Ahousaht - ‘Facing Opposite From The Ocean’

Before moving here to the Kootenays, we spent two years on the remote First Nations reserve of Ahousaht. It was a promotion for my husband, and I could feel how much he wanted to be there and expand his horizons work-wise. I had my misgivings - our girls were heading into Grades 4 and 5 - would we be making the right decision moving them to an isolated reserve?

As soon as I set foot on Flores Island, I knew we were meant to go there.

The girls and I moved to Ahousaht a few weeks before my husband was able to transfer, as I wanted the girls there in time for the start of the new school year.

This was our transportation from Gold River to Ahousaht.

We spent much of the Fall (and most of the following two years) exploring the beaches and walking the trails. Long Beach and other beaches in the Pacific Rim are teaming with tourists, surfers and beachcombers. But not the beaches of Flores Island - they are untouched and pristine - full of shells, treasures, and whatever else Mother Nature washes ashore.

Ahousaht is difficult to describe - it is a land of opposites, of contradictions and paradox.

It was just so ‘real’.

I truly believe it was one of the best things we did for ourselves and for our girls. The girls learned the language, culture and history. They also learned what racism feels like. They learned about family ties and the bonds of a community. They learned of the struggles of a community and a people different from what they were accustomed to. They learned love, acceptance and forgiveness.

When we left Ahousaht after two years, one of the elders sobbed and hugged my daughters tight. She took my eldest daughters face in her hands and whispered to her that Ahousaht would always be her home and she would await her return.