Nesika: The Voice of B.C. Indians -- Vol. 1 No. 1 (September 1972)

Transcription (Hover to view)



PAGE TWO







“NESIKA”

P.M, TRUDEAU “ACCEPTS NATIVE CLAIM ,
. from Mrs, Teneese as Victor. Guerin and:Sam Mitchell watch.



Compensation sought —

(Continued from Page 1)

Union, answered Mr. Trudeau’s
question on the future by saying
(hat if the Indians of the province
are allowed to redeem their
resources, they will then be able to
work. fowards a better tomorrow.

“What we're asking is for you to
vive us the tools,” said Chief
Maitland. :

GIVE US JUSTICE

Cook's Ferry band chief Forrest
Walkem told the Prime Minister;
apparently in reference to the

- question ‘about the Indian Act:
“Tf justice is to be given us, I’m
sure it can be negotiated.”
Phillip Paul, who is a member of
the Vancouver Island Tsatlip band
near Victoria, and a member of the
Council's executive committee,
was the’ main Indian speaker
during the presentation.

In summing up the brief’s
contents, he told the Prime
Minister and his cabinet that there

_ has not been a total denial of
justice to the Indians — but there
has never been satisfaction.

“It was a shock to be told the
claim is so general and unrefined
as to be incapable of remedy,” he
said in referring to past federal
government stands on the: land
claims question in the province.
YOURE INVITED

Chief Walkem, who summed up’

the Union's stand on the question,
told the government members that
while the Indians of the province

Band office
hit by fire

PENTICTON — The Penticton
Band suffered a setback when its
office building was gutted by fire
on August 24. According to Adam
Eneas, band manager, the
building, all equipment and fur-
niture was completely destroyed.
‘We have insurance for $13,000 on
the building and $1,500 on the.
contents but the damage was
actually much higher than that,”
said Mr. Eneas.

Fortunately no important files
were burned, thanks to. the fire-
proof metal filing cabinets. The
only setback Adam sees is in the
legal survey of Pentiction reserve
lands as the preliminary survey
sketches were destroyed in the
fire. The band will now have to
wait for new copies to arrive before
the survey can continue.

The band hopes to have the
administration office under way
again by the middle of September.
“Our next office will be a modular
home with a full basement which
can be used for arts and crafts,”
Adam said.

The fire was apparently started

by a cigarette, according to the:

Penticton Fire Department.

expeet an answer to the claim long
before, all chiefs in the province
will be meeting in Prince Rupert in
November and that a government
representative is welcome to at-
tend.

That, in effect, was the Union’s
way of inviting the government to
take part in the chiefs conference

_and perhaps supply Ottawa’s of-

ficial answer, if one is not given
before then. —

However, since Mr. Trudeau has
subsequently. called a. federal
election for Oct. 30 of this year,
who knows, we just might have an
answer — and a positive one — any

' day now.

In questioning members of the
Chiefs’ Council, Mr. Trudeau
asked if-the points stressed in the

claim paper were going. to. be

covered in the -Union’s policy
paper, which has also been under
consideration since 1969.

He was answered by Phillip Paul
who said that the points would be
contained in the Union’s Brown
Paper, a counter-proposal to the
federal government’s White Paper
Policy, a policy which, in-
cidentally, had been prematurely
and unofficially released in 1970
when the Union was under dif-
ferent management.

WRONG SIDE?

The presentation took place. in
the Confederation Room in the
west block of the Parliament
buildings and occurred just before
the end of the last sitting of the
House of Commons.

Kamloops-Cariboo Liberal
member of parliament Len
Marchand, Canada’s first.and so
far lone Indian MP joined the table
of the Prime Minister and_ his
cabinet ministers, as did Guy
Williams. :

Indian Affairs Minister Jean
Chretien, Urban Affairs Minister
Ron Basford, External Affairs
Minister Mitchell Sharp, Justice
Minister Otto Lang and Veterans’
Affairs Minister Arthur Laing
were the government department
heads the Prime Minister decided
to have on hand. for the . presen-
tation.

Although Mr. Marchand and Mr.
Williams, Canada’s only “Indian

Senator, are native Indians — and.

from B.C. — they were asked to sit
with the Prime Minister and his
cabinet members during the
presentation, a move that was
later criticized by some chiefs.

