300-person reunion on remote B.C. island brings healing to Indigenous family
Not many families could organize a weekend reunion of 300 relatives on a remote B.C. island. The sprawling Indigenous Cook family with roots in Alert Bay did just that.
Hundreds of descendants of Stephen and Jane Cook, who married in 1888, from all over western Canada gathered in this remote village off the northern tip of Vancouver Island for a reunion that takes place every 10 years.
The Cooks had 16 children, and now their descendants number in the hundreds. Those attending the reunion relished the opportunity to celebrate their Kwakwaka’wakw heritage in the Namgis Big House – a house modelled after the traditional homes that used to house dozens of family members under one roof. Elders, who remember when the government wanted to destroy Indigenous culture, wanted to pass on their customs to the next generation.
Hereditary Chief Chris Cook Jr. is one of the original organizers of the reunions that began more than 30 years ago.
“For me as a kid, we weren’t allowed to sing, we weren’t allowed to dance. We were not even allowed to talk our language. They were going to take the Indian out of the kid, but they couldn’t take it all, all they had to leave was just a little bit because that is what I had.”
Another Cook family member, Halie Bruce, brought her daughters to the Alert Bay reunion “to introduce them to their homeland so they can have their feet firmly planted.”
She spent time in foster care as a child until she went to live with her uncle, Chris Cook, in Alert Bay. She credits her family and connection to her Indigenous culture with strengthening her.
Bruce is now a lawyer who has practiced in the area of child welfare and knows the trauma that can arise when a child is taken from their home in an Indigenous community.
“We don’t have to stay in that darkness, we can step into the light if we can find the networks of support, of family, culture and identity. The power of culture to heal is what we are doing here when we bring people home.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
WATCH LIVE Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.