INSIDE
COMMUNITY
EVENTS B2

ork

By JENNIFER LANG
CURLS OF red cedar. wood chips flutter
to the floor as Freda Diesing chops away
ata block of wood perched on her lap.

She keeps a firm grip on the wishbone-
shaped handle of her carving tool as she
crunches the blade into the wood, slicing
off -bits- and pieces. to refine the Raven’s
long, narrow beak,

Next, she uses a scraper to. carve outa
thick groove around the Raven's eye, the
blade making a scriteh, scritch noise as
it moves along the grain,

“I'm supposed: to be retired,” smiles
Diesing, ‘a .inask- maker and: carver who,

-along | with her contemporaries, helped
. lead a renaissance in northwest coust art.
Some Of B.C."s best-known aboriginal

artisis cite-her as an influence as alene.

cher and ‘artist:

Diesing, who got her ‘own. slart_at a

craft table. the annual salmon festival in
. Prince Rupert, taught 's some of them as
children: ;

“A> lot of -peaple won't teach little
kidé,” she laughs, remenibering the day
somebody brought stink bombs to class.

- Former. students: include. Norman -Tait,
Dempsey Bob-and‘her nephew, Don Yeo-
mans, who accompanied her to Winnipeg
carer this week, when Diesing received

National Aboriginal Achievement

Award recognizing “her contributions in
arts and culture. ;

: News of the award has coaxed her

back: to. work. She. wants to have exam-

ples: to. satisfy the curiosity of her- fans,
“old ard new.

She built a reputation as an artist in
1970s and ‘80s, but ‘she suspects’ most
‘people don't know about her these days.

Obviously; that’s about to change. In
May she's receiving an honorary Doctor
of Laws from the University of Northern
B.C. And later this. month she'll be cele-

~ brated here at home, with a special lun-
cheon: at ‘the Kitsumkalum: Community
Hall.

In the mid- 1980s, she taught carving at
Kitsumkalum for three consecutive win-
ters. She still remembers her students’
names.

: THE EXSTEW iver | is a spectacular snowshoe excursion in wintertime.

of art

er Prince Rupert students may have
gone on to full time careers as artists, but
Diesing is equally proud of her students at
Kitsumkalum, who completed three poles

in 1987,

Two were raised outside the. band of-
fice (one fell down a few manths “ago).
The third still keeps watch at the RCMP
detachment. *

. “They did it-for themselves,” she says,
adding the students were first-timers and
mostly women. “LT think that's every bit as
important.”

“The gift of knowledge that she gave
our.community ~ it’s indescribable.” says

‘band: councillor Nicole Bingham, who's

organizing the March 27 event.
~ “Bingham recalls the words of chief
councillor Clifford Bolton in 1987, “He
said, culture doesn’t die — it just goes to
sleep,” “Bingham says, “Someone just has
to wake it up, like Freda did.”

‘Diesing, who moved to Terrace as a
litle girl, is aware of just how tenuous
that thread of knawledge can be.

Northcoast carving techniques almost
died out due to a.ban on potlaches, dis-

eases that ravaged-B.C.’s aboriginal com-

munity, and ignorance.

Although Diesing’s great great grand-
father on her mother’s side was a Haida
carver, she only became acquainted with
his work in museums.

She describes how an uncle returning
home to Masset from Christian school set
fire to boxes of family artifacts he found
hidden in the basement. He gave their
coppers ‘away to the war effort as scrap

metal.

The luncheon honouring Freda Diesing
takes place at the Kitsumkalum Com-
munity Hall March 27, starting at 11:30
am.

Special guests have been invited to
help celebrate and everyone is welcome.

There's also a display of Freda Dies-
ing’s recent works near the entrance of
the Terrace Public Library. Meet her and
watch her carve March 26 from 2-4 p.m.

The National Aboriginal Achievement
Awards will be televised on CBC March
16, Check your TV listings.

TERRACE

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 13, 2002 - BI

GHAIS STURROCK PHOTO

: * By JENNIFER LANG
A LOGGING road turns into a spec-
tacular setting for a hike during the
“winter,
And-all you need to experience it
- for yourself is a pair of snowshoes,
.» “That's .the nice thing about snow
a shoeing - —a logging road. becomes a
Nice trail in the winter,” says Chris
~ Sturrock, a member of the Terrace
- Hiking Club.
©The season usually draws to a
“close with the first snow fall, with a
; couple: of snowshve excursions dur-
A ing the.winter months.

“But not this year.

“[ went on a snowshoe hike and I
thought, ‘Why not go all winter?"
Sturrock explains,

Since then, the club’s tackled at
least 10 snowshoe hikes on trails
near Terrace.

- Sturrock cites the Exstew River
road as a standout for its scenery.
“Hts a gorgeous hike in the
winter,” che says.

“Photographs he took that day
-show'n thick blanket of. snow cover-

“ing the road, which is closed to traf.

2 fic at t this time of year.

eeing winter in a

In the distance sharp, snow-cov-
ered peaks stand impossibly tall
against a postcard blue sky.

The rest of the winter hiking list
sounds just as tantalizing: Gunsight
Peak trail, High Lake (located south
of the airport), a spur logging road
off the Kitselas back road, Goat
Creek and Lean-to Creek north of
Terrace.

“Snowshoeing gives you more
places to go."