George Manuel, president of the - |

National Indian Brotherhood,
handled the job as Master of
Ceremonies and the member of the
Chase Band kept things rolling
smoothly throughout.

Following the meeting with the
government, the Chiefs’ Council
met with members of the ‘op-
position parties who were also very
receptive to the claim.





LOWER-NICOLA CHIEF DON MOSES
. gets P.M.’s autograph.





SEPTEMBER, 1972



NORTH VANCOUVER —
Teacher, sage and ‘sky watcher”
Dominic Charlie was laid to rest at

- Brackendale Indian Cemetery on

Tuesday, Sept. 12, after funeral
ceremonies held at the Squamish
and the Capilano reserves.

. A requiem mass was celebrated
in the long house of the Capilano
reserve by Father Joe Rossiter of
St. Paul’s Mission. Father Rossiter
said the Dominic became what he’

‘was by studying nature, listening

to his elders and continual control
over himself
“T am a better person today for

‘having .known Dominic Charlie,”

he said further. ‘‘What better way
is there to show our gratitude for
what he gave us than to live the
way he lived?”

Dominic Charlie died at an age
usually given. as 88, but he is
thought of as probably much older.
His brother, the late Chief August
Jack Khahtsahlano, lived to 99.

Dominic was known to Salish
Indians of the Squamish bands as
Tsee-Qawl-Tuhn. He and = Chief
Khahtsahlano produced the book
“Squamish Legends . .. The First
People”

He. loved children, said his wife
Josephine, and he taught them
Indian history and lore, advised
the troubled and taught the young
to be proud to be Indians.

He was. also famous for his
weather forecasts. His last
predictions made in July were that
we may get warmer weather in

August and fall may come early.

“Watch the vine maple,” he said,
“when the leaf hits the ground; if it
doubles. right up it’s going: to be
cold.”’

Claim booklet is available

Copies. of the: booklet, “Claim
based on Native Title”,-which was
presented to the Prime ‘Minister by
the Chiefs’ Council in early July, is
available at the Union office for
$4.00 a copy.

To order, write to: Union of B.C.
Indian Chiefs, 2140 West 12th
Avenue, Vancouver 9, B.C., or

phone 736-6751.



TSARTLIP’S PHILLIP PAUL WATCHES TRUDEAU
. as P.M. makes point during his response.






PAGE FOUR



“NESIKA”



The
Indian population found itself very
much involved in the August 30
provincial election — in all areas of
the province. ‘

Three Indian people ran for seats
in the B.C, Legislative Assembly.

VANCOUVER. (Staff)

Both major Indian
organizations, the B.C. Association
of Non-Status Indians and the
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs began
voter education programs to in-
crease the number of Indian voters
shorily before the election was
called. :

Indian people of Port Simpson
found themselves in the middle of
the local .campaign when the
funding of a proposed. cannery
became a political issue. Chief
Lawrence Lewis of the Cape
Mudge Band was actively sup-
porting Dan Campbell, the former |
Municipal Affairs Minister. ,

‘ABOUT THAT ROAD...

- The Penticton Band’s continuing
fight with the provincial highways
department over a by-pass route
‘through reserve lands became a
much discussed local issue. «

And, the enumeration.— or lack |

of it -—- on Indian reserves in the
Cariboo riding led to accusations
and counter-accusations between
BCANSI and various. officials
responsible for the registration of
voters. /
_ Three -Indian people, Lawrence
Gladue, Les Clayton and Frank
Calder campaigned for office in the
Cariboo and Atlin ridings.
~.Gladue ;was.a Liberal candidate
in the Cariboo riding running
against incumbent Alex Fraser of
the Social Credit and Ronald
Anderson of the NDP. He collected
1,727 votes. as compared to
Fraser’s 6,360 and Anderson’s 5,090
with. 107 out of 109 polls counted.
Clayton, Progressive Con-
servative candidate in the Atlin
riding ran against incumbent
Frank Calder, who again topped
‘the polls. With 17 of the 19 polls
counted, Calder had received 558
votes and Clayton was last in the
race with 54 votes.

CALDER, BACK IN

While both Gladue and Clayton
are newcomers in the political
scene,. Calder was re-elected, for
the fourth time.

