Archive For The “ceremony” Category
Kitimat had a spectacular display of fireworks Monday night, March 18, 2019 to mark the opening of the Junior All Native Basketball tournament, hosted by the Haisla Nation.
After the friendship pole was raised in Kitimat, the Haisla Nation hosted a feast for both communities at Kitimat’s Riverlodge Recreation Centre.
The headtable, from left to right members of the District of Kitimat Council and the Haisla Nation Council, Kitimat officials and the Haisla hereditary chiefs. (Robin Rowland)
Carver Gary Wilson was the host and master of ceremonies for the feast (Robin Rowland)
Hereditary chief Sammy Robinson (He’mas C’esi) addresses the feast. (Robin Rowland)
Cyril Grant Jr.(He’mas Sanaxaid) addresses the feast. (Robin Rowland)
A chief addresses the feast. (Robin Rowland)
A man addresses the feast on behalf of his clan. (Robin Rowland)
Spirit of Kitlope dancers (Robin Rowland)
Spirit of Kitlope Dancers (Robin Rowland)
Spirit of Kitlope Dancers (Robin Rowland)
Spirit of Kitlope Dancers (Robin Rowland)
On May 4, the Haisla Nation and the District of Kitimat raised a totem pole to mark the growing friendship between “township” and Kitamaat Village. Planning for the pole began a couple of years ago when the Haisla Nation and the people of the Kitimat township held a reconciliation forum at Riverlodge. The pole was carved over the past year under the supervision of carver Gary Wilson (‘Nagamo’o). Funding for the project came from the Canada 150 fund, the District of Kitimat and the Haisla Nation.
Before the ceremony
Haisla Nation hereditary chiefs and elders gather for the pole raising ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
Skeena Bulkley NDP MP Nathan Cullen speaks to Haisla Nation hereditary chiefs and elders before the pole raising ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
Eagle chief Cyril Grant Jr.(He’mas Sanaxaid) speaks to carver and master of ceremonies Gary Wilson (‘Nagamo’o) and Kitimat mayor Phil Germuth before the ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
Aiden Robinson speaking to her Ma’ma’o (grandmother) Rose Robinson, Sammy Robinson (He’mas C’esi) amd Basil Grant (He’mas Legaix) (Robin Rowland)
Unveiling and blessing the friendship pole
Carver Gary Wilson unveils the friendship pole. (Robin Rowland)
Sammy Robinson begins to bless the new pole, along with Gary Wilson (‘Nagamo’o), Allan Williams (He’mas Wakas), Verlie Nelson (C’esi’s spokesperson) Cyril Grant Jr.(He’mas Sanaxaid) as Harvey Grant, MP Nathan Cullen and Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth watch. (Robin Rowland)
Cedar boughs are used to cleanse the totem pole. (Robin Rowland)
Sammy Robinson He’mas C’esi and Verlie Nelson prepare the eagle down to cleanse and bless the pole. (Robin Rowland)
Cleansing and blessing the pole. (Robin Rowland)
At the pole blessing, Harvey Grant (He’mas Wiiseks), Sammy Robinson (He’mas C’esi), Nathan Cullen, Cyril Grant Jr. (He’mas Sanaxaid), Phil Germuth and Eugene Stewart (Dlaxwdlaxwaligisc Hai’mas). (Robin Rowland)
Raising the pole
Hereditary chiefs and construction workers prepare to raise the friendship pole. (Robin Rowland)
The construction workers prepare to secure the pole. (Robin Rowland)
Simon Hall (Hai’mac Gax) helps put the totem pole in place. (Robin Rowland)
Carver Gary Wilson explains the meaning of the pole. At the bottom is the snowflake, the District of Kitimat’s official symbol. The face in the middle represents the people of Kitimat with four multi-ethnic faces above it. At the top of the pole are representations of the clans of the Haisla Nation, with the eagle, the beaver in the middle, (Robin Rowland)
Dancing
Eugene Stewart (Dlaxwdlaxwaligisc Hai’mas) speaks to Gary Wilson speaks as the dancing begins. (Robin Rowland)
Cyril Grant Jr. (He’mas Sanaxaid) leads the Eagle Clan dance after the pole was secured. (Robin Rowland)
People join in the dancing. (Robin Rowland)
Children from the Haisla Community School participate with drumming and dancing. (Robin Rowland)
A near blizzard did not stop the people of Kitimat turning out for the Remembrance Day service on November 11, 2017.
