Volume 16 Issue 2 March 2020
Garry Norris: Halalt canoe builder PAGES 8 - 11
Revitalizing Coast Salish stone carving PAGES 12 - 15
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: Halalt canoe builder Garry Norris stands amongst his works-in-progress at his studio. Photo by Cara McKenna.
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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.
A kind note left on the gymnasium door.
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2019-09-13 9:46 AM
Donations were being sorted in the gymnasium.
Chief James Thomas speaks at a community meeting shortly after the flood.
HALALT COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER AFTER DEVASTATING FLOOD The nation was hit by unprecedented flooding on Jan. 31. Halalt member Edith Moore writes about the long road ahead. By Edith Moore, NmTC communications liaison
We are supporting each other in a time of crisis at Halalt First Nation after the community faced a devastating flood in the middle of the night on January 31. As the water dangerously rose at 2 a.m., the North Cowichan fire department were first on the scene to evacuate people from their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs as residential septic systems failed. A total of 121 residents were forced out of their homes. Fourteen basements flooded, and three homes have since been condemned. The raised E&N railway line, according to Chief James Thomas, with only two culverts, made the situation even worse as the rising water had nowhere to go. The flooding is nearly unprecedented — in some cases rising to several feet above the ground. Now, when you drive through our territory, you will notice that there is a lot of work going on. Yellow, red or blue tags mark our homes as different levels of assessments have been assigned to each house for proper restoration.
Workers protected by hazmat suits are moving from home to home filling huge bins. As hard as it is to see personal items be thrown away, we are thankful for the educated help in identifying tainted items, and grateful that everyone is safe. You never know how people are going to react to such a devastating situation, but we have really come together and stepped up to help one another in this time of need. Councillor Mikaela Whitelaw spoke of this, saying how people here have been leaning on one another — from knocking on doors to check on people, to cooking meals for the community or giving people rides when they need them. “Nothing is easy in disaster situations and emotions run very high, but I’m proud of how Halalt as a nation has managed through together,” she wrote to the Salish Sea Sentinel. “There is a long road ahead in order for our community to completely recover, but the strength shown through the worst of this situation gives me confidence that our nation
will only grow from this experience.” Councillor Pat Thomas added that the community has set up a “resilience centre,” which will be open for as long as necessary. “Our community is so thankful for all the generosity and all the support that has been provided,” she said. “It also has been an eye opener that much needs to be done in the event that another disaster happens.” Halalt leadership wanted to thank the neighbours and outside community organizations who have helped out. Specifically: The First Nations Health Authority, the Hulhetun Health Society, Klahoose, Western Forest Products, the Salvation Army, Soap for Hope, Salt Spring Island and everyone else who has supported or made donations. It is going to be a long road ahead, but Halalt will work together to recover from this devastating flood that is still affecting many of our family members and friends. We are grateful for all the support we have received so far. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 5
Photos by Adrian MacNair
TFN BREAKS GROUND ON NEW YOUTH CENTRE Longhouse-inspired gathering space is expected to open in the next year Tsawwassen First Nation has broken ground on a new youth centre that will provide a space for children and teens to gather for years to come. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site on Jan. 24, where youth witnesses were called and the lot was brushed with cedar. The Canadian and B.C. governments are both partners in the project, which will be open to both youth from Tsawwassen First Nation and youth living on Tsawwassen lands. An announcement was made late last year that the province would contribute $1 million 6 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
to the project while Canada would contribute $5 million. Chief Ken Baird said the youth centre is another step in the ongoing implementation of Tsawwassen’s treaty. He spoke about the importance of investing in the nation’s youth — who will be the ones to carry on culture to the next generations. “Our youth and elders are an endless circle, our nation cannot have one without the other,” he said. “Today we are here to honour our sacred traditions and ceremonies, and to … begin the
groundbreaking of this important building.” Plans for the youth centre include a longhouseinspired design featuring carvings, paintings and student artwork etched in glass. The 12,000 square-foot building will provide space for youth from K-12 to gather between and after class to participate in sports, cooking, music, counselling and more. Baird said the project is expected to be complete by 2021. “This project is very exciting,” he said. “Probably within a year we will be back here again opening (the youth centre).”
