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- July 13 - First Nation treasure heads home
July 13 - First Nation treasure heads home
Royal Roads receives largest gift yet, humpback injured, threats at UVic's multifaith centre.
Capital Daily Team
July 13, 2024
Good morning !
CrabFest is happening today—if you’re a crab boil enthusiast or just love an excuse to grab some seafood and enjoy a beautiful day, you may want to stop by Banfield Park.
— Robyn
Are you going to CrabFest today? |
Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
RBCM returns chief’s seat to Heiltsuk Nation after 113 years
The chief’s seat is blessed by a Heiltsuk member. Photo: Robyn Bell / Capital Daily
Steve Carpenter was a small child the last time he saw the chief’s seat built by his great-grandfather, Heiltsuk master carver and chief Captain Richard Carpenter. He saw it in an old black and white photograph with Captain Carpenter posed behind the settee-style bench. The photograph has long been lost. But yesterday, Steve could see the seat, which had sat unassembled at the Royal BC Museum (RBCM) since 1911, in person for the first time.
The seat is finally on its way home to Bella Bella, Heiltsuk First Nation’s territory on BC’s coast. To celebrate its repatriation, a ceremony and blessing was held at Mungo Martin House with members of Heiltsuk, Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, Songhees, and Esquimalt First Nations in attendance. Carpenter’s descendants were also there, Steve included. In many ways, this was a family affair.
The seat features intricate form-line designs, with the eagle and killer whale family crests of the Carpenter family carved throughout.
It was once an important feature at potlatch ceremonies, which were banned by the Canadian government from 1885 to 1951. It was meant to be present for ceremonies and celebrations, surrounded by Heiltsuk song and dance.
Instead, it sat in a silent museum. Heiltsuk Tribal Council Chief Marilyn Slett said this is the first time it has been in the presence of music in “113 years.”
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Road Closure: Gorge will be closed from Harriet to Balfour on Monday.
Victoria 6, Edmonton 5 as HarbourCats take series opener.
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Royal Roads receives largest gift in university’s history
Aerial view of Bloom Castle by the Sea and surrounding acreages. Photo: Royal Roads
The university calls the $9.93M gift “generous and transformative” that will bring more programming to Salt Spring.
The benefactor, longtime environmental philanthropist Susan Bloom, died in 2021 in her Castle by the Sea home, which also has been bequeathed to the university.
“We are extremely grateful for the pristine natural lands from the Bloom gift, which will serve as a dynamic space for local and global changemakers—artists, scholars, and writers-in-residence, enhancing learning and research opportunities through Salt Spring Island's unique landscape and natural beauty,” said Philip Steenkamp, Royal Roads (RRU) president and vice-chancellor.
The gift, under the Bloom Canadian Alter Ego Trust 2020, includes the castle and another large home, waterfront gardens, heritage fruit trees, outbuildings, and a foreshore lease near Beddis Beach. The university said Bloom’s generosity will benefit the community, RRU students, faculty, and staff, and the broader academic community.
More than half of the gift’s value—$5.27M in funds ($4.6M of which to be endowed)—is earmarked for maintenance and upgrades of the lands, the release said.
RRU has named the primary building the ‘Bloom Castle by the Sea’ “to serve as a centre for change-making for generations to come.” It said the gift will help safeguard Salt Spring’s farming traditions, improve food security, and address climate change.
The Bloom Canadian Alter Ego Trust was established in 2020 and has invested in language-learning programs for First Nations, the protection of ecologically rich lands and wildlife, and the conservation of marine areas.
⭐️ Capital Picks
🚣 Paddle 4 Pacific, supporting weaving for Vanuatu (near Australia). Pacific Peoples Partnership or to donate.
⚾ 🎆 HarbourCats host Edmonton Riverhawks. Fireworks tonight! [Tickets]
🏒 Victoria’s Stanley Cup history: Original program from BC’s last Stanley Cup win in 1925, sent in by reader Roy McIlveen:
🤝 Now hiring: Irrigation Trades Assistant at The Butchart Gardens.
🗞️ In Other News
Whale without a tail: Humpback seen seriously injured
Marine researchers doubt Catalyst will survive after being seen with a severed fluke (likely due either to a net tangle or vessel strike) northeast of Campbell River. Fisheries & Oceans was already dealing with two entangled humpbacks in Island waters. [CHEK]
Threatening notes found at UVic’s Multifaith Centre
Muslim prayer services and Islamic lectures were cancelled last weekend after notes targeting the Islamic faith were discovered attached to the building’s doors on Fri. The RCMP hate-crime unit has been called in. [Times Colonist]
New Talking Trees nature preserve to protect 42ha on Galiano
The 103.5 acres of ecologically diverse mature and old-growth coast Douglas-fir forest contains some of BC's rarest and most endangered ecosystems, along with 100+ provincially listed species at risk. The waterfront parcel contains 600m of undeveloped rocky shoreline and rare habitats, including Garry oaks, coastal bluffs, wetlands, and riparian forest. [Galiano Conservancy Assoc.]
🗓️ Things to do
🎭 SKAMpede: The outdoor live performance festival returns with venues across the Galloping Goose trail, Songhees Park, and Songhees Walkway. Performances will include comedy, dance, puppetry and more. Today and tomorrow. [Info]
🌮 Festival Mexicano celebrates Mexican culture with food, music, & dance at Ship Point today and tomorrow. 11am-6pm. [Info]
🦀 CrabFest: Enjoy a bucket of crab, prawns, and clams at Banfield Park alongside a beverage garden, vendors, and live music today. 12-7pm. [Info]
👚 ReLove Market: Shop secondhand and vintage clothes and accessories in Market Square, today and tomorrow. 11am-5pm. [Info]
🎤 Colwood’s Music in the Park: Poshcoat will perform and food vendors will serve up treats at Royal Bay Commons tonight. 5:30-7:30pm. [Info]
🎵 Club Voltaire: The band will perform music inspired by Django at Hermann’s tonight. 7pm. [Info]
🎤 Get On Bad: Dance along to reggae, dancehall, and afrobeat music to Victoria Event Centre today. 10pm-2am. [Info]
🎶 Music in the Park: The Choirs YYJ perform in Cameron Bandshell at Beacon Hill today. 1:30-3:30pm. [Info]
🐉 South Island Dragon Boat Festival: This weekend of 500m racing includes women’s and mixed categories at Fairway Gorge Paddling Club, today and tomorrow. [Info]
🏫 Government House tours: See inside the mysterious manor today at 10am, 11am, and noon. [Register for a spot]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Friday’s headlines: Major police response after emergency worker attacked downtown; Indigenous teens confronted for singing, keep on singing; Earthquakes rock underwater near Tofino; And more. [July 12]
Unique underwater mountains near the Island to be protected. [Capital Daily]
CrabFest is on today at Banfield Park. [Tasting Victoria]
BC-wide campfire ban begins.
Silk & Great Value plant milk recall Canada-wide over possible listeria. [Canada Gov]
Deer & Dough Bakery to reopen at former Shatterbox Coffee spot in Public Market.
Van Isle named Canada’s favourite island by Travel + Leisure, based on readers’ travel experiences.
Beachfest begins: Artists will compete to create sand sculptures at Parksville Community Park & Beach until Aug. 18. [Details]
Downtown Hudson’s Bay reopens after days-long closure due to strain on HVAC systems caused by hot temp.s. [CHEK]
That’s it!
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