Friday, April 10, 2020

Ancestral Remains Unearthed at Nootka Lighthouse


When 1,000 year old ancestral remains were unearthed at Nootka Light Station in 2018, Mowachaht/Muchalaht elders made plans to reinter them with a private traditional ceremony. It's thought the remains were moved unknowingly to the light station by keepers preparing a garden bed on rocky San Rafael Island.

The bones belong to a woman and an adolescent. Mother and child?

Elder, Ray Williams, who's lived at Yuquot all his life on the same land his ancestors lived, suggested a traditional pre-Christian cave burial. Read the full story here.

Caves with Mowachaht and Spanish burial sites exist in the area of Friendly Cove. This is a special place. If you ever find remains, please do not disturb them. These graves are sacred. This land is sacred. 



This 1946 photo of the pebble beach shows the existing cemetery.

Here's a wonderful archived photograph of the Yuquot summer village.

The Washing of Tears by Hugh Brody is a heartwarming NFB film about the people of Yuquot.

I can't explain how touched I am by this place.


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