INSIDE. COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 THINK you can do better than this grin- ning Jack O' Lantern? Enter the contest. Ready, set, carve THE CITY OF Terrace’s 75th anniversary ce- lebrations continue Sunday, Oct. 26 with a- pumpkin carving contest at the Grand Trunk Pathway. There are three categories, children from four to 7, children from 8 to 12 and families. Bring your carved pumpkins to the pathway beginning at 2:30 p.m. for registration and jud- _ ging, There are first, second and third prizes for each of the categories. Judges will be looking for artistic endeavour, creativity and original- ity. Everyone who enters will receive a smaller prize. The three prizes for each category and the smaller prizes are being provided by. local merchants and by the 75th committee. There will be hot chocolate available. The contest is sponsored by the 75th anni- versary committee and The Terrace Standard. A whale of a tale A RESOURCEFUL Maori girl tries to fulfil her destiny in Whale Rider, a coming-of-age fable set in contemporary New Zealand, where a tribe is in search of a new chief. The critically-acclaimed film is playing to- night at the Tillicum Twin Theatres. The show Starts at 7 p.m. sharp, so you'll want ta get there:a little on the early side. The movie: is playing here. as part: of ‘the Film Circuit, .a series that brings big city cine- mato small town Canada’ on thé fourth: Wed: - nesday of the month. It's an outreach program of the Toronto In- ternational Film Festival. The local sponsor is . the Terrace and District Arts Council. The next movie is The War Bride on Nov. 26. After a break in December, the series re- sumes Jan. 28 with Manna From Heaven, You can purchase tickets at the door for these shows, or you can buy a season’s pass, or a half season pass at Misty River Books. terpiece, Rediscovering an eagle A Nass Valley man helps the British Museum identify a forgotten masterpiece ty JENNIFER LANG ALVER TAIT remembers exactly what it was like seeing the an- cient totem pole for the first time. Until last October, no Nisga’a person had seen the 30-faot, red cedar pole since a dominion his- torian named Marius Barbeau took it out of the Nass Valley in the 1930s. It lay inside a storage facility of London's British Museum for 70 years. He immediately recognized the To the Nisga’a, a totem pole is no mere wood carving. It’s a liv- ing thing; something precious that symbolizes and honours specific individuals, clans and the stories belonging to them. “It’s sacred to us,” Tait said. “They tell a story about us. On these totem poles are our ances- tors, It's just like a person. You have to treat them with respect.” Historically, outsiders have found this difficult to understand. For instance, early Christian tell-tale trademarks of a Nisga’n carver. The pole's sides are rounded rather than squared-off. “That's the way we do it,” he thought. He knew he was in the presence of a mas- “Tt was breathtak- ing. It’s so beautifully done. I'm. amazed somebody could da a job like that in those days — especially with the tools they had.” The pole was thought to be the fine handiwork of the legendary carver Oyai in the 1860s to honour Chief Luuya’as of the eagle clan, Tait’s great, great grandfather. Tait, a hereditary chief called named Gadeelip, asked museum officials to let him enter the stor- age room alone first. One look and he knew. “It was like showing me a cof-_ fin where my father or grandfather was laying, 1 didn’t say anything for a long time. It was kind of sad. It was really an. experience for me ” : Alver Talt missionaries mista- indigenous coastal people tatem poles. These days, poles are recognized for their artistic value and their cultural significance. % ale at a special, pri- SAypvate ceremony at the British Museum. On Oct. 17, the pole was lifted into place in one of the museum's hub gal- leries, where it will go on display as part of a new exhibit opening up later this month, This summer Tait carved a re- placement for the large eagle fig- ure that had once stood on top of the pole. The five-foot eagle is now seated next to it. Tait also completed several re- placement pieces as part of re- storation work on the Chief Luuya’as pole, which originally stood outside a house in Ankid’aa, a Nisga’a village site located on an island in the Nass River west kenly thought B.C.'s . worshipped intrinsic historical and . Just last week, Tait: was invited to offici- ° SECTION B_ JENNIFER LANG. 638-7283 THIS POLE, dedicated