Building a snowman before the Remembrance Day service (Robin Rowland)
Laura Mckenzie and Linda Lewis checking the wreaths prior to the service (Robin Rowland)
An RCMP officer leads the colour party (Robin Rowland)
The colour party (Robin Rowland)
The RCMP march to the cenotaph. (Robin Rowland)
The invocation, left to right, Dwight Magee, Royal Canadian Legion, Rev. Dr. Dona Lethbridge, Legion chaplain, Marg Bogaert, Royal Canadian Legion. (Robin Rowland)
Cubs and scouts at the Remembrance Day service (Robin Rowland)
Lucy Beatty of the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary lowers the flag during the two minutes of silence (Robin Rowland)
A moment of silence. (Robin Rowland)
Veteran Jason Parrill lays a wreath on behalf of Canada. (Robin Rowland)
Anne Berrisford lays a memorial wreath for Captain (Chaplain) D. Schmidt. (Robin Rowland)
A cub lays a wreath. (Robin Rowland)
Mayor Phil Germuth lays a wreath. (Robin Rowland)
The wreaths (Robin Rowland)
A Mountie salutes during the playing of O Canada. (Robin Rowland)
A new plaque at the Kitimat cenotaph commemorates service in Afghanistan, see on Remembrance Day, November 11, 2015. (Robin Rowland)
A member of the Royal Canadian Legion distributes poppies and programs before the Remembrance Day Service. (Robin Rowland)
Before the “Guardians of Remembrance” service, someone left three red roses on the cenotaph. (Robin Rowland)
A small boy wears an RCMP uniform at the service. (Robin Rowland)
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police lead the parade to the cenotaph. (Robin Rowland)
Army Cadets and Girl Guides were also part of the parade. (Robin Rowland)
Bugler Derrick Stoigny sounds the Last Post, as Marg Bogaert of the Legion salutes and Mayor Phil Germuth bows his head. (Robin Rowland)
Across the country on its one hundredth anniversary, John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields was recited or sung. In Kitimat it was the Sine Nomine choir. (Robin Rowland)
One of the singers from Sine Nomine. (Robin Rowland)
A former peacekeeper lays the wreath on behalf of the Canadian Forces. (Robin Rowland)
Mayor Phil Germuth prepares to lay a wreath on behalf of the District of Kitimat. (Robin Rowland)
The Winterhawks hockey team witnessed the 2015 Remembrance Day service. (Robin Rowland)
Marg Bogaert salutes during the playing of “God Save the Queen,” as the 2015 Remembrance Service comes to an end. (Robin Rowland)
A bouquet of carnations with two maple leaf flags honouring Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was left on the Kitimat Cenotaph prior to Tuesday’s Remembrance Day ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
In Kitimat, as happened across the country on November 11. 2014, there was a larger turnout than usual at the Remembrance Day service, as people reflected on the recent events, the deaths of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, as well as the fact that Canadian Forces are in action against the Islamic State in Iraq.
A veteran waits quietly for the ceremony to begin. (Robin Rowland)
As in previous years, the fly past over the cenotaph came from the wild, migrating geese.