But he will find himself in a new

position in the legislature as part of
the new NDP government.
. According to the Prince Rupert
Daily News, Clayton’s small
number of votes was a surprise as
he, “‘to all observers seemed to be
making a good impression in his
campaigning.”

Voter registration campaigns
were launched in June by both

BCANSI and the Union. Each °

organization tried-to see that as
many Indian voters were
registered as possible by
distributing information in some
detail on how, when and where to
register for voting and on th e
voting procedure.

DIFFERENT REASONS

The purpose behind the two
organizations’ voter education
programs differed though.

BCANSI seemed to stress in both
its written information and in a
public statement the possibility of
Indian voters influencing the
election by block voting.

Indian people putting all votes
behind the candidate in any par-
ticular riding which ‘“‘would best
represent our interests.’’)

The Union on the other hand,
while ‘recognizing that ‘if Indian
people voted they could easily
represent a reasonably powerful
force in election decisions’? warned



in a memorandum from Executive
Director Bill Mussel! to all Band
officials in B.C. “This is not in-
tended to advise your band
members on who to vote for, since
this decision rests only with each
individual.”

The Indian people of Port
Simpson were perhaps the first
natives to find themselves in the
middle of a campaign when the
Social Credit government an-
nounced, shortly after the election
was called, that it would provide
one million dollars for the proposed
fish cannery which had: earlier
been refused funding by the federal
government and dismissed by Jack
Davis, federal Fisheries Minister,
as uneconomical.

BUYING VOTES
All other B.C. political parties
and Davis. called it an election

gimmick but the North Coast”

District Council of Indians who had
done the original research for the
eannery said. that it was a non-
political issue and that the person

responsible for the delay in. an-.

nouncing the grant was Fisheries
Minister Davis, as the provincial
government had promised the

_ grant as early as April.

The controversy died down on
the provincial level. but continued
to be an important issue in the
Prince Rupert riding with both the
NDP and Liberal candidates ac-
cusing the Socred MLA with
“political blackmail” and asking
for public release of the economic
feasibility report on the proposed
cannery. eae

Even now the issue is still un-
settled as the newly elected NDP
candidate Graham Lea says he is
still not satisfied that the project is
economically feasible.

“SUPPORT IN VAIN

Chief Lewis in an interview with
the Victoria Times, stated his all
out support for Dan Campbell, and
said that it would take years to
reach the same understanding with
anew minister, and that Campbell
was indispensible in Chief Lewis’
struggle to get municipal status for
the Cape Mudge Band.

But, Chief Lewis’ optimism over
the Indian support of Campbell

was not shared by, Phillip Paul, a.

member of the Union’s executive

committee.
Mr Paul also called the
provincial government’s en-"

thusiasm for native municipalities
a thinly disguised ‘long-term
effort to get control of Indian
lands.”” He also expressed the
opinion that the provincial
government could, if it wished,
“extend the privileges of
provincial citizenship to all Indian
people regardless of federal
ramifications but it obviously has
no such intentions.”

The Cape Mudge Band now finds
itself in the position where it will
have to rework its plans with.a new
minister and a new government.
Campbell went down to defeat
along with ten other Bennett
cabinet ministers.

POLITICAL FOOTBALL

The Penticton Band members
similarly found themselves in-
volved in election issues when their
long-standing fight with the
provincial highways department
over the route of a highway by-pass
around the city of Penticton
became a much discussed local
issue.

Adam Eneas, manager of the
Penticton Band, said that the by-
pass was becoming a political
football in the current. provincial
election and warned that band
members are sensitive to



statements by politicians who do ~

not know what they are talking
about, .

Later, he said the Indians are not
happy at attempts by the
provincial government to deal
directly with Ottawa. ~

Eneas said three alternative
routes for the by-pass were under
consideration by the Band.

However as with other election
issues, it is a whole new ball game
with a new government.

Perhaps the issue involving
Indian people which received the
most news coverage was the clash
which developed between the B.C.
Association of Non-Status Indians
and the public officials in charge of
voter registration. Officials of
BCANSI claimed that entire
reserves in the Cariboo had been
‘Ggnored’’ in the pre-election
enumeration.

