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The sound of songs and cheers filled the House of Huu-ay-aht the last week of August, as a huge bronze plaque was unveiled recognizing the ancient city of Kiix?in as a place of national importance.
Hidden by more than a century of cedar tree and salmonberry bush growth, the once densely populated village of Kiix?in has been left relatively undisturbed since the Huu-ay-aht moved to Anacla in the 1880s.
Today, hand-hewn beams from the five longhouses lay on the ground wrapped in a mossy blanket, except for a few support beams and the huge entrance to Tyee Ha'wilth Tlii-shin's massive house.
The entrance stands more than 12 feet high and eight feet wide, and once welcomed visitors from up and down the coast. A pair of human welcome figures that once adorned the outside of this entrance are now in Victoria's Royal British Columbia Museum.
"Kiix?in is already a very important site to the history of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, and we also recognize its role in the history of Canada," Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps wrote in a press release for the event.
"Parks Canada is proud to join the Huu-ay-aht in commemorating the designation of this remarkable area as a national historic site. Historic sites such as Kiix?in are a source of pride for all Canadians as well as symbols of Canada" wrote Copps, who was unable to attend.
Dr. David Lai, a member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada served as master of ceremonies for the event and described the criteria and process used to determine places of national historic significance.
According to Lai, there are only a few such sites on the West Coast, and even fewer sites recognizing First Nations' history, with the Gwaii Haanas reserve and Yuquot being the only comparable sites to Kiix?in.
"This is a proud moment for Huu-ay-aht," said Tyee Ha'wilth Tliishin (Spencer Peters).
"We're one of the lucky few on the island other than Mowachaht / Muchalaht to have a historic site, and we're glad that Canada is proud of it too," he said.
"Canada is only 150 years old, where Tliishin's Nation is thousands and thousands of years old. Canada is an infant compared to the Huu-ay-aht Nation," said Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor Robert Dennis in his address to the 150 people gathered for the ceremony. "Tliishin's place of origin is Kiix?in, which is the place we're honoring today, and Tliishin's family has been here since the beginning of time," he said before speaking on the history of Kiix?in.
The plaque, which features the designation message in English, Nuu-chah-nulth and French, will be placed at Kiix?in in the near future as part of Huu-ay-aht's overall development plans.
"We have a management plan that we'll be taking one step at a time," said Tliishin.
"The commemoration of Kiix?in, the construction of the House of Huu-ay-aht, the Pacheena Bay Campground, and the trail building is part of a $7 million tourism plan and we're halfway there," said Dennis. "The benefit of this will be that people will hear our history first hand, and when people learn our real history they can start to understand us and only good things can come from that," he said.
Currently, trail construction plans are being finalized that will allow people to visit the ancient village of Kiix?in. Archeologists and anthropologists have been on site for the past few weeks mapping the various house remains and conducting core sampling tests to study the history of occupation at Kiix?in.
Although national historic site designation does not include any project funding, Lai says the designation can help in obtaining funding from other sources.
Plans for eco-tourism operations at Kiix?in are still evolving, and it is expected that the area will be opened up for some tours as early as next summer.
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