Posts Tagged ‘Santa Saturnina’

Team Saturna in our project room

Our video making team, Aerlyn Weissman and myself Su Yon Sohn, started off our Saturna Project by researching some unique characteristics of Saturna Island, British Columbia. As our team’s two main focuses were the stories of the East Point Fog Alarm Building and early Spanish exploration on the Northwest Coast, our research topics varied; 1) what different stories has the Fog Alarm Building (FAB) had? 2) what motivates the community of Saturna Island to rehabilitate the FAB? 3) what are the stories of the demolished East Point Lighthouse? 4) where did the name “Saturna” come from? 5) what kind of living conditions did the Spanish explorers have on the ship Santa Saturnina? 6) what was the route of the Santa Saturnina’s journey when she discovered the region around Saturna Island? 7) what was the Spanish interest in the Northwest Coast in the 1700s? 8) what sort of political tension did the Spanish, the British, and the Russians have on the Northwest Coast in the 1790s? 9) who are the current residents of Saturna Island? 10) what kind of vibrant culture have the Saturna Islanders created? 11) what has made Saturna today’s Saturna? 12) What makes the Saturna Islanders proud of themselves? 13) how did the Fog Alarm actually work back in the days when GPS didn’t exist?

The goals of our research were 1) to come up with compelling storytelling ideas for under 2 minute videos which the community of Saturna Island would recognize themselves in 2) to become as knowledgeable as possible before we meet the residents and interview those who have been actively involved in rehabilitating the FAB and who have a passion for tracking Saturna’s Spanish heritage.