INDIFFERENT INDIANS

In reply, Mr. Dave Warren,
Registrar of Voters for the Cariboo
region said that he had made at-
tempts to involve Indian people in
the enumeration but had met. with
“indifference on the part of some
band officials.”

Mr. Warren went on to say: “We
had registration centres in every
poll. Some. of them were. on
reserve, some weren’t but they
were as near as possible.”

“In rural area, the white people
have the same problems as the
natives. There has to be a certain
onus on the individual.” —

Ken Morton, chief. electoral.

officer, was accused of saying he
was “‘sick and tired of those
damned Indians’’. in.a statement
issued by Bill Wilson, BCANSI’s
citizenship training director. Mr.
Morton called this ‘‘an absolute

lie’’.

Unfortunately, the poor
enumeration of the Indian reserves
in the Cariboo — for whatever

reason — was not noticed until the
voter registration for the province
was completed and nothing further
could be done to change or add
more voters to the list of people
eligible to vote in the election. .

And so, Indian. people found
themselves very much involved in
election issues — some reluctantly
and others not so reluctantly. And
while the provincial election is
over, we hope to be hearing more
in the next five and a half weeks as
the federal election campaign gets
under way.

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
recently sent out a memorandum
to all chiefs, councillors and band
managers outlining the procedure
to follow in order to register to vote
in the federal election. Anyone
wanting to register lo volte and who
is not certain of how to register,
should consult the band council or
the band manager.

How to smoke those

: ’
salmon you've caught
VANCOUVER — if you find
yourself with a load of salmon on a



week’s trip in the wilds, you can !

smoke your catch and store it for

two to four weeks. 2

Clean the fish well, removing
head and backbone and leaving a
small part of tail section uncut.
Score the flesh lengthwise with 1/4-
inch deep cuts. Wash, wipe dry,
and rub inside and out with pepper
and salt. Store overnight in a cool
place. Rinse and hang to dry in the
breeze.

Erect a tripod of poles around a
shallow. fire-pit and cover with
green boughs and grass. Put green
wood on coals and cover hole. Hang
fish at an angle over coals and
smoke six to 18 hours.





SEPTEMBER, 1972

PAULINE HANUSE AND ERNIE PHILLIPS
.. were partners for this number.



Laughter and fun for’ all ages
accompanied. the Annual North
American Indian War. Dance
Competitions held at the Capilano
Indian Reserve in the middle of
July. The. event, which was
sponsored by the Vancouver Indian
War Dance Club, attracted visitors
from Idaho, Oklahoma, and
Alberta: and many. from
Washington, Oregon and Montana.

Decorated teepees, authentic
Indian dress and Indian music in
the open fields of Capilano Reserve
helped make this year’s event the
best yet, according to Marie
‘Baptiste, secretary of the Van-
couver Indian War Dance Club.

The event officially got under
way on Saturday, July 15 at-7:00
p.m,, with the dance competitions
being held that night and the
following day.

There were dance competitions
for the “younger generation” —
little girls and boys five years and
under and for the “Old
Warriors”’ — those over 45.

MANY ATTRACTIONS

About 4,000 people attended the
affair, many just to watch the
dancers and to sample the bar-
becued salmon. Other attractions
included arts and erafts displays
and traditional games such as the
stick game.

Many people bought raffle
tickets which gave them a chance
of a draw for a Cowichan sweater
and poncho, or the second and third
prizes, a petit point picture of the
Thunderbird and an Indian war
club. Lee Van Dine of North
Vancouver won the sweater and
poncho, Don Umtuch of Yakima
won the war club and 4H.
Kwiatkowski the picture of the
Thunderbird.

While all of the dancing was
good, most agreed that the most
impressive dance was the Men’s
Fancy Dance. ‘“‘All the dancers
were good,” said Marie Baptiste,
but agreed that the real crowd
pleasers were probably the little
children. ‘Some of those little kids
were really good dancers,” she
said.

Not many from B.C. took part in
the competitions which probably
explains why only two Indians
from B.C. won prizes.

PHELLIPS SECOND

Eric Phillips of Kamloops placed
second in the Little Boys five years
and under, and Larry Pierre from
the Okanagan won third in the
Men’s Fancy Dance.

Cash prizes, ranging from
$300.00 for placing first in the
Men’s Fancy Dance to $15.00 for
winning the Little Girls five years
and under competition were
awarded by a panel of five judges.



