Volume 15 Issue 7 July 2019
Tsleil-Waututh raises pride flags PAGES 10 - 13
DJ O SHOW
Mentor, activist, motivator PAGES 16 - 19
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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
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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.
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COVER: Tsleil-Waututh member Xwitenat Laura George (left) and Meghan Ormandy wear a pride flag and a transgender rights flag outside of the Burrard Canoe Club Shack after paddling them ashore on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 3
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TLA’AMIN TRAILBLAZER RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE FOR WORK IN INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY FNHA CEO Joe Gallagher (k̓ʷunəmɛn) was among six people honoured by UVic this spring
UVIC Convocation
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 5
Joe Gallagher (k̓ ʷunəmɛn)
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.
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Joe Gallagher (k̓ʷunəmɛn) of Tla’amin Nation has been given an honorary degree for his trailblazing work around Indigenous self-determination and cultural safety. Gallagher was awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Victoria during a convocation ceremony on June 11. He was one of six people to receive an honorary degree during graduation events this spring. Before he received his award, the audience heard how Gallagher led the formation of a new health governance partnership between B.C. First Nations, the province and Canada. That work included the groundbreaking transfer of federal health services to B.C. First Nations, something that led to the formation of the First Nations Health Authority in 2012, with Gallagher serving as chief executive officer. He champions what he called “cultural safety and humility” in health services in the province, notably working with the BC Coroners Service to review and change its practices around children’s remains to be more inclusive of cultural practices around death. Gallagher was previously the chief treaty negotiator at Tla’amin — leading to its final agreement coming into effect in 2016 — and directed programs at Health Canada’s B.C. First Nations Inuit and Health Branch. Gallagher spoke about how both when attending UVic and at home in Tla’amin, soccer was a driving force from him that tied together everything from cultural teachings to his motivation to get through university. “I started playing at a young age, 10 years old, but it was a challenging time because I was kind of the youngest in my age group,” he said. “I reflect that playing soccer in my community was really an opportunity to express myself as a modern-day warrior for the Tla’amin Nation.” Gallagher said as both his parents attended residential school, playing soccer gave him an opportunity to learn culture from older players who would incorporate teachings into the game. When he first showed up to the UVic at 17, it was one of his first times leaving the reserve, but he wanted to try to play for the school’s Vikes soccer team. Sure enough, he made it on the team after his first tryout, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987 while playing for the univeristy soccer team — in 1993, he played for Team B.C. at the North American Indigenous Games. “It was really an awakening for who I was as a young man,” he said, adding that there weren’t many other Indigenous post secondary students around him at the time. “This was the identity I was looking for, the one I needed to keep me at school.” While he was receiving his honorary degree, Gallagher thanked his late mother and father, as well as Elsie Paul and Betty Wilson from Tla’amin, and the late Leonard George of Tsleil-Waututh, who have supported his work along the way. The day before Gallagher received his degree, two important Coast Salish language keepers were also honoured. Sti’tum’at Ruby Peter of the Quamichan First Nation has received an Honorary Doctor of Laws for her lifetime of work in teaching and revitalizing Hul’qumi’num, including co-authoring the extensive Cowichan Dictionary in 1995. Meanwhile, Elder STOLȻEȽ John Elliott of Tsartlip has been given an Honorary Doctor of Education for his pivotal role in reserving and revitalizing the SENĆOŦEN language — among his achievements, Elliott co-founded the groundbreaking language resource FirstVoices in 1999.
A convocation ceremony at UVic. Photos courtesy of UVic
STOLȻEȽ John Edward Elliott Sr
Sti’tum’at Ruby Peter
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 7
Photos taken during a Lummi totem pole journey stop in Bellingham, WA.
