Mark Lake was cleaning up his yard last April when he came across an object that looked like it had been around a while.
The Vancouver Island resident had been working in a wooded area after an old maple tree had blown over. Over the years, heB次元官网网址檇 found lots of junk before though never anything of historic value, but what he turned up turned out to be an Indigenous artifact.
B次元官网网址淚 picked this object up, sticking out from underneath a young maple, and didnB次元官网网址檛 think anything of it,B次元官网网址� he said.
At first, he thought it was a type of industrial waste. Once he got around to cleaning it, he realized it was some kind of carving.
B次元官网网址淚 was a geologist in a previous life,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 recognized it was made out of sandstone.B次元官网网址�
He showed it to a sculptor friend who told him from the workmanship it looked like a labour of love.
Lake lives near Royston in the Comox Valley. His wife Katie has a friend who works with the areaB次元官网网址檚 KB次元官网网址櫭砿oks First Nation, so the Lakes got in touch to find out more and send a picture of the object. The process then started to identity and repatriate it. An archaeologist working with KFN examined it, as did a couple of others.
B次元官网网址淭he archaeologists have looked at it and certainly think itB次元官网网址檚 pretty unique,B次元官网网址� Lake said.
The couple handed the object over to KFN, and Lake says Chief Nicole Rempel was excited to receive the artifact. It is about 45 cm long, weighs about 1.5 kg and probably made of medium-grade sandstone.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 fairly hefty and quite smooth in the handle area,B次元官网网址� Lake said.
He is not sure of its origin. There is a hole in the handle, perhaps for a rope. Whether it was a functional or strictly ceremonial club remains a bit of a mystery, but it seems to have originated in the Vancouver Island region.
B次元官网网址淚t might not have moved very far,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 pretty rare to find one thatB次元官网网址檚 that complete.B次元官网网址�
After contacting KFN, the Lakes agreed to have their Gartley Point property mapped for archaeological purposes, and it will be added to the provincial registryB次元官网网址檚 archaeological branch.
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For KFN, the LakesB次元官网网址� willingness to collaborate on this effort is a hopeful sign for broader community relations.
B次元官网网址淚n a time when Reconciliation is a central focus for our Nation, and more broadly across B.C. and Canada, itB次元官网网址檚 encouraging to see residents within KFN territory recognize the importance of returning artifacts to the people whose ancestors made them,B次元官网网址� Chief Nicole Rempel of KFN said in a news release.
B次元官网网址淚t is my hope that more Vancouver Island residents, and in fact all Canadians, will recognize the importance of these artifacts to local First Nations and reach out when they do come across something. I am grateful to the Lake family for connecting with KFN, so that we can learn more about our history and make it accessible to our members and the broader community.B次元官网网址�
mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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