Volume 14 . Issue 10
December 2018 - January 2019
INDIGENOUS ROCK & ROLL
RON PEACEY: HOMALCO ELVIS
PAGES 8 - 9
TRIBAL X
PAGES 10 - 11
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NAUT’SA MAWT TRIBAL COUNCIL NATIONS
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 DESIGN & LAYOUT Kelly Landry & Marissa Nahanee ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION Todd Peacey ads@salishseasentinel.ca PUBLISHER
Gary Reith, CAO Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council 330-6165 Highway 17A Delta, B.C., V4K 5B8 604-943-6712 or 1-888-382-7711 PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #42922026 Undeliverable mail may be returned to: 330-6165 Highway 17A Delta, B.C., V4K 5B8 circulation@salishseasentinel.ca
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.
© 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. COVER: Ron Peacey of Homalco First Nation plays at the Canadian Bluemoon Elvis Festival. Photo by Todd Peacey.
The Salish Sea map was created in 2009 by Stefan Freelan at Western Washington University
1. HALALT (250) 246-4736 chief@halalt.org www.halalt.org
7. SNAW-NAW-AS (Nanoose) (250) 390-3661 chris.bob@nanoose.org www.nanoose.org
2. HOMALCO (250) 923-4979
8. STZ’UMINUS (Ladysmith) (250) 245-7155 Ray.Gauthier@coastsalishdevcorp.com www.stzuminus.com
3. KLAHOOSE Qathen Xwegus Management Corp (250) 935-6536 www.klahoose.com 4. K'ÒMOKS (250) 339-4545 http://www.komoks.ca 5. MALAHAT (250) 743-3231 caroline.harry@malahatnation.com www.malahatnation.com 6. TLA’AMIN (604) 483-9646 clint.williams@tn-bc.ca www.tlaaminnation.com
9. TSAWWASSEN (604) 943-2122 info@tsawwassenfirstnation.com www.tsawwassenfirstnation.com 10. TSLEIL-WAUTUTH (604) 929-3454 cao@twnation.ca www.twnation.ca 11. T’SOU-KE (Sooke) (250) 642-3957 administrator@tsoukenation.com www.tsoukenation.com
Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council 8017 Chemainus Road Chemainus, B.C., V0R 1K5 (250) 324-1800 • www.nautsamawt.org
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 1
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Photo: Musqueam drummers perform. File photo.
MUSQUEAM RECLAIMS NEW PIECE OF c̓ əsnaʔəm City of Vancouver has returned part of important village site to its original caretakers
Musqueam Indian Band has officially reclaimed another piece of its important village site c̓əsnaʔəm. The City of Vancouver announced that it has returned a portion of the site to its original caretakers, Musqueam. The property at 8902 Milton Street – currently a parking lot -- sits on the banks of the Fraser River at the south end of Granville Street. c̓əsnaʔəm was never ceded by Musqueam and continues to be significant to the nation’s identity. It was once a burial site and contains many important cultural belongings. Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow said the new acquisition means the nation is one step closer to its long-term goal of protecting the entire village site. “Musqueam has successfully acquired
several portions of the c̓əsnaʔəm site in order to protect and preserve our heritage,” he said in a statement. “Seeking the return of the remaining parcels of c̓əsnaʔəm is consistent with our responsibilities as caretakers of our culture and history.” According to a statement from the City of Vancouver, leadership donated the property to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Musqueam Indian Band and will help to convert it to a protected heritage property.
The land transfer was announced at an event at Musqueam on Oct. 16. Musqueam has been advocating for the protection and return of c̓əsnaʔəm and what’s buried below the industrial residential area that sits on top of it. The nation purchased the Fraser Arms Hotel on Marine Drive in 1991. In 2012, members of the community held a vigil in c̓əsnaʔəm for more than 200 days after development on another portion of the site unearthed human remains, and was eventually able to purchase those land parcels back. “The site is invaluable in preserving a small, tangible and intangible part of our history and culture that, unlike so much else, has to date survived non-Aboriginal settlement in our traditional lands,” Sparrow said. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 3
Homalco Elder Rita Pimlott, centre, stands with guests at the event
CEDAR BASKET COLLECTION GIFTED TO TLA’AMIN Homalco Elder Rita Pimlott presented nation with weavings created by her late aunt Jeannie Dominick
By Doreen Hopkins, Tla’amin elders coordinator Photos by Phil Russell
(Above) Rita Pimlott shows off her late aunt’s weavings. (Right) Tla’amin Culture Manager Drew Blaney checks out the baskets.
