Nesika: The Voice of B.C. Indians -- Vol. 2 No. 10 (October 1973)

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October 1973

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If undeliverable, please return to Union of B ec; jaded © iets
2140 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver 9, B.C.,

ESIKA

(Chinook meaning “US”)

THE VOICE OF. B. C. ENDYEANS

POSTAGE PAID IN VANCOUVER — 2nd CLASS MAIL REG. No. 3025

- RALPH THOM, eight years old, won first place and $60 in prize money:

when he surpassed 30 other contestants at the Seattle war dance com- generation an example as fine as -

Vol. 2, No. 10-

October. 1973

LAND CLAIMS ‘AND ITs SETTLEMENT.
Chiefs to face critical issues

VANCOUVER (Staff) — .The
theme of the fifth annual con-
ference of chiefs’ to. be held
November 20, 21, 22 in Port
Alberni, is ‘(Land Claims and Its
Settlement.” |

In a press statement..the Union
executive committee said: “‘The
Union is now embarking on the
most exciting and important time
in the history of Indian people in
B.C. The Union feels that this is the
proper time to pay tribute to the
past leaders who have contributed
so much to. the success of the larid
claims issue.

“This is not to assume that the
claim is settled, or that it will be
quickly or easily settled. There are
many long. and arduous tasks
ahead, but .if we reflect on the

Jeaders who have preceeded us and

on the strength they have shown in
their trials and tribulations, then
we can draw encouragement from
their successes.

“Our most important hope can
be that we pass on to ‘the next

petitions in September. A. member of the Thompson Indian Band, Ralph the last passed to us.”

danced against other boys in his age group from California, North

Dakota, and New York. Ralph was taught by his parents, Mr and Mrs.

Howard Thom of Lillooet.

. [Photo courtesy of the Bridge River-Lillooeet News]

The Union issued the statement
as the executive announced a
meeting of native leaders with
Indian Affairs Minister Jean

Chretien: Government i Is ready”

OTTAWA: — Indian Affairs

Minister. Jean: Chretien” has «in-

: hat. he;. his. department;
cand government are: prepar
to “assume. responsibility . of
“equitably settling the hundred-
year-old claims and grievances of

B.C. Indians.”’

The announcement of the
meeting was made by the Union of
- B.C. Indian Chiefs, saying that the
meeting, held at the urging of the
Union and other Indian leaders
following the general assembly of
the National Indian Brotherhood in
Quebec City, puts ‘‘added im-

Commission to
study adoptions

‘VICTORIA — Because of con-
stitutional and economic com-
plications, adoption of Indian
. children by white families will be a

‘subject of study by a royal com-
mission on family law.

Human. Resources Minister
Norman: Levi | made the an-
‘nouncement as: he declared: a
moratorium on cross-cultural
adoptions effective immediately,
after a meeting with Union
research director Philip Paul.

The minister also said that he
will announce the make-up and
‘guidelines of the commission
' during the°current session.
Before the meeting with Paul,
Levi. had announced at the
legislature that the provincial
government. is considering
providing financial help © for
families economically unable’ to
adopt children, and also called on

Indian: families ready to adopt

’ children to come forward.
AMENDMENT OF ACT
. The minister was at the time
introducing a bill to. amend the
B.C. Adoption Act for second
reading; the amendment requires
that the status privileges,
disabilities, and limitations of an
adopted Indian. person are not
affected by section 10 of the Act.
Continued on Page 3
See PAUL

‘ OnE EERCe of the: Union.
Th da.

portance’ to the coming 5th annual

negotiations; entitlement. to” “set-
tlement, timing of meetings, and.

method of settlement.

The Indian leaders wanted the
meeting to clarify the federal
government’s position on the B.C.
land claims after the government
statement in August that it has
recognized aboriginal rights.. The
native leaders wanted to know the
extent of the government’s
recognition in B.C.

The Union’s statement recalled
that the Union’s position paper,
presented to the government in
July, 1972 had not been replied to
formally.

