Posts Tagged “Kitamaat Village”

A mink (neogale vison) on a driftwood log at the Kitamaat Village beach, February 12, 2022 (Robin Rowland)
It was a cool, over cast Saturday afternoon when I accompanied birders from the Kitimat Valley Naturalists on the monthly shorebird count.
Just after we arrived at our first stop, the Kitamaat Village seawall and beach in Haisla traditional territory, I (and the others) saw something out of the corner of my eye, a flash of black with a tail scampering along a driftwood log on the beach. A few minutes later the animal appeared again, coming up from another log. So while the birders put up their scopes and scanned the shoreline, I walked up on a pile of dirt and kept watch for the mammal.
I kept watch. It was dashing along the logs and under others. Had the camera on high speed burst mode and missed it about twenty or so times.
Then the mink decided to pause (or to do me a favour) and stopped on one log, looked up and I captured this portrait. It looked around and then dashed into a hollow log and disappeared.

A mink (neogale vison) on a driftwood log at the Kitamaat Village beach, February 12, 2022 (Robin Rowland)
Cloudy day. Sony RX10M3, Iso Auto shooting at 2000 ASA. 1/1000 at F4.
A lot of other usual shots, even at low tide the beach is far off so it’s often hard to get good shots.
Then I spotted a bald eagle high over Douglas Channel.
Then I got lucky again, the eagle flew right toward the beach, coming in for a landing.
And then perched on a driftwood stump.

A bald eagle perches on a driftwood stump in late February afternoon sun at Kitamaat Village, Feb. 12, 2022. (Robin Rowland)
On Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, a student at Kitimat’s Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School wore traditional regalia for picture day. At that time a teacher allegedly asked the student “What’s the costume.” This led to a protest against racism the following day by indigenous and non-indigenous students supported by members of the Haisla Nation and Kitimat residents on Nov. 2.

Members of the Haisla Nation and supporters from Kitimat gathered at Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 (Robin Rowland)

Elders and residential school survivors joined the protest despite the poor weather. (Robin Rowland)
Video: Story I shot for Global News.‘It’s not a costume’: B.C. teacher’s alleged mocking of student’s Indigenous regalia sparks protest
Statement from the Haisla Nation (on the school board site)
The weather in Kitimat has been awful during most of the fall, cold, windy, rainy, foggy and generally miserable. Not unexpected in a La Nina year.
I went down to Kitamaat Village for the monthly bird count in a rain squall. So the visibility was pretty bad. As I was about to leave, a half dozen northwestern crows landed right beside me, in the pouring rain and stayed long enough for me to shoot their portraits.
Members of the Haisla Nation and people of Kitimat braved an Environment Canada storm warning with heavy rain and wind on September 30, 2021 to mark The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Most participants wore orange to mark the other name, Orange Shirt Day. It marks the time an indigenous girl had an orange shirt taken away in a residential school. (Robin Rowland)

Sunny Stewart-Pollard helped organize the reconciliation event hosted by volunteers from the Haisla Nation and members of the Kitimat community. (Robin Rowland)

The tables with decorations and gifts represent all the holidays that children in residential schools missed. (Robin Rowland)

Watching in the rain. Kitimat Counsellor Terry Marleau (second from right) and Mayor Phil Germuth (far right) (Robin Rowland)

Three flocks of geese flew over the ceremony, the first and largest flock are snow geese, followed by a small group of Canada geese and then more snow geese.(Robin Rowland)

As part of the Haisla Nation’s solstice Guatlap Days at Kitamaat Village, Friday, June 21, the audience saw a performance from the student dancers and drummers from the ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School in Kisumkalum. June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day. The Kitsumkalum or Gitsuklaum are part of the Ts’myen (Tsimshian) Nation.

A student from the ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School from Kitsumkalum drums at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre, (Robin Rowland)

‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla rec Centre. (Robin Rowland)

”Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days perform to a ratttle at the Haisla Recreation Centre (Robin Rowland)

‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre (Robin Rowland)

Elementary school students from ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School from Kitsumkalum dance at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)

Elementary school students from ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School from Kitsumkalum dance at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)

‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre, (Robin Rowland)

‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)

A ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yooo School drummer from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)

‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)

‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum perform a paddling song at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)