4 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
A decades-old collection of cedar baskets and cultural items has been gifted to Tla’amin Nation by Homalco Elder Rita Pimlott. The baskets were woven by Rita’s late aunt Jeannie Dominick, who lived and was placed to rest in Tla’amin territory. She also has relatives in the area. Rita invited Tla’amin elders to K’omoks for a luncheon on Oct, 16, where she gifted Tla’amin with about a dozen cedar baskets, some of which were crafted as long as 100 years ago. The ownership of the collection will be with Tla’amin Nation, however since Tla’amin does not have the space for the baskets, they will be displayed at the Powell River Museum for everyone to view.
Janet Moore (right) with her husband Les. File photo.
ELDER PROFI
The knitter, language
By Edith Moore, NmTC communications liaison Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council is run with guidance from an Elders Council with representatives from its 11 member nations. The Salish Sea Sentinel is profiling a new elder from the council each month. My mother Janet Moore was the first elder to volunteer to represent her community and sit on Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council’s Elders Council when it began several years ago. She has represented Halalt on the council since 2016, and is inspired by serving her community. Her traditional name is Hwum’mi’ya, which she shares with her Grand Aunt Josephine Thomas from Esquimalt. Jan (as she likes to be called) was born in Malahat Nation to Hereditary Chief Christopher Norris and Edith Norris (nee Thorne) of 6 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
ILE: HALALT’S JANET MOORE (HWUM’MI’YA)
e speaker, mother and teacher represents her nation on NmTC’s Elders Council Halalt First Nation. She was raised at Halalt in a small 2-bedroom house with her 15 siblings. They had no running water or plumbing. Gleaning from her mom, she became a skilled knitter and spinner. She would take wool right from the farm and spin it into beautiful Cowichan sweaters, vests, toques, mittens, and socks. Hul’qumi’num was the spoken language in Jan’s home throughout her childhood, which led to her working with the Cowichan Tribes to develop the first
Hul’qumi’num dictionary. Jan’s newly rekindled passion for her language as well as her love of children, had her working as a Cultural Teaching Assistant in local daycares and elementary schools. It was here she helped write a wonderful traditional cookbook that integrates the Hul’qumi’num language. Jan worked as a live-in nanny and a care attendant in the Nanaimo Indian Hospital before she settled down as a wife and mother. In 1958, Jan met and fell in love with Les Moore, a minister from England,
who happened to be traveling through Canada. It wasn`t long before they started their own family together. Life, along with their three children, became dedicated to sharing and translating Bible teachings. This is just a glimpse into a remarkable woman’s life. One who always has a welcoming food on the table and an open door to people she meets. Her voice at this table with all her experience is priceless, and we want to acknowledge her commitment to being a great role model. SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 7
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RON PEACEY: HOMALCO ELVIS Tribute artist from Campbell River hopes to compete in U.S. next year
By Cara McKenna Photos by Todd Peacey When Ron Peacey attended his first Elvis tribute festival just a few years ago, he was watching an impersonator on stage thought to himself: “I could do this.” Peacey had played with bands for about 30 years previously, so becoming an Elvis Tribute Artist (or ETA, as they’re called in the industry) came naturally to him. In 2016, he competed for the first time at an annual festival in Penticton. He made the finals. “It was a big boost for me to keep going with this,” he said in an interview. “You just have to pick what you can do well and there’s so much to choose from, I think there’s 750 songs that he did, all in all. That’s a lot of songs.”
Peacey knows about 50 of those songs, many of them from The King’s 1970s era. Before becoming an Elvis tribute act, he covered some of his songs with his band The Impalas. He also became familiar with his discography growing up thanks to his parents who would take him to Elvis movies and play his music around the house. Living in Campbell River, Peacey is now one of the only official Elvis Tribute Artists on Vancouver Island and does private performances all over the area. It’s a pricey endeavour to compete – the custom jumpsuits alone can cost up to $1,500 each – but Peacey can make some of that back by booking private shows. “I feel different when I’m dressed,” he said.
