Swinging Into A Hopeful Future: An Afternoon With Cody & Thomas

Yesterday was a busy day here at the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Band Office. The Kwakiutl District Council (KDC) are holding their general assembly at our very own Wakas Hall, while our Treaty team is negotiation next door at the Elders' Centre. There's a carpentry training course happening for the people that did the BladeRunners program a while back, and within the next few weeks we have instructors coming up to do plumbing and electrical training, as well as some folks from the University of British Columbia's School of Community and Regional Planning coming up to do some work with us!

In the midst of all of this, though, it is important to remember why we are always working so hard for this community's future. Yesterday was the first sunny, hot day we've had in a few weeks, and so by 3:30 I was itching to get out of the office. While wandering up the road to take pictures of the KDC meeting, Cody and Thomas yelled out for me to come take a swing with them. How could I resist?

Afterwards we went to take a look at a nearby crow's nest. Along the way we found some interesting plants, including a salal with caterpillar bites...

And a salmonberry bush with mismatched leaves...

Cody has been learning how to carve from his Dad, Dennis. After checking out the wildlife, we went to look at Cody's projects.

This is an adze handle that he is making out of yew wood, because it's the strongest wood that grows around here.

Here is Cody's carving toolbox, with knives that were made by his Dad, inherited, or given to him as gifts. Here is a knife that Dennis made from a file:

And here is Cody working on one of his projects:

It was a nice treat to get to hang with these guys. They (along with many other kids from our community) pay close attention to nature and are very respectful of the plants and animals, and it is awesome to see the culture getting passed down as Cody learns to carve. I was very glad that I stepped out of my office for a bit, and got a nice reminder of the fact that as we go through all of these meetings, workshops, training courses, and the daily grind, it is Thomas, Cody, and the other childrens' future that we are fighting for!

Gila'kasla,

Jessie Hemphill

Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Executive Assistant & Communications Officer

jessieh@gwanakplan.org