Volume 16 Issue 3 April / May 2020
INDIGENIZING
SCHOOL DISTRICTS SD64 signs enhancement agreement PAGES 20 - 21
Coast Salish knowledgekeepers guide SD68 PAGES 17-19
Naut’sa mawt - Working together as one EDITORIAL TEAM Cara McKenna – Editor editor@salishseasentinel.ca Todd Peacey – Photographer Celestine Aleck (Sahiltiniye) - Columnist Edith Moore - Columnist
DISTRIBUTION Todd Peacey toddp@nautsamawt.com
DESIGN Kelly Landry - Director of Communications kellyl@nautsamawt.com
PUBLISHER Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council Gary Reith, Chief Administrative Officer 330-6165 Highway 17A Delta, B.C., V4K 5B8 604-943-6712 or 1-888-382-7711
INQUIRIES
Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council Member Nations: 1. HALALT (250) 246-4736 chief@halalt.org www.halalt.org
2. HOMALCO (250) 923-4979 www.homalco.com
3. KLAHOOSE Qathen Xwegus Management Corp (250) 935-6536 www.klahoose.com
7. SNAW-NAW-AS (NANOOSE) (250) 390-3661 chris.bob@nanoose.org www.nanoose.org
8. STZ’UMINUS (LADYSMITH) (250) 245-7155 Ray.Gauthier@coastsalishdevcorp.com www.stzuminus.com
9. TSAWWASSEN
Editorial - Cara McKenna | editor@salishseasentinel.ca Advertising - Kelly Landry | kellyl@nautsamawt.com
4. K'ÒMOKS
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #42922026
(250) 339-4545 www.komoks.ca
5. MALAHAT
10. TSLEIL-WAUTUTH
(250) 743-3231 info@malahatnation.ca www.malahatnation.com
(604) 929-3454 cao@twnation.ca www.twnation.ca
6. TLA’AMIN
11. T’SOU-KE (SOOKE)
(604) 483-9646 clint.williams@tn-bc.ca www.tlaaminnation.com
(250) 642-3957 administrator@tsoukenation.com www.tsoukenation.com
The Salish Sea Sentinel is published monthly, ten times a year, by the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council, representing 6,500 people in 11 member nations. Undeliverable mail may be returned to: 330-6165 Highway 17A Delta, B.C., V4K 5B8 © Salish Sea Sentinel is all rights reserved. Contents and photographs may not be reprinted without written permission. The statements, opinions and points of view expressed in articles published in this magazine are those of the authors. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, transparencies or other materials.
(604) 943-2112 info@tsawwassenfirstnation.com www.tsawwassenfirstnation.com
COVER: Grade 11 students Layla Anderson (left) and Lily Lamb (right) welcome their peers, teachers and guests to a ceremony at Salt Spring Elementary School on Feb. 26. Photo by David P. Ball.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 3
4 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
VOLUNTEERS ASSIST WITH HALALT FLOOD RECOVERY Team Rubicon Canada was deployed to Halalt March 7 to assist families in cleaning out red-tagged homes By Cara McKenna Flood-damaged homes at Halalt First Nation were being cleaned out with the help of a team of volunteers as recovery efforts continue for the Cowichan Valley community. A group from Team Rubicon Canada visited Halalt on March 7 and 8 to help “muck out” three homes that were the worst damaged during a devastating flood that happened in the middle of the night on Jan. 31. About 60 people from the 220-person nation were evacuated by boat and taken to a hotel after heavy rain flooded homes with, in some cases, chest-deep water, according to the Victoria Times-Colonist. The damaged homes were assessed with colour-coded tags, with red being the most severe. Many have now been allowed to return to their homes since the flood, but recovery efforts continue. Once they were able to assess the damage, the homes’ residents and other Halalt members
worked to do the initial cleanup. Red-tagged homes were cleared out and stripped to the studs. Scott Haig, a Disaster Response Unit administrator with Team Rubicon Canada, said his team of volunteers were sent to the nation after some communication with Halalt, Emergency Management B.C. and Indigenous Services Canada. “We’ve only been in communication within the month, and so it’s been very quick,” Haig said. “We’re here to help the best we can, in any way we can.” On March 7, several volunteers in white protective coveralls were in the crawl space of Garry Norris’s house, taking out soaked pieces of debris and bringing them outside. Next door, several others were scraping film from the linoleum floors. “The house still stands, it’s structurally safe, it just needs to be cleaned out. Garry and his family have done so much work already,” Haig explained.