“I’ve met guys from Australia, England, all over the U.S., Canada … and we all do the same sort of thing because we love Elvis and keeping his memory alive.” Peacey has made the finals twice so far in local Elvis competitions. There are competitions sanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises around North America, with the ultimate one being in Memphis, TN. “I’m going to branch out and try to do some U.S. festivals and competitions next year,” he said. This winter, Peacey has plans to perform in Las Vegas. More information about Peacey, can be found at www.facebook.com/ronpeaceyeta.
SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 9
TRIBAL X PLAYS HARD ROCK WITH INDIGENOUS EDGE ‘We play to that sense of if it can be done, we’ll do it’
By Cara McKenna On an Autumn night at their jam space in Maple Ridge, Indigenous hard rock band Tribal X are playing a cover of the German metal band Accept’s popular song Balls to the Wall. It’s not the easiest track to sing, but vocalist Andrew Campbell – who is Homalco and Musqueam -- is belting out the song’s high-pitched howls with ease. “We’re a band of many styles,” Campbell says. “We play to that sense of if it can be done, we’ll do it.” Tribal X consists of four members, with River Kane of Big Stone Cree Nation on Guitar, Paul Harrison of Nisga’a on bass and Leon Wesley of Fisher River Cree Nation on drums. The band was originally called Tribal Rage, but switched to Tribal X because it was “less angry,” Kane explained. The ‘X’ is also steeped in meaning, including representing the Medicine Wheel and four directions. 10 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
“We had a conversation one time about where we fit in,” Wesley said. “I don’t fit in the city, I don’t fit on the reserve, where do I fit in? I’m in Tribe X. I’m walking in two worlds.” The band’s original music is influenced by rock bands like AC/DC, Megadeth, Guns N’ Roses and Black Sabbath, but with songs that talk about the realities of being Indigenous. One song, Academia, is a ballad about residential school. Another, Take, talks about the environmental destruction that comes with resource extraction. “Being able to headbang to the issues is important to us,” Wesley laughed. “We talked about that and how we should do something to reach some of our youth.” Tribal X formed in 2015 with Wesley and Kane, who are both Indigenous enhancement workers in the Surrey School District. Kane added that though some of their music talks about intense issues, it’s not inyour-face political, and they still want it to be music people can have fun listening to.
“What’s interesting about our music is that it’s disguised, in a way. Almost anyone can relate to it,” Kane added. “We want our music to appeal to everybody.” Their duality makes Tribal X able to play everywhere from Indigenous events such as Talking Stick Festival, to classic Vancouver music venues like Pat’s Pub. The band regularly plays shows across the Lower Mainland and hopes to soon tour Western Canada. The band is also working on an EP that’s set to be released in 2019. “We got accepted for a Canadian Council of Music grant, so we have that,” Wesley said. “Our main focus right now is to get our EP going.” More information about Tribal X including tour dates and information about their upcoming release can be found at www. facebook.com/TribalXMusic.
From left: Paul Harrison, Andrew Campbell, River Kane and Leon Wesley.
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INDIGENOUS VETERANS HONOURED WITH CEREMONY
Annual National Aboriginal Veterans Day events held in Vancouver Indigenous veterans past and present were honoured in Coast Salish territory during a ceremony at a Vancouver cenotaph on Nov. 8. Dozens of people marched on National Aboriginal Veterans Day from Main and Hastings to the Victory Square war memorial, where people laid wreaths. The annual memorial day is meant to acknowledge the particular sacrifices made by thousands of Indigenous Canadian veterans who have served in the military. Joy Dockrey, a Saskatchewan Cree navy veteran who is from the Downtown Eastside, works with other Indigenous veterans in Vancouver. She explained that many people don’t understand why Nov. 8 is designated specifically for Indigenous veterans. “It comes with a very traumatic history that is separate from other veterans,” Dockrey said. 14 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
“We do walk with our brothers and sisters on Nov. 11, but when our Indigenous people went to war … they were asked to give up their status.” Because they had to surrender their status, Indigenous veterans also weren’t entitled to the same benefits as other veterans – such as financial assistance and healthcare -- when they returned home. “When they came back they were twice traumatized,” Dockrey said. “When they went to get financial settlements from the Canadian government … they were told to go back to their reservations and talk to the people in charge there. They didn’t have reservations to go back to because they gave up their status.” Dockrey said many Indigenous people continued to enlist because it was the only thing they knew, and they only place they felt comfortable and included. The annual National Aboriginal Veterans
Day events in Vancouver are coordinated by Kelly White of Snuneymuxw. The day began with events at Main and Hastings before people marched to the cenotaph and concluded with a reception at Vancouver’s Indigenous friendship centre. Robert Nahanee, a veteran from Squamish Nation, served in the Canadian Forces from 1960 to 1974. He acknowledged about all the Indigenous warriors who have fought for freedom, from veterans to his own relatives who were in the Native Brotherhood of B.C. in the 1930s. “Our grandfathers were warriors for our rights and our inherent right to freedom,” he said. “That’s what a veteran does is protect his people, protect his family, protect the land.”
