GRAND Vol VI, Ed III

Explore
Relearning History
A Tour to Kiixin
The sky is overcast but the rain is
holding off as we gather at the Kiixin
Tour Office on the East Government
Dock in Bamfield. There are 10 of my
family members present, spanning three
generations, all eager to follow a Traditional
Knowledge Holder through lush
rainforest to an ancient village site on
the west coast of Vancouver Island. Stella
Peters introduces herself as our guide for
the morning, and it’s clear at once that
we’re in good hands. There’s a final washroom
run once we’ve signed our paperwork,
and then we pile into our cars and
following Stella’s truck a short distance
back down the Bamfield Highway and
onto a private gravel road.
With two giant carved figures to welcome
us, the trailhead is impossible to
miss. The figures are Nutchkoa and Hominiki,
we later learn, the first ancestors
of the Huu-ay-aht, one of the Nuu-chahnulth
peoples. As impressive as they are,
the two figures are significantly smaller
than the original carvings first erected in
the village of Kiixin over 160 years ago.
Taken from Kiixin in 1911, the original
figures now stand watch in the lobby
of the Royal BC Museum. New, full-size
figures were carved and installed at the
entrance to the House of Huu-ay-aht at
Pachena Bay in 2000.
As we join the other tour participants
in the shelter at the trailhead, Stella
shares this and more. “Journey with our
ancestors” is one of the taglines of the
tour—and with Stella’s guidance that is
exactly what we do. Her words and visual
materials take us from the distant past to
the present. We learn about the ancient
site itself, a 19th century village and fortress
that shows evidence of continuous
occupation for at least 3,000 years—and
as much as 5,000 years, according to oral
tradition. We learn about the archeological
surveys that Stella participated in—
and her Nation’s decision not to proceed
with a full-scale excavation. We learn
about the traditional skills and practices
that allowed the Huu-ay-aht to live in
this area for millennia. Best of all, we
receive this information from a Traditional
Knowledge Holder rather than an
“outside,” non-indigenous source.
As we move through time, Stella’s
words inevitably lead to more painful
territory—the decimation of the Huu-ayaht
population as the result of European
diseases, the loss of cultural treasures to
19th and 20th century collectors, and the
tragic consequences of the residential
school system. These are difficult but
necessary subjects, and Stella discusses
them in a manner that is both matterof-fact
and sensitive to the presence of
children on the tour.
With our guide’s introduction complete,
we start down the rainforest trail
towards the village site. The trail is not
particularly long (at least not for our
family of hikers), but we take our time,
moving carefully down flights of stairs
and over long sections of boardwalk.
There are frequent stops as well, as
Stella points out things of interest. I’m
fascinated by the culturally modified
trees—ancient cedars with strips of bark
removed for clothing and basket-making,
and other trees with entire planks missing
for cradles, boxes and houses.
Finally, we reach our destination. I’ve
had the privilege of visiting many west
coast beaches and coves, but this one is
particularly breathtaking. It’s a strategic
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