Outrigger Canoe Races

I helped out at the Outrigger Canoe Races this weekend in Gibsons. On Saturday I did parking control. My job was to wear an orange pinny and ask folks who wanted to park on the pier to not park on the pier unless they had to. If they had to, I moved the barrier to the side so they could. I met the most wonderful folks. The sun was shining, the harbour filled with boats of all kinds, the last bits of snow on the mountains. It was Marvelous. My mind drifted to the time I did parking control at the airport in Grande Prairie for the Bikers' Build Off. The wind was raging, the dirt coated my teeth, I was surrounded by industrial park and airport, and pick up trucks with cracked windshields. I didn't meet that many interesting people as all the walkers were intent on getting to the shelter of the tents, to look at the bikes and meet their friends.
Today I sat in the Harbour office and did data entry of race times. I watched the starts of the races; what excitement!! 30+ craft - one man kayaks, OC-1's, OC-2's, from the island, the mainland and up the sea-to-sky highway. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot.
Many of the paddlers were wearing these primitive necklaces, strung on hemp. They consisted of a larger, long bone coloured bead, accompanied by 4 wooden beads - white, black, red and yellow. I asked a paddler what the story was. It is made of devil's claw root, a plant that grows wild all around. Aboriginal belief is that devils' claw root protects one on the water, and the 4 colours are the colours of the skin of humans walking the earth. Local school kids gather the root, make the necklaces and they are distributed to paddlers on the coast. A wearer of the necklace is meant to pass it along to someone who they believe to need protection on the water. I saw my paddling friend Martha Ware, and admired her necklace and told her I learned the story. She promptly took hers off and pressed it upon me, putting it around my neck herself. I hugged her hard for it, for I am indeed in need of protection these days. From what or who, I'm not sure. It could even be from myself.