early August. This is no small event; there will be over 9,000 Aboriginal athletes and cultural participants descending throughout Cowichan Valley and surrounding regions from all over the world.
To commemorate the rich history of B.C.'s Aboriginals and to share the story of the international multi-sport games, the B.C. government has sponsored an exciting province-wide event -Cowichan 2008 Spirit Pole: British Columbians Carve a Moment in History.
Conceived by Cowichan native Ron Rice and organized by BC150, the idea of taking a six-metre red cedar log to communities throughout B.C. to allow all citizens an opportunity to carve a piece of a totem pole designed by master carver Carey Newman has come to fruition. Thanks to the efforts of your local Spirit of BC Community Committee, the Sunshine Coast has been included in the itinerary.
The Sechelt Indian Band is proud to host the event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, at Raven's Cry Theatre parking lot. The pole will arrive from Powell River on the evening of May 6 lying in a flat-bed truck. The truck will unfold like a big transformer, revealing the totem pole, partially carved as it has passed through Lake Cowichan, Duncan, Cowichan Bay, Ladysmith, Port Alberni, Comox and Powell River. After the opening ceremonies, the public will be invited to carve some of the pole under the guidance of Newman and his apprentice carvers.
The simple ceremonies surrounding the carving will be explained to the "contributing artists" including instruction on handling time-honoured tools and a traditional cedar ceremony that allows participants to "clear their energy" before handling the tools or the log. Participants may keep their shavings as a souvenir and will be asked to sign the book of artists, which will be put on display at the end of the tour.
The Spirit Pole will be taken on the 6:30 p.m. ferry to continue its journey through Vancouver, up to Whistler and Squamish and then through the Fraser Valley all the way to Prince Rupert, where it will be returned to Cowichan Bay by Tribal Journeys, the First Nations paddlers, visiting ports along the way. This entire journey will take 13 weeks and include over 45 communities with an estimated 10,000-plus people being involved.
The Spirit Pole will be raised at the opening ceremonies of the Games and will remain in that community as a lasting legacy of the Games.
For more information on the May 7 event, visit www.spiritofbc-sunshinecoast.com.
