Blunden Harbour, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Blunden Harbour is a small harbour and native Indian reserve in the Canadian province of British Columbia
. It is located the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait
– about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) northeast of Port Hardy. It is located at 50°54′N 127°17′W.
village whose residents referred to themselves as the 'Nak'waxda'xw
, known historically as the Nakoaktok. In 1964, the community voted to relocate to Port Hardy after the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs threatened to cut off support for housing, education, and services if they remained in their isolated location .
name for this location is alternatively written as Ba'as, Ba'a's, Paas, or Pahas. The official name of the Indian reserve is Pahas Indian Reserve 3.
The location was named Blunden Harbour in 1863 by Daniel Pender, R.N., Captain of H.M. hired surveying vessel Beaver
, after his 2nd Master Edward Raynor Blunden. Blunden Island, Blunden Rock and Blunden Passage are also named for Blunden.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, the area was promoted to European settlers under the name of Port Progress. Settlement was short-lived and the name is not an official place name of Canada, though it still appears as a place name in several online databases including Google Earth
.
artists. The most notable being Willie Seaweed .
Blunden Harbour is the title of an Emily Carr
painting based on a 1901 photograph taken by Dr Charles F. Newcombe
of the village . The painting was made between 1927 and 1932 and is currently on display in the National Gallery of Canada
.
Blunden Harbour is also the title of 22 minute anthropological film by made by Robert Gardner in 1951. In it, Gardiner inaccurately describes the location of Blunden Harbour as being "a small village on the coast of Vancouver Island...".
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It is located the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait
Queen Charlotte Strait
Queen Charlotte Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It connects Queen Charlotte Sound with Johnstone Strait, Discovery Passage and then to the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound...
– about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) northeast of Port Hardy. It is located at 50°54′N 127°17′W.
History
Blunden Harbour was the location of a Kwakwaka'wakwKwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
village whose residents referred to themselves as the 'Nak'waxda'xw
'Nak'waxda'xw
The 'Nak'waxda'xw, also known as the Nakoaktok, are an Indigenous nation, a part of the Kwakwaka'wakw, in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, on northern Vancouver Island. Their main village is now at Port Hardy where they were relocated by government officials from their ancient village...
, known historically as the Nakoaktok. In 1964, the community voted to relocate to Port Hardy after the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs threatened to cut off support for housing, education, and services if they remained in their isolated location .
Other Names
The Kwak'walaKwak'wala
Kwak'wala is the Indigenous language spoken by the Kwakwaka'wakw. It belongs to the Wakashan language family. There are about 250 Kwak'wala speakers today, which amounts to 5% of the Kwakwaka'wakw population...
name for this location is alternatively written as Ba'as, Ba'a's, Paas, or Pahas. The official name of the Indian reserve is Pahas Indian Reserve 3.
The location was named Blunden Harbour in 1863 by Daniel Pender, R.N., Captain of H.M. hired surveying vessel Beaver
Beaver (steamship)
Beaver was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest of North America. She made remote parts of the west coast of Canada accessible for maritime fur trading and was chartered by the Royal Navy for surveying the coastline of British Columbia....
, after his 2nd Master Edward Raynor Blunden. Blunden Island, Blunden Rock and Blunden Passage are also named for Blunden.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, the area was promoted to European settlers under the name of Port Progress. Settlement was short-lived and the name is not an official place name of Canada, though it still appears as a place name in several online databases including Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
.
Art and Film
Blunden Harbour was home to a famous school of Kwakwaka'wakwKwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
artists. The most notable being Willie Seaweed .
Blunden Harbour is the title of an Emily Carr
Emily Carr
Emily Carr was a Canadian artist and writer heavily inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. One of the first painters in Canada to adopt a post-impressionist painting style, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until later in her life...
painting based on a 1901 photograph taken by Dr Charles F. Newcombe
Charles F. Newcombe
Charles Frederick Newcombe was a British botanist and ethnographic researcher.-Biography:Newcome was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, as the eighth of fourteen children...
of the village . The painting was made between 1927 and 1932 and is currently on display in the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
.
Blunden Harbour is also the title of 22 minute anthropological film by made by Robert Gardner in 1951. In it, Gardiner inaccurately describes the location of Blunden Harbour as being "a small village on the coast of Vancouver Island...".