LUMMI NATION RAMPS UP EFFORTS TO HELP ENDANGERED ORCAS As killer whale totem journey concludes, nation launches new campaign with call for all Salish Sea communities to stand together for ‘relatives who live under the sea’ By Cara McKenna After wrapping up a totem pole journey for an orca in captivity, Lummi Nation has launched a campaign to help dwindling southern resident killer whale populations in the Salish Sea. A delegation from Lummi journeyed a fivemetre orca totem, created by the nation’s House of Tears carvers, from Miami to Washington over two weeks from May 30 to June 15. The journey was held to raise awareness for a southern resident orca who was taken from Coast Salish waters nearly 50 years ago and has since been in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium — Lummi Nation has been pushing for the facility retire the whale to a sanctuary in its home territory. During an event outside of the Seaquarium
at the start of the journey, Lummi leaders announced a new name gifted to the captive whale, whose performer name is “Lolita” and was formerly known to the nation as Tokitae. House of Tears carver Doug Sit Ki Kadem James worked on the orca totem in honour of Tokitae, and announced that the whale’s new name is Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut. “It comes from the very waters and the very land where she was captured,” James explained. “There was an old ancient village … there in Penn Cove. It was one of our ancient village sites, that’s where this name comes from. This is your name, Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut.” Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut is the last surviving southern resident orca of dozens that were taken captive from the Salish Sea during the
1960s and 70s and put into aquariums to perform for visitors. Lummi’s vision for the captive whale is to retire her to a netted-off cove in her home waters, where she would have room to swim and interact with her L-pod family, but still be observed and fed. Though Lummi has been advocating to bring the orca home, the Seaquarium has denied returning the orca, saying she is safer staying in captivity because of her advanced age and need for medical care. Throughout the journey, people from cities across the U.S. took part in blessing ceremonies for the orca totem by placing their hands on the carving while praying for Sk’ali Ch’elhtenaut and wild Salish Sea orcas who are in danger.
During a journey stop in Bellingham, WA, on July 13, people heard how Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut has been alone in captivity for nearly 50 years, but still sings the song of the L-pod. Julie Trimingham, who performed a folk song at the event, said each of the three orca pods — J, K and L — have their own songs that are taught from mother to child. “So this means that when (Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut) was a little child, her mother taught her that song. And she still sings that song,” she said. “To me that means she knows where she belongs, she knows where she comes from, and she knows who her family is.” Lummi refers to orcas as “qwe ‘lhol mechen,” which translates in their language to “relatives who live under the sea.” During a closing event in Seattle on June 15, Lummi held a media conference to announce that the totem journey was just the start of a larger campaign to protect the qwe ‘lhol mechen. Partnering with the Suquamish and Nez Perce tribes, scientists and environmental organizations, Lummi has launched the Salish Sea Campaign with goals to help and revitalize the southern resident orca population. The southern resident killer whales are listed as an endangered species, and they are being increasingly threatened by a lack of food supply as salmon runs shrink and underwater noise from marine shipping traffic disrupts their communication. Despite recent births, only about 75 remain. Lummi Elder Raynell Morris said the campaign was launched because the nation fears for the future of the whales and entire Salish Sea. “Our qwe ‘lhol mechen are telling us that they need help,” she said. “They’re dying, they’re starving, they’re having a difficult time keeping their pods — their families — together.” The Salish Sea Campaign includes a call for a cumulative impact study on human-caused stressors to the Salish Sea — such as the Trans Mountain pipeline and Navy underwater weapons testing — and a moratorium on any new stressors until a baseline of health that’s considered adequate to feed the whales has been restored. It will also include continued advocacy for Sk’ali Ch’elhtenaut, and Morris said it will involve both ceremonial feedings of the wild southern residents and the creation of foraging stations. A media release from Lummi called on all communities of the Salish Sea to stand together in protecting the qwe ‘lhol mechen. “This is a vision of resilience, truth, belonging, and healing for qwe ‘lhol mechen,” Lummi Nation Chairman Jay Julius said. “This is a battle for the soul of Xwullemy, the Salish Sea.” More information about canLeona be Nelson found at Charlesthe Elliot,campaign Anna Spahan, www.sacredsea.org.
Duran Jefferson reads a poem he wrote about Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut.
By Cara McKenna Seven years ago, when Orene Askew first started her DJ business, she woke up after a gig to realize that her townhouse at Squamish Nation was on fire. The blaze started by accident in her neighbour’s Lummi House of Tears carver Jewell James, left, with his granddaughter. adjoining house, and she woke up in a panic, surrounded by smoke and flames. “The only thing I thought to grab, because your mind just goes so many places, was my DJ gear,” she said. “I literally grabbed my laptop and my turntables and just ran out of the house. I didn’t even have any socks on or anything.” At the time, it was a pivotal moment in Askew’s budding career ¬— she now runs a successful business using her stage persona, DJ O Show. When she started DJing, she did it with a grant from Squamish Nation Trust to buy the gear, and carved out a niche for herself in a sea of male DJs, showcasing high-energy hip hop and R&B-driven sets. Lummi Coun. Freddie Lane.
