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