A cub leader and her troop were part of the parade to the cenotaph. (Robin Rowland)
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Girl Guides at the cenotaph with Canadian Rangers and Army cadets in the rear ranks. (Robin Rowland)
Generations of Girl Guides at the cenotaph in Kitimat (Robin Rowland)
The Guard of Honour–a Canadian Ranger. (Robin Rowland)
The Guard of Honour–an army cadet. (Robin Rowland)
The Guard of Honour–a Mountie (Robin Rowland)
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion lowered flags during the two minutes of silence. (Robin Rowland)
One of the veterans at the Remembrance Day ceremony (Robin Rowland)
The spectators at the Remembrance Day Ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
RCMP Corporal Chris Manseau lays a wreath as the Royal Canadian Legion’s wreath party watch. (Robin Rowland)
A new tradition…
For the past several years, there’s been a tradition that began at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa, people leave their poppies at the cenotaph. Here in Kitimat, people are now pinning their poppies to the wreathes that were laid at the cenotaph a few minutes earlier. (Robin Rowland)
Snowflake Responder III, Kitimat’s new Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Type II Falkins Class rigid hull inflatable dedicated rescue vessel practices in Kitimat harbour after the boat’s official christening, October 25, 2014. (Robin Rowland)
Kitimat’s Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 63 (SAR 63) christening its new enclosed rescue vessel on Saturday, October 25, 2014 at MK Bay marina. Almost all the more than $600,000 need for the state-of-the-art rigid hull inflatable Type II Falkins Class dedicated rescue boat was raised locally by the Kitimat Marine Rescue Society with support from local businesses, the District of Kitimat and individuals as well as grants from BC gaming.
As SAR 63 says on its website:
RCM SAR 63 Kitimat is located at the head end of the Douglas Channel on the North Coast of B.C. The station was founded in 1988 and is supported by the Kitimat Marine Rescue Society. The area served is from Kitimat to the Hecate Straits. Mission distances and durations are the longest of all RCM SAR stations. The nearest Canadian Coast Guard station is 130 nautical miles with response time in a 8 hour window. The Kitimat Station is considered a prime resource in the area.
The Douglas Channel and area reach 80 kilometers inland from the inside passage. The narrow fiords through the mountains produce extreme winds and temperatures. In winter the salt spray freezes before it lands on the boat and crew. Minus 20 is not uncommon.
Snowflake Responder III, left, and the open Snowflake Responder II, tied up at Kitimat’s MK Bay Marina. Snowflake Responder II is an open 26 foot (eight metre) rigid hull inflatable powered by twin 200 horsepower outboards. Cruising speed is 35 knots with a range of over 200 nautical miles.
Kitimat mayor Joanne Monaghan waits to speak at the start of the christening ceremony for the new Snowflake Responder III.
Duncan Peacock, president of the Kitimat Marine Rescue Society and veteran member of Station 63 speaks about the new vessel prior to the christening ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
Sammy Robinson, the eleventh Haimus, hereditary Chief of the Haisla Nation at Kitimaat Village, explains that he will use a traditional Haisla blessing for a new canoe, a ceremony that hasn’t been used for decades, during the christening of the Snowflake Responder III, as Duncan Peacock, seen reflected in the window, listens. (Robin Rowland)
Sammy Robinson prepares to bless the Snowflake Responder III and banish any hostile spirits from the boat. (Robin Rowland)
Sammy Robinson uses down feathers as part of the blessing ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
Kitimat mayor Joanne Monagahan uses the traditional bottle of champagne (inside a safety jacket) to christen the Snowflake Responder III as coxswain Christopher Peacock watches. (Robin Rowland)
The Snowflake Responder III does a demonstration practice in Kitimat harbour (Robin Rowland)
Snowflake Responder III (Robin Rowland)
Approaching the dock at MK Bay Marina. (Robin Rowland)
|
The Snowflake Responder III is a Falkins Class Type II Vessel with the following specs: – LOA: 33′ – Beam: 11’9″ – Draft: 28″ – Top speed: 40 knots – Cruising speed: 30 knots – Crew: 4 to 5 – Maximum capacity: 12 – Stretcher capacity: 3 – Gross weight: 17,000 lbs – Engines: Twin D6 Volvo – Horse power: 435 per engine – Propulsion: Twin Hamilton Jet Drives – Service years: 30 – Range: 240 nautical miles – Infrared heat sensor: “FLIR” M626 |