Komoks First Nation

By Mme Caf
Komoks First Nation
 Lived on east Vancouver Island
shoreline for thousands of years

They called the area the Land of

Plenty
Who are they? Foods included salmon, octopus,
seal, herring, deer, duck,
shellfish and berries

Mask dances and rhythmic songs

were cultural traditions
History
Origin of their people began
where the Quinsam & Campbell
Rivers meet

Shalhkem and Tisitla dropped

down from the sky

1. They became the first ancestors of

the Komoks people

2. In 1862, 53% died in the smallpox

outbreak

3. In 1883, the Comox Coal Fields

changed their territory forever
Tribal Canoe Journey
 Journey of healing and
hope

Youth learnt about their

heritage
In 2017 welcomed
hundreds of canoes en
route to Campbell River
Conclusion
Contact with the European Settlers changed a people and culture that had endured
thousands of years:

Smallpox outbreak killed more than half the population

In 1875 lots of their land was taken by the railways
Comox Coal Fields changed their land forever

Tribal Canoe Journey is an opportunity for their people to reconnect with their
heritage

This offers hope and healing to the Komoks First Nation and to all Canadians