Youth were called as witnesses during the event.
Andrea Jacobs and Chief Ken Baird.
LYACKSON ARTIST WORKING TO REVITALIZE COAST SALISH STONE CARVING Dylan Thomas (Qwul’thilum) was named the City of Victoria’s Indigenous Artist in Residence for a two-year term By Cara McKenna Victoria’s Indigenous Artist-in-Residence is working to bring back Coast Salish stone carving, a craft that has previously been dormant for hundreds of years. Dylan Thomas (Qwul’thilum) was appointed to the two-year residency in late 2019 — during which he will develop artwork, engage in community dialogue, and partake in various events and exhibits. Thomas, 33, is a member of Lyackson First Nation and has ancestry from Songhees, Squamish and Snuneymuxw. He has lived in Victoria his entire life. During an interview at his home studio, Thomas laid out a variety of palm-sized dark stone carvings: several pendants and a small intricately-carved bowl. “This is what I have been obsessed with recently,” he explained. Thomas said he stumbled upon information about Coast Salish stone carving while he was studying records of Salish artifacts — something he does regularly as a self-declared “online museum database nerd.” “I’ve collected a huge portfolio of images of Salish artifacts,” he said. “The stone carving was a really prominent part of Coast Salish art for (thousands of) years.” Thomas explained that although it was once prominent, the craft stopped being done about 500 years ago, so there is little information about the carvings available. He said the small bowl he recently made was modelled after images of a similar ones he found in museum collections. He said the bowls were likely once used for a ceremonial purpose, but it is unclear what. Still, as soon as he began researching the craft, he knew he had to try doing it himself, and began creating the stone carvings less than a year ago. “It’s been a steep learning curve, but I was surprised I caught onto it pretty quickly,” he said. “It seems like it was a precursor to the wood carving tradition that followed.” He started by talking to Haida artist friends who carve with argillite stone to get some basics about working with the medium, and went from there, making his own specialty tools in the process. 8 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Will George (Swaysən)
ACTS OF RESISTANCE EXHIBIT FEATURES ‘AERIAL BLOCKADE’ BANNERS Tsleil-Waututh member Will George (Swaysən) featured in MOV exhibit after blocking tanker traffic under Ironworkers Memorial Bridge
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Sḵ wxwú7mesh Coun. Khelsilem stands at the development site.
Now that he has managed to create carvings that are similar to the images he has found online, Thomas hopes to teach the basics of the craft to other Coast Salish artists who are interested in learning. “My goal is to bring this back,” he said. The stone carving is the latest in a series of studies for Thomas, who spends time researching everything from complex geometrical concepts to anthropological essays. He started creating Coast Salish art shortly after he graduated high school, finding inspiration from trailblazers including Musqueam artist Susan Point. Thomas was mentored by the late Delmar Johnnie and Rande Cook — he started with jewelry-making and moving into multimedia art including printmaking, sandblasting and wood carving. He soon became known for his mathematical, symmetrical art prints and in 2016, he had his first solo exhibit — a display called Sacred Geometry at Alcheringa Gallery. “I am a big M.C. Escher fan, and I started studying all kinds of geometry from around the world,” he said, having looked at things like Islamic tessellations, Tibetan mandalas and Celtic knots. “I was learning geometric principles from that and then seeing how I could use different things you might not find in Salish art traditionally.” During his residency with the City of Victoria, Thomas will work with city representatives to produce a range of public works, which could include an exhibition or large-scale public pieces. Thomas has previously done commissions for the city, including a series of banners from earlier this year that delve into four aspects of Lekwungen history and mythology, including one in honour of his great grandmother. “I’m so happy that now I can really do the art that I want,” he said. “(The residency) really gives you a lot of creative freedom and it’s a super exciting opportunity.” As he continues his residency, Thomas also hopes to work with Indigenous youth in Victoria on design and to hold a workshop about stone carving. “It’s cool to see the city acknowledging territories more through artwork,” Thomas said. “I think the effort to bring more Salish art into the city is a really good move, and it makes Salish people feel acknowledged. “We’re from here and have a rich and deep history, I’m just really happy on so many fronts to see Salish art start to thrive again.” More information about the residency and future events with Thomas can be found at www.victoria.ca.
