The Steward: The Gathering ~ Tribal Journeys to Bella Bella 2014 ~ Pulling Together To Save The Great Bear

For those of you who don’t know:

Enbridge has had their proposal to build a twinned pipeline from The Athabasca Tar Sands To Kitimat B.C. approved.  In Kitimat at the head of the Douglas Chanell the bitumen will be loaded onto supertankers and shipped around the world.

These supertankers will be travelling though the Great Bear Rain Forest before they get to open water. Both Enbridge and the Canadian Federal Government think this can be done safely.

Not everybody agrees with Enbridge or the government. Many believe that this is simply a disaster waiting to happen. I happen to agree with them, this is a disaster waiting to happen.

The gathering in Bella Bella has many meanings for many people.

For some it is an affirmation that their culture continues to live.

Others are exploring the ‘Old Ways’ to see if they have meaning for them in the 21st century.

Some needed to accept the challenge of paddling for weeks on end.

For others it is taking a stand for the Great Bear Rain Forest and against the continued destruction of the worlds environment.

I offer these photos published on Tlakwagila Coppermans’ FB. page with his permission. They show part of the journey, some of the people, the beauty of the coast. I am doing this so that I can look myself in the mirror and say ‘ It wasn’t much but it was better than doing nothing’.

If these photos stir something in your spirit please click on the Coppermans’ link or the Heiltsuk link to offer your support.