“A lot of what you see going on here is what we call a muck out. We’re just in the muck, getting stuff out and into the garbage.” The volunteers from Team Rubicon Canada are based in Southwestern B.C. — the organization is fairly new to Canada, but known worldwide for utilizing military veterans and first responders to assist in disaster response. “(This is) our first operation deployment in the area, B.C. has only just started when it comes to Team Rubicon Canada,” Haig said. “We would absolutely be interested in assisting further.” Meanwhile, federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller visited Halalt on March 3 to meet with Chief James Thomas and other representatives from the community, discussing disaster relief efforts and government assistance. Miller also visited Cowichan Tribes to discuss the impact the flood had there. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 5
Renewable Energy and Community Energy System Specialists Since 2003, we have provided the capacity and support needed for First Nation communities to successfully navigate the clean energy project development process, from idea to operation. Have a community energy idea? Let's chat. www.barkley.ca | Unit B - 6451 Portsmouth Rd, Nanaimo | 250-390-2627
community infrastructure ● community planning ● subdivision design ● asset managment ● community engagement ● partnerships and agreements ● economic development ● GIS services and training ● parks, recreation and trails ● coastal planning ● community housing
We are honoured to work with Coast Salish communities. Photo from our work with Klahoose First Nation
urbanmatters.ca
6 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
vert-Salish Sea-v2.indd 1
urbansystems.ca
2019-09-13 9:46 AM
MINISTER MILLER, CHIEF THOMAS MEET AT HALALT By Edith Moore, Halalt First Nation Halalt Chief James Thomas brought up several issues beyond flooding during a meeting with federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller on March 3. The visit was prompted by the recent flood that happened in our community in the middle of the night on Jan. 31. No one can really realize the impact until they actually see it, and I am so grateful that Minister Miller took the time to visit along with Catherine Lappe, the Regional Director General for Indigenous Services Canada. Sitting face to face, Chief Thomas took the opportunity to push other issues along with the flooding and damage it has caused. He spoke of several issues that he said have fallen through the cracks, including land issues around the E&N rail line, depleting salmon stocks, and our water management plan. Chief Thomas reminded them that we need to be working as one for all of our future’s prosperity. After the discussion, Minister Miller and his team were taken on a tour with Michelle Crocker and Councillor Mikaela Whitelaw around the reserve to better understand what happened during the flood. From the south side train tracks of the reserve, past the gym, down Halalt road, past the graveyard and down to the riverside and near the hatchery. Minister Miller saw for himself some of the devastating damages that have occurred, but also saw the progress that our community has already made to recover. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 7
From left: Derek Georgeson, Elder Bill Blaney, Chief Darren Blaney. Photo by Todd Peacey.
8 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
LONG-AWAITED HOMALCO SIGN SHOWCASES COAST SALISH CULTURE Sign marking Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) lands now sits on highway outside of nation’s reserve A long-awaited sign that marks Homalco’s territory and identity has been unveiled outside of the nation’s reserve near Campbell River. The sign marking Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) lands was installed on the highway in late February. It was carved by Elder Bill Blaney and Derek Georgeson with design guidance from Chief Darren Blaney. Others from the nation also assisted with the process, Chief Blaney said. “We’re the northernmost Coast Salish and I wanted the design (to reflect that),” he said. “We aren’t absorbed by our northern neighbours — we are distinct.” Elder Bill Blaney said he recalls there was a discussion about putting up a sign more than 25 years ago, when Homalco was relocated away from Church House and to their current location near the airport. “It never did happen,” he said. “So we just kind of dropped it.” The idea was brought again to the surface recently, and took about two months to complete once everything was in place. Prior to this sign, Chief Blaney explained, there wasn’t much to signal to visitors that they were on Homalco lands. Now, the sign will change that for anyone visiting the community or passing by. The sign includes a wolf design to reflect Homalco’s creation story, as well as a killer whale and cedar hat design to represent ancestors. “I wanted something that was distinctly Homalco,” he said.
