here is a stunning place of splendid refuge in the southern territories of the Kitkatla people where the eagle soars and the salmon swim. The moon in July rises above the mountains of Princess Royal Island accompanied by Libra, Arcturus, Virgo and a host of other stars.

I am reminded of our ancestors who gazed on the same moon and stars as they harvested natures bounty from the sea. Things have not changed all that much in the natural coastal world, the eagle still soars and the salmon come back each year. We harvest cod, halibut, all species of salmon and enjoy the whales return each summer.

The great change that has come has been the introduction of the dollar as currency as well as ever increasing technology. We have been separated from nature and to an ever increasing degree we look to money and technology and comforts that they bring. We sit and watch corporations move in to our ancestral lands to make a good living on what we take for granted. Some of us resent the intrusion of other businesses because they are making money from our resources. If we took another look at these newcomers as teachers, we could follow their example in using our resources to renew and recreate our lives. It is possible to harvest the riches of our lands and keep a respect for them, all we need to do is keep respecting ourselves.

These are a few of the thoughts that came to me as I bathed in the beauty of King Pacific Lodge on the sea that will always be home to me.

Roy Henry Vickers