Winners will keep the trophies untii
next year’s championships.

Marie said that the Vancouver
Indian War Dance Club plans to
hold next year’s event at Brockton
Oval in Stanley Park during the
second weekend in July.

Complete results of the com-
petitions were as follows:

Little Girls, 5 years and under —
ist — Vicki Peters (Yakima); 2nd
-— Becky Rhoan (Warm Spring,
Montana), and 3rd — Rebecca
Kirk (Klamath).

Little Boys, five years and under
— ist — Brian George (Yakima-
Wasco); 2nd Eric . Phillips
(Kamloops); 3rd — Jonathan
Sconavah (Yakima) and Deland
Olney. (Yakima).

Girls, 6 to 12 years — ist —
Trudee Clements (Warm Spring);
and Colleen Kahclamat
(Yakima), and 3rd — Sally Rhoan
(Warm Spring).

Boys, 6 to 12 years — 1st — Mark
Stevens (Sac and Fox-Kickapoo) ;
2nd -- Gary George (Yakima), and
3rd — Barry Bernard (Wahsue).

Girls, 13 to 17 years — ist —
Esther George (Yakima); 2nd —
Catherina Katchia (Warm Spring),
and 3rd — Mercy Bear (Sioux).

Boy’s Fancy Dance, 13 to 17 years
ist — Butch Kahclamat
(Yakima), 2nd — Wilfred Sooksoit
(Warm Spring), and 3rd — Crayton
Jackson (Klamath-Modoc).

Women’s Circle Dance, 18 and
over — ist — Susan Moses (Warm
Spring); 2nd — Diane Cerrine
(Klamath), and 3rd — Judy Moses
(Yakima-Nez Perce).

Men’s Straight, Northern and
Southern Styles, 18 and over — ist
— Neuman Hood (Shawnee); 2nd
— Frank White’ Buffalo Man
(Sioux), and 3rd — Richard Phare
(Lummi).

Old Warriors, 45 and over — Ist

Frank White Buffalo Man
(Sioux); 2nd — William Minthorn
(Cayuse), and 3rd Richard
Phare (Lummi).

Hoop Dance, open — ist — John
Manemick (Yakima); 2nd
Norman Auston (Apache), and 3rd
— Gus Kahclamat (Yakima).

Owl Dance, open — ist — Mr. &
Mrs. Gus Kahclamat (Yakima),
2nd — Lee Piper (Cherokee) and
Neuman Hood (Shawnee), and 3rd
— Mr. & Mrs. Lender George
(Yakima & Wasco).

Women’s War Dance, 18 and
over — Ist — Judy Moses (Warm
Spring); 2nd — Diane Cerrine
(Klamath), and 3rd — Lea Tuttle
(Flathead). :

Men’s Fancy Dance, 18 and over
— ist — Sonny Tuttle (Sioux); 2nd
— Frank Halfmoon (Nez Perce);
3rd — Larry Pierre (Okanagan),
and 4th — Ray Manaus (Warm
Spring).



SEPTEMBER, 1972



KAMLOOPS — In the face of a threat by Neskainlith Indians
under Chief Joe Manuel to blockade the Trans-Canada highway
in protest against inaction by the highways department Regionai
Engineer Ray White suggésted that the band could send him 2
copy of their request for roadimprovements onthereserve, —

Chief Manuel, in a letter toa Kamloops newspaper, said that

the band has been “‘pleading”’ for, paving of the major roads and:

school bus routes, “but all has been in vain.”’

He said that till the band receives a favorable response, band
members would be ‘“‘left with no alternative but to take action by
way of putting.a blockade on the highway.”

White had previously said that he has seen no correspon-
dence about the band’s request, and he suggested that perhaps
the band had sent their presentation. to a different office like the

Indian: Affairs branch.
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

Asked if the request for improvement particularly of routes
of school buses would be difficult to do for the band, White said
that there are technical problems like right of way that have to be
cleared with the band. Until these problems are ironed out the
department. won’t be able to act on the band’s request.

But if the band would send him a copy of their request, White

added, then “‘something may be done about it.’

