“ny records show they had planned to locate headst “the fort By CRIS LEYKAUF TODAY the only battles being fought in the Nass are over land claim treaty settlements. But 160 years Nass villages were on the frontier between the Russian and British empires, New evidence of that historical rivalry was discovered just this summer near Kincolith, a Nisga’a community of about 350 people. The isolated Nass village was once home to fur traders prepared to fend off a Russian invasion, Japanese can- nery workers and a thriving native culture. The Hudson Bay company set up a fort there in 1831 and named it Fort Nass. Ever since the mid-1900s researchers have won- dered where the fort was located. Just last year an anthropologist confirmed it was about 5 km «est of present-day Kincolith. “All these academics were always debating where Fort Nass was -- one thought it was in Greenville, another said Fishery Bay. But the Nisga’a knew where it was all along,” said anthropologist Dr. Richard Garvin. He’s the one who confirmed the existence of the fort this summer. The problem was thal Hudson Bay compa- the fort further upstream, There are no wril- ten records of its actual location, though the Nisga’a had referred to the area as Fort Point. Garvin’s discovery of Fort Nass was an accident. He was actually hired to do an archaeological assessment of the route for the proposed Kincolith road. The area where the fort was located had since been turned into a sprawl- ing graveyard, so Garvin was studying the old neg when he discovered the remrinants of , 4 é “You can see where the palisade wall was, and where four big buildings were located,” said - Garvin. The buildings were located on a point at the mouth of Nass Bay and the Portland Inlet. Fort Nass was only at the Kincolith location — for three years, adding to reason why it was lost in academic references. The buildings were « moved in 1834 to Fort Simpson, now Port Simpson. Garvin thinks the fort might have been moved because it was very exposed and winters would have been cold and windy. “The probably froze their bults off,” said Garvin. It was originally built to establish a British presence in the area, and protect the Bay’s inter- ests in the fur trade. The Russians were nearby, on the present-day Alaskan pan handle. “It was quile a frontier area,” said Garvin. There were never any skirmishes at the Fort, but when the explorers tried to go up the Stikine riv- er, they. were met by a Russian gunship, he said. Fort Nass was likely home to 20-25 men, and was headed up by Peter Skene-Ogden. Skene- Ogden was a veteran of Hudson Bay expansion efforts and had been through a number of violent confrontations. That made him well qualified to fend off the Russian threat. Another well known explorer, Donald Manson, also lived at the fort for a time. He was the first person to document a trip along the Nass River, and wrote of seeing the lava beds. His daughter died at Fort Nass, according to old records, said Garvin. Garvin thinks there might have been three families of the Hudson Bay explorers living on the out- skirts of Fort Nass. That’s because Nass evokes the days when British and Russian fur traders were rivals , for control of the north country Port TPE atl ago, remote “he found large depressions around the fort walls, indicative of separate dwellings. Native graves This fascinating remnant of the fur trade his- tory exists right beside an equally intriguing old graveyard which stretches for a kilometre, paral- leling the beach. oe Kincolith residents still use the outskirts of the graveyard loday. But they never venture into the older areas, —— “We don’t go trekking through our burial grounds,” said Richard Lincoln, economic development officer for Kincolith. ; He made his first trip into the graveyard with Garvin this summer, and saw a monument to his _ great-great grandfather. : “It was quite emotional,” said Lincoln. Garvin discovered about 250 graves, sometimes literally by tripping over them in the thick vegetation which has grown over the older portion of the graveyard. But he estimates there's probably about 1,000 graves in total in’ the aréa. os “Some very important Nisga’a leaders are buried at the site.” The graves date back to the time when Christian missionaries told native people thal they shouldn’t carve mortuary poles for their dead, So instead, natives asked if they could carve European-style headstones, said Garvin. The missionaries agreed that was appropriate, and many of these wooden carved grave markers were sent to Victoria, to be transferred into marble. oa The company which did the work, Stewart Monumental Works, 'still exists today. as The headstones depict crests and fig- ures, such as grizzly bears, killer... whales, eagles and halibut. se “There’s some absolutely fantastic examples of artwork,” said Garvin, Many names on the stones are ald family names recognized by villag- ers at Kincolith. Ba “The old names and family histo- ries really come alive,” said Garvin, Japanese mystery over the years is another treasure — a Japanese - monument just over two metres high. On the monument in Japanese characters is written, “To the victims of drowning and brave soldiers who died in the wat.” It's dated June 17, 1918. On the other side is a prayer to Buddha. Garvin thinks the monument might rclate:to- the Russo-Japanese war. As to why it’s located near Kincolith, he said there were many Hidden in the vegetation which has grown up - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 19, 1997 - AS Japanese in.that general area at that time, work- ing in canneries. Al the mouth of the Nass alone, there were cight canneries. Since Kincolith was near the border of Russian expansion efforts, it probably seemed like an apt choice for a memorial at the time. - There are also a number of Japanese head- stones in the older section of the graveyard, and some artifacts like bowls and bottles lie nearby the graves, hidden in the undergrowth. Preservation With artifacts or evidence of three different cultures at one site, Garvin and Kincolith resi- dents‘are now hoping to find a way lo protect and. preserve the old Fort Nass site. Leaving it in its present condition, now that (hese discoveries have been made, would be risky. oe, “The soil is not stable. There’s lots of blow- down and some major cleaning work needs to be done,” said Garvin. He’s also worried about the long-term stability of the banks of the nearby Nass river. . ote “I! would be a shame to leave the project al the state it’s in now. ee " Garvin. is also worried that with the on-going work on the Kincolith road, an area which was only accessible by boat will now be more easily reached. A National Parks designation isn’t out of the _ question he said, pointing to the National Historic Site at Kitwanga which preserves the totem polesthere,” ~ Garvin envisions a small interpretive centre, perhaps telling the life