Written by Steven DeRoy
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Vancouver, BC – The Stó:lô-Coast Salish Historical Atlas was awarded the prestigious Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize at the 18th annual B.C. Book Prizes Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, held at the Renaissance Harbourside in Vancouver on Saturday, April 27th.
Attendees of the event representing the Stó:lô editorial board of the atlas were honoured to find out they had been selected as the award recipients. "What a shock and an exciting surprise to hear we were actually nominated." said Leeanna Rhodes. "When they named our book as the winner we were ecstatic. I actually hugged our presenter Mr Terry Glavin so hard that I think I heard him go ‘UUMF’".
The Stó:lô Atlas was published in April 2001 after 18 rigorous months of research. A team from the Stó:lô Nation’s Aboriginal Rights and Title Department undertook the exhausting task of compiling traditional and scientific knowledge for the Lower Fraser River and Northwestern Washington. It describes a 15,000 year history with a brilliant combination of maps, photographs, artwork and text. This is one of the first publications of its kind in the world, presenting inclusive history of the Stó:lô and incorporating the history of non-native newcomers in southwestern British Columbia.
(Click on the image above to read the book review,
and here to see some of the maps)
The B.C. Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers. The program is administered and awarded by members of a non-profit society who represent all facets of the publishing and writing community. "It was a record year in terms of the number of entries we received, making for a stiff competition between all of the nominees" said Bryan Pike from the West Coast Book Prize Society. "We were really happy to find out that the panel of judges chose the Atlas."
The Stó:lô Atlas was nominated for two categories, the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize and the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Prize. The Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize is awarded to author(s) who contribute most to the enjoyment and understanding of British Columbia. The book may deal with any aspect of the province (people, history, geography, oceanography, etc.) and must be original.
When I congratulated Leeanna Rhodes, she replied, "Thanks for the congrats but I believe it goes to all of the Stó:lô communities because without their help and support, the book pages would be blank."
Copies of the atlas are available at local book store outlets and through the Stó:lô Nation (you can call them at 604-858-3366 to place an order). All proceeds from the book sales will be used by Stó:lô Nation for future cross-cultural education and awareness programs.