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HALALT CANOE BUILDER TAUGHT HIMSELF PRECISE CRAFT ‘If anything it will teach you about yourself,’ says Garry Norris, who is now passing the skill along
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By Cara McKenna Walking into the warm light of his detached work shed, Garry Norris walks among about a dozen canoes, two of which are still being built. The workspace at Halalt First Nation smells of cedar, with wood chips lining the concrete floor. Bottles of glue rest on nearby tables, and lines of war canoes of various sizes are lined up like hibernating sea creatures on each side wall. Norris rests his hand on his latest workin-progress, an outrigger canoe that he’s decided to try his hand at after the design was shared with him from another canoe builder in Hawaii. “I’m waiting for warmer weather so I can glass it and get it done,” he said. “Then I can turn it over and start putting the seats in and backrests in, cover the top.” Although Norris has never built an outrigger before, he knows a thing or two about the 14 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
process of building a canoe. He has been making them since the mid-1970s — largely teaching himself after looking at canoes and talking to some other builders. He always loved canoes as a kid and his family members were part of a canoe club, but he wasn’t allowed to paddle because of a lung condition. “I wanted to be part of it somehow,” Norris said. “I looked at the other clubs and they all had small canoes they trained on … We didn’t have any.” Although Norris’s grandfather built canoes ¬— Norris still has one in in his shed from the late 1940s — he never got a chance to learn from him. But deciding to build one, he remembered what his grandparents and other elders had told him: If you can see it in your mind, and see it in your heart, you can do it. So he set off building his first small canoe in his
brother’s basement, through a process of trial and error, using a chalk line on the floor. “Then I got braver still and I made a six-man,” Norris said. “Of course all these other ones came in between, here and there and everywhere. A few of them have been sold but not too many. I kind of made them mostly for our youth.” Each canoe in his shed has a story and life behind it, and Norris said he still learns something new about the craft, and about himself, with each canoe he builds. A retired carpenter by trade, he still works most days out in his shed, doing the careful and precise work that involves exact measurements and requires a keen eye. “You think you know it all but on the next canoe you learn something else,” he said. “If anything it will teach you about yourself.” He is now passing the skill along to his two adult sons, Chris and Eli, and shares some of the teachings he’s learned with members of a
local Indigenous canoe club. “Our old people say we’re all gifted in some way,” Norris said. “I always tell my kids, if I can do it, they can do it.” Though Norris is working to keep the craft thriving, it keeps becoming harder to get supplies, he said, as less cedar becomes available each year because of logging. He has dreamed of creating a dugout canoe or a larger Tribal Journeys canoe so the nation can paddle in the annual event, but the steep price of cedar logs has stopped him. And though some prominent artists and carvers on Vancouver Island get logs donated to them by forestry corporations, Norris has always flown under the radar. He pauses to reflect on this fact, having been hesitant to do an interview in the first place. “But I didn’t ever want to be well-known anyways,” he says, adding with a joking laugh: “Why, what did you guys hear?” Garry Norris, right, with his son Chris.
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Group shot of the class.
