Kami Kanetsuka

I don’t think I was involved in environmental stuff.

I saw a lot of things that weren’t too good for women.

I had been feeling guilty.

I had heard about the protests.

I had even heard about the camp,

and think oh I better go up there.

……

I would get myself to Clayoquot Sound

I kept getting picked up by logger.

Kept telling everybody I was a tourist,

I didn’t say anything to him, although I would like to have.

I wasn’t very interested in getting into some sort of argument,

Especially as I was getting a ride from him.

I think it was very obvious that I was going there.

I think he knew but it was too late.

…..

I arrived the day after there had been all the troubles.

I felt that the camp the reminded me of the 60s

I was very impressed,

I was tentless.

I didn’t feel like I really wanted to stay there without a tent.

I think they were doing the best they could.

I don’t think anybody expected real violence.

….

I actually saw Sile Simpson,

I recognized her immediately.

I keep getting the names wrong.

I ran into somebody with a Clayoquot Sound t-shirt.

I found the camp very pleasant.

I mean it wasn’t, totally.

I found it really rather extraordinary in some ways.

….

I find the majority of the people would rather not get involved,

I knew that I didn’t really want to get um, arrested,

I would support anybody.

I would talk about how amazing the camp was.

I would find that people often weren’t that interested.

I lost faith in a lot of things.

I don’t think that the system is very fair.

I think women are, have always been more in tune with nature,

And I think everything is changing.

……

I know Joanna.

I don’t think she got arrested.

I think she risked that,

I was saying before, like the Clayoquot peace camp was a very pleasant.

I don’t quite know how it could have been just all-women’s.

I don’t know whether it would have been appropriate personally.

I think, you know, the more people who went, the better.

….

I wasn’t there long enough.

I’m sure there were lots of difficulties.

I mean there’s a lot of men who possibly don’t want to see women as equals.

I don’t usually give myself any titles.

If I wanted to, I could call myself an echo/feminist.

I’m an individual and I know what I believe!

I think enough people heard about it and there have been changes.

I would say it was pretty successful.

Citation

Moore, Niamh, “Oral history interview with Kami Kanetuska (audio recording and transcript),” Clayoquot Lives: An Ecofeminist Story Web, accessed April 26, 2023, https://clayoquotlives.sps.ed.ac.uk/items/show/44.