The statement also emphasized
that it “thas been led to expect’
cooperation from. the provincial
government, although the

“responsibility for the settlement,

of the claim resides entirely with
the federal government.”

Before any negotiation could
take place, it has always been the
position. of the Union executive
committee that government

Swietor Adolph, Heber’ Maitland,

Bill Wilson, George Watts, “Joe
Mathias, and NIB president
George’ Manuel.

recognition of ay rights

Chretien in September (see story
in this issue).

The conference — considered by
all as significant in view of
government. statements on
recognition of aboriginal rights —
will deal with the mechanism of
negotiations, entitlement to set-
tlement, method of settlement, and
research for the presentation of a
comprehensive claim.

In addition the conference
agenda includes elections of
district representatives (who
become members of the chiefs’
council),. and constitutional
amendments that may result to
structural changes.

Scheduled resource persons and
speakers are George Manuel,
president,. National Indian’

Brotherhood; Lawyer Doug
Sanders; and Fred House,
president, B.C. Association of Non-
Status Indians.

The Union’s former executive
director, Bill Mussell, will also be
on hand to render an annual report
on the organization.

The financial report and- the
report of the executive committee,
along with the executive director’s
report, will be part of the business
at the morning session of the first
day. .

In the afternoon till noon of the
following day delegates will -be
discussing land claims.

‘The third day will be devoted to.

.the presentation and adoption of

resolutions, district elections, and
other business that may arise.

National Indian Brotherhood
clears stand on court cases

-QUEBEC CITY — The National
Indian Brotherhood has passed a
resolution at the fourth annual
general assembly held here on
September 25-27, -clarifying the
stand of Indian organizations on
the Lavell and Bedard cases.

The resolution, moved by Philip
Paul of UBCIC and David

Ahenakew of FSI, stated that the

organizations. “intervened in the
Lavell and Bedard cases ‘because
they were concerned: that ‘the In.

4 : “whole, was
threatened and. that the. ability of
the “Canadian Parliament to
legislate about Indians and Indian
Reserve communities was en-
dangered.”

Band signs limestone deposit |
‘development pact with firm

LILLOOET — The Pavilion
Indian Band has made an
agreement with Steel Brothers
Canada Ltd. to develop a part of
the limestone deposits located on
Pavilion Indian lands about - 30
miles. north of Lillooet.

The agreement was announced

jointly in mid-October by Chief.

Garry Harry of the Pavilion Band,
Chief Victor Adolph of the Lillooet
Indian District Council, and Public
Works Minister Bill’ Hartley who
represents the Yale-Lillooet riding.

The operation will .service
central and northern B.C. in-
dustries now supplied by outside

sources, and benefit the Pavilion
Band through revenue and em-
ployment. The plant will directly
employ from 15 to 17 persons in the
area.

The agreement calls for con-
struction of a rotary kiln lime plant
to be in operation by the middle of
August, 1974. Construction is to
have begun in October. The plant
will process 200 tons a day.

Part of the agreement also in-

cludes requiring Steel Brothers to -

institute reclamation procedures
meeting standards set by the B.C.
department of mines and
provincial pollution standards.

The submission to the Supreme
Court stated that the organizations
were not acting to defend the
present membership sections or to
defend section 12 (1)(b), but “‘to
uphold the Indian Act as a basic
protection. of Indian Rights,” the
resolution pointed out.

Further, the. resolution stated,
Indian organizations have known
for many years that ‘‘there are a
number’ of inequities © and

» inequalities in the present. mem-
bership sections ofthe Indian Act,”’

but — the “interrelationship and
complexity” ‘of. all. such sections
make a “piecemeal approach to
revision” impractical.

It was observed that the mem-
bership sections involve <“‘sub-
stantial problems”. about adopted
and illegitimate . children,
marriage and divorce, and powers

-of local band communities on

questions of membership.

Discussions and consultations
are now being held in Indian |
communities throughout Canada to
gather proposals for reform. The
project to revise the Indian Act will
hopefully formulate ‘‘a fair;
equitable, and just system of
membership, a system fair both to
individual Indian people and fair
for the Indian reserve com-
munities.”