HUL’Q’UMI’NUM’ LESSONS FOCUS ON DAILY USE OF LANGUAGE Learning series led by Gary and Adam Manson of Snuneymuxw looks at incorporating Hul’q’umi’num’ words into common use By Julie Chadwick Students of a Hul’q’umi’num’ language learning series gathered to practice their vocabulary and hear stories from Snuneymuxw Elder Gary Manson (Xul’si’malt) in the Nanaimo branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library on Feb. 11. The event marked the final instalment of I’lhe’ xwiyuné:m x̌wu’x̌wi’é:m̓ – Let’s listen to storyteller – a five-week course offered through the Nanaimo Art Gallery aimed at teaching Indigenous and non-Indigenous students how to incorporate the Coast Salish language into daily practice. “This is a ‘very first step’ kind of class,” 16 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
explained participant and Snuneymuxw member Eliot White-Hill. “It’s been really valuable for people to learn how to pronounce the letters in our alphabet, because that’s the key to unlocking how to understand the language and then be able to go on your own and learn more.” Being able to sound out the words phonetically can be an issue for new learners and also a possible barrier to having Hul’q’umi’num’ words brought into common use on things like signage or labels. “The other thing we’ve been learning about is how to introduce ourselves, which is just such a fundamental part of conversing and being in
public in Hul’q’umi’num’,” said White-Hill. He added that teacher Adam Manson also discussed the issue of when to speak and when to listen. “Fundamentally, the use of Hul’q’umi’num’ and the revitalization of Hul’q’umi’num’ is re-contextualizing space here in Snuneymuxw territory and bringing that back to the surface. But it’s also bridging the cultural divide that’s been created through colonization,” White-Hill said. “So it’s really powerful to approach it in a respectful way and to have people here who are approaching it in a respectful way.” The push to offer the class was driven by Arlene
Deptuck, Nanaimo Art Gallery’s indigenous education coordinator who started working at the NAG in 2016 and describes herself as a language “keener.” “I was working in the schools and I was really trying to have my daughter’s school have Hul’q’umi’num’, but the district shared with me that we couldn’t, because there weren’t enough Indigenous students,” she said. “As a Tsimshian living in their territory I wanted my daughters to acknowledge territory by using language.” Deptuck then began to look at other options. After searching online, she found a video by Eli Hirtle called “Voices on the Rise” that featured Gary and Adam’s personal journey with the language — which was helped along by a mentor-apprentice program run by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. “I did four or five years with Adam out of that program. That’s how I brought him to the language, and he caught on to it really well,” said Gary. Gary said that he is proud of his son Adam’s teaching abilities. Along with teaching at the art gallery, Adam has taught Hul’q’umi’num’ in the local school district as well as at the Stz’uminus Community School. Their efforts towards the promotion of their language have not gone unnoticed. In January, the City of Nanaimo announced that both Gary and Adam had been selected for an Honour in Heritage Award, which “recognizes individuals, groups and corporations who demonstrate outstanding support, advocacy, promotion or interpretation of Nanaimo’s heritage and history.” The two will be honoured at the city’s 2020 Culture & Heritage Awards on April 16.
The next language series offered by the NAG starts on March 31.
Gary Manson shares stories at the Vancouver Island Regional Library in Nanaimo on Feb. 11
Adam Manson shares a laugh with a participant after class
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Klahoose Chief Kevin Peacey, left, with employees Paul Muskee and Aleata Vanstone, who all travelled to the Netherlands in January. Submitted photo. 18 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
KLAHOOSE LOOKS TO REVAMP TOURISM AFTER NETHERLANDS TRIP
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QMXC manager Bruno Pereira, left, and Chief Kevin Peacey at the Klahoose office.
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Four representatives from nation travelled to Utrecht for major tourism conference
Esther Lagendijk, who is with the Vakentiebeurs fair and helped Klahoose to prepare for the event, stands at the Klahoose booth. Submitted photo.
