The search continues for Ma'amtagila community member James Dakota Smith, who has been missing since Friday.

Dakota's family, friends, and community are doing everything they can to bring him home, but they urgently need your help to keep the search going. An aerial search alone is estimated to cost $7,500, with additional funds needed to continue searching on the ground and in the water.

Any contribution, no matter the amount, will help keep these efforts going. If you're unable to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser to help spread the word.

Thank you for your support during this incredibly difficult time ❤️

More information:

On Friday, November 6, around noon, Dakota, a Ma’amtagila Nation member and father of two young children, went missing after setting out in his canoe near his home at Hiladi Village, on northeastern Vancouver Island, approximately 85 km northwest of Campbell River. He was carrying out a traditional cultural practice of returning elk bones to the ocean.

Dakota has a deep connection to his ancestral territory and is very knowledgeable about the surrounding land and waters. He and his family have spent many years in the area surrounding his home at Hiladi. His family are known as the guardians of their territory.

When Dakota didn't return home, his family immediately raised the alarm and a search was launched. His canoe was later recovered near West Cracroft Island in the Johnstone Strait, but there has been no sign of him yet. Stormy weather including strong winds, rain and rough ocean conditions have made the search more challenging.

Since Friday, family, friends, community members, and search and rescue crews have come to search for Dakota by land, sea, and air. However, with official search resources being scaled back, his family and community are urgently working to secure additional support to keep the search going.

Dakota is strong, resourceful, and knows how to survive on his territory. His family, friends, and community remain hopeful that he is out there, waiting to be found and brought home safely.