Early this year, the ministry of
Indian Affairs agreed to let Indian
people undertake the project of
revising the Indian Act.

The assignment to. coordinate
this effort was given to the Indian
Association of Alberta, headed by.
Harold Cardinal.

MP’s FLORA MacDONALD, Stanley Darling [middle foreground and
wearing glasses], and Keith Taylor [at Darling’s right] listened to
- problems of B.C. Indian people during October monthly meeting of the
Chiefs Council. Council members in photo are Stanley Stump, Heber

Maitland of executive committee, and research director Philip Paul. At
right, presiding at the council meeting, is the new UBCIC executive

director, James Deacey.

[Staff photo]

The Official Monthly Publication of the
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs

2140 West.12th Ave., Vancouver 9, B.C.
Telephone — 736-6751

Nesika is for the use and pleasure of all native
people in British Columbia. While the Union
encourages all contributions, we reserve the
right to edit all contributions. Contributions,
including letters to the editor, must bear the
signature and name of the writer. Views ex-

pressed in contributions are not necessarily

those of the Union.
Contributions must be typewritten, or hand- |

-written legibly, in double space.

FREE TO ALL REGISTERED B.C.
NATIVE INDIANS

OTHERS $5.00 PER YEAR

STAFF: Perlas Sabino — Acting Editor

Correspondents:

Alberni;

G. McKEVITT, GERARD PETERS,
LEONA FOLSTER — Reporters
Margaret. Woods,
Edgar Charlie, Ahousat; Phyllis Hanna, Port

N.C. Derriksan, Westbank.

Terrace,

GUEST EDITORIAL
To the non-status

EDITOR’S NOTE: Our readers must have noticed that we have been
using one of the letters to the editors for the editorial. As we plan to
continue the practice, perhaps, we should point out that letters chosen for
editorials are the writer’s personal opinion, not necessarily that of the

Union or of Nesika.

. ~- ByBEN ABEL

‘ All’ along Indian women kid themselves, chasing rainbows for a better
world. Some picked the only way they knew how:. marry. white men and
their worries are over. But when they. marry white’ men, the’ rainbow
disappears with their dreams. They find themselves right in the middle of

two races.

In your mind, you know the Indians acted. You know where they stood.

You know the rules as muchas I do.

/ When you marry a white man, you betray your own race; just like

when a white woman marries an Indian man. But a white woman never
complains. If things aren’t working out, they just leave. Their chances
are better than yours, that is true, because your skin is brown. If you
marry whites, your skin is still brown.

-A white woman marries an Indian man, she is marked Indian. Her
rights are as strong as those of a true Indian. If she parts with her Indian
husband, she.can stay on the reserve and keeps her Indian rights. But if
she goes and marries a white man again, she loses her rights, and she is

of the white race again.

It is the same with Indian women. If she parts with a white man, and
marries an Indian again, they she gets back her full status.

But you pay for your mistakes..The grass looked better on the other
side. Now you want to come back and stick your head where it doesn’t
belong. You should have thought about it in the first place.

There is a saying, once you spill the gold dust in the sand, you can
never get it back because it’s all blown in the wind. So, why don’t you let it
ad at that, and save yourself some troubles.

- Student gets $600-scholarship

»- KELOWNA — The first student
recipient of the Allison Bursary of.
the Okanagan Regional College
has been named after its establish-
ment in 1971. ‘
Beverly :Niddery, 17,. of
Okanagan Falls has baan given a
$600 scholarship award from the
$10,000 fund: donated to ORC by
Mrs. Dorothea Allison for the use
and encouragement of Indian or
non-status Indian students to
continue their studies.
'- Beverly, the youngest of three

OTTAWA — Indian and Northern
Affairs Minister Jean Chretien has
recently announced the ap-
pointment of Peter Lesaux as
assistant deputy minister in
charge - of Indian and Eskimo
‘Affairs Program.

Lesaux ‘succeeds John Ciaccia
who intends to stand in the Quebec
genera election.