Peter Romer of Nisga’a
Xwitenat Laura George (left) and Meghan Ormandy.
‘STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO BE TRUE’: TWO-SPIRIT MEMBERS LEAD TSLEIL-WAUTUTH IN PRIDE CELEBRATION Raising rainbow and transgender flags brought by canoe, community was the only First Nation registered in country-wide anti-homophobia day events
Tsleil-Waututh Nation raised rainbow and transgender-rights flags inside of their new administration building during a LGBTQ+ pride celebration led by two-spirited community members. The nation was only Indigenous community selected to host a flag-raising ceremony to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17. The event marked 50 years since Canada partly decriminalized homosexuality, but Tsleil-Waututh organizers emphasized that such discrimination against gender and sexual minorities was never a Salish value, but imposed by Europeans. Tsleil-Waututh member Selina Beltran said she hopes that future generations will be able to shed some of those colonial constructs, and live in a more accepting society. “So they can grow up in a place where they don’t have to jump through … hoops just to get help, health resources, or gender-affirming surgeries,” she said. “Where there’s no stigma.” During the event, canoe paddlers brought and carried ashore the rainbow LGBTQ+ pride flag, the pink, blue and white transgender rights flag, as well as Tsleil-Waututh’s own rainbowcoloured Takaya (wolf) flags and marched them to the nation’s administration building, where they were raised. It was the latest advancement of recognizing sexual and gender diversity within Salish nations; in recent years, more and more First Nations have entered floats into Pride parades, launched LGBTQ-supportive health, spiritual and cultural programs, and boosted their efforts to fully include their two-spirit members. Beltran spoke about her own journey as a twospirit person, and her current research in the University of Victoria’s Gender Studies program. Her thesis is about on how two-spirit identity fits in with today’s resurgence of Indigenous cultures. Two-spirit has become a widely-known concept across the continent’s many Indigenous communities for sexual and gender diversity — based on the understanding that homophobia and transphobia were alien ideas imposed by Europeans as they colonized and imposed their version of Christianity. “It’s become a sort of Indigenous umbrella term,” Beltran said in an interview. “Unfortunately,
there is still not one word that I know of in our language for two-spirit people. … I’ve asked around and asked others to ask around, but I’d like there to be our own word too.” She and other organizers of the flag-raising said that Tsleil-Waututh linguistics experts are currently in process of determining how best to translate “two-spirit” into the Hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓ language in co-ordination with members who identify as two-spirited. Two-spirit educator Sandy-Leo Laframboise said that process can be complicated, as Indigenous languages are tied to the land and creation stories. “So we can’t just use any word,” Laframboise said. “Right now everybody is using the English word ‘two spirit,’ but that’s because it was created in order to bring in different [Indigenous] nations.” Opening the event inside the administration building, member Gabriel George spoke emotionally about community members who “came out” over the years, who helped open the eyes of people in the nation including himself. “I thank our drummers and paddlers and all of you who came to bear witness to our beautiful family and our lesbian, gay, queer, trans, and two-spirit community — and for having the strength and courage to be true to yourselves, knowing you have paved the path for others in our community,” he said. “We’ve only been under this colonial system for just about 300 years now. I think about all our ancestors during that time who could not ‘come out.’” For him, the issue is deeply personal; he spoke about his late brother, Isaac, who came out at a time before it was widely accepted but “was always true” to who he was as Tsleil-Waututh. “It makes me so emotional to see this happening today, thinking about my brother and the struggles he had,” George said. “But despite all the stigma in our community at the time, he was always treated with such love and such respect. … That says a lot about our Tsleil-Waututh community and our people. Today my heart is really happy; it’s healing.” Coun. Justin George told the nation’s two-spirit and LGBTQ+ members that their leaders “stand with all of you” and said the ancestors were also present to support them that day. “I’m super proud of this nation today,” he said.