Andrea Jacobs and Chief Ken Baird.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 9
TFN HOUSE POSTS UNVEILED AT INDUSTRIAL SITE Photos by Adrian MacNair Two new house posts have been unveiled on Tsawwassen Nation’s industrial lands outside of the Euro Asia Transload facility. The carvings by artist Bryce Williams were brushed with cedar during a blessing ceremony in late February. The posts were installed outside of the facility on 27B Avenue, with one near the road and other at the building’s entrance. The carvings stand across from other house posts at the Amazon fulfillment centre by Tsawwassen artists Karl Morgan and Sarah Lang that were unveiled in November. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 11
Tsawwassen legislator Steve Stark spoke at the event.
SNUNEYMUXW APPAREL RAISING FUNDS FOR TRIBAL JOURNEYS WELCOME FIGURE Shirts, hats, stickers featuring Snuneymuxw logo is partnership between Petroglyph Development Group and Nanaimo Supply Co. By Julie Chadwick It was a chance meeting at the night market in downtown Nanaimo that sparked an idea for a new clothing line aimed at encouraging a sense of local pride. Eliot White-Hill, a project coordinator with Petroglyph Development Group (PDG), had noticed some new designs on shirts people were wearing around town — a funky rectangular logo that spelled out the word “Nanaimo” in syllables. He appreciated the minimalist aesthetic, and when he saw local graphic designer Cory Landels of Nanaimo Supply Co. selling the shirts, hats, and stickers at the Commercial Street market, it hit him. “The first thing that came to my mind when I saw their logo was, ‘It would be wicked if that said ‘Snuneymuxw,’” said White-Hill, who then gave Landels his card. “It was something that I hadn’t really seen before in Nanaimo. For whatever reason, there hasn’t really been someone who captured that Nanaimo brand and created this sort of identity.” The two decided to create a partnership between Nanaimo Supply Co. and PDG — the economic development arm of the Snuneymuxw First Nation — to offer a limited line of Snuneymuxw-branded apparel in the same style. “A lot of the messaging around the Nanaimo Supply Co. brand — what we were trying to put out there even before any of this collaboration happened — was all about positivity, community development, pushing Nanaimo forward, and confronting the reputation that Nanaimo has,” Landel said. “To do something together just made sense.” They decided that all proceeds would go toward a fund for the carving of a Coast Salish welcome figure to be installed on the 14 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
beach at IR #1 just prior to the arrival of the Tribal Journeys boats this summer. Snuneymuxw artist Joel Good has been tapped to carve an eight-foot yellow cedar log, which will greet the approximately 120 canoes arriving for the annual event, which this year will be hosted by the SFN for the first time in 30 years. Tribal Journeys is an annual journey in traditional canoes that plots its route throughout the Pacific Northwest and draws participants from B.C. and Washington State. This year, the event will wrap up its final destination on Snuneymuxw territory from July 27 – Aug. 1 Once Tribal Journeys is finished, the figure will be moved to Saysutshun (Newcastle Island). “The representation of Coast Salish art is really important to me, because historically Coast Salish art has been really overshadowed and disrespected,” said White-Hill. “Fortunately a small group of artists really revitalized the art and now it’s flourishing.” The clothing line launched last fall with an event at The Vault Cafe. During the event, an additional limited edition collection of ten shirts that featured a spindle whorl artwork by White-Hill were also for sale. “Nanaimo is Snuneymuxw, that’s a fundamental reality,” says White-Hill. “In Hul’q’umi’num’, ‘Snuneymuxw’ refers not only to the people but it refers really specifically to this place. … I think to recognize where we are, it’s all that re-contextualizing where we are, and bringing the traditional foundation back to the surface.” At the time of publication, the project had raised more than $5,400 towards the carving of the welcome figure. The apparel can be found at Lucid on Commercial Street or online at www. nanaimosupply.com. Isabella White, left, and Eliot White-Hill wear the designs. Photos by Rachel Therriault.