Tsawwassen Chief Bryce Williams and Executive Councillor Andrea Jacobs paid their respects.
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Event organizer Kelly White, left, reviews the day's agenda.
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Veteran Robert Nahanee of Squamish Nation waits for the wreath ceremony to begin.
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From left: panelists Christie Lee Charles, Cease Wyss and Irwin Oostindie.
REDRESS IN THE ARTS: SUPPORTING COAST SALISH CREATORS
Numbers show Coast Salish artists chronically underfunded, underrepresented in Metro Vancouver People from Vancouver’s arts community discussed how to better work with and support Coast Salish creators during an event at the annual Heart of the City festival. The event titled “Reconciliation and the Arts” on Oct. 26 was geared towards people working in the arts and culture community on Coast Salish territory. After the event was fully registered, its organizers sent out an email to attendees to make it clear that the event was going to focus on actually making change, since the concept of “reconciliation” has become so watered-down. 18 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
“We have included the word ‘reconciliation’ in the title to entice you,” the email said. “We have every intention to stay away from that and shift the conversation towards redress where it needs to be to realize change.” During the event at Simon Fraser University’s downtown campus, Christie Lee Charles of Musqueam, Cease Wyss of Squamish and organizer Irwin Oostindie spoke in a panel about Coast Salish art in Vancouver. The hosts then introduced other speakers
from around the arts community before the dozens of attendees broke into smaller groups to discuss what redress could mean within their own workplaces and communities. Charles, a hip-hop artist who was recently named Vancouver’s poet laureate, spoke about how Haida art is everywhere in the city even though the land is Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. “This is art to people, like a fine art,” she said. “But to us, it’s a way of life. It’s passing down histories, knowledges.”
Oostindie, a grad student at SFU, said he crunched the numbers and found that Coast Salish artists are chronically underfunded and underrepresented in Vancouver. He said just three per cent of Canada Council for the Arts’ Indigenous arts funding in Metro Vancouver is going to Coast Salish artists. Out of Canada Council for the Arts’ funding for all art in Metro Vancouver, just 0.2 per cent goes to Coast Salish artists. At the Vancouver Art Gallery, he said, 99.9 per cent of featured artists have not been Coast Salish. “Why are we not in an uproar, as an arts community?” Oostindie asked. “Redress is about remedying things, putting things right. I would say personally as a settler, as a visitor, this should be a renaissance for Coast Salish artists … where millions of dollars are supporting Indigenous art from the land here.” Maynard Johnny Jr., a Penelakut and Kwakwaka’wakw artist, said working in Vancouver hasn’t always been easy as a Coast Salish artmaker. “I came here more than a year and a half ago with the intention of painting Vancouver Coast Salish and it’s going to be a long road,” he said. “For me working in the art market has been a struggle, yet it’s been a great teacher. … We all have to work together and I want to educate people with art.” Oostindie said it was the fourth year putting on a “Reconciliation and the Arts” event, and it keeps growing and evolving. “It’s always a big crowd and we always say we should do it differently or bigger each year,” he said. “I was thinking (that next) it should just be a two-day conference or something, because this work is so deep and so complex and there is so little being done.”
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AROUND THE SALISH SEA
Kwantlen drum-maker Brandon Gabriel speaks at Deer Lake Gallery on Nov. 3.
KWANTLEN ARTIST EDUCATES ABOUT COAST SALISH DRUMMING Brandon Gabriel (Kwelexwelsten) spoke about drum-making, culture at Deer Lake Gallery in Burnaby
Brandon Gabriel (Kwelexwelsten) of Kwantlen First Nation is a Coast Salish artist and drum-maker who has worked with hundreds of people to build drums over the past decade. Gabriel grew up in the Kwantlen community and his father is also a drum-maker. He regularly gives talks around the Lower Mainland in schools and public spaces to educate about Indigenous history and culture. On Nov. 3, Gabriel spoke at an event at Deer Lake Gallery in Burnaby about Coast Salish drum-making and the culture around it. At the talk, a small group of guests took turns asking Gabriel questions about the history of drum-making, its contemporary role and the issue of cultural appropriation.
