KAY VARNER, seen here in a recent photograph, was born at t Kitselas Ca-
nyon, where her family lived above the telegraph office for a time, until their
home on the north side of the river was built. The family later moved to Usk.

From the Canyon to
the Canasta table

Kathleen Varner, a former schoo! teacher in
Usk, remains an active woman at age 93

By HELENE MCRAE
A TERRACE area pioneer celebrated her
93rd birthday recently.

Kathleen (Kay) Varner is the daughter
of two early pioneers, Chatles and Mar-
faret. Durham, who arrived on the river-
boat, Hazelton, in 1903 to make their
home at the Kitselas Canyon.

Charles was employed as a linesman
for the Dominion Government Yukon
Telegraph line and was stationed at Kit-
selas Canyon.

The family of five children lived in the
telegraph office until their home was built
on their pre-emption on the north side of
the Skeena River.

It was here that Kathleen was born, on
Nov. 26, 1908. Margaret, her mother, was
attended during labour by Elizabeth
(Lizzy) Kitselas, the widow of Chief
George Kitselas. Lizzy had also assisted
at the birth of Kathleen’s sister, Irene, in
March 1906.

The other children thought for years
that Lizzy brought the babies in the gun-
ny-sack she always carried over her
shoulder,

After the completion of the railroad,
Kitselas was deserted, and most of the re-
sidents moved on — mainly to Usk, where
the railroad placed a station. Usk became
a thriving saw milling and mining town,

-The Durhams, moved there ‘in: 1917, In
February of the following year, Kathleen

From B1

Preserving history, songs,

She and Johnson hold a

learning their language.

and her sisters made up the necessary
number of pupils to start a schaol Three
of the other children were daughters of
Lizzy, who was then the wife of Richard
Lowrie, the first owner of the Usk town-
site.

Kathleen continued her schooling,
completing high school and normal
school in Smithers and Vancouver.

She returned to Usk and taught at the
Usk school until her marriage in 1934 to
Harry (Slim) Varner.

She then had to give up her job, as
married women were not allowed to
teach.

The Varners spent the war years in
Prince Rupert, where three children were
born, Slim worked in the dry dock.

On their return to their home at Usk,
Slim worked in the logging business and
Kathleen spent her time with her family,
except for a term at the school in Pacific.

After their retirement, they moved to
the Willows apartment on Kalum Street.

Sadly, Slim passed away on Jan, 1,
1979,

Kathleen still makes her home in the
Willows, She keeps active with needle-
work, reading, cards and crossword puz-
zied.

And she still manages to walk to town
and her niece’s home, the McRaes’;“for a

weekly Canasta game.

Happy Birthday, Kathleen.

and names

most important, Now we’re

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Andy Burton

Member of parliament
for Skeena

Constituency Office

4654 Lazelle Ave.

Terrace, B.C. V8G 156
Phone: (250) 635-1601

Fax: (250) 635-4109

Toll Free: 1-800-661-2208
E-mail: andy@andyburton.ca
Website: www.andyburton.ca

HWY 16 WEST TERRACE * 635-7178

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NEW YEAR HOURS

January Ist-April Ist
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The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 9, 2002 - 83

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double responsibility, she
says, adding some day the
wolf clan will grow big en-
ough to reflect these se-
parate lineages,

Matriarchs preserve the
histories, names, stories,
and songs of their line.

There’s supposed to be
two matriarchs for Old Kit-
selas, a tradition that’s on
hold until the population —
decimated at the turn of
the century by smallpox
and other European dis-
eases — BTOWS.

The term, “tribal
princess”, refers to a
woman who is in line to
become mother to the
whole tribe, McKee points
out.

“If you don’t have a
pood heart, you won't
make a good matriarch,
says McKee, who worked
at the Woolworth’s in
Prince Rupert for 25 years,
and then homesteaded at
Babine Lake with her hus-
band until 1987,

Johnson, who’s fluent in
Smalygax, the name of the
Tsimshian language, stres-
ses that young women of
her nation should be strong
in what they’re doing —
and keep it up.

“My goal has always |

been to teach young child-
ren the language,” says
Johnson, who held various
jobs in Terrace, the Sun-
nyside Cannery in Prince
Rupert,.and more recently
at Northwest Community
College.

She remembers a time
when she wasn’t allowed
to speak her language. It
was as a school girl in
Terrace.

The Grade 2 student
needed to go to the wash-
toom: when her teacher
stuffed paper in her mouth.
She was punished because
she didn’t ask permission
in English,

When ‘Johnson's dad
found out, he forbade her

‘brother . and - sister from

Now Johnson is part of
painstaking efforts to im-
part the local variant of
Smalgyax to a new gener-
ation.

These days, they admit
their grandchildren call
them “old fashioned,”
Johnson says.

Both women remember
a time when everyone
worked together.

“The tribal system is
when you always have the

interests of the tribe as the

competing against each
other and working at se-
parate interests,” McKee
notes.

Now, young women are .
impatient to gain the influ-
ence and status that is the
birthright of elder women
in the community.

“Lora and I are still
waiting,” McKee points
out. “The time. will come
when I will be the one to
speak.”

—
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Saturday January 12 at 7:00 &
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b bies bom between January 2001 to December. 31, 200

Sy |

3210 anne Street, Terrace, } B.C, vac