BUSINESS
COVER:
Thomas
King: Canada's Native Writer Tells His Story
BIOGRAPHY:
John
Trudell: Warrior-Poet Waxes on Bone Days
Margaret
Vickers: The Hand of Change
BUSINESS:
Casino
of the Rockies
Historic Milestone for Rambots Construction
CULTURE:
Grizzly
Bears Under the Gun - Again
EDUCATION:
A
Gathering of the Elders
ENVIRONMENT:
Government
of Quebec seeks to Divide Cree Nation and Foster Genocide
HISTORY:
Thomas
Prince: Canada's Forgotten Aboriginal War Hero
HUMOUR:
Bee in the Bonnet: Drum Beaters
POLITICS:
Civic
Aboriginal Leader First to Run for City Hall
Growing
Hope, Producing Pride
By Richard Lorenzen
The connection
between the First Nations People and the land has always been secondary
only to the importance of family and band. The land sustains us and in
many ways is part of each person.
We have lost that intimate contact with the earth for the most part, to
our loss. Those that have maintained the link to the land have done so
mainly as subsistence survivors. It is a great day when one meets a band
that have achieved prosperity on the land of their forefathers.
That land is hot, dry and beautiful. The last desert in Canada. Here
on September 9th, 2002 two ceremonies occurred. In this setting of stark
beauty the NK'MIP band (inkameep) opened the first Aboriginal owned winery
on the North American continent, Nk'Mip Cellars. Early the same day the
band opened its Nk'Mip Desert and Heritage Centre, an ecotourism site.
Chief Clarence Louie says that the opening of the winery represents a
thirty-year desire by the Nk'Mip to use the grapes grown on its own Inkameep
Vineyard to produce its own wine. Thus going from "soil to glass".
The winery is a joint venture between the band and Vincor, an international
corporate body that includes many of the important vineyards and wineries
of the Osoyoos area. Vincor is the fourth largest producers and marketer
of wines in North America.
Opening ceremonies
The opening ceremonies were held first for the Desert & Heritage Centre.
Then we climbed the hill to the winery where the opening for the Nk'Mip
Cellars took place as the sun set over Lake Osoyoos.
Master of Ceremonies Gerry Barrett, from the native voice of Manitoba
NCI-FM introduced two elders who, in the language of the Nk'Mip said prayers
and blessed and cleansed the sites with smoke.
The Okanagan Drummers performed traditional songs throughout the ceremonies
and sage rope cuttings. Ross Fitzpatrick and Robert Nault of the federal
government congratulated the Nk'Mip on their initiative and entrepreneurial
spirit.
Donald Triggs, president and CEO of Vincor International, spoke to the
excitement and high expectations he and his whole company have for this
joint venture.
Chief Robert Louie of the local band made a presentation of a native basket
and congratulated Chief Clarence Louie and his Band on their accomplishments.
Chief Clarence Louie talked not only of the past progress but outlined
the future projects that the Band will build on these past successes.
Dinner was then served to the guests and visitors. The meal was made up
of traditional foods the Nk'Mip have feasted on for centuries. Served
with the wines of the Nk'Mip it was fabulous. The diners were entertained
throughout by fancy dances, the hoop dance being particularly spectacular.
Speeches were given from the visiting dignitaries.
The site of the winery building
is one of the most attractive in the South Okanagan. It is situated on
a bench overlooking the shores of Lake Osoyoos.
Architect Robert Mackenzie has taken note of the curves and angles of
the surrounding hills and local tradition to produce a stunning building
that seems to bridge the contrasts between the tract of natural desert
on one side and the cultivated vineyards on the other.
The prominent arch is taken from the ancient pictographs that show the
People sheltering under just such arches.
Filled with local art among the metal machinery and vats of a working
winery it pays homage to the past while pointing to the prosperity possible
in the future. With its natural colours and textures the building makes
a statement with out discordance with its surroundings. It is a great
addition to the tourist destinations in 0soyoos.
I would suggest that after visiting the Desert and Heritage Centre that
the visitor cool off at the winery's patio above Lake Osoyoos.
Wine in production
The 18,000 square foot Nk'Mip cellars will produce 15,000 cases or 135,000
litres of wine per year. The winery is set up to handle sixty percent
red wine and forty percent white grapes. The wine will be fermented in
temperature controlled tanks and equipment specifically selected to handle
the grapes, juice and wine as gently as possible.
Selected French and American oak casks will be used to age them perfection.
The wines produced initially will be a merlot, pinot noir, pinot blanc
and a chardonnay.
These will be available at the Nk'Mip cellars' wine shop, discerning restaurants
and the twelve VQA retail stores located throughout BC.
