Tzouhalem Movie

The Tzouhalem movie I was interviewed for in 2020 has been playing at festivals and theatres in BC. This Friday, it will be showing at Cinecenta at The University of Victoria at 3:00 and 7:00 pm.

This is an important film by Harold C. Joe and Leslie Bland. From what I have seen, they have been supported by a team of amazing people for the filming, editing, and promotional phases of the project.

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The Haunting of Your Bedside Table

In this interview, Darby asks the hard questions – we talk about common ghost story themes, racism, and the library copies of my book going missing! Our interview follows Casey’s Halloween reads, starting around the 17:45 mark.

Meet Me in the Stacks is Vancouver Island Regional Library’s podcast. Each episode is unique, but almost always has a book recommendation segment. I’ve added Casey’s Halloween recommendations to my reading list for next year.

Here’s a synopsis of the episode! You can find Meet Me in the Stacks wherever you get your podcasts, or you can listen to the episode by clicking on the image below: Continue reading “The Haunting of Your Bedside Table”

Huldowget by B. A. McKelvie

Huldowget is a 1926 novel by Bruce Alistair McKelvie. It’s an entertaining read–in a historical sort of way–but it is also offensive.

McKelvie was an editor for Victoria’s Daily Colonist. He is remembered for his involvement in the Native Sons (a colonist heritage fraternal order) and for promoting lost civilization theories (over Indigenous rights) through books, newspapers, and speeches.

I recently published an article on Ancient Pages about the Hepburn Stone, which is on display at the Nanaimo Museum. McKelvie was the main person who promoted the stone as a 15,000-year-old lost civilization artifact. I read some of his nonfiction during my research and was surprised to discover he had authored fiction, as well. Continue reading “Huldowget by B. A. McKelvie”

Ghosts of Mount Tzouhalem and Stone Butter Church

On July 21st, I was in the Cowichan Valley for the filming of Harold Joe’s new documentary, Tzouhalem. Produced by Les Bland Productions and by Harold himself, the film will attempt to unpack the oral stories and urban legends surrounding the near-mythic figure of Chief Tzouhalem, who Mount Tzouhalem is named after.

What makes this project unique is that Harold is a Quamichan traditional Gravedigger. The Quamichan Nation acknowledges the existence of human and nonhuman spirit entities, so strict protocol is observed during funerals in order to avoid problems with either. Harold’s role often calls upon him to repatriate human remains and to help disembodied ancestors find peace.

Chief Tzouhalem had a complicated relationship with this same spirit world. So who better to investigate the legends surrounding him than someone familiar with his teachings? Tzouhalem was a member of the nation Harold is, as well, which means Harold has access to oral histories no other investigator would ever be able to acquire. Continue reading “Ghosts of Mount Tzouhalem and Stone Butter Church”

Tofino’s Climate Strike

I wanted to share a few photos I took today during Tofino’s Climate Strike. For those of you who don’t know, Tofino is located on Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations territory on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s where my retro fishing boat, the iDigher, is moored.

Tofino was the first municipality on Vancouver Island that I noticed was attempting to ban single-use plastics such as shopping bags and straws. In 1993, the town was an instrumental ally of Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations during the War in the Woods (where 900 people were arrested). Since then, Tofino has been a firm opponent of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and its proposed increase in tanker traffic.

One could say that Tofino has a long history of social activism and acknowledgment of Indigenous rights, so I was curious to see what kind of turnout there would be today.

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Why the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Could Be Genocide

An increase in tanker traffic could be the death of the Coast Salish people, not an oil spill. A review of the Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth testimony presented to the National Energy Board of Canada.

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