Volume 10 . Issue 7
August 2014
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NmTC MAKES A MOVE
www.salishseasentinel.ca Salish Sea Sentinel Editorial Inquiries: Cara McKenna, Reporter cara@salishseasentinel.ca Advertising inquires: ads@salishseasentinel.ca Publisher: Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council Gary Reith, Chief Administrative Officer (604) 943-6712 1-888-382-7711 The Salish Sea Sentinel is published monthly, eleven times a year, by the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council. NmTC was incorporated as a non-profit society in 1983 and is governed by a board of directors from each of our eleven member First Nations. Our nations are located around the Salish Sea. There are about 6,500 people who hold membership in our nations. The word Naut’sa mawt means working together as one. The NmTC mission is to support and strengthen the capabilities of our Coast Salish member communities by developing skilled leadership, strong governance, resiliency and self-sufficiency. NmTC is charged with providing advisory services in five delivery areas: • Economic Development • Financial Management • Community Planning • Technical Services and • Governance Cover photo: Gary Manson welcomed Tribal Journeys canoes to Newcastle Island as they passed through Snuneymuxw territory on their way to Bella Bella.
The Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council’s Vancouver Island office relocated to Halalt First Nation at 8017 Chemainus Road, Chemainus, V0R 1K5 as of August 1. In July, NmTC staff helped finance director Lisa Scott (centre) pack up supplies in preparation for the move. At left is Governance Advisor Valerie Cross-Blackett and at right is Executive Assistant Caitlin Parker.
CONTACTS AT NmTC NATIONS 1. HALALT (250) 246-4736 chief@halalt.org www.halalt.org 2. HOMALCO (250) 923-4979 richard@aboriginalaquaculture.com 3. KLAHOOSE Qathen Xwegus Management Corp (250) 935-6536 www.klahoose.com 4. MALAHAT (250) 743-3231 lawrencelewis@malahatnation.com www.malahatnation.com 5. SLIAMMON (604) 483-9646 clint.williams@sliammon.bc.ca www.sliammonfirstnation.com www.sliammontreaty.com 6. SNAW-NAW-AS (Nanoose) (250) 390-3661 administrator@nanoose.org nfnbandmanager@nanoose.org www.nanoose.org 7. SNUNEYMUXW (Nanaimo) (250) 740-2300 johnw@snuneymuxw.ca www.snuneymuxw.ca 8. STZ’UMINUS (Chemainus) (250) 245-7155 Ray.Gauthier@coastsalishdevcorp.com www.stzuminus.com 9. TSAWWASSEN (604) 948-5219 chartman@tfnedc.com www.tsawwassenfirstnation.com 10. TSLEIL-WAUTUTH (Burrard) (604) 929-3454 bbaptiste@twnation.ca www.twnation.com 11. T’SOU-KE (Sooke) (250) 642-3957 administrator@tsoukenation.com www.tsoukenation.com
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 1
NEWS
The E&N Railway cuts through Halalt lands.
HALALT SEEKS DAMAGES OVER E&N Impacts to Halalt have included flooding, harm to fish habitats and cut off access to parts of the reserve Halalt First Nation leadership hopes it will finally receive damages for a railroad built through its reserve lands over a hundred years ago. During a three-day specific claims tribunal hearing in July, Halalt used oral history and witness testimony to back up its claim that the E&N railway was built on its land without legal authority, and that it was never compensated for hindered development, impaired value and lack of access to its lands. The E&N Railway was built through Halalt’s Indian Reserve #2 in the 1890s and early 1900s. The nation first submitted its claim to the Crown in 1998 and the federal agreement for the E&N Railway happened in 1883. Chief James Thomas said he feels Canada now needs to fix what it has created. “The finality of decisions made in 2 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Chief James Thomas
the 1890s and 1900s have impacted our community,” he said. “Some of the compensation back then was a sack of spuds and a horse and some sugar. There has got to be some other means for damage to our community that our ancestors couldn’t foresee.” Impacts to Halalt have included
flooding, harm to fish habitats and cut off access to parts of the reserve. Judge Harry Slade explained that the specific claims tribunal “can decide whether or not a claim reveals a breach of obligation by the Crown and if there is a finding of a breach of legal obligation by the Crown, the tribunal can award monetary compensation.” During the hearing, as Halalt members recalled oral histories passed down to them and answered questions from the panel, George Seymour from Stz’uminus translated the witness testimonies into Hul’qumi’num. As things wrapped up, Thomas said he hopes the panels’ eyes were opened about the impact of the railway. “It’s divided our community in half and other communities have been impacted, as well.” Thomas said the process is expected to continue later in the year.
