HARVEST LIFE. 

MY BROTHER HAD GONE OUT HOME USE FISHING THE OTHER DAY. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL WARM OCTOBER DAY & I WAS REALLY SAD THAT I MISSED IT. I WALKED AROUND MY HOME POUTING, REALLY BUMMED. IT WAS THE END OF THE WORLD & I DID NOT WANT TO WAIT A WHOLE OTHER YEAR TO GET OUT WITH HIM AGAIN FOR THIS ANNUAL EVENT.

THEN HE MESSAGED ME ON INSTAGRAM AND TOLD ME HE'D BE GOING AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY AT 6 A.M. 

I WAS LIKE A LITTLE KID EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS, I COULDN'T SLEEP & WAS BRIGHT EYED AND BUSHY TAILED AT 5 A.M. EAGER TO GO! 

MY FREIND KENNY BROWN OFFERED TO PICK ME UP IN TOFINO, 

THE OCEAN WAS GLASS & ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS,

THIS IS MY HOME. 

THIS IS WHERE I BELONG.

HAVING THOUGHTS OF MOVING AWAY LATELY AND THIS WAS A PERFECT REMINDER OF WHY I'VE STAYED.

I AM NUU-CHAH-NULTH,

I AM AHOUSAT,

AHOUSAT IS ME & EVERY TIME I AM HOME OR WITH PEOPLE  FROM HOME, 

I AM REMINDED OF HOW LOVED I AM.

& HOW MUCH MORE FUN LIFE IS WHEN AM WITH THEM THERE. 

I'VE BEEN GONE FROM HOME MORE THAN HALF MY LIFE NOW & SOMETIMES FORGET THESE SIMPLE IMPORTANT THINGS.

  MY BROTHER & I CHECK IN EVERY WEEK, ALWAYS MAKES MY DAY. 

EVERY LITTLE THING IS FUNNIER WITH AHOUSAT'S.  LISTENING TO THESE GUYS HAD ME SMILING & SHAKING MY HEAD ALL DAY :) 

OH THE STORIES THESE GUYS TOLD, INDIGENOUS COMEDIANS I TELL YA!
LAUGH & WORK. WORK & LAUGH SOME MORE. 

THE MOMENTS OF SILENCE AND STILLNESS WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN ALL THE LAUGHTER, BUT WOW.

TOO BAD I GOT SO SEA SICK THE OTHER YEAR OUT FISHING OTHERWISE I WOULDA BEEN A FISHER WOMEN BY NOW! 

BUT NO, I WAS SO HURLED OVER THAT I NEVER GOT ONE SINGLE FISH OR PHOTO!  

NOT ALL SALMON WERE TAKEN HOME, A FEW WERE RELEASED. THEY HANDED ME ONE TO RELEASE AND I FELT LIKE A SALMON SAVER!

EVEN THOUGH HALF OF ME WANTED TO TAKE IT HOME AND CHOP IT'S HEAD OFF AND EAT IT'S UNBORN BABIES (EGGS) & BOIL IT'S BELLY

(GAWD MELODY). 

BUT IT HAPPILY SWAM AWAY, PROBABLY TRAUMATIZED BUT ALIVE. 

NOBODY GETS PAID, THEY ALL JUST GATHER AND VOLUNTEER AND HARVEST FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY. 

AGAIN HAVING BEEN AWAY FROM HOME FOR SO LONG, REALIZING AND KNOWING THAT NOT EVERY COMMUNITY HAS THIS ANYMORE.

SADLY IT WASN'T UNTIL I LEFT HOME THAT I APPRECIATED THESE THINGS I'D TAKEN SO VERY FOR GRANTED. 

LANGUAGE LOVER HERE RECENTLY ASKED HOW ONE OR WE WOULD SAY, 

WE ARE OCEAN PEOPLE. 

THOUGH THERE IS NO DIRECT TRANSLATION (EVER),

Tup̓ałʔatḥ 

WAS THE CLOSEST I FELT I UNDERSTOOD. 

THAT LIGHT & THIS LIFE THOUGH. 

♡

THANK YOU BRO CROW, KENNY DUBE BROWN, MIKE, FRIES, ROB AND ROD FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE YA. 

WISH I WERE HOME CAPTURING ALL THE BLOOD, GUTS, STICKS & SMOKE AS THESE FISH MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE SMOKE HOUSE. 

BUT THE CITY CALLS FOR WORK & I MUST ANSWER.