Garry Norris, right, with his son Chris.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 15
16 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Stz’uminus Elder George Seymour, left, with his grandchildren.
COAST SALISH KNOWLEDGE-KEEPERS GUIDE SD68 FRAMEWORK Syeyutsus Framework, based on a Hul’q’umi’num’ word meaning ‘walking together’ aims to Indigenize school district from the ground up By Cara McKenna After a regular day at Cedar Secondary School, a group gathered in the foyer, listening to Stz’uminus Elder George Seymour tell a Coast Salish orca story. Children, teachers, school staff and Indigenous community members — including Seymour’s grandchildren — sat in a circle of chairs listening to the elder. The event in February was one of School District 68’s first “Singing with Syeyutsus” gatherings that are scheduled to continue in the future. The get-togethers involve Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members sharing in conversation, culture and a meal. They are part of the district’s wider Syeyutsus Framework, which was officially adopted in February of 2019.
The framework outlines a holistic Indigenous education plan that incorporates traditional teachings and is guided by a group of Coast Salish knowledge-keepers. “Syeyutsus” is a Hul’q’umi’num’ word that loosely means “walking together.” Lawrence Mitchell of Snaw-naw-as First Nation is one of the knowledge-keepers on the Syeyutsus committee. “We are truly in really good times in this district,” he said. “We’re trying to do what we can to make this the best place we can for our children.” During the Singing with Syeyutsus event, Mitchell, who sat beside his two children, shared songs with the group who were given drums and the option to join in. “The more you sing, the more you practice Hul’q’umi’num’, it’s like you’re acknowledging
where you are,” he said. “With (the Syeyutsus Framework) we’re really working together in the school district to figure out how to do that, based on teachings and stories of the land. I’m really fortunate to be part of that.” Ted Cadwallader, School District 68’s Director of Instruction for Indigenous Learning, explained in an interview that the framework was created in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report and recommendations. In practice, it aims to Indigenize everything the district does from the ground up. “It’s a cultural shift, really,” he said. “I think it was largely with teachers in classrooms before, and now it’s a lot broader than that, it’s a systemic kind of approach and it’s not just the Indigenous education
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 17
department’s responsibility. It’s all of our responsibility.” To help to implement the framework, Stephanie Johnson was hired by the school district as its Syeyutsus Saays’um (one who does the work to support walking together). Johnson said the Syeyutsus committee, who she calls a “family,” meets at least once per month to discuss everything the district does. “We can ask the Syeyutsus family, which we have five Indigenous knowledge-keepers, how did the old people do this?” she said. “We believe that we’re all interconnected and related through the land that we live on. The underpinning of that land is the most important thing. That’s a huge shift that we’ve had.” Aside from Johnson, Cadwallader and Mitchell, the Syeyutsus group includes Joan Brown of Snuneymuxw, Pearl Harris of Stz’uminus, Superintendent Scott Saywell, Grace Nielson of Tillicum Lelum and six others. Johnson said her hope with the Singing With Syeyutsus events is to build relationships between district staff, students and the Indigenous community. There are now plans to expand the events in the future into “Talking with Syeyutsus” gatherings that would consist of talking circles. “I think you’re going to see evolution and growth, it’s permeating,” she said. “It’s just been since September that the knowledge has started to get out wider. We just wish we had more time in a day and more of us.” Mitchell said it makes him reflect on his experience growing up as a student in School District 68, when Coast Salish culture wasn’t recognized or valued as it is today. Now, the work has been starting to unravel the wider destructive history that the education system has had on Indigenous communities. “A lot of our teachers and employees … are learning Hul’q’umi’num’. They’re there learning songs. They’re talking about the art and getting artists to come in,” he said. “That’s giving our kids value, letting them know that somebody cares. That would make the biggest difference for me, knowing that my culture is valued and its open for all of us.” 18 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Esther Lagendijk, who is with the Vakentiebeurs fair and helped Klahoose to prepare for the event, stands at the Klahoose booth. Submitted photo. Lawrence Mitchell of Snaw-naw-as.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 19
Students welcome their peers, teachers and guests to a ceremony at Salt Spring Elementary School on Feb. 26, where the School District 64 signed an Indigenous education enhancement agreement.