After attending a major tourism conference in the Netherlands, Klahoose leaders are inspired to utilize what they’ve learned through the nation’s business. Four representatives from the Cortes Island-based community attended the Vakantiebeurs fair in the city of Utrecht between January 16 to 19. The group was representing the tourism company Klahoose Coastal Adventures, which is known for its bear tours through Toba Inlet. At the conference centre, the group that included Chief Kevin Peacey saw about 25,000 people funnel through each day. Peacey said Klahoose was the only Canadian Indigenous tourism company to attend the five-day event. The nation chose to go because many of their tourism clients are Dutch. “It was just a great experience, getting to know their culture and what their needs are when they come into British Columbia,” Peacey said in an interview. “They’re looking for more than a one-day package. They’re looking for, like, a three-day package that includes culture, which gives us great ideas on what we can do.” Peacey said ideas that are now brewing for the upcoming tourism season this spring and summer include hiring band members to work as cultural guides. The nation is also now looking at creating a campsite on Cortes Island and building cabins in Toba Inlet so people can stay longer than just one day. The bear season is about two and half months, Peacey explained, but the new types of tours could go for about to five months per year. “This is going to be our first season of on-ground tourism here in the Klahoose village,” he said. The nation is also going to be operating its tourism company independently, explained Bruno Pereira. Pereira is the general manager of Klahoose’s company Qathen Xwegus Management Corporation (QXMC), the parent company of Klahoose Coastal Adventures and other band-run businesses. “The way it’s run right now, we get all our clients through Campbell River … so we have no control on the flow of customers,” he said. “We want to change that completely.” Peacey said he wants to see Klahoose stop being the “middle person” when it comes to its own businesses, and for the nation to increase its presence and brand to become a tourism leader in the area. Work began on that initiative in the last year, when Klahoose hired Pereira. Pereia said his first move in his new role was to bring QXMC, which previously operated at a distance, into the community. Now, the corporation operates in Klahoose’s administration building, which has allowed members to be more engaged with business. “One of the biggest things with Klahoose is … to start doing more of the business on our own instead of having to go through people,” Peacey said. “Especially when they’re using our territory.” More information and updates about the tours can be found at www.klahoosecoastaladventures.com.
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‘PLANE OF RECONCILIATION’ HONOURS INDIGENOUS VETERANS Thunderbird design on plane was originally designed in consultation with K’ómoks Chief Andy Frank and Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Mungo Martin An airplane display that honours Indigenous veterans is now hanging at the Comox Valley Airport. The “Plane of Reconciliation” project is a replica First World War Nieuport Biplane that was donated by the late Captain David Freeman — a longtime pilot who wanted to commemorate Indigenous veterans. With his donation of the plane, Freeman had requested that the Comox Canadian Forces Base unit badge design to be added to the display. The badge features a Kwakiutl Thunderbird design that was originally designed in 22 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
consultation with K’ómoks Chief Andy Frank and Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Mungo Martin in the early 1960s. The design was since re created by Martin’s great grandson, Hereditary Chief “walas `Namugwis” David Mungo Knox for the Plane of Reconciliation. Knox spoke during an event at the airport on Feb. 10, saying that the thunderbird is an important symbol for many nations across Canada. “It’s one of the biggest crests amongst all coasts,” he said. “It’s just one that’s always recognized and respected.”
During the event, $13,500 in federal funding was announced for the Comox Valley Airport Commission in support of the project. “I’m pleased to announce our support for such a meaningful commemorative project,” said Lawrence MacAulay, minister of veteran affairs and associate minister of national defence, in a statement. Comox Valley Airport CEO Alex Robertson also recognized the “significant contributions by the K’ómoks First Nation in this collaborative display.”
Artist Davis Mungo Knox, Veteran Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay, North Island—Powell River MP Rachel Blaney, Comox Valley Airport CEO Alex Robertson
Tsleil-Waututh member Rueben George speaks during a press conference Feb 4.
