Nakina River

"The Nakina River is a tributary of the Taku river in Northwestern British Columbia, and is place of a ancient native migratory camp, home now for the Centre for Aboriginal Learning and Living which I had the privilege of visiting."     "Awakening to the sound of salmon splashing in the water, I crawl out of the prospector tent to the scent of pine from the mountain mist.   I then walk to the river to brush my teeth only to be nose to nose with a grizzly bear in the middle of breakfast!   Adrenaline jolt, the dogs bark, kids and all come out to view the commotion, coffees on, good morning, another typical day at the C.A.L.L!   Typical in that every moment is full of surprise and signs.     I want to thank everyone at the C.A.L.L for allowing me to experience this treasure of a land with you.   Through my work as an artist I have lived and painted in many of this earth's powerful places, and I find the Taku and the upper Nakina to be an exceptional manifestation of the creator.   The mountains, glaciers, wild rivers, clear streams, salmon, eagles, grizzly bears, big trees, and great people are only some of the life that inhabits this place that is so interconnected to the nearby pacific ocean.     The Taku River Tlingit are so fortunate to have such a rich natural and cultural inheritance.   It is so fragile yet it is still alive.   Millions of people on the planet envy this land, clean water, and abundant wild life, something that is now so rare through arrogance and lack of vision.   Just to know that there are still such healthy places is healing.     That's why I have a lot of respect for what the C.A.L.L is doing.   We desperately need these kinds of opportunities, especially for the young, to experience self-affirmation through the land and community. This is good medicine.     The self-realization and growth is carried out on the C.A.L.L through daily living, working and sharing with the land, going with its flow and responding to its challenges and rewards.   It takes time to feel the energies and revitalize our intuitive senses.     To make a root cellar I became an expert digger and found new respect for the strength of those willow roots and the weight of cool boulders. How many years down have I dug in this ancient riverbed?   Also I experienced a hidden skill for cutting dry meat, maybe a flash of my part Blackfoot ancestry?   An eagle's view of branching rivers below from the floatplane reveals the patterns in my own veins.   If you drink from the river long enough you become part of its song.     I look forward to making art from this experience and I really hope that this place and its people are able to inspire future generations."

The Nakina River Gallery
Atlin Departure	Landing	The Camp
Paradise Peak	Master River Boat Driver and Chubby	Approaching Camp
Young Bears	Cutting Meat	Passage Guardians
Salmon Spawning	Wild Rivers	River Sounds
River Cloud

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