AGREEMENT MEANS ‘NEW BEGINNING’ FOR INDIGENOUS STUDENTS ON GULF ISLANDS For the 153 self-declared First Nations, Métis and Inuit pupils, new deal means boost in academic support and monitoring By David P. Ball “Hay ch q’a’ Si’em’!” shouted and sang hundreds of Salt Spring Island children and their teachers in unison on Feb. 26, at the invitation of Cowichan Nation Elder Tousïlum. “Thank you my highly respected friends!” Their cheerful words of welcome were part of a ceremony celebrating School District 64’s new Indigenous Education Enhancement Agreement, which will boost academic support and monitoring for the 153 self-identified Indigenous pupils on the Gulf Islands, roughly one-tenth of the student population. Tousïlum carefully explained the importance of a blanket ceremony to the children, teachers 20 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
and family members who attended the event, which filled Salt Spring Elementary School’s gymnasium. “This is a very special event here,” Tousïlum told the pupils and staff, saying the five-year enhancement agreement has created “a whole new way, a whole new beginning” for the district. The three aims of the agreement are to foster Indigenous students’ sense of identity and belonging, ensure they have opportunities to connect with culture and community, and improve their academic success. “I’m feeling really grateful,” said one high school student, Taylor Akerman of Cowichan
nation, asked to speak as a witness of the ceremony. “I’m in a First Nations course at the local high school, and I think it’s really amazing; I just feel really honoured to be here, so thank you.” Under the new local policy, the Indigenous supports and services offered are voluntary, but a student identified as Indigenous will by default fall under the enhancement program — unless parents or guardians specifically opt them out in writing, according to the district. Those extra supports include: closer in-class academic monitoring of how Indigenous students are doing, further integrating Indigenous culture and content into schools,
and working with parents to improve links between their studies at school and at home. Shannon Johnston, the district’s principal of Indigenous education, said the agreement is about making sure First Nations, Métis and Inuit students are successful and feel a sense of belonging. “It’s about a new narrative and a new story for our schools,” she said. “I’m so excited and so proud.” More B.C. schools are making efforts to better serve their Indigenous students, according to the provincial government. The province rolled out a new curriculum requirement in 2016 that requires teachers to integrate Indigenous teachings and history into the classroom, including education about residential schools. In 2018, the province signed a tripartite agreement on Indigenous education in First Nations-operated schools with the federal government and the First Nations Education Steering Committee. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 calls to action, the push has required districts across the province to find ways to incorporate Indigenous teachings into the classroom while unravelling the systemic barriers and dark history the education system has had with Indigenous communities. The Gulf Islands district is the latest to formalize those efforts, although it has already incorporated many elements into curriculum and school activities. Last year, a Coast Salish welcome figure was unveiled outside the district office that students helped carve with a local artist. “We will make sure every Indigenous youth, when they walk through our schools, they will get every opportunity to be accomplished, to be strong, to be capable, and to succeed in whatever their dreams are,” Johnston said. “We commit as School District 64 to helping you along your path to success, that you feel you belong, you have a sense of culture, community and strength.” Now, the work of implementing the agreement in the curriculum and out-of-class activities begins, said D’arcy Deacon, with the school district’s human resources department. The Feb. 26 event included a multi-generational dance performance, back-and-forth singing with all the students and staff, and was followed by a potluck lunch. “We’re heading onto the next stage of the journey,” Deacon said, speaking as a ceremonial witness, “so all of our students can experience each part of the agreement.”
Shannon Johnston, School District 64’s principal of Indigenous education, addresses students, teachers and visitors.