‘THIS IS NOT GOING TO STOP US,’ SAY NATIONS AFTER PIPELINE LAWSUIT RULING After appeal court defeat, Supreme Court of Canada the last stop for case against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, as its building costs balloon. By David P. Ball The First Nations who sued to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say they’re “disappointed but not surprised” by a major setback in court — and even before the ruling had already filed paperwork for the case’s final stage, at the Supreme Court of Canada. Just days after three Federal Court of Appeal judges unanimously rejected the largest Indigenous legal challenge, the Crown 24 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
corporation behind the project revealed its costs had ballooned from $9 billion to nearly $13 billion. “As disappointing as it is … this is one step and only one step; we have far, far to go in this journey,” said Chief Leah George-Wilson, leader of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, one of the plaintiffs in the case, during a press conference Feb. 4. The three judges all agreed that Ottawa had
done everything it needed to do to consult with First Nations impacted by the pipeline, particularly after being forced to restart those efforts in a previous court case. “This was anything but a rubber-stamping exercise,” the judges wrote, ruling that opposition to a project doesn’t mean First Nations can block it because, “as a practical matter there would be no end to consultation, the project would never be approved, and the
applicants would have a de facto veto right over it.” Chief George-Wilson said that means the new ruling will have wide-ranging effects beyond B.C. but affect “all Indigenous nations.” The case was filed by Tsleil-Waututh and Sḵwxwú7mesh Nations, several Stó:lō bands, and Coldwater Indian Band near Merritt, B.C. They argued governments failed to adequately consult with them in their push to proceed with Trans Mountain’s expansion, despite harm to their traditional territories. According to lawyer Bruce McIvor, with First Peoples Law Corporation, the court rejecting the those arguments was “no surprise.” “The law on duty to consult has just become more and more of an ineffective tool,” said McIvor, who was not involved in the case. “If the court says they didn’t consult properly, sometimes the outcome is the government now has been given a roadmap on which boxes they can tick. “Part of the irony is that it’s been Indigenous people who have taken all these cases to court for all these years, spending their time, energy and money — but when (governments) come back, they’re more than likely to get approval and get the benefit of the doubt.”
The pipeline has operated since the 1950s, but in 2017 the federal government bought it from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion and turned it into a Crown corporation, inheriting the plan to expand its capacity by nearly three times to 890,000 barrels a day from Alberta’s oilsands to its Burnaby terminal on the Salish Sea. That would increase oil tanker traffic sevenfold through the traditional waters of the TsleilWaututh, Sḵwxwú7mesh and other nations — and they argue with that the risk of a catastrophic oil spill impacting the waters, fisheries and species they’ve depended on for millennia. The Crown corporation says its project meets world-class safety standards, and that it has put measures in place to prevent and clean up any accidents. It says it has signed 58 benefit agreements with other First Nations, worth more than $500 million. Its CEO said in a statement he was “pleased” with the ruling and that the court-ordered extra Indigenous consultation “represented an immense undertaking by many parties,” said Ian Anderson. “After many years of consultation and review,” he said, “we are pleased to be able to continue moving forward and building the project in
respect of communities, and for the benefit of Canadians.” Previous lawsuits involving environmental groups and the cities of Burnaby and Vancouver were already thrown out by various levels of court, leaving the Indigenous-led case standing alone as the last legal avenue. The provincial New Democrat government, which was elected on a promise to use “every tool in the toolkit” to stop Trans Mountain, responded that it respected the court’s decision. “It’s important for the Prime Minister and Premier, and all leaders considering their options on this, that there are a lot of people willing to do a lot to defend our coast and our communities,” said Khelsilem, councilor with Sḵwxwú7mesh nation. “It requires strength and courage to stand up to unjust laws.” The nations behind the case had in fact already launched their appeal of the earlier appeals court decision against them last November, for which they are still waiting for the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision whether to hear it. They are still deciding whether to also challenge the new ruling as well. “Our work is not done,” Chief George-Wilson said. “This is not going to stop us.”
TWN Chief Leah George-Wilson.