to Chief Luuya’as, will be seen by up to 2.5 million people visiting the British Museum, officials say. af Greenville (Gingolx). The river has since washed much of the village away, Tait told the Terrace Standard a few days before he left for England. The British Museum, home to some treasured antiquities like the Roselta Stone and the Elgin Mar- bles, hus been criticised for not _ returning. artifacts taken from, A new SOU . anniversary last: suming other nations over the centuries. Surprisingly, Tait is grateful in this case. “It's kind of a blessing. They would have disintegrated,” he said, “We wouldn’t dream of taking. it away from them. now. They took such good care of it.” Tait carved a. 10-metre- totem pole for the Vienna Zoo's “250th @ Happy anniversary ‘THESE TWO boys were among the celebrants at a special party at the Terrace Daycare Centre last week, Bruce Bolton, 8, (left) used to attend the centre, run by the Terrace Daycare Socie- ty, turning 30 this year. He was joined by his friend, Josh Cruckshank, 7, who went to a differ- ent daycare program. The society began as a parent-run sociely that opened iis first daycare: program in a_ local church basement back in 1973. Last week's party included cupcakes sand old photos. J JENNIFER LANG PHOTO NO LONGER languishing. This pole now welcomes customers to the Skeena Mall, Front and centre — a pole gets new life THE SKEENA MALL has erected a totem pole that had been languishing in storage. - It now has a place of honour once more — this time outdoors at the front entrance facing Lakelse Ave. “It's had a fantastic reception, ' manager Cherri Peters. She said the pole, originally carved by Nisga'a carver Virgil Stanley, was first raised inside. the mall in 1989 and was blessed then by Kitsumkalum dancers. It had been commis- sioned by the mall. Al some point the pole had been taken down and placed in storage, and Peters found it after she took over administration of the mall and approached Stanley. “T asked him if he'd be interested in fixing it up and putting it back up,” she said. “He was ecstatic. Virgil painted it and brought it back to life.” . Its placement outside at the mall’s main - entrance coincided with new landscaping work. along Lakelse Ave. - There was flo ceremony: “connected: to the re-raising of the pole, she: said, because: a pole “cannot be blessed twice. : ” said mall ede By JENNIFER LANG EIGHT YOUNG children could be seen quietly sip- ping on hot soup and munching on buns and muffins Wednesday, as they joined their parents at the Carpenter's Hall Organized by the Sal- vation Army, volunteers didn’t know how many people to expect Oct. 15, the first day of. operation for the weekly. soup kit- chen, Eighty-one’ bowls of soup were served. A Sunday soup kitchen operated in the same loca- tion by volunteers from the Seventh Day Adventist Church routinely attracts between 125-150 people. Salvation Army. com- munity: services director fan McDonough said - the new soup kitchen opens at 3:30 p.m. so parents can bring their children after they get out of school. McDonough. would. like - to operate the soup kitchen.’ ona daily basis, but-that: may depend on finances. He plans to evaluate the program in January. “The need is there,” he said as he gazed around the hall, where dozens of people sat quietly at pic- nie tables finishing their food. A number of people asked for'a second helping of soup. Like other front line staff who work with Ter- race’s poor and low in- come residents, he won- ders’ how much worse things will get in April. Thal's. when provincial cuts. to income assistance ~ welfare - go into force. Single people who have been on welfare for two years will be cut off unless they meet. the criteria for an exemption. - Families and single ‘parents who have been on welfare for two years will receive an-11 per cent cut ‘once their. children are aged. three or older. - ‘The. Salvation. Army’s national: office’ -Tecently VOLUNTEERS Russell Maxwell, Betty Ann Wall, and Kim Ambridge serve up a bow! of hot, homemade soup and a bun to Duncan Doolan, another soup kitchen volunteer, JENNIFER LANG PHOTO provided the local branch with a short survey de- signed to determine the -impact the welfare: cute: will have here, 62: if they are on income as- sistance and if they. are aware: about. ‘the changes that will, be coming, into ve effect. they have a back-up plan if their benefits are cut off. Meanwhile, McDo- nough is grateful for the _community’s. support. for he: soup, kitchet :