By Maryanna Gabriel
At four in the morning I heard a rattling outside my bedroom window and upon lifting the blind, I was greeted by the dark silouette of a fuzzy head and two, not-so-little, ears. He was after the rubbish bin, and rolling it around in his paws as if trying to sort out the lock-on lid. I was having none of it.
"Hey! Get outta here!" I flicked the light. This is not a snack station, for goodness sakes.
Fortunately for me, he took off. A young fellow - maybe a yearling. Then, feeling terribly brave, I packed for my trip. I was visiting a cousin I have not seen in ages, and hoping to take in some Kootenay sights. Ghost towns were on my mind.
I stopped at the Doukhobor Center in Castlegar. Did you know they are peace loving, much like the Quakers? They came to Canada, escaping Russian persecution for burning their guns in a stand for pacifism. I am ashamed to say that in Canada, their lands were confiscated, more than once, for not swearing allegiance to Her Royal Majesty etc.Their children were also forcibly removed and sent to New Denver which is in the Kootenies on Arrow Lake, close to where the Japanese were interned in the second world war. We put them in an old tuberculosis sanitorium. I learned the children were not given enough food and were fed scrambled eggs three meals a day. Oh, we can be such a nice bunch here in Canada. Have no idea where the First Nations Residential School in the area might be. I am headed to the Arrow Lakes, next.
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| Doukhobor Discovery Center, Castlegar, BC |
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| Beautiful hand-woven rugs. |
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| A platok - carefully crafted head scarf, |
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| Bread, salt, and water symbolizing peace and "will not raise their hands in violence". |