The Neskainlith reserve covers an area of several thousand
acres west of Chase and outskirts of Salmon Arm. Roads
throughout the reserve are gravel ones. Maintenance of these
roads has been an issue between the band and the department for

several months.

The tentative decision to set. up the blockade was made at a
meeting of the band: members in Salmon Arm.



Quilt verdict same

Continued from Page 1

attended the inquest.
fortunately, there was no definite
proof.the police were at fault.”

JURY RECOMMENDATIONS.

The jury also handed down the
recommendation that a more
extensive court workers program:
be implemented. The chiefs’ union,
which supported the application to
reopen the case, said through a
spokesman tha ch. a program | is
now beirigs’ start d

The Union ‘spokesman ‘said that
while there has .been a_ court
workers’ service available in
recént-years, much of its own work
was done in urban areas. He added
that the Union hopes its program
will help to satisfy a need at the
reserve level.

The lawyer who represented the
Quilt estate at the second inquest,
Vancouver Alderman Harry

tankin, noted: “Fred Quilt was

the victim of a racist system that
included ‘the police, the (first)
coroner’s inquest and a section of
the public.”

The Williams Lake coroner’s
jury, while failing to establish how
Quilt received the injury that led to
his death, had ruled that his death
was “unnatural and accidental.”

it was established that two days
before his death, Quilt and his
family had been involved in an
incident with two members of the
Alexis Creek RCMP detachment
on Highway 20. Three members of
the family present at the incident
testified that Qulit had ben jumped
on by one of the RCMP officers.

Mrs. Christine Quilt, wife of the




deceased, said in her testimony ~

that she and her husband had been
drinking’ on the night before the
incident but not in the morning of
the day it took place.

WENT FOR WOOD

On the morning of the day before
the incident, she said, they left
home to get wood and returned;
later, they left on their truck to
attend a funeral for a little girl in
Anahim. She said they took their
son Robin, 20, Andrew Quilt and
Isaae Myers with them.

She said there was a lot of
drinking after the funeral and that
she drank a little wine but her
husband had quite a bit more.

They left Anahim in the evening
in the truck with her sister and
Robin Quilt, she said, and she went
to sleep. She said that when she
woke! up their truck was on the
road heading the wrong direction
and the RCMP approaching.

“Une -

She said her isasbaind was adliey
and was.awakened: because ‘‘The
policemen throw him out.”

Asked if her husband had been
sick before the RCMP arrived, she
replied: ‘ ‘There was nothing on his
shirt.”

REMOVED FROM TRUCK

At the first inquest in January
police testified they removed’ the
Quilt family from: the truck in: a

. drunken state and.drove them: two

miles to the» Anahim ~ reserve,
leaving them on the road.

Police also said they returned to
the truck parked on the. main
portion of Highway 20 and were
unable to move; they left and
returned to the truck with moving
equipment and found it down the
embankment in flames.

At the second inquest, however,
Corporal Robert Holland, in
charge of the Williams Lake
RCMP Identification Section,
testified that the Quilt truck, shown
in pictures entered as exhibits as
located 40 to 50 feet down the
embankment, had left a relatively
flat, wide, straight stretch of road
and could not have rolled.

Holland testified further, under
questioning by Rankin, that he was
aware the vehicle was involved in
some way with a death and the
incident had ‘‘at least some of the
elements ofa crime.”
WOULDN'T HESITATE

Rankin asked Holland if it was
“sensible to arrest an impaired
driver in this . situation”
alleged incident between
RCMP and Fred Quilt),
Holland refused to answer. Later,
Holland said ‘I wouldn't hesitate
to arrest him.”

He said he would drive home a
“borderline. impaired driver’ at
his request but he would arrest an
impaired driver.

Quilt died at the Sakibed
Memorial Hospital in - Williams
Lake on Nov. 30. The Quilt family
then charged that a member of the
Alexis Creek RCMP detachment
took Quilt. from ‘the truck and
kicked or beat him.

The second inquest was ordered
in May and so the viewing of the
deceased’s body: which is part of
the duties of coroner’ s juries was
not possible.

the

The B.C. Supreme Court quashed

the first inquest when an. in-
vestigation revealed that a jury
member was an auxiliary RCMP
and another shared the house with
two members of the Williams Lake
RCMP detachment.

(the
but.