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EXHIBIT FEATURING COLOURFUL BLOCKADE BANNERS OPENS IN VANCOUVER
Banners by Indigenous artists were previously in police custody after being flown in the path of tanker traffic — now they are on display to the public at MOV By Jen St. Denis For months, seven painted banners languished in garbage bags in an RCMP evidence room as police considered pressing charges against 12 people who flew them while blocking oil tankers. Now the banners are on display at the Museum of Vancouver — and for the artists who designed them, the exhibit is one way to keep telling the story of opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Will George (Swaysən) designed one of the streamers and was one of the people who rappelled themselves from the Iron Workers Memorial bridge during the 30-hour action. “Art … in our culture has always told the story,” said George. “From my experience we don’t feel like we have a voice anymore. The pipeline’s been approved, there’s nothing we can do, it’s how a lot of the younger people feel. “So if I can help encourage, inspire as many as I can, that would be great.” On July 3, 2018, the Indigenous and Greenpeace activists lowered themselves from ropes to hang off of Vancouver’s Iron Workers Memorial Bridge and stop oil tankers from plying the waters of Burrard Inlet. Fluttering above each hanging protesters’ head was a banner designed by a different artist. George’s banner is based on the traditional Coast Salish tattoo design he has on his arm. Marissa Nahanee (Maykw Cha7em) of Sḵwxwú7mesh Nation designed a streamer that depicts the phases of the moon, symbolizing “that we’ve been here for many generations, for time out of mind,” she said. “In this new era of technology and people coming to our land, we’re once again faced with the challenge of saving our land, saving our habitat, and to do that we need to work with one another.” Ed Archie NoiseCat’s banner is painted with a yin-yang design of two orcas; a black hand that trails the whales could also be interpreted as a trail of oil, he said. The exhibition opened just one day after Canada’s federal court of appeal ruled against
several First Nations, including the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, who had argued that the federal government had not adequately consulted with Indigenous people on the pipeline expansion. It was one more setback in a years-long saga that has seen many First Nations, some municipal governments and environmental activists oppose the plan to twin an existing pipeline that carries oil from Alberta to an oceanside terminal in Burrard Inlet. For the artists whose work is being displayed at the Museum of Vancouver, the fight is far from over. “It just makes me all the more dedicated to what I’ve been doing, which I intend to keep doing until I die,” said NoiseCat of the court ruling. Sharon Fortney knew as soon as she saw the blockade being live-streamed on Twitter that she’d like to include the banners in the museum’s collection. “I was just really struck by the power of this action and how beautiful it was,” said Fortney, the curator of Indigenous collections and engagement with MOV. “It’s very rooted in territory and the local art traditions.” When the charges being considered against the land defenders were dismissed and the nylon banners were returned to Greenpeace, Fortney approached the environmental organization to ask about adding them to the museum’s collection. Museum staff then began the process of restoring the crumpled banners to their original glory. The banners were created as protest art, and longterm preservation wasn’t top of mind when Greenpeace activists painted the artists’ designs onto ripstop nylon, Fortney said. That means the paint is now cracking, so the museum is trying to find ways to extend the life of the banners. Nahanee said the collaboration with MOV is exciting and groundbreaking. “I feel respected and heard, which is not typically the case with museums and Indigenous art,” Nahanee said. “In the past, art would have been taken. Now we feel respected and honoured.” The exhibit will be on display until July. Marissa Nahanee stands with her banner.
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Marissa Nahanee stands with her banner.
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LIL’WAT LANGUAGE ADVOCATE APPOINTED TO ORDER OF CANADA Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams being honoured for contributions to Indigenous education and language revitalization Language advocate and educator Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams has been appointed to the Order of Canada. Williams was one of 120 new appointments by the governor general that were announced in late 2019. The Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest honours, given to “people whose service shapes our society, whose innovations ignite our imaginations, and whose compassion unites our communities,” according to a release from Canada. Williams was chosen “for her contributions to Indigenous education and for her advocacy of Indigenous language revitalization programs.” Williams, a member of Lil’wat Nation, has spent her career revitalizing language and culture within the education system and her own community. In 1973, she was part of opening the second band-run school in Canada in Mount Currie, where she worked to develop an innovative curriculum that meshed Lil’wat and Euro-Canadian knowledge together. She also led the development of degrees in Indigenous Language Revitalization and Counseling in Indigenous Communities at the University of Victoria, along with a mandatory course in Indigenous education for teaching students. Williams was recently honoured with a 2018 Indspire award for her work in education. Nearly 7,500 people in total have been appointed to the Order of Canada since its inception in 1967.
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