It was a seven-year "labour of love" for husband-wife author team Mari Tasi and Wade Baker, but their new book, The Hidden Journals, is finally complete.
The historical work tells the story of explorer Cpt. George Vancouver and his mapmaker, Lt. Joseph Baker (an ancestor of Wade Baker), and their relationships with the First Nations people they met in their voyages between Vancouver and Hawaii. It is based on museum archival research and oral stories from elders in Hawaii and Vancouver. To mark its release, the couple recently donated 1,200 copies to high schools across the North Shore, thanks to sponsorship provided by Neptune Terminals and Port Metro Vancouver.
"It was like a treasure hunt. We just got so interested going into the archives and different museums," Tasi says of their research. "This was so interesting, this information, that we felt it needed to get into the schools."
Tasi, a former North Vancouver school board trustee, and Baker, a Coast Salish artist, recommend the book for social studies students in grades 10 and 11, but say anyone can read it.
The Hidden Journals is available in select book stores, on Amazon.ca and through the website skyspiritstudio.com.
