B.C. chiefs deny cursing Norwegian Olympic team
CBC News
February 19, 2010
A shaman in Norway has suggested aboriginal people in B.C. might have cursed the Nordic country's Olympic athletes because of their opposition to Norwegian-owned fish farming operations in B.C., but West Coast native leaders deny any mystic influence.
Norway is traditionally a powerhouse in the Winter Olympics, having placed first overall in Salt Lake City in 2002 with 13 gold medals.
But when Norway's early results in the Vancouver Games were not as good as expected, the Norwegian broadcaster NRK sought out a Sami shaman — or indigenous spiritualist — who speculated his counterparts in B.C. might be the cause.
Eirik Boie Myrhaug is quoted as saying that Indian magic might be behind Norway's Olympic setbacks. He suggests some B.C. chiefs might have cast an evil spell on the Norwegian athletes.
As NRK notes, several B.C. chiefs did stage a 29-hour hunger strike this week to protest the 29 Norwegian-owned fish farms in the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council's territories, located in the Broughton Archipelago north of Vancouver.
Marine Harvest and Cermaq, which own the fish farms, both have Norwegian parent companies.
Read the full story on CBC News
Read related story:
- Reuters; February 20, 2010; "Who'd blame Native Indians for flops? Norwegians would"
Posted February 19th, 2010
