As a giant cottonwood tree tumbled to the ground Saturday, March 6, kicking up plumes of water from the damp forest ground behind VisionQuest's Pratt Road property, many hopes came into focus.
On the surface, it was a simple moment: addiction recovery program VisionQuest had partnered with the Squamish First Nation to give the 10-metre cottonwood to the Penticton Indian Band (PIB), who will use it to build two traditional canoes. But as members of the Squamish, Okanagan and Sechelt First Nations mingled with RCMP and VisionQuest members throughout the day's festivities - which included a drum circle, a series of traditional songs, speeches and a collective meal - individuals spoke about the event's greater significance.
Jim O'Rourke, the VisionQuest Society's executive director, said the decision to give the cottonwood to the PIB came about when the Society invited the Squamish Nation's Wes Nahanee to walk through the area they intended to clear for farming - which lies on Squamish Nation traditional territory - to see if his nation wanted any of the trees that would come down. Nahanee suggested that the cottonwood would be perfect for the PIB.
And the PIB youth leadership group's Billy Jean Cardenas, 14, agrees with Nahanee's assessment. She said from the leadership group's perspective, the new canoes will help continue the traditions of the Okanagan First Nation who make up the PIB, strengthen the community and give the young men and women of the leadership group - most of whom came to Gibsons for the day's event - more opportunities to get out onto the water.
For PIB Chief Jonathan Kruger, the canoes are about people drawing together and strengthening links between First Nations.
"It's our youth who are bringing us together, it's our youth who want these things to happen, and to have an event like this, to go on such a journey this far from our homeland, is so amazing, and it's such a blessing to be here today with everybody here," he said, as he accepted a blanket from the Squamish First Nation, as part of the ceremony. "This was meant to be. My heart is just really tingly and warm right now. We are going to build two beautiful canoes and we are going to celebrate. And when we're done, we want to invite all the people from Squamish and Sechelt to celebrate with us."
For Squamish co-chair of chief and council Byron Joseph, the event was about strengthening links, not just between First Nations, but amongst all people.
"It's not only First Nations people who walk through these doors [of VisionQuest] over here," he said. "It's all colours and it's another teaching that's coming to me today: that we are one, human beings."
And for O'Rourke, the canoes tie in to the society's annual canoe journey, Pulling Together, which involves RCMP, youth, First Nations and community members. O'Rourke said he hopes these canoes will continue VisionQuest's work - healing individuals struggling with addiction, strengthening youth to withstand the risks of addiction and drawing communities together.
VisionQuest, which runs nine recovery and transition houses in the province, has operated the Pratt Road facility for a year and faced some initial public backlash when the transition house opened.
"[The canoe] will heal a ton of people," O'Rourke said. "It'll heal the kids who'll build it. It'll heal the teachers who show them how to build it. It's healing right now with the Squamish Nation and the Penticton [Indian Band] already. It's healing with the people in the community and my neighbourhood coming together and understanding that [VisionQuest] is a good thing and that having the society in there is a good thing."