Dancers from Cowichan Tribes performed at the ceremony.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 21
Left: Baskets by three Skwxwú7mesh weavers. Right: Emily Carr Sophie Frank, 1914, watercolour on paper. Private Collection
FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN SḴWXWÚ7MESH WEAVER, EMILY CARR SHOWCASED IN EXHIBIT Sophie Frank (Sewinchelwet) first met Carr while selling baskets in Vancouver in 1906 A complex friendship between a famed Canadian artist and a Sḵwxwú7mesh basket A historical photo of Sophie Frank, right. weaver is being featured in a new exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The paintings of Emily Carr and weavings of Sophie Frank (Sewinchelwet) are on display alongside each other as part of a wider exhibition called lineages and land bases. Lineages and land bases features more than 80 pieces from that gallery collection — together exploring at nature, culture and the ways in which various worldviews are informed. The room in which Carr and Frank’s historical works are featured stands in contrast to the 22 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
contemporary work in the surrounding exhibit, explained the gallery’s Senior Curatorial Fellow of Indigenous Art Tarah Hogue.
A historical photo of Sophie Frank, right.
“It’s kind of an exhibition within the exhibition, and the space also catalyzed the rest of the exhibition,” she said. Hogue said the space features the “remarkable and complex story” of a three-decade relationship between Carr and Frank, who were born about a year apart and first met in Vancouver in 1906. “Sophie would travel from Eslhá7an, or the Mission Reserve, into the city every day with her children to try and sell or barter her baskets,” Hogue said. Frank had knocked on Carr’s door to offer her baskets, and the two became friends — sharing artistic practices and writing letters to
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 23
each other. Carr painted a portrait of Frank, and wrote about her in her first publication “Kleewick.” The portrait and book are featured in the exhibition alongside historical letters and photos. Also on display are three baskets by Sḵwxwú7mesh weavers — Frank, Chucháwlut (Mary Ann August) and Sut’elut (Monica Williams) — in a glass case in front of nature paintings by Carr. As part of the exhibit, Hogue worked with Sḵwxwú7mesh advisors Bill Williams and Tracy Williams to create a balanced display that accurately represents both women. Tracy Williams is a fifth-generation cedar weaver who contributed her dance apron and headband to the exhibition. While Bill Williams is Frank’s greatgrandnephew and speaks in a recording about what he knows about Frank and her relationship to Carr. “They were about the same age when they met each other, Emily looked at the work that Sophie did and … said, wow, that is really intricate work,” he said. “In their continued discussions they really enjoyed each other’s company and the dialogue they had.” Williams said that Frank even helped Carr with her use of the colour green in nature, taking her to what’s now known as Stanley Park during three different times of day to look at the changing tones in the trees and grass. “So Sophie showed Emily that when you look at nature it isn’t one colour, it’s multi-coloured and different hues depending on what kind of day and how you want to show off that plant or tree,” he said. Williams also said it was unusual at the time for a Coast Salish woman to be going around as a travelling salesperson — Frank lived in a time where practicing her culture was illegal under the Potlatch Ban and as a ward of the state. Hogue said it was also important to represent the complicated relationship that Carr had with Indigenous cultures. “So you have an earlier painting by Carr when she was documenting Indigenous cultures that she travelled to, as well as a very small selection of ceramics by Carr that appropriate Indigenous design motifs,” she said. Lineages and landbases opened on Feb. 22 and will be on display until May 26. It is on display alongside an exhibit of pencil crayon and ink drawings by Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona called Mapping Worlds. 24 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Dance apron and headband by Tracy Williams. Right: Emily Carr Forest Fancy, 1935–36 oil on paper Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Trust
Vancouver Art Gallery curator Tarah Hogue speaks at the exhibit’s media opening.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 25
B.C. REPATRIATION GATHERING WILL GUIDE UNITED NATIONS PROCESS ‘Our belongings were treated like trading cards around the world’: UN hears from nations as it looks to create international repatriation guidelines
Various Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and Nuu-chah-nulth cultural objects on display at the Museum of Anthropology.
