For the first time in years, a set of Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw carvings were erected on the lands now called Tyee Spit on Friday, with hundreds of people in attendance to bear witness. “There should be poles all the way down here,” said Bill Henderson, a mentor to the carvers who created the new poles said during the event on May 31. “The government .
.. put a line on (them) and tore them down.
Imagine how that felt.” Though there is only the new arch, made of three pieces carved by Junior Henderson, Karver Everson, and Ernest Puglas as part of the Shoreline Arts event last year, it is the start of something bigger for the We Wai Kum, We Wai Kai and Campbell River communities. It’s the return to thousands of years of tradition, and a significant step towards reconciliation in the area.
Tyee Spit is traditionally known as ʔuxstalis, meaning “beach at the back” or “where the land ends.” It was a site of conflict between the Liǧwiłdax̌w and Salish-speaking people. The area was full of fortified villages on cliffs, strategic fortifications, all stemming from territorial disputes.
However, by the late 1830s, the Liǧwiłdax̌w were victorious, and expanded their territory north, including the mouth of the Campbell River. ʔuxstalis from there became known as a home community, and housed traditional bighouses and, eventually, modern-style homes. The waters and lands around it were full of food sources, from plants and wildlife to salmon.
In 1888, the reserve was su.