North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Centre received some unexpected support on Monday from the Trans Mountain expansion project for its Moose Hide campaign.
“We were thinking maybe $500 or $1,000,” said Cindy Wilgosh, NTASC executive director. “Instead, they gave us $3,000. It’s just absolutely amazing. The money will really help with the building, the meal, the honorariums for the elders and dignataries, the gifts and so on.
“Tobacco isn’t cheap,” she joked.
Wilgosh said the Moose Hide Campaign event has been held in February in previous years but this year was moved to May 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the agenda has not yet been finalized, there will be a catered meal, guest speakers, information and awareness displays and videos showing some of the progress made over the past 40 years. Look for details in a future issue of the Times.
A few years ago, students at Raft River Elementary School were invited to post sticky notes onto a Moose Hide poster that answered the question, “Who is your male role model?” Some of the posted replies were quite moving, said Wilgosh.
The Moose Hide Campaign started out about 11 years ago when co-founders Paul Lacerte and his daughter Raven shot a moose near Highway 16 in northeast B.C. — the Highway of Tears — while hunting. While the moose meat would feed the family over the winter, they decided to make pins from the moose’s hide for people to wear as part of a campaign to combat male violence against women and children. It grew from a local event to one now celebrated nationwide.
“Whenever we go into a community we like to bring gifts that show respect,” said M.J. Zimmerman, construction manager with the Trans Mountain expansion project. “We are here getting a good wage and there’s no way we can’t contribute to the community.”
The money was raised through voluntary donations from the approximately 900 field staff employed locally on the project, he said.
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