The staff
The winery will have the guidance of two capable vintners. Winemaker Randy
Picton said that he was excited about the opportunities in this new setting.
He was trained under two University of Davis graduates in the art of wine
making.
After taking his diploma for Business Administration at Mount Royal College
in Calgary, he completed the Winery Assistant Program at Okanagan University
College in Penticton.
In 1997, he was qualified by the Summerland Research Centre as a member
of the VQA sensory panel. He will be charged with passing on his knowledge
to band members employed by the winery in his art. Thereby preparing the
generation for another step on the bands progress forward.
Mr. Picton will be assisted
by James "Sam" Baptiste. Sam is a proud, capable man. He is
proud of his heritage, his forefathers and his land. His pride is well
justified in all three.
His capability has been demonstrated in his position as manager and winegrower
at the Inkameep Vineyards since 1982. He has performed with enough skill
and with such great results that he has been named to provincial agricultural
advisory boards.
His peers have honoured him by naming him to the presidency of their association.
He is an accredited viticulturist and proud of the name winegrower.
"Wine makers only preserve what the winegrowers tend and care for
all year," he asserts. Holding a hearty bunch of grapes in his hand
he said, "This is what it's all about." The winery will surely
produce spectacular wine with these two working together.
The task of welcoming visitors
will fall on the shoulders of Donna Faigaux, Hospitality Manager. She
is a five-year veteran of the sales division of Vincor International,
Atlas Wine Merchants. She too expressed her excitement in her new challenge
and what she calls Nk'Mip dynamite wines.
In addition to overseeing the wine retail shop, tasting and touring programs
she will act as liaison between the Band and Vincor. In her spare time
she will work with the winery's sales agents.
She brings to this position great enthusiasm and, besides her five years
with Atlas, experience as president of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society,
position she was elected to in 2001 having been a board member for four
years. She also is a director on the BC Wine board information Centre
Board.
I noticed the quiet pride
and assurance felt by all I met and spoke to. Darren Baptiste, a young
man working on the finishing touches to the winery when I visited one
morning, told me that he is looking forward to a good job some where in
the wine industry.
He told me that he and another young man, Jason Baptiste, will be training
as winemakers, at the end of their apprenticeship one will remain with
the Cellars and one will seek employment elsewhere.
He was sure that he will have a good future no matter what happened.
I wish all our young people had that assurance. I am sure that Darren
will do well if the informative tour he gave me is any indication. He
reminded me that much of this economic growth that feeds this pride is
because of the efforts of the Chief Clarence Louie. All I spoke to assured
that all who wished to work could work.
Heritage Centre
I spoke of the fact that there were two openings to celebrate on the ninth.
The temporary home of the Nk'Mip Desert and Heritage Centre was opened.
The Centre is multi-tasking under the guidance of Brenda Baptiste, a nurse,
who oversees the operation of a tract of land that is first dedicated
to maintaining the existence of the deserts unique plants and animals.
There are twenty-three species present on the site that are at high risk
or exist only there. These include the Western Rattlesnake, Bighorn Sheep,
Arrow-leaf, Bitterroot and Antelope Brush. Bear and deer are also present.
The Centre will only plant seeds from the site to protect against possible
contamination from foreign plants.
The Centre promotes respect and understanding of the Osoyoos Band's history
and culture. One offshoot of this goal has been projects that uncovered
aspects of the Bands past poorly understood or forgotten. They have been
returned to the People memories and will again live.
When you visit make sure you hear the story of the Residence Children.
Visitors may visit daily from May to October and see many of the sights
traveling the 1.4 kilometres of wheelchair accessible interpretive trails.
One of the reasons I stressed
Mrs. Baptiste's standing as a nurse is the rattlesnake population on site.
It really is nothing to fear but is a serious concern to a group of wildlife
biologists who are conducting a study, partially funded by the winery
and Vincor, of these endangered reptiles.
This project is trying to find out about the snakes behaviour and survival in the area. To this end they are implanting four rattlesnakes with radio transmitters to track their movements. The local vet took special training to perform the operation.
Chief Clarence Louie said,
"Our two new business ventures will provide added opportunities for
our band members, breaking the cycle of financial dependency and moving
us closer to our goal of self determined economic success."
There now exist ten corporations
involved in tourism, recreation, agriculture, construction, forestry,
retail, and now wine. The winery is the second phase of a twenty five
million Nk'mip project that includes a pro level golf course that I am
assured will see amateur if not professional tournaments, an all season
RV park, the Desert and Heritage Centre and an Inn and conference centre
fronting the Lake Osoyoos.