Tofino: A Surf Town Mirage
“I was seven years old when I was taken from my family and brought to the residential school.” The words of Chief Moses Martin echoed in my head as I walked back to my car. “I was only allowed to see my family one day each year.”
I remember learning about the dark parts of Canada’s history in school, but this was the first time that I had come face to face with a person who lived through these hideous crimes. The stories of colonization and discrimination that I had once read about in a history textbook, now had a voice, a face, and a soul. By the time I got in my car and started to head home, I still felt appalled and tried to process the information I just was told.
At the beginning of summer, I packed up my adventure car and drove from Toronto to Tofino to enjoy the splendour of living on the west coast of Canada.
Tofino, located on Vancouver Island, is the surf capital of Canada, and beginners and professionals brave the cold water to enjoy the perfect waves all year round. Due to its gorgeous white sandy beaches, stunning rainforest, and magnificent wildlife, the village of 2,000 inhabitants gets more than 600,000 visitors every year.
However, there is a lot more to Tofino then surfers and tourists. Underneath the surf town mirage is the rich history of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations and the darkness of how they’ve been treated.
The Tla-o-qui-aht have lived in Tofino and the surrounding area for generations. Before British settlers came to the area, the tribe co-existed with the land and lived in harmony within the circle of life. They respected nature and only used what was necessary for them to survive. Historically, many of the Tla-o-qui-aht worked with wood and used cedar to hand-carve canoes, totem poles, houses and tools. The Tla-o-qui-aht had a strong ceremonial culture, and would often gather, feast and entertain with song. They were whale hunters and would brave the rocky waves of the Pacific Ocean in their hand-made cedar canoes.
While on a tour of Hot Springs Cove with Clayoquot Wild Tours, I had the chance to learn more about the Tla-o-qui-aht from the tribe’s current elected chief, Moses Martin. Moses has been elected chief for 13 years and works hard to fight for First Nation rights as well as protecting the environment.
I sat on the small, 6-passenger boat, staring out at the thick west coast fog that was rolling over the grey sea. Chief Moses Martin kindly answered each of my questions and gave me a glimpse into his world and the world of the Tla-o-qui-aht. He told me about his childhood and how he was stolen from his family and forced to live in a residential school. He didn’t talk a lot about his time at the school, and knowing what I know about them, I don’t blame him. But he did say that they were basically treated as slaves, and as we drove back to Tofino, he pointed out where the school stood before it burned down.
As I listened to the Cheif, I was inspired by the way he fought to protect our planet. He told me how he was involved in the protest to save his home, Meares Island, when the timber companies wanted to cut down 90% of its trees. He also told me how he recently travelled to Hawaii to discuss ocean conservation with other leaders.
One thing that Moses shared with me was something his father had once told him, “If you are going to interrupt the circle of life, have respect for it.” I wish everyone on this planet could listen and understand this phase. In today’s society, having respect for life, other than human life, seems to be of little importance. Humans consume everything and anything they want. I can’t help but wonder what our world would look like if we honoured the circle life and if we did what was best for every living thing, instead of just ourselves. The Tla-o-qui-aht would hunt only 10 whales each year to feed 10,000 people. They would use every part of the animal and would give thanks for it. That is very different from the barbaric whale hunts we have seen in more recent years, where thousands of whales are slaughtered. They also used a lot of cedarwood, but instead of chopping down the whole tree, they found ways to only take part of the tree for individual projects. What would our world look like if we followed in the ways of the Tla-o-qui-aht and had more respect for our home?
Even though our chat was short, I was so grateful that I had the honour to sit down with the Tla-o-qui-aht chief and learn more about their history and beliefs. As I listened to his words, I soon realized Tofino truly was so much more than a surf town with white sandy beaches. Which made me realize that every place I have ever travelled to has a story and history that most tourists would never see.
Each place that we visit has a story. Each village, city, country, and continent has a past and present that is not always easy for travellers to observe. As travellers, we must respect the places we are exploring enough to not only take selfies and visit the trendy attractions we see on Instagram but also really get to know a destination. Dive into a place’s history and current events. Mingle with locals and see what the area is really like. We must do our global community the honour and ourselves the great favour to have authentic travel experiences.