Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Contacts
For more information on any of these issues, contact the following local environmental
organizations:
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
(
www.cpaws.org
)
,
Greenpeace
(
www.greenpeace.ca
)
,
Society
Promoting
Environmental
Conservation
(
www.spec.bc.ca
)
, and
Valhalla Wilderness Society
(
www.vws.org
).
The first Europeans to set eyes on Canada's west coast were gold-seeking Spanish traders
who sailed through the Strait of Georgia in 1790. Although the forested wilderness they
encountered seemed impenetrable, it had been inhabited by humans since becoming ice-
free some 12,000 years earlier. The ancestors of these earliest inhabitants had migrated
from northeast Asia across a land bridge spanning the Bering Strait. During that time, the
northern latitudes of North America were covered by an ice cap, forcing these people to
travel south down the west coast before fanning out across the ice-free southern latitudes.
Astheicecapreceded northward,peopledriftednorthalso,perhapsonlyafewkilometers
in an entire generation. They settled in areas with an abundance of natural resources, such
as around the mouth of the salmon-rich Fraser River.
Known as the
Coast Salish,
these earliest inhabitants lived a very different lifestyle
from the stereotypical “Indian”—they had no bison to depend on, they didn't ride horses,
nor did they live in tepees, but instead they developed a unique and intriguing culture that
revolved around the ocean and its bountiful resources. The Coast Salish hunted in the wa-
ter and on the land—harvesting salmon in the rivers, collecting shellfish such as clams
and mussels along the tide line, and hunting bear, deer, and elk in the forest. They formed
highly specialized societies and a distinctive and highly decorative artistic style featuring
animals, mythical creatures, and oddly shaped human forms believed to be supernatural
ancestors. Like other tribes along the west coast, they emphasized the material wealth of
each chief and his tribe, displayed to others during special events called potlatches.
The potlatch ceremonies were held to mark important moments in tribal society, such
as deaths, marriages, puberty celebrations, and totem-pole raisings. The wealth of a tribe
became obvious when the chief gave away enormous quantities of gifts to his guests—the
nobler the guest, the better the gift. The potlatch exchange was accompanied by dancing,
entertainment, feasting, andspeechmaking, all ofwhich could last many days.Stories per-