“NESIKA“

Judge sets
reserve trial
precedent

NITINAHT, B.C.
precedent was set in this small
village on. the west. coast of Van-
couver Island when Provincial
Judge Lance Herd moved his court
onto the Nitinaht Indian reserve to



hear a court case involving James

Joseph of the Nitinaht band.

The court which was held in the
village community hall, was. well
attended. “I think that every adult
band member was there,”’ Nelson

Keitlah, Community Development.

Worker ‘with. the Union. of B.C.
Indian Chiefs said. ‘Some. came
out of .curiosity but many: were
genuinely interested in the court
procedures.”

According to Mr. Keitlah, Judge

Herd ‘‘went on at great length to
explain the points of law.” The
judge also explained that not only
the native people are ignorant. of
the law but most of the public are
as well.

The trial was. moved. to the
reserve after consultations — bet-
ween the local R.C.M.P. detach-
ment and the Chief and Council of
the Nitinaht Band.

Mr, Keitlah reported that there
was -sonre talk of having a follow-
up. program..sponsored by the
Cowichan Lake detachment of the
R.C.M.P. The program would
probably include films, lectures
and general information on points
of law that would be useful for the
ordinary citizen to know.

Mr. Joseph was charged and
convicted under Sections 244 and
245 of the Criminal Code of Canada.



A legal _



PAGE SEVEN

orth Shore club

second in tourney

VANCOUVER The North
Shore Indians won the Powless
trophy for. second place in the
recently concluded 1972 North
American Indian Lacrosse
Tournament held at the North
Shore Recreation Centre on Sep-
tember 1-4.

The Ohsweken Lacrosse Club,
champions twice before, won the
Jim Thorpe and Tom: Longboat
trophy for first place. :

In third -and fourth places,
respectively, were the
Caughnawaga and the Nanaimo
clubs. Six individual awards were
also given away during the close of
the championship games among
contending teams from‘ B.C.,
Quebec, Ontario, New York State,
and Michigan,

Gaylord -Powless_ of the Six
Nations, Michigan, won two

awards as the most valuable and

the top-scoring player.

Three players of the North Shore
Indians won individual awards:
Jim Yelton; most sportsmanlike
player; Dick Williams, “bad. guy”’
away for best defensive playing;
Lyle Williams, the single Hawkeye
trophy for best individual goalie.

The double Jocks trophy for the
team with best goaltending went to
Gary Powless and Ron Thomas of
Six Nations»
~ Lenard Johnston, manager of the
tournament hosts, North Shore
Indians, said that the North

American championships were

first played in. 1966.

The tournament moved west to:
B.C. in 1969, and moved back east
in 1971. In the 1971 tournament held

at Brantford, Ont., North Shore
came second to the Six Nations
club and North Shore’s Vern Baker
won the top scoring award with 18
points on 13 goals and 5 assists.

Alaska natives
are due shares

The Alaska native enrolment
program is now trying to locate an
estimated 20,000 Alaskan natives
believed to be living outside of the
state.

These native Alaskans are
eligible for shares in the 12 cor-
porations which will be set up to
handle the money and land from
the native land claims settlement

‘which was signed into law by

President Nixon last December.

Three racers |real daredevils

VERNON Winners of the
second annual Suicide Race of the
Head of the Lake Indian reserve
nearly ‘didn’t live to collect their
prizes.

The track is. a 375-foot incline
stripped of trees when the head of
Okanagan Lake was-a big logging

_camp; logs. were skidded down the

|

45-degree incline.

Teddy Marchand and Elton
Louis, however, survived and
shared the prize, winning $216
each.

The race lasting about 11 seconds
was the highlight of Indian Days
‘celebration during the weekend of

"Sept. 8-10.



FASHION COURSE FOR INDIAN GIRLS

ADETTE

FASHION. SCHOOL students. pose at
_Muck-A-Muck Restaurant in downtown Vancouver. The
four, left to right, are Margo Sam of Fort St. James, Edith

design,

McMillan of Ajiyansh, Judy Kelly of Chilliwack and
. seated, Florence Lawrence of Surrey. The four studied





pattern drafting,
illustration at the private school in Coquitlam. The course
enables girls to eventually establish their own business.

haute ‘couture and fashion

. {Photo courtesy Vancouver Sun)