The Museum at Campbell River is offering a unique opportunity to participate in a cultural tour to the amazing traditional homelands of the Homalco Band in the heart of Bute Inlet.
On Aboriginal Day, Sunday, June 21, the museum will host guided tours to Orford Bay in partnership with Discovery Marine Safari. The boats will leave Campbell River at 8:30 a.m. returning around 4 p.m. that evening.
These trips are not to be missed. Bute Inlet is amongst the most stunning waterways on the coast, flanked by soaring mountains and containing crystalline waters. The Homalco Band has been making efforts over the past few years to reconnect to their traditional lands along the Orford River. The area is abundant with wildlife, being a prime location for grizzly bear viewing. The band is working with youth to create cultural experiences for visitors, of which these museum trips will be the first to participate. For many living in coastal B.C., the opportunity is rare to travel up into these far away inlets to enjoy their outstanding beauty. Rarer still is the opportunity to visit a First Nations reserve and to experience an ancient culture.
The tour will include the opportunity to paddle a traditional Salish design canoe, witness a demonstration of cedar weaving (and learn how to weave a simple piece), learn Homalco history, visit with a Homalco artist, peek in at a hatchery and visit the grizzly bear platforms. If local wildlife make an appearance that will be a bonus! But of special note will be a delicious traditional seafood feast prepared for lunch. This meal is sure to be a delight. It has taken many years, but the Homalco Indian Band of Campbell River have come full circle; reclaiming their history on their own ancestral lands. To witness band members telling their own stories is a profound way to gain insight into this remote and spectacular area.
Homalco means “people of turbulent, or fast running water.” The Homalco language is a Coast Salish dialect, and their core traditional territory extends from Dent Island to the vicinity of Raza Passage and includes all of Bute Inlet.
The cost for the trip is $195 and includes the seafood feast, on-board interpretation both to and from Bute Inlet as well as all activities upon arrival. To reserve a seat please call the Museum at 250-287-3103. Check the Museum website at www.crmuseum.ca for all the Historic Boat Tours this summer.