Gabriel hosts small drum-making workshops and spoke about how that has included non-Indigenous people, with his stipulation being that students must be willing to tell their own story in some way through the act of making a drum. “I actually want people who are doing that work to search and find some reason why they’re doing it,” he said. “It should be taken not as a token but as something very serious for the work that they’re doing in their journey.” Gabriel said although he grew up in Kwantlen, he didn’t see people in his community making art because of colonial realities. He said when he discovered his culture, he found healing and motivation to create. His art is now showcased around the world. “It wasn’t until I was in my early teens I
was exposed to the art of Bill Reid, Susan Point from Musqueam, Robert Davidson who was a Haida artist,” he said. “I saw a living and breathing embodiment of Indigenous artmaking that was occurring on this land that was beautiful and awe-inspiring.” Gabriel said he now considers it a project of his to educate the community around him. “I’ve been doing versions of these talks for years … (and) people come into the room with various understandings of their place and their role in this colonial epicentre that we are now enveloped in,” Gabriel said. “With it comes a lot of curiosity, there are a lot of questions, I do my best to explain things the best I can in a thoughtful way, so people are invited to have their own say and own thoughts about it.” SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 21
Homalco Councillor Kelsie Robinson
PANEL HIGHLIGHTS COAST SALISH TOURISM GROWTH
Homalco, Snuneymuxw reps presented at 2018 Vancouver Island Economic Summit By Cara McKenna and Todd Peacey Photos by Todd Peacey Representatives from Homalco and Snuneymuxw spoke about their nations’ successes in the tourism industry during a panel discussion at the 2018 Vancouver Island Economic Summit. The panel on Oct. 25 was meant to highlight the cultural and economic benefits of Indigenous tourism on the Island. The event was part of the larger and more general two-day summit event. Erralyn Thomas, a councillor with 22 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Snuneymuxw, opened the discussion by speaking about her nation’s tourism plan for Saysutshun (Newcastle Island). Chief and council approved a business plan for Saysutshun about a year ago in partnership with the City of Nanaimo and Province of B.C. “That plan identifies proposed and planned facilities that expand our current ones,” she said. “It is a sacred village site … so we are interested to preserve (that) but also provide cultural amenities on the island to residents of Nanaimo, visitors and the public
at large.” Thomas said the plan for Saysutshun includes an amphitheatre, an artisan village, a longhouse, an adventure centre and a restaurant. Snuneymuxw already owns the ferry service from Nanaimo to Saysutshun and hosts interpretive walking tours on the island. “We’re focusing on these tourism initiatives,” she said. “(And we’re) growing faster than rate of a small business based on conventional industry standards.” Homalco Councillor Kelsie Robinson also
spoke during the panel, highlighting his community’s cultural successes with its bear and culture tours. Robinson, who has worked as a guide for the Bears of Bute tours, talked about how there were Indigenous guides on the tours for years but no in-depth cultural component until recently. “We were hit pretty hard with residential schools and we lost a lot of our songs, a lot of our language. There was no singing and drumming in Homalco for decades,” he said. “In 2015 we had a crash course from Erik and Drew Blaney from Tla’amin Nation, who came over and taught us some of their songs.” Homalco Wildlife Tours now incorporates legends, language and songs, and most of the guides are youth from the community. “It’s very empowering when you learn your culture,” he said. “You change your mindset.” Lillian Hunt, an independent tour guide in Alert Bay, and Trevor Cootes, a councillor from Huu-ay-aht First Nation, also participated in the panel. JP Obaggy of Homalco Wildlife Tours moderated the event, and spoke about how he is excited to be working with Homalco after more than 25 years working in the tourism industry. “This is a very exciting topic for me,” he said. “The economic value of tourism is undeniable. What I find most inspiring is positive change to nations and people that tourism can provide.”
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West Coast Environmental Law staff lawyer Eugene Kung.