NEWS
AN ELEPHANT TURNS INTO A MOUSE Malahat First Nation’s administrator ing about the elephant in the room. Lawrence Lewis says there are two keys Well, that elephant in the room started to a successful First Nation – having the to become a little bit easier to deal with, right people in the and now it’s turned right jobs and pro- My heart soul and passion is into a little mouse.” viding the resources Lewis is a member in First Nations governance, they need. of the Cape Mudge That approach has economic development Indian Band and has been invaluable for over 20 years experisuccess. the past two years, ence in First Nations Chief Michael Harry management. But he said as Lewis was said he could not honoured for his have done the job at work at the Aboriginal Financial OffiMalahat alone. cers Association of B.C. band adminis“I’m surprised, pleased and incredtrators conference held at the Songhees ibly honoured,” he said after accepting Wellness Centre in June. his award. “My heart soul and passion is “He’s brought us significant in First Nations governance, economic results,” Harry said. “We started by talkdevelopment success.”
KIM BAIRD RECEIVES ORDER OF CANADA Former Tsawwassen First Nation chief Kim Baird was announced as one of 86 new appointees to the Order of Canada on June 30. She was recognized for her work securing the Tsawwassen treaty and other contributions to the welfare of her people. The Order of Canada was established in 1967 and honours exceptional commitment and achievement. Chief Harry and Lewis.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 3
NEWS
Recent canoe races at Whey-ah-wichen Park had the oil tank farm as a backdrop.
TSLEIL-WAUTUTH LEGAL CHALLENGE TO GO AHEAD Federal court gives okay for nation to dispute NEB process on pipeline expansion. Tsleil-Waututh Nation has observed the development, and often degradation, around Burrard Inlet for decades. A word not often mentioned, at least until 2007, was “pipeline”. But then that summer, a backhoe ruptured a Kinder Morgan crude oil pipeline, flooding a Burnaby neighbourhood with some of the 232,000 litres leaking into Burrard Inlet. Tsleil-Waututh’s kayak tour company Takaya Tours closed its Belcarra operation across the inlet from the reserve. Beaches throughout North Vancouver, including a 100-metre stretch at Wheyah-wichen Park, were closed due to oil sheens and strong smells of petroleum. That oil spill turned out to be eyeopening for many living around the Salish Sea. Over the next few years, the West Coast began to be viewed as a major shipping point for carbon rich fuels –oil, gas and coal – for customers in Asia, especially China. In March, 2012, this publication’s 4 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
predecessor, Klahowya, reported: “Chief Justin George of Tsleil-Waututh Nation has issued a wake-up call to everyone living around the Salish Sea and the prospect of a huge increase in oil tanker traffic through Burrard Inlet. “In the wake of the Enbridge pipeline hearings in northern BC, George said the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, bringing Alberta crude oil to Burnaby, was even more environmentally unsafe. He predicted that it would become ‘a global issue’ in the months ahead.” In July of this year, news came that a federal court judge was allowing
Tsleil-Waututh to challenge the force the National Energy Board’s review process into the Trans Mountain expansion. Already the NEB hearings, which were to start this summer, have been set back until early 2015. But current Tsleil-Waututh Chief Maureen Thomas said the entire process is unlawful because her nation hasn’t been properly consulted about the pipeline. “This challenge goes to the heart of the Crown’s assertion that it can make unilateral decisions about our territories,” said Chief Thomas. “Our nation has self government authority to review and make decisions that affect our territory according to our own law. “Canada’s own environmental assessment laws confirm this jurisdiction, and the government’s failure to consult and cooperate with us as governments has landed them in court. We are enforcing our own laws. We are enforcing Canadian environmental law.”
NEWS
The Rainbow canoe took the lead in the late stages of the race at Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
A FINAL MONTH OF RACING FOR CANOES ‘Traditional canoe racing is a celebration of our connection to the rivers and ocean.’ Another canoe racing season comes to an end this month highlighted by the return of competition in Nanoose Bay. Snaw-naw-as First Nation is hosting the races on August 2-3. Races begin around noon on both days. There will be a concession and artist sales throughout the weekend. Meanwhile, Tsleil-Waututh Nation hosted its fifth annual Whey-ahWichen Canoe Festival in early July. Despite a weekend of rain, the races attracted a large number of crews from Coast Salish tribes in Washington State as well as the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Before the races began, TsleilWaututh said in a statement: “We look forward to hosting this event each year to share our rich culture and connection to the sacred land and water with the North Shore community and our First Nation families who will travel to participate in this culturally significant event. “Traditional canoe racing is a celebration of our connection to the rivers and ocean in our territory and represents who we are as a people. The canoe embodies discipline, respect, teamwork and unity, and honors the trade and diplomatic relations we have with our
After the race, the paddles from the Rainbow crew were collected
The canoe embodies discipline, respect, teamwork and unity, and honors the trade and diplomatic relations we have with our neighboring First Nation communities.
neighboring First Nation communities. “Canoe training and racing has been a part of our cultural fabric for as long
as Coast Salish people have occupied the territories around the Salish Sea and Burrard Inlet.” SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 5
NEWS
Gary Manson welcomed the travellers.