Selina Beltran
Margaret August
MATRIARCHS: VICTORIA GALLERY SHOWCASES PRINTS BY INDIGENOUS WOMEN Exhibit honouring work of women from B.C. was curated by Margaret August of Shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation A new exhibit in Victoria is showcasing graphic prints by Indigenous women — all selected by an up-and-coming Coast Salish artist. Matriarchs: Prints by First Nations Women at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria was guest curated by Margaret August, who comes from the Shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation. The gallery’s curator of engagement Nicole Stanbridge said the gallery decided to do the show of works by Indigenous women in response to a previous print exhibit called Form is Meaning. “What came out of that is we realized that we had very few works by women in our First Nations print collection,” she said. “We invited (Margaret) to actually work with
us, to select works that we could add to our collection and do a show.” For the show, August has included prints by seven women artists who inspire her,
Print by Francis Dick
14 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
representing various territories around B.C., as well as two of her own works. She said the first artist she thought of featuring was Susan Point of Musqueam, someone she considers to be a matriarch and leader in the Indigenous art world — Point has broken down many barriers for other Coast Salish artists, bringing the style to the mainstream at a time when it often wasn’t seen. August knew she knew that she wanted to become an artist herself when she was exploring printmaking as a career, and went to a studio to look into the craft. “I came across someone who does most of the artist prints that I know … and he was doing a Susan Point print,” she said.
“He went out for a break and I was just staring at the part that he had done already, on the rack, and it just overcame me suddenly. I didn’t even expect it. And it’s brought me here.” August has been showing her work since 2011. She is currently creating bright, graphic Coast Salish prints, working under the apprenticeship of Lyackson artist Qwul`thilum (Dylan Thomas). One of her pieces in the show, Rejuvenation, depicts two white ravens on a bright yellow backdrop. The second more recent piece, Elapsed Time, also featuring birds, has been enlarged and pasted on the wall outside of the exhibit room. Ravens often show up in August’s work, because they’ve been a constant guide in her life, she said. “They’ve always been with me … I’m really aware that their presence is quite strong,” she said. “This piece, Rejuvenation, for example, it’s representative of a dream I had where I was in the middle of the city centre and a black raven was sitting on a branch of a tree, and it turned white suddenly.” The exhibit also features a piece by Point’s daughter, Kelly Cannell, as well as pieces by Francis Dick, Lou-ann Neel, Sage Paul, Carrielynn Victor and Marika Echachis Swan. August said in a written statement about the exhibit that it was titled Matriarchs to underline the importance of Indigenous women in the art community and beyond. “Prior to contact, many Indigenous nations followed matrilineal governance systems,” she said. “With the onslaught of settler colonialism, patrilineal band systems replaced sacred spaces held for the voices of Indigenous matriarchs … honouring our matriarchs in the arts is like a door that is to be unlocked.” Stanbridge added that the exhibit is part of a wider effort by the gallery to strengthen its relationship with Indigenous artists and particularly women. “It doesn’t end with this show, we’re going to keep working with Margaret in terms of visiting with artists and seeing what other work is out there,” she said. “There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that’s happening on a longer timeline.” Matriarchs: Prints by First Nations Women will run at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria until Oct. 6.
Print by Margaret August
Print by Lou-ann Neel
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 15
DJ O SHOW: MENTOR, ACTIVIST, MOTIVATOR Orene Askew of Squamish Nation is carving out a niche for herself as a successful DJ, and increasing inclusivity in her community By Cara McKenna Seven years ago, when Orene Askew first started her DJ business, she woke up after a gig to realize that her townhouse at Squamish Nation was on fire. The blaze started by accident in her neighbour’s adjoining house, and she woke up in a panic, surrounded by smoke and flames. “The only thing I thought to grab, because your mind just goes so many places, was my DJ gear,” she said. “I literally grabbed my laptop and my turntables and just ran out of the house. I didn’t even have any socks on or anything.” At the time, it was a pivotal moment in Askew’s budding career - she now runs a successful business using her stage persona, DJ O Show. When she started DJing, she did it with a grant from Squamish Nation Trust to buy the gear, and carved out a niche for herself in a sea of male DJs, showcasing high-energy hip hop and R&B-driven sets. She quickly became in high demand, playing gigs around Vancouver, Canada and the U.S. She plays everything from nightclub gigs, to weddings, to high-profile festivals — she recently performed at the massive South by Southwest fest in Austin, TX, and the community-run Queer Arts Fest in Vancouver. As Askew has become more known, DJing has led her to teaching her craft at Vancouver’s School of Remix and mentoring and supporting youth. She now also does motivational speaking gigs across the country, and has moved into politics as an elected councillor at Squamish Nation. “It’s the biggest change in our council’s history, eight new councillors, six female and two are from the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “It’s a huge turnover, we’re just making history, and it’s a lot of work, but so much fun.” Since she was elected to a four-year term on council in 2017, Askew, who identifies as twospirit, has made it a mission of hers to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusivity in her community.
