The journey changed the lives of many of these Nisga’a. Like salmon, they felt an inner need to return to a certain stream, to a certain home.
Mansell hopes to be able to live in her community one day. I have already started applying for jobs and looking for work in Wadi Nas.
“It’s like a big hug, this valley,” she said.
“I’m a Nisga’a. I’m a mother. I’m independent, but I want to be able to have comfort at home.”
house. This was a constant theme throughout the trip, as was the sense of belonging. These Nisga’a came with questions, looking for something – and many of them, like Lawrence, found it.
Standing on the bank of the Nass River, he says: “Touching the soil and breathing the air rejuvenates my energy and vitality.” He says he will feel out of place in Vancouver when he returns there.
“Now that I’m here for the first time and see where my family comes from, I definitely belong here.”