The club members meet down-

town on Sunday mornings so they
can car pool, Everyone hitching a
ride pays the driver $5 for gas,

They head out to the trail, hike
until lunch time, stop, eat lunch, and
then retrace their steps.

“We usually get back to town
around three,” he says,

The winter hikers have seen
moose, rabbit and wolf tracks on
their outings, but not a lot of wild-
life.

- Sturrock suspects that's. because .

everyone's making too much noise.
"We tisually have a lot. of fun, We

Joke ‘around a lot and. have. a good

time. ”

new way

He’s hiked alone, but he enjoys
the camaraderie of hiking and snow-
shoeing in a group.

“I just really enjoy going out and
sharing the beauty of the outdoors
with people,” he shrugs.

He hopes more people will be en-
couraged to tag along for a winter
outing before spring arrives,

Beginners won't need much prac-.

tice. But. Sturrock recommends
bringing along a pair of ski poles ta
help keep your balance.

Snowshoes allow you to tackle
some pretty steep terrain, even if the
snow is really deep,

Prepare to work up a sweat. “It’s a
goad workout,” says Sturrock, who
admits it’s harder than hiking.

But look on the bright side: “It's
good training for the summer.”

If you'd like to snowshoe with the
Terrace Hiking Club, please call
Chris Sturrock at 635-5996 to find
out more.

He-says snowshoes can be rented
locally for about $15. You're asked
lo. come - prepared, Please - bring
drinking water, food, and wear pro-

per equipment and. winter clothing

IN PROGRESS: Freda Diesing demonstrates her carvin
enjoying renewed interest in her artistic career, which has spanned more than three decades.

SECTION B
JENNIFER LANG
638-7283

g techniques on a new mask. Diesing is currently

| Author shares insight
on missing women

By JENNIFER LANG
ORGANIZERS of a series
of workshops taking place
this week hope to rekindle
interest in a handful of un-
solved disappearances and
murders of native women
along Highway 16.

The Terrace First Na-
lions Council of Women
and Northwest Community
College have teamed up to
bring author Warren
Goulding to the region.

His 2001 book, Just An-
other Indian: A Serial Kill-
er and Canada's Indiffer-
ence, looks at the murder
of four women in Saskat-
chewan,

The case - involving
Canada’s ‘second-worst
serial killer -- failed to re-
pister on the nation’s radar
screen.

Goulding argues that's
because the victims were
aboriginal, a fact that
shaped the investipation
and even how the media
covered the story because
of racism and discrimina-
tion,

“There definitely needs

to be a change,” says -

Frances Stanley, nresident
of the First Naticis Coun-

While the council does
not speak on behalf of the

families here, she says

members are hoping for
answers in the Highway 16
cases — including the 1995
disappearance of 19-year-
old NWCC student Lana
Derrick of Terrace.

Delphine Nikal of Tel-
kwa was 15 when she dis-
appeared in 1990,

Ramona Wilson, 16, of
Smithers was found mur-
dered nearly a year after
she disappeared. Her mur-
der has not yet been
solved., :

Nor have the murders of
Alberta Williams, 21, and
Prince George residents
Alishia Germaine, 15, and
Roxanne Thiara, 15,

Stanley hopes the pre-
sentations in Terrace,
Prince. Rupert and .Hazel-
ton this week will provide
insight to.- community
members and families.

I'm hoping they’ll be
able ‘to gain some informa-
tion about how the judicial
system sometimes works,”
Stanley says.

Many of the 50 women
who are missing from Van-
couver’s downtown east
side are also First Nations

women. Stanley thinks a
some of them were from
originally northwest B.C.

The council wonders if
that ongoing, high-profile
investigation will. help
raise awareness about the
missing . and murdered
women here.

“These crimes are un-
solved and the families
deserve closure,” says
Mae Derrick, First Nations:
access coordinator at
NWCC and council mem
ber,

“We need to make it
clear that peaple can’t get
away with murder.”

Criminology instructor
Melissa Munn says Gould-
ing’s book loaks al a spe-:
cific case, but demon-
strates the bias-in the cri-:
minal justice system. :

“There is no question in
my mind. that some people

_ find more justice in the

system..than do others,”
Munn said, ;

Goulding spoke at the
Terrace Inn last night and
at NWCC today. He'll be
in Prince Rupert tomorrow’
and Hazelton on Friday.
He’ll be signing books at 7
p.m. Friday at Coles Books
in the Skeena Mall,

cil of Women.

A HOUSTON, B.C., based investigator
is wondering if people here have seen
any unusual, bright objects fiying
around in the skies over Terrace,

Brian Vike, an independent UFO
Field researcher, says residents frotn
Smithers to Prince George have repor-
ted a recent rash of UFO sightings.

He's wondering if people as far west

dinary during the month of February,
If so, it could be part of a pattern

way 16,

UFOs may be

.feported seeing something similar.
as Terrace saw anything out of the or-
Houston, B.C:, VOI 120, by phone or

he’s noticed east of here along High-. .
yogibear @bulkley,nc net -

linked

Vike says a major sighting took
place Feb. | just three kms east of
Telkwa, oulside of Smithers.

Witnesses there reported seeing
bright objects in the sky,

Vike adds still more witnesses in
Houston, Burns Lake and: Vanderhoof

To date, Vike has received reports
stemming from about Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.
_ Contact Vike by mail at Box !091,

fax at 1-250-845-2189, and by email at