The 38-year-old new assistant
deputy was director of the Indian-
Eskimo Economic Development
Branch. He holds the Bachelor of
Arts degree (economics) from St.
Francis Xavier University, N.S.

children of. Mr. and Mrs. H.J.

Niddery, already was enroled in .

the commercial secretarial course
at ORC when she received the
bursary. She wants to continue on
to a legal stenographer course.

The donor of the scholarship fund
thought it was fitting that Beverly,
the great-great-granddaughter of
Chief Francois, should be the first
beneficiary of the bursary.

Chief. Francois. had aided the
first missionary in the Okanagan
Valley, Father Pandosy, and the
two men were great friends.

Mrs. Allison, now 95 years old,

had worked with Indian people as
she accompanied another
missionary, Rev. Carlyle,:on his
visits to Indian homes. She has
resided in the valley since the early
1900s.
- Her continuing interest in the
Indian people since has led to her
setting up the bursary fund. With
Dr. Rowland Grant, principal, and
George  Sinkewicz, commercial
department chief instructor, Mrs.
Allison was pleased to be present
during the award-giving
ceremoney.

“LETTERS TO Tr E EDITOR LETTERS 10 HE EDITOR LETTERS 10 TH EDITO!

Antique seekers plague reserves _

P.O. Box 39
Spences Bridge, B.C.
September 10, 1973
Dear Editor:

I thank you for the newsy paper
you send me every month. Maybe
you have a solution to something
that is aggravating me.

On our reserves we are plagued
with antique seekers of such items
as old wagon and buggy wheels, old
bedsteads, bottles, ete. We cannot
leave such items in our yards; it is
getting so we have to put
everything under lock and key. If
these old items don’t disappear,
then we are offered ridiculous low
prices.

I think our people should be

warned to hang on to.these. The-

manufacturers no longer make
these old-fashioned articles, and so
they are worth much more than the

‘situation.

25 cents that is being offered us; in
time. these articles will be
priceless.

Thank you for any assistance to
get word to our people, who may
not be aware.

Sincerely yours,
[Mrs.] Adeline Yamelst

Dear Mrs. Yamelst:

This problem has long been a
frustrating one to us, since it is
difficult for us to convince all of our
members throughout the province.
that. only they can effectively do
something to stop trespassers and
thieves. .

When the Union receives reports

of non-Indians going on to reserves

to gather antiques illegally, all we
can do is notify the RCMP, and
hope that the police. can do
something about the specific
The. Union, un-

HURRAY FOR US!

derstandably, is unable to become
involved in the affairs of any in-
dividual.band, beyond advising the

_ various band councils what to do

when the antique seekers show up.

While some bands make it very
plain that trespassing and removal
fo property, whatever it is, are
both punishable offences under the
law, others don’t, and in not doing
so actually invite unwanted per-
sons onto their reserves. Having to
keep valuable old items under lock
and key, of course, is unfortunate,
but still it is quite obviously
necessary.

Only the people themselves can. -

do .something about. the sad —

situation, but we can at least help

by alerting them to be on: the

lookout for trespassers and
thieves.

Sincerely,

Editor, Nesika

- Native support gaining ground

Hox ui
Enderby, B.C.
October 5, 1973
Dear Editor: :

I’ve been receiving your paper
since December 1972, and have
enjoyed reading all of the articles
which I would otherwise not have
known anything about.

Your paper has. brought into
many of our homes news and in-
formation which would not have
reached us through the news media
of the non-Indians.

My only suggestion is that you
print articles advertising coming
events.— ‘sports, recreation,
social, political, and educational —
which concern: the Indian ‘people.

‘Usually [hear about these events |

after .they. have: taken “place: I
would like to-attend these func-
tions, if they don’t include too
much of an expense, and form my
own ideas, and bring back to my
Reserve the ideas: which T have
gathered.

- Your paper has proven to. be one
of quality, and I gratefully send

this money order to continue
receiving it.

Tours truly,

Miss Gloria Edwards

Secretary

Spallumcheen Indian Band
xe OK

Ahousat, B.C.
October 15, 1973
Dear Editor:

Enclosed isa cheque for three
dollