It's actually the third anniversary of the Grand Opening Ceremony to mark the official opening of the Heritage Centre. Some people know it as the Kaay Centre. This is because the piece of land it sits on is known as Kaay Llnagaay, or Sea Lion Town. There are several "houses" that make up the center: the Greeting house, Trading house, Exhibits Gallery, Eating house (with EXCELLENT food, by the way), the Performance house, the Bill Reid teaching centre and Canoe house, and the Carving Shed (you may be lucky enough to witness some pole/canoe carving in this area!)
You can find more information about all of these places, and events going on throughout the year by visiting their website, http://www.haidaheritagecentre.com/.
Anyway, as I was saying, I'm sad we didn't make the celebrations this year because we had a BLAST! It started out at Jag's Beanstalk (for those of you who don't know, it's quite the happenin' coffee house with an amazing view of the ocean). Everyone was decked out in their finest and representing their clans. Button blankets, woven headbands and face-paint was everywhere. The sounds of the drums grew louder as the crowd gathered. Someone started singing and before long, everyone was in full song. Elders and children marched hand-in-hand down the stretch of highway that leads from the coffee shop to the Heritage centre. I ran ahead at one point to capture some on video and snap a few pictures (if I knew what happened to them, I'd post them...but alas, I do not!)
The speeches were given, the elders were acknowledged, the prayers were said...and then the fun began! The canoe races (in which Willie was a part of) were my favourite part. I had always heard about how great the Haida canoes were, and sure, they look good as decoration, but I hadn't had the opportunity to see them in action....
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| http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/reid/images/re10_03b.jpg |
Wow!
I honestly didn't think a piece of wood "driven" by 20+ people could go that fast! I mean, yes, it would go faster than me paddling a canoe myself, or even a paddle boat (I'm quite fast in one of those...all my power is in my legs! haha) but wow. And it wasn't just the speed that took my breath away, but the sound of the paddles banging on the side. It sounded like the biggest drum I had ever heard. Steady. Keeping speed. Then the singing...drifting to shore with the waves...it was soft to my ears but loud in my heart. Definitely a highlight for me. The sight of my man powering his way around in the canoe....well...it was a very good image and I keep it tucked away in the back of my mind when I need a bit of a smile.
There were fun games (none of which I played...but I was a damn good spectator!!) and LOTS of food (here's where I'll give some important advice...where there's fried bread involved...get there early or NO FOOD FOR YOU!) In the evening we watched some dance competitions and witnessed an epic dance-off in the men's dance. It went on for 30 minutes or more and still, it was basically a tie! Impressive (especially because it was a "how low can you go" danceoff!). I think if Willie had tried to go on for 3rd place (he came in 4th) his pants would have ripped!
The biggest highlight of the night was when I felt Noora move for the first time....she was dancing to the drums! It hadn't hit me until then that I was really REALLY pregnant and I was going to have a baby!! It was such a great way to end the evening!! My little Haida princess knew her place!
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