International Year of the World's Indigenous People, 1993

The Qatuwas Festival, an international gathering of maritime indigenous nations of the Pacific Rim, was hosted this summer by the Heiltsuk Nation in their village of Bella Bella, approximately 350 miles up the British Columbia coast from Vancouver, Canada. The festival, held from 27 June to 3 July, coincided with the United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous People (1993). Qatuwas is a Heiltsuk word meaning "people gathering together in one place".
North coast paddler escorting an Elder.