Approximately 326 years ago, around the year 1700, the Tseax volcano in northwest B.C.’s Nass Valley erupted — eventually forming what is now known as the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park.
The oral tradition of the Nisga’a people, known as adaawaḵ, records the eruption, and matches up with geological data.
Two villages were destroyed, and about 2,000 people are believed to have been killed. The lava flow also rerouted the Nass River, forever changing the landscape.
“It’s a place where western science meets oral history and Indigenous ways of knowing,” said Justina Moore, whose Nisga’a name of Gaahl Daats means “water lily.”
Moore works as an education and programs director at Hli Goothl Wilp-Adokshl Nisga’a, the museum in Laxgalts’ap.
“For me, it’s a place that holds a lot of history, and it really holds that validity in our oral histories,” she said.
She recalls growing up surrounded by volcanic rocks, but says she didn’t fully appreciate how unique the landscape was until later.
“When I was a child, I assumed that there was lava everywhere … I used to think that this was what the world looked like past our boundaries,” she said.
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According to the official adaawaḵ shared by the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government, the story behind the eruption serves as a lesson in respect and balance with nature.
It says the eruption was triggered after two children mistreated salmon, prompting a warning from an elder about retaliation from nature, resulting in the eruption.
A supernatural protector, Gwaxts’agat, emerged to block and cool the advancing lava — saving the remaining residents.
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“On your way back [from the museum] towards the lava fields, you might notice that they kind of just abruptly stop,” said Moore.
“Then you’re met with a lush green forest, the creeks, river and mountainside. So it’s really interesting to see how well our stories tie in with the land.”
With special permission, this story of Gwaxts’agat is part of what Moore shares with guests at the museum, along with other teachings.
“I feel a little empowered knowing that I’ve shared a little bit of our history with our visitors,” she said.
“I feel it’s really impactful once our visitors leave this space, and they’re driving back to their place of origin, they walk away with this deeper appreciation … and it’s carried with respect.”
The park is part of the Nisga’a Final Agreement, the modern treaty between the nation and the federal government, which came into effect in 2000.
It’s the first provincial park to be jointly managed by B.C. Parks and a First Nation.
Four lava flows came from the Tseax volcano, with the main flow stretching over 22 kilometers.
Some rock formations tower over 12 metres above the roads that go through the terrain.
Some of the sites at the park include the drowned forest, where trees now stand in water that was rerouted from the lava flows.
There is also the tree cast, where lava encased trees and left behind impressions.
Other landmarks include the natural hot springs, a dedication site where the area was officially designated a provincial park, as well as Crater Creek and Lava Lake.
As the home of the most recent volcanic eruption in Canada, the site serves both as a monument to the power of nature, and as a tribute to the nation’s history, according to locals.
To Alexis Harris, whose Nisga’a name is Gwiix Gala’ak’um Gibuu or “playful wolf,” the landscape showcases the very best qualities of her people.
Harris works as a parks technician at Wilp T’aam Lax Sankw’ax (the visitor centre).
“The Nisga’a are resilient, it is a beautiful tourist destination, and it reminds us how strong we are and how far we’ve come,” she said.
“We survived two great floods. We survived the eruption. We survived famine. We survived smallpox, we survived residential schools. So that makes me very proud.”
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Through her work, Harris said she’s met people from all over the world who come specifically for the lava beds — including from Egypt, Germany, Italy and the Philippines.
“Even when we’re picking up garbage in the field … we’re showing our pride, that we are good hosts and that we are welcoming,” said Harris.
“We want our facilities to be beautiful. And we want you to come back.”