POWERFUL JOURNEY ON ROUGH SEAS Elder Gary Manson trades in his paddle for dry land during Tribal Journeys 2014 By Cara McKenna Snuneymuxw elder Gary Manson – Xulsimalt – has had some rough times on the ocean as a regular participant of Tribal Journeys. In eight years of taking part of the event, he has been in a canoe that flipped in rough waters, braved 15-hour days of paddling and once had his lips swell up from the sun and saltwater. Which is why, during the 2014 Tribal Journeys to Bella Bella, Manson was happy to stay on land as he welcomed over a dozen canoes arriving to Newcastle Island near Nanaimo on June 27. Equipped with a walkie talkie to 6 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
communicate with paddlers, Manson stood on the shore in the pouring rain welcoming canoe after canoe before joining them for a salmon feast. Despite all the work, planning and money that goes into Tribal Journeys each year, he said, the benefits – getting away from technology and stress and back to nature and spirituality – are priceless. “It’s definitely a powerful journey,” he said. “In the sharing, the coming together, people are starting to stand up and show who they are. Our culture was almost lost due to laws that were put on us in our history but this is a revival. “It’s grown to mega proportions and
its brought culture back to a lot of the villages where culture was lost.” Davey George Krise from the Squaxin Island Tribe, who paddled from Washington State, said after four days on the water that he felt great, but knows how to pace himself after 15 years of paddling. “You become that water,” he said. “You become strong and tough. And the spirits of our ancestors, I know they watch over us.” By the end of the 2014 journey, over 1,000 pullers from as far away as Oregon, took part in the five-day Qatuwas Festival hosted by the Heiltsuk First Nation at Bella Bella. The Qatuwas Festival wrapped up on July 17.
NEWS
Many canoes, from as far away as Oregon, made the journey to Newcastle Island on their way to Bella Bella. Protocol was followed before the canoes came ashore.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 7
NEWS
Gail Blaney, Kasia Zimmerman and Murray Mitchell.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE ONE ABOUT THE TLA’AMIN DOG? History of a nation revealed through years of work by archaeologists
A community’s imagination was sparked as the long history of Tla’amin (Sliammon) came alive at a community gathering recently. The inspiration came from a group of Simon Fraser University archaeology students, under the tutelage of Dr Dana Lepofsky, who summarized their work that started in Sliammon territory in 2008. There were glimpses at many discoveries made through digs into old middens, ancient house sites and other areas, from Scuttle Bay – Klekwahnnohm – to Harwood Island – Ahgykson. There was much interest in the 8 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Dr. Dana Lepofsky
accounts of people using the land and sea for the past several thousand years
and how that use shaped the community that exists today. But audience attention really perked up when the Tla’amin dog came on the scene. Researcher Kasia Zimmerman talked about the important role of the dogs for hunting and protection as well as the more recent use of the dog’s hair for wool. “Good hunting dogs were prized and treated well. They were fed what people ate and received ancestral names and burials…” So, how did she get to know about the Tla’amin dog in the ancient and recent
NEWS past? Zimmerman spoke to many elders, of course. But the real evidence came from close inspection of the remains of dog samples and DNA testing of at least a dozen of those animals’ samples. Some of the remains had been buried 3,500 years ago. The testing showed that the dogs lived on almost 100 per cent marine protein, much like their human masters. It was also revealed that the lineage of four of the Tla’amin dogs was linked to the Chihuahua that is thought to have originated in ancient Mexico. Evidence also showed that crossbreeding was done with wolf and coyote, perhaps for those animals’ hunting prowess and perhaps to create the ideal fur that could be used for weaving. Other discoveries showed that the root of the False hellebore was used by both humans and dogs to improve smell, sight, speed and endurance, all qualities essential for a successful hunt. Not only were Tla’amin dogs well treated, often being kept in peoples’ house or shelters, but their high status was recognized in death. Excavations at one site revealed two dogs buried near an elderly woman almost 2,000 years ago. Women were often the main carers of the dogs and took them on hunts. Statements from elders showed that until the 1960s, the dogs were used to chase deer to water where hunters waited. Dogs also figured in many sto-
ries, often with transformation themes.