NEW NEB PROCESS FOR PIPELINE ‘FLAWED,’ LEADERS SAY Indigenous leaders say federal regulator is repeating same mistakes, causing second court action to brew
Canada’s energy regular is repeating the same mistakes when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, say leaders who are opposed to the project. The National Energy Board (NEB) is redoing its evaluation of Trans Mountain after the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the pipeline’s approval by Canada on August 30. The court ruling came after First Nations representatives along the pipeline route including Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish said the NEB process didn’t properly look at marine impacts and failed to adequately consult them. But Indigenous leaders held a press conference on Oct. 23 warning that the new assessment process is just as flawed as the last one and could be grounds for yet another court action. “We’re still here standing up to the flawed system which is the NEB,” said Tsleil-Waututh representative 24 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
Cedar George-Parker. “We’re still going to stand up, we’re not backing down.” The federal government has ordered the NEB to review the project’s marine impacts and issue a report before Feb. 22, limiting the geographic scope to 12 nautical miles off B.C.’s coast. But Eugene Kung, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, said the scope should actually be 200 nautical miles in order to properly assess the impacts on marine life such as endangered southern resident killer whales. He said the regulatory process has been the “worst” he’s ever seen, and that he is disappointed that the process has not improved. “Even though they have to make a fresh decision they’re doing so on stale evidence,” he said. “This is not just a problem with the NEB, this is I believe a larger pattern that we’re
seeing play out in the consultation as well.” Squamish Nation Coun. Khelsilem, Vancouver Coun. Jean Swanson, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and Coldwater Indian Band Chief Lee Spahan also spoke about their concerns about the new assessment process. Spahan said the pipeline route goes through key harvesting and ceremonial sites for his nation. “It’s a huge concern to Coldwater,” he said. “The NEB and the timeline, it’s so short and it’s so flawed. How can Justin Trudeau call this meaningful?” Phillip said another court action is imminent if the process continues on as it is. “There must be consent all along the pipeline route and as everyone in this room knows there is a deep division,” he said. “We’re past the era of (not consulting) … You can’t build a pipeline in a warzone.”
GATHERING BRINGS THREE NATIONS TOGETHER
People from Homalco, Tla’amin, Klahoose shared food, songs, teachings By Cyndi Pallen, Tla’amin Nation Photos by Phil Russell Homalco cultural worker Larry Hanson organized a gathering on Nov. 6 to bring people together in celebration. Larry recently started his new role with Homalco, and the gathering in Camp-
bell River was one of the first that he’s planned. He invited people from the sister nations – Tla’amin and Klahoose – and he called the event “Indian Summer” because it was such a beautiful day with high temperatures. The weather was perfect! Elders, families and youth shared in the
cultural food -- open BBQ salmon -which was a treat. Drummers and singers from the three communities shared songs throughout the day and this would be part of an revitalization of the culture and teachings of our forefathers’ and ancestors, in which all three nations share. Emote’ Quihe’gun!
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B.C. FUNDS TRANSITION HOUSE BEDS IN SNUNEYMUXW
Photo courtesy of Government of B.C. The Snuneymuxw Youth and Family Society has been funded to operate 10 transition house beds as part of a larger B.C. government initiative to help women and children fleeing violence. The province announced it will build 280 new transition houses with 12 projects that will be operated by non-profit providers across B.C. The projects are aimed at helping all women and children, but the initiative in Snuneymuxw will primarily serve Indigenous women and children and include cultural supports. A press release from the province on Oct. 25 said the funding will be a first step in a $734 million investment over 10 years, with plans to build a total of 1,500 various-stage housing spaces for women and children fleeing violence. B.C. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson said the first projects will make an impact because it’s the first major investment in transition housing in more than two decades. “For too long, a lack of investment has meant women and children looking for help at a desperate time have found themselves with nowhere to turn,” she said in a statement. “These homes are just the beginning of those to come over the next 10 years, as we work with non-profit partners to ensure more women and children have safe places to regroup, rebuild and reclaim their lives.” B.C. has a goal of getting 500 new housing units underway within the next three years and 1,500 over the next decade, according to the release. 28 • SALISH SEA SENTINEL
WAYLON LEIGH DAVIS JOE D.O.B.: April 11, 1982 (36 yrs.) 5’10”, 195 lbs, medium build Short brown hair, hazel eyes Last seen on the evening of Monday, August 13, 2018 at his home in the 1700 block of Tsawwassen Drive, Tsawwassen First Nation, BC. If you have seen Waylon or have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Delta Police Department at 604-946-4411. For anonymous tips, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 and refer to Delta file number 18-18549 SALISH SEA SENTINEL • 29