Film highlights efforts to save salmon fishery

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"I will show you my river, so that you will see what kind of river it is." ? Agnes Cranmer, of Namgis First Nation in the film Laxwesa Wa ? Strength of the River

Albert Bay, B.C.

For many of us, the impact of the West Coast fishing crisis is minimal. It amounts to a 60-second clip on the evening news or a few inches of copy in a newspaper.

We cluck our tongues and swear under our breath at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or the Americans, and then it is forgotten. Our minds move on to the next crisis happening somewhere else in the country or in another part of the world, sympathetic but otherwise unmoved.

A powerful one-hour film documentary about Indigenous fishing practices on Canada's West Coast strives to provide greater insight into the efforts Native people are making in finding solutions to the problems facing the salmon fishery.

Laxwesa Wa ? Strength of the River is a film by Barb Cranmer, a Native director and producer and a member of the Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay, B.C. The film was produced for the Discovery Channel and the Knowledge Network and was aired June 27 and July 1.

The stories told are of the rich fishing history of the Namgis, Sto:lo and Heilstuk people. From the wind-drying practices of preserving salmon to the harvesting of herring roe for food fish, the stories stress a hearty respect for the oceans' resources.

But those that are interviewed in the film tell of a salmon fishery in dire straits. The catch has fallen and something must be done before the West Coast fishery goes the way of the fishery on Canada's East Coast.

"It's important that Native people become involved in the decision-making process," said Cranmer. "Native people here have practiced conservation for thousands of years; their survival depended on it. Unfortunately, the government hasn't listened to this grass roots knowledge when setting fishing policies."

Laxwesa Wa ? Strength of a River combines rarely-heard stories of traditional fishing practices with archival footage of the Native involvement in the commercial fishery.

"I may have been six or seven years old when I stood on top of a box to cut fish into pieces for Abaya to use when she filled cans so that she didn't have to waste time cutting fish into pieces. It did help. I ended up filling cans myself when I was old enough, " said Agnes Cranmer through a translator for the film.

It also tells of the devastating impact the federal government's Davis Plain in the 1960s had on First Nation fishing communities. The Davis Plan drastically reduced fishing fleets and in the words of Heiltsuk First Nation member Edwin Newman, "It took away a lot of our only way of making a living."

Cranmer hopes the film will help people to discover the traditional wisdom that Native people have about managing the natural resources.

A benefit screening for the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia will be held Sept. 2 at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver. The evening will include traditional songs and dances for the Namgis, Sto:lo and Heilstuk First Nations. Tickets are available by calling CBO at 280-2801.