“Another reason why I do two-spirit activism is because my aunt was actually trans,” Askew shared. “She only lived to be about 44, but it was really tough for her on the reserve. … I wish she could see how it is now. It’s just so much more accepted.” She sits on the nation’s Pride Committee, and was one of the people behind getting a Squamish Nation float into Vancouver’s Pride Parade last year (something the nation is doing again this year). She is also working on getting both rainbow crosswalks and gender-neutral washrooms in the community. “Politics is just a completely different world, but I’m glad I’m there just to see it from the inside and to try and help change things,” she said. “I get to partner with different music festival groups who want to do proper protocol but they don’t know how, really.” One of the committees she sits on is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Indigenous council, where she is looking at bringing music training to kids at Squamish Nation. This month, she will be playing a free two-day Indigenous music festival in Lytton, B.C., called 2 Rivers Remix, where she will be performing as well as hosting a workshop for kids called Diversity Makes Beautiful Music. “Especially when I’m working with Indigenous youth, I tie it back to the drumming and singing,” she said. “I always use this analogy … we all have that beat inside of us, we’re all Indigenous, we’ve stood in those lineups drumming, and you get off beat, and then you get back into it. That is DJing right there. And we’ve done that for thousands of years.” More information about DJ O Show, including her upcoming gigs, can be found at www.djoshow. com. The full lineup and more information about the 2 Rivers Remix festival is available at 2riversremix.ca.
Orene Askew of Squamish Nation
18 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 19
CANOE CEREMONY HONOURS INDIGENOUS WOMEN Ta’Kaiya Blaney of Tla’amin at forefront of procession, singing in honour of her late mother and sister
Tla’amin member Ta’Kaiya Blaney was lifted inside of a canoe and walked along Vancouver’s waterfront during a women’s honouring ceremony that coincided with the end of Canada’s MMIWG inquiry. A group of men carried Blaney, who sang a song that she composed in honour of her late mother Anne Blaney and late sister Marca Dawn Smith as a procession of people surrounded her. “This song was composed for my mother and for my big sister, who passed recently,” Blaney said. “When I bring it forward, I sing it in dedication for missing and murdered women, I sing it for my aunt Rose, and I sing it for all of our community members. We deserve life.” The event on June 3 coincided with the release of the final report around Canada’s inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The Women’s Honour Canoe was carved by Joe Martin of Tla-oqui-aht First Nation and is the inside is being signed by various woman leaders. The canoe will eventually be auctioned or sold, according to organizers, as it is part of a fundraiser around the 35th Anniversary of the Meares Island Tribal Park in Tla-o-qui-aht territory. The event was organized by the IISAAK OLAM Foundation, which works to empower Indigenous conservation areas. The foundation is currently working to rebuild the Tla-o-qui-aht Village of Opitsaht on Meares Island, which was destroyed during colonization. Eli Enns, the president of IISAAK OLAM, said he first met Blaney five years ago during a parks conference in Sydney, Australia, and heard her sing. “I had a vision of holding Ta’Kaiya up in a 10-foot canoe such as this, by men of all nationalities, all of us coming together to uphold her while she sings,” he said. “That was the vision that led to this ceremony today.” Blaney spoke about the innate link between the MMIWG crisis and environmental destruction, including “man camps” that cause a spike in violence in remote areas. The final report of the MMIWG inquiry describes “substantial evidence” around the relationship between transient workers that set up camp in mostly remote areas to work on resource extraction projects, and higher rates of violence against Indigenous women in those areas. “We know as a fact that when you bring pipelines into Indigenous lands, that our relatives go missing,” Blaney said. “The man camps that are brought in, they are warfare against Indigenous women. … We are reflections of our land, so violence against our land is violence against our women.” The National Inquiry’s two-volume final report was created after two-years of hearings and evidence gathering. It contains 231 recommendations aimed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians. It can be viewed online at https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca.
