Nisga'a members find culture, connection and identity through Hoobiyee celebrations
CBC
The Nisga'a Nation kicked off a two-day event to mark their new year, known as Hoobiyee, at the PNE Forum on Friday.
More than 1,000 people joined in the festivities, featuring drumming, dancing, crafts and more.
The annual celebration marks the arrival of the first crescent moon and signals that a new harvest season is about to begin with eulachon fish returning to the Nass Valley, the traditional home of the Nisga'a in Northwestern B.C.
The Nisga'a Ts'amiks Vancouver Society is hosting the celebration, featuring the Ahousat Cultural Group, the Urban Heiltsuk Dance Group and the Nisga'a Tsamiks Vancouver Traditional Dancers among others. The free event is open to the public.
Denise Doolan, head of the Nisga'a Tsamiks Vancouver Traditional Dancers, was excited about it all.
"Hoobiyee is a time to celebrate and a time to reflect and pray for a good year, for a prosperous new year for everybody," Doolan said.
Ahead of Hoobiyee, CBC News joined members of the Nisga'a Nation to see how they were preparing for the big day.
Inside of a room in East Vancouver, dancers took part in a full dress rehearsal.
Doolan, who has been dancing with the group on and off since the 1990s, admits there were some pre-performance jitters.
"It's nerve-racking at the beginning," Doolan said. "But once you're on the floor and having the power of so many drums coming together, it feels ecstatic."
More than 100 dancers are taking part in the Hoobiyee performance this year, she said.
While the dancing and the food are an integral part of Hoobiyee, for Nisga'a people living in B.C.'s urban centres, it also represents an opportunity to connect with their culture and maintain their identity, despite being far from their traditional homes.
Jerry Adams was invited to join the Hoobiyee dancing group by his daughters. However, he was reluctant at first.
"I think I was very shy of who I was, a Nisga'a. I wasn't able to speak my language. I was afraid to be with my people, said Adams.
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