A precious native artifact was returned to its original owners in a touching ceremony at the Squamish Adventure Centre this past weekend.The Aboriginal Festival of the Arts held last weekend (May 24 and 25) at the Squamish Adventure Centre showcased the work of Bahá'í artists of aboriginal descent. Visitors to the Adventure Centre had the added attraction of viewing this exhibition, which included the visual arts as well as bead and basket work, story telling and music. An unexpected highlight of the festival was the gifting back of a 80-year-old basket to the descendants of Chief Tommy Bull, whose wife Mary had crafted the basket and traded it to Ella H. Kildare in 1931.David Kildare and his wife Ella emigrated from Scotland in 1930 and settled in an area in Lillooet called Seton Portage, where David worked for the electric company. With them were their 12-year-old daughter Nina and her younger brother Terry.Mary loved a red dress worn by Ella, who, on the other hand, loved the basket Mary had woven. They decided to exchange their possessions.The basket was passed down to Nina, who later became Nina Smith, a long-time resident of Squamish, who in turn gave it to her eldest daughter, Squamish's Ann Gallant. Smith passed away recently and Gallant decided the time had come to track down the family of Chief Tommy Bull and wife Mary and return the basket to them.With the help of Marie Abraham of Mt. Currie, Thomas Terry and his brother Dave, the sons of Gertie Bull, the granddaughter of Chief Tommy Bull were found. Knowing the festival was planned, Ann Gallant and her sister, Alison Dorosh, felt that it provided a perfect opportunity to pass this precious heirloom back - and it was!It was a poignant exchange. Gertie had been invited to come for the festival but was unaware of the basket. Thomas and his mother Gertie told the audience how happy they were to receive the basket and how much it meant to the family that the circle of the basket was complete. They then presented the sisters with a gift of wind dried salmon (ts'wan), a delicacy that can only be processed successfully where the Fraser River meets Bridge River.