By Cara McKenna Seven years ago, when Orene Askew first started her DJ business, she woke up after a gig to realize that her townhouse at Squamish Nation was on fire. The blaze started by accident in her neighbour’s adjoining house, and she woke up in a panic, surrounded by smoke and flames. “The only thing I thought to grab, because your mind just goes so many places, was my DJ gear,” she said. “I literally grabbed my laptop and my turntables and just ran out of the house. I didn’t even have any socks on or anything.” At the time, it was a pivotal moment in Askew’s budding career ¬— she now runs a successful business using her stage persona, DJ O Show. When she started DJing, she did it with a grant from Squamish Nation Trust to buy the gear, and carved out a niche for herself in a sea of male DJs, showcasing high-energy hip hop and R&B-driven sets.
A group sings oftheMusqueam Women’s Warrior Song Audrey at the end Two portraits water keeper Siegl taken by photographer Kali Spitzer of the Women’s Honour Canoe event on June 3.
KLAHOOSE HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL ‘AWAKEN THE CANOES’ EVENT Pullers gather at Klahoose to focus on safety training before Tribal Journeys 2019
By Cara McKenna Klahoose hosted its second annual canoe safety training event this spring, as pullers prepare to make the journey to Lummi for this year’s Tribal Journeys. Awaken the Canoes (ti:ǰit nuxʷɛɬ) involved a couple dozen pullers coming together at the nation on Cortes Island over May long weekend. Building on last year’s successful event, participants took part in safety drills, racing and even practiced the crews’ emergency response by tipping their canoes. Canadian Coast Guard and RCMP officers were on hand in nearby boats to oversee the training. Jodi Simkin, Klahoose’s director of cultural affairs and heritage, conceptualized the safety event after working as the director of Tribal Journeys two years ago. 26 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
While serving in that role, she noticed that, in general, the U.S. pullers were much more wellversed in safety than Canadian ones. “All of the (U.S.) canoes receive cold water training and deep water training before the season begins,” she said. “It’s the very first thing that they do.” This year, Klahoose brought in canoe safety experts Ron Snyder, an experienced longdistance puller from Washington, and Jeff Smith of the Macah nation who is working on rewriting the Tribal Journeys safety handbook. Snyder gave a talk and demonstration in Klahoose’s admin building, providing a nononsense approach to safety training, before pullers took to the water. Snyder wears a metal ring hung around his neck, which he says is part of a “full circle journey” initiative, centered in the U.S., that represents a commitment to safety on the
water. His necklace includes 15 beads, each representing a journey where he was either a canoe skipper or safety boat skipper. “Canoe journeys can take place in a safe way, a powerful way, a culturally significant way, and can be an important glue for binding people together,” he explained. “There are now 7,000 pullers who wear this ring.” During his talk, Snyder talked about the importance of teamwork, paddling as one, staying calm and not rushing to meet unsafe deadlines — especially during poor conditions. Simkin said the safety reminders and training are especially important this year, as a crew from Klahoose prepares to paddle to Lummi Nation in Washington State. “So that’s a few hundred miles away from here,” she said.
BCCLA LAUNCHES ‘POLICING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES’ PROJECT Multi-year initiative will work to address disproportionate impacts of policing for First Nations
“We’re the farthest canoe leaving from the inside, from our own shores. It’s a big journey.” Klahoose Coun. Michelle Robinson said the Awaken the Canoes event has been part of a wider cultural push that has brought the nation, and its surrounding sister nations, together. Along with the strengthened canoe culture, Klahoose has been hosting weekly culture nights for the past couple of years. Even just a year ago, members struggled to sing its own songs without guidance from Tla’amin. “Now they lead it, they’re very powerful and strong in it, and it’s all driven by the canoe culture,” Robinson said.
The B.C. Civil Liberties Foundation (BCCLA) has launched a multi-year initiative to address negative impacts of policing in Indigenous communities. The Policing Indigenous Communities project went live in April with funding from the Vancouver Foundation. The project builds on previous work that BCCLA has done on police accountability for more than 50 years — BCCLA is an independent, non-political legal society and has a mandate to promote, defend and extend civil liberties and human rights. The work on Policing Indigenous Communities is being done in partnership with the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and other Indigenous organizations. BCCLA community lawyer Dylan Mazur said the initiative has begun by looking at pre-trial release conditions in B.C. “We wanted to look at how Indigenous people are disproportionately impacted by policing,” he said. “Research has been done on the effects of pre-trial release on marginalized communities, but not a lot of research has been done on the disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities.” Mazur said he starts becoming more aware of issues with certain pre-trial release conditions when he was working in rural communities in Northern B.C. He said the conditions given to people awaiting trial during their arrest or a bail hearing can sometimes not account for the different realities for Indigenous people living on reserve. For example, if someone from a rural community is given geographical restrictions to stay within a certain small area, they might not be able to do basic activities such as go home, get groceries or go to a bank, without breaching the condition.