stories of some of those buried there. He. wants to make sure both record- ed history and the Nisga’a oral history would be reflected in a parks. re ‘Ideally Garvin would also like to get a grant to train local Nisga’a to carry on the work he’s begun. : Moses : “There’s so much potential for the communi- ty,” said Lincoln. He’s also excited about the - opportunity to get people from the village involved in discovering more about their past. For example, the young people in the village _ Weren’t even aware of the history of the praveyatd.: Although the village is home to just 350-400 people, there are about 1,700 people who live off the reserve. Lincoln wonders if a project like _this might make more people willing to come back.) : Boos _ ‘The Kincolith band is asking people not to vis- citthe sile of the graveyard and the old fort with- -out permission from the band council. ” "There are also a number of sacred sites along the Nass river and up Observatory Inlet which — the Nisga'a want lo preserve. These sites are important to Nisga’a culture, such as the spot where steelhead salmon was created. .” CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Be more generous Dear Sir: Mrs. Sandecki's recent column which takes a hard line against Shames Mountain, sadly lacks a broader vision. Shames Mountain exists not just because of entrepre- neurial zeal, but because of the love that its proponents have for the sport of skiing and because of their genu- ine interest in being a part of something that qualita- tively adds so much to life in the northwest. Keeping Shames alive has meant a lot of work and a lot more money-put into the project by the principals, Perhaps if Mrs. Sandecki skied herself, or could see the exuberant faces of young skiers and snowboarders, she would be compelled to approach the issue in a more generous spirit, using ber column to help enhance " the possibilities for our wonderful community rather than to thwart them. Campbell Stewart, Terrace B.C. Stop college cuts An open letter to: Paul Ramsey, Minister of Education: Dear Sir: We are wriling to express our concerns about the plan _ to eliminate 25 per cent of Northwest Community Col- lege's university credil offerings. This will mean the loss of first and second year arts courses, the loss of most of the second year science program, and fewer seats in the natural resources and the integrated human service worker programs, The proposed cuts will result in the loss of educa- tional opportunities here and will create hardship for students and their families. Students in NWCC’s operating region are entitled to live in or near their home communities. Living at home reduces the cost of attending schocl, and allows stu- dents who cannot move out of the region ta receive a first rate post-secondary education while meeting their family and community responsibilitics. We believe that the deficit is manageable and that there are solutions. We are asking the education ministry to review the way funding is allocated ta small colleges, and we are aclively pursuing alternate sources of funding, such as Forest Reaewal British Columbia. We seek an audience with you to help the govem- ment carry through on its commitment to protect edu- calion in British Columbia. Rocque Rerthiaume, CIEA Pel Torgalson & Bill Mikaloff, BCGEU Rob Kulak, NWCC Students’ Association. No preaching, please Dear Sir: You people must be real hard up to find enough let- ters if you arc still printing what Isobel Brophy writes! People like her who push their Catholic opinions on the rest of us are really slarting to get on my nerves, Has this woman ever even walked by Ebony’s, or | even read any of their ads? If she has, her precocious nine-year-old wouldn't even know what was in that store, because you can’t see inside from the street! ‘ There is also an age restriclion, so her nine-year-old will have to wait ten years to get in. Even now I have an ad for the store in front of me, and I can't sce any- thing disgusting or revolting about it, A child can sce more pornography by opening the Sears catalog and turning to the woman's undergarment section! She wants to know how ‘‘such a sleaze operation’’ got a business licence. They had to apply for it just like any other free enterprise business in town! Not every business application has to go across your desk for your specific approval. 1 would really like Mrs. Brophy to tell me what a store that has been open only a few months has to do with marital breakdown and teen pregnancies in our town. Did these things just start happening recently? Mrs. Brophy says, ‘My Catholic faith teaches me that sex is sacred.’’ For once she is right, but it is also pri- vate and none of ber damn business! Unless of course you would like us all to call and get your approval be- fore we engage in any sexual activily. I have never been in Ebony’s, nor do I even know who owns it, but you can bet that Pll be in there very shortly, spending money to ensure that there won’t be any “early bankruptcy in '97!"° If you don't like the store Mrs. Bropliy, stay the hell out of it, And, best of the new year to you, and may you move back to the convent as soon as possible! Brad Mazurak, Terrace, B.C. Rick doesn’t get it Dear Sir: Here is a response to Rick Wozney’s open letter ta me in ‘‘Consistency needed’, Feb. 5. Rick, you still don’t get it. Your party ran on a campaign to give a $1 billion dollar tax break to big corporations and cut government spending by $3 Ddil- lion. We ran on a campaign to protect health and edu- cation. Spending in these two ministries has increased every year since the NDP came to office. In the recent round of government spending cuts health and education across the province fared consid- erably better than any other ministry. Yes, some read- justments have laken place and yes, not every area of the province has experienced the same increases but overall Rick, you are dead wrong, You also couldn’! be any more wrong about the Evans Forest Products (EFP) deal. The government did not give EFP $21.5 million to bail them out as you claim. The facts are that EFP got $6 million from FRBC, an $8 million loan from the province at prime interest, the workers took a 15 per cent pay reduction, the contractors seitled for less, and stumpage owed was put under a more manageable repayment plan. This was a deal worked out by the Job Protection Commissioner, It was to protect jobs and the economic stability of the Golden community. [t was not to in- crease ihe profits of a big corporation as the Liberal tax reduction to big corporations would have done. guess what Rick? You might want to get your facts right. Helmut Glesbrecht, MLA for Skeena The Terrace Standard welcomes Iet- ters to the editor. Our mailing address is 3210 Clinton St, Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2. You can also fax us at 25-638- 8432 or e-mall us =~at_— stan- dard@kermede.net