Plank houses and herring
Other topics discussed at the community event included the long history of plank houses throughout Tla’amin traditional territory, use of resources from cooking to other means of processing, settlements on Harwood Island and Lepofsky’s own research into the cultural importance of herring throughout coastal BC. The Tla’amin-SFU Archaeology and Heritage Stewardship Program partnership was formed in 2007. The goal was the add to the extensive oral history of the community while providing educational opportunities for Tla’amin and its neighbours.
While archaeological excavations ended in 2012 and interviews with community members were completed last year, the work is not over yet. Zimmerman and the other graduate students who presented their findings at the community gathering – Julia Jackley and Chris Springer – will be working on their theses and then combining their findings into a Tla’amin historical atlas; tangible evidence of thousands of years of Tla’amin history. More info about the Tla’amin archaeology project, herring research and other topics can be found at Dr. Lepofsky’s site: www.sfu.ca/archaeology/ faculty/lepofsky.html
Sliammon people worked with the SFU archaeologists.
A WIN-WIN FROM TEACHERS’ STRIKE The teachers dispute may have closed schools early, but it helped form what looks to be a long-lasting relationship with Snuneymuxw First Nation and its neighbours in the Cedar area of Nanaimo. When the Cedar Ball Hockey Challenge Association saw a local intermediate school closed and its tournament
plans in doubt, Snuneymuxw offered some last-minute help. It offered its box lacrosse court on Longhouse Road to the group. “We were glad to help out,” Chief John Wesley said. “We’re neighbours and that’s what neighbours do.” The group said it “can’t express enough gratitude for the way Snuney-
muxw have embraced us in such a short period of time… We’re thrilled to have this new partnership and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this community.” Before the tournament began, players and supporters donated materials and labour to make repairs to the Snuneymuxw lacrosse box.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 9
NEWS
CAMP AU’PUK’WUM
A KLAHOOSE TRADITION Members of Klahoose First Nation and some of their neighbours visited Camp Au’Puk’Wum in the nation’s territory in July. Chief James Delorme, who accompanied the travellers from the main reserve at T’oq (Squirrel Cove) said the four-day camp has taken place at Forbes Bay annually since the 1970s. He said it is a reflective cultural experience, often powerful enough to bring out emotions. Clockwise from right: • Chief Delorme, Drew Blaney and his father Darin shared a song before lunch. • Norman Harry Jr., a maintenance worker at Klahoose, arrives at “the falls” after a short hike from camp. • Klahoose First Nation’s new sign was built from lumber from the nation’s sawmill. • Campers welcomed visitors. • Payton Francis arrived to the camp by boat. • Councillor Kathy Francis took in the sun on the way to camp. • Sliammon First Nation member Drew Blaney collected fresh water from a stream. • Randy Louie, a new Klahoose member who transferred from Malahat Nation, tried his hand at carving for the first time during the camp.
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NEWS
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 11
NEWS
THE COAST SALISH GAMES ARE BACK
Participants in the 2009 Coast Salish Games, which were held in and around Snuneymuxw First Nation. This year’s games will be held at the Si’em Lelum soccer fields and gym at Cowichan Tribes in Duncan. See the calendar below for details.
SALISH SEA CALENDAR August 2-3 Snaw-naw-as First Nation youth group hosts war canoe races at Nanoose Bay, BC.
gym at Cowichan Tribes in Duncan, BC. Contact Cindy Daniels at cindy.daniels @cowichantribes.com, 250-510-2424 or Fred George at 250-709-8600.
August 9-10
August 15-17
Swinomish Tribes host war canoe races at LaConner, Washington.
Songhees First Nation hosts war canoe races.
August 10
August 15-17
The 3rd annual Salish Sea Gathering hosted by Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust will be held at Whey-ah-wichjen/ Cates Park in North Vancouver with 15 music acts and speakers. www.twnsacredtrust.ca.
Suquamish Tribe hosts war canoe races as part of its 103rd Chief Seattle Days on the Port Madison Indian Reservation, Suquamish, Washington. http://suquamish.org.
August 11-13
Canoe racing season comes to an end as Makah Tribe hosts its 90th annual Makah Days celebrations at Neah Bay, Washington. http://makah.com.
The 17th annual Coast Salish Games – Respecting Our Youth – will be held at the Si’em Lelum soccer fields and
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August 22-24
September 22-25 “Collaboration: Realizing Opportunities“ is the theme of the 21st annual national conference of CANDO, the organization dedicated to Aboriginal economic development. It will be held at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo and is co-hosted by Snuneymuxw First Nation and Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council. www.edo.ca.
November 1 Malahat First Nation presents Shoot for the Moon – Catch a Star 2nd annual gala with singer Crystal Shawanda and astronaut Dr Robert Thirsk at Brentwood College, Mill Bay. Call 250-7433231 or visit www.malahatnation.com for more information.
NEWS
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