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Community Relations HMCS Vancouver joins the Namgis People to celebrate National Aboriginal DayBy SLt Leah Friesen
The ceremony opened with a welcome dance and a beautiful display of food set up by the Namgis First Nation people of Alert Bay. They invited the sailors of HMCS Vancouver to share in the celebration of National Aboriginal Day. June 21, summer solstice, is the day that Canadians recognize the historical impact of the contributions of the various First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
Credit: HMCS Vancouver
Cdr Salchert stands with members of the Namgis First Nations celebrating National Aboriginal Day. | The Naval frigate sailed to Alert Bay as part of a voyage that traces the path of a British Naval expedition that took place from 1792-1794. The British expedition was lead by Captain George Vancouver and was the longest of the great Pacific voyages of the 18th century. Captain Vancouver’s mission was two-fold to survey the coastline of the Pacific Northwest to confirm or disprove the existence of a Northwest passage to the Orient and to re-claim Nootka, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, as British territory.
While visiting Alert Bay, and giving tours of the ship to local residents, the members of HMCS Vancouver realized that they and the Namgis people have a common goal.
“We share an interest in protecting our precious natural resources and ensuring the security and safety of everyone in the coastal regions of our country,” said Commander Kurt Salchert. The ceremony that the Kwakwaka’wakw people conducted illustrated the traditional ties that this First Nation community has with the land and the sea. Through dance, song and amid a soothingly hypnotic drumbeat, elders and children joined to tell the story of their history. During the last performance, the Namgis people invited the sailors and other guests to join them in a dance encircling the campfire that marked the center of the friendly gathering at the Big House. To conclude the evening, Cdr Salchert thanked Chief Cranmer, and the Kwakwaka’wakw people “for sharing the richness of your culture and for allowing us into your traditional waters and lands”.
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