My bad...user and database not recognized after reboot

This is on NetBSD 2.0.2 and PostgreSQL 8.0.3

I made a not-so-wise move...

I had run out of space on Unix directory /var and had
decided to move it. I not so cleverly used 'tar -cf' and
'tar -xf' to restore /var in its new location. Alas, it
seems to have set all ownerships in /var to root. Oops!

So...after reboot of the OS, psql now refuses to recognize
the former user (me) or my one and only database. But I am
sure my DB and all are still there because if I do this as
below...

cd /usr/pgdata
ls -laR base > /home/pkg/share/httpd/htdocs/pgsql/ls.txt

,,,which can be viewed here...

http://69.51.152.43/pgsql/ls.txt

...as lots and lots of numbered files, all of dates that
spread over the period of my database being created and
built. I'm guessing that is my database and all, yes?
Surely it is still there and intact...but unrecognized
somehow...I am guessing.

If that be the case, how might I get psql to admit
existence thereof and again allow access?

TIA,

Gan Starling
Kalamazoo MI
USA