“If people are given unreasonable conditions of pre-trial release, because of a whole number of factors, they breach these conditions,” Mazur said. “Then what can happen is the charges start to build … and if they go to trial, potentially what can happen is you can have fewer ability to negotiate with Crown, potentially you have higher sentences.” He said one researcher who did work in this area referred to that system as a “revolving door” for people who get charged, breach conditions, and end up back in court. “We wanted to look at how these conditions are impacting people in rural and remote areas,” he said. “Not simply to do research but to also produce practice tools for Indigenous people and people in general who are self-represented and for defence lawyers, potentially police, as well, and judges.” The initiative will expand this Fall to review the inclusion of Indigenous justice systems within the police complaints project against the RCMP, and Mazur said it will keep growing into different areas. For now, BCCLA is offering public legal information “Know Your Rights” workshops to Indigenous communities and service providers to outline what people’s rights are when dealing with police. “I want people to know that we are really interested in hearing from them,” Mazur said. “We want to reach outside of the Lower Mainland, and get in touch with people who are interested in Know Your Rights work or in being able to contribute to this project. One of the ways is looking at people’s experience of what these conditions has been.” More information can be found at https://bccla. org/the-policing-indigenous-communitiesinitiative, or Mazur can be contacted directly at dylan@bccla.org. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 27
RDN UNVEILS LAST OF FIVE COAST SALISH ART PIECES Spindle whorl by Snuneymuxw artist William Good is hung at RDN headquarters alongside pieces by Qualicum, Snaw-naw-as artists The Regional District of Nanaimo has unveiled the last of five pieces of Coast Salish artwork that were commissioned for its boardroom and lobby. In 2017, the district selected artists from the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as and Qualicum nations to create works for its headquarters on Hammond Bay Road. On May 30, a ceremony was held to reveal the final piece, a spindle whorl by Snuneymuxw carver William Good (Tseskinakhen) called Supernatural Eagle Bringing the Salmon to the People. The first four pieces were unveiled in October of 2018: Q’ul-lhanamucum (Killer Whale) by Noel Brown of Snuneymuxw, Ling Cod by Brian Bob of Snaw-naw-as, Heron Spindle Whorl by Jesse Recalma of Qualicum, and Killer Whale, Thunderbird, Salmon by James Johnny and James Johnny Jr. of Snuneymuxw. During the event to unveil Good’s spindle whorl prior to the RDN’s board meeting, people heard from the artist’s daughter Aunalee, who spoke about how the piece symbolizes community and hope. RDN Chairman Ian Thorpe said the art pieces will serve as visual stories of the people and history of the land where the board’s work is done. “We are pleased and honoured to have these inspiring art pieces in our administration building,” he said in a news release. “Our board is committed to continuing to work on building positive relationships in the region, sharing community values of inclusion and collaboration.”
Pieces in the RDN building by James Johnny and James Johnny Jr. of Snuneymuxw.
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SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 29
A spindle whorl by Snuneymuxw carver William Good.
K’ÒMOKS, CANADA SETTLE HISTORIC CLAIM K’òmoks First Nation has settled an outstanding historic claim with Canada involving stolen timber revenues from its reserve lands. The claim involved income from logging operations on K’òmoks land that was taken illegally by an Indian Agent between 1925 to 1929. The nation recently reached a settlement agreement with the federal government on the matter and was given $495,731 in financial compensation, Canada announced on May 23. K’ómoks members and leadership celebrated with Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller at the nation. Chief Nicole Rempel thanked the minister for visiting the nation and for addressing the specific claim. “When we open our hearts and minds to the notion of Indigenous rights … we move forward in a positive way,” she said in a statement. “If in the spirit of reconciliation we recognize and respect those rights and begin correcting the actions committed against them, we are truly on the path to achieving respectful relations between the Crown and the original peoples of Canada.” Miller said the K’ómoks claim is one of many that the federal government has undertaken — there have been more than 500 specific claims settled with First Nations across the country.
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