Hearings held in B.C. will guide the United Nations when it comes to assisting Indigenous communities to repatriate cultural belongings and ancestral remains. During a two-day seminar at the University of British Columbia, the UN heard from experts and community members in B.C. and as far away as Australia and Finland. Independent advisors to the UN from its Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples co-hosted the gathering on March 4 to 5. The intended result is to come up with a set of international guidelines around the return of the objects and human remains that were taken from communities and are being held in museums or private collections around the world. But many said that even in a culture of “reconciliation,” it still often falls on communities to track down everything that was taken and ask for the return. “Our belongings were treated like trading cards around the world,” said Morgan Guerin, a member of Musqueam Indian Band, during the seminar. “It is pretty much always left incumbent on us to have to reach out to get our belongings back, funded by ourselves.” In many cases, ceremonial objects require proper care through protocol, but are simply being displayed as art pieces and not being looked after in a cultural sense. Guerin said that’s how he had found himself in the Museum of Natural History in New York City in the middle of the night, putting away a sacred mask. “I got a FaceTime call from New York (from my oldest daughter),” he said. “She turns the phone around and behind her is one of our sacred masks.” Guerin said at home, his daughter would only get to see that mask when its being danced in ceremony — in this case, it was just hanging on the wall. “I understood (our belongings) were on display, I knew this,” he said, adding but it was another experience entirely to see the mask on the wall, face to face. “That’s my ancestor.”
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 27
Marissa Nahanee stands with her banner.
Musqueam Elder Larry Grant.
Representatives from Musqueam had already been in contact with the museum about their belongings. Later, Guerin and a group of a few dozen others from various coastal nations were flown to New York as part of a project to re-contextualize its Northwest Coast display. As a result of the conversation, Guerin was allowed to stay overnight in order to put the mask away. “So here I am, a kid who went out to talk about how we’re going to provide context, having to put away a mask that had not been put away in 114 years,” he said. “(The elders) told me how to take care. But it was so weird providing ceremony in a strange place.” 28 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
The mask, now in storage rather than on display, is just one of many objects of Musqueam’s that are sitting in various museum collections. In 2018, a group of women from the nation worked with the Museum of Anthropology to bring Coast Salish blankets from museums around the world temporarily “home” to MOA, which sits on Musqueam territory. That exhibit titled The Fabric of Our Land was prompted after master weaver Wendy John saw some Salish blankets on display at the Smithsonian museum in D.C. “We have not even started to breach speaking to all the different museums that
have our belongings, let alone know what’s out there,” Guerin said. The process of repatriation can be complex, and Kristin Carpenter, a member of the UN’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said she hopes there will soon be a specific international set of guidelines around repatriation more clear. Information shared during the UBC session about challenges, good practices, laws, ethics and more will be woven into a report that will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this summer. “We will receive comments there, and then present it for final adoption by the Human Rights Council next fall,” Carpenter said.
“This will then become what we hope will be a guidance document for states and for Indigenous peoples to realize these rights to repatriation under international law.” The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples already outlines these rights in articles 11 and 12, she said, but “our task is to develop an implementation mechanism … that will help us achieve these rights and do so in a way that respects the self-determination and free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples.” During an evening session at UBC’s MOA on March 5, National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations connected repatriation to Indigenous sovereignty. UNDRIP is a key piece in that “these are standards that must be met to ensure the survival, dignity, security and well-being for Indigenous peoples throughout the world,” he said. “And there has to be resources put in place, both human and financial, so that things are done with protocol.” Bellegarde said with repatriation comes with a need to revitalize cultural practices that come with the objects themselves, which are alive and must be taken care of as such. Musqueam Elder Larry Grant agreed, speaking about the great impact that the Potlatch Ban, residential schools and other aspects of colonization have had on communities. Surrounded by various Northwest Coast poles in the main room of MOA, Grant said he remembers when the poles were chopped down from Haida territory in the 1960s and brought to Vancouver. “These poles that are here, when they were brought here, I was a machinist in town at that time, I became very upset,” he recalled. “For over 100 years our cultural practices were banned and a lot of things were lost or gone to sleep somewhere. “Now it has an opportunity to come back, if we can get our communities to work together and be able to piece it back together again, bit by bit.”
Kwakwa̱ ka̱ ʼwakw objects on display at MOA
AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde.
workiNg witH First NatioNs commuNities Hazelwood is coNtiNually lookiNg For opportuNities to work For, or witH, First NatioNs iN caNada. tHis approacH Has allowed us to work For a variety oF NatioNs iN bc, aNd Has Helped us create a variety oF workiNg agreemeNts witH NatioNs tHat sHare our eNtrepreNeurial spirit.
Hazelwood.ca/First-NatioNs
G WA I I E N G I N E E R I N G
Civil & Environmental • Feasibility
• Project Management (PMP)
• INAC Reporting & Applications
• Sustainable Communities • Water & Wastewater
• Contaminated Sites
Strength Through Relationships Strength Through Relationships
www.gwaiieng.com • 250-886-0049 30 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY ELECTS SḴWXWÚ7MESH CHAIRMAN Simon Fraser University has elected a new chairman from Sḵwxwú7mesh Nation. Chris Lewis (Syeta’xtn) was first appointed to the board in 2014, and served as deputy-chairman before becoming chairman this year. The SFU board oversees the university’s administrative side including property, finance and associated policies. “I’m excited to serve SFU in this new capacity,” Lewis said in a statement. Lewis is an alumnus of SFU and holds a BA in geography and First Nations studies. He also co-chaired SFU’s Aboriginal Reconciliation Council from 2016 to 2017 and is an elected councilor for Sḵwxwú7mesh Nation. SFU president Andrew Petter said Lewis has contributed “hugely” to the university over the years. “He helped to provide a path forward for the university in its commitments to be an instrument for reconciliation, and to provide a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for Indigenous students, staff and faculty,” he said. “I have no doubt that his leadership of the board will assist SFU in further advancing its mission.”
We offer workplace advice that works for First Nations First Nations often deal with unique employment standards laws, rules, and practices, particularly where work is conducted on-reserve. Our firm offers expertise developing workplace contracts and policies that incorporate traditional values and practices unique to First Nations. We also provide mediation, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation support services with a focus on preserving relationships where possible. Legal services provided by Ramsay Lampman Rhodes, a partnership including law corporations, operating as RLR Lawyers.
1.800.263.3321 RLR.LAW/FIRSTNATIONSWORKPLACE
One Solution. One System. An Integrated Software Solution for First Nations Since 1984, Xyntax Systems has offered a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated, back-office software solutions—for First Nations. You’ll not only gain greater, real-time, insight into your Nation’s financial performance, but you’ll also eliminate costly, redundant data entry and timeconsuming spreadsheet and account reconciliation. With Xyntax, your essential data (financial, statistical, and documents) are centralized into one, integrated back-office administrative software solution. Isn’t it about time you used a software suite designed to meet your needs? Available modules: ▪ Band Membership & Community Database ▪ General Ledger ▪ Budget Management ▪ Program & Project Management ▪ Accounts Payable ▪ Electronic Payments ▪ Per Capita & Band Distributions ▪ Inter-system Transfers ▪ Bank Reconciliation ▪ Electronic Requisitions ▪ Invoice and PO Requisitions ▪ Remote Authorization ▪ Council & Quorum Approvals ▪ GST/HST Tracking & Recovery ▪ DoculinX™ - Electronic Document Storage ▪ Financial Transaction Integration ▪ BCR & Council Minute Management ▪ Financial & Management Reporting ▪ System Administration & Security ▪ Accounts Receivable ▪ Asset Management ▪ Housing Management w/ ACRS ▪ Lands Registry ▪ Purchase Orders ▪ Post-Secondary ▪ Income Assistance w/ DCI Report Generation ® ▪ Adaptive Invoicing ▪ Patient Travel (NIHB Travel Warrants) ▪ Child Welfare ▪ Community Human Resources Management ▪ Canadian Payroll ▪ Xyntax Smartphone Application ▪ Community Relational Management ▪ Remote Backup and Disaster Recovery Service
Xyntax.ca +1 (866) 699-6829 | info@xyntax.com
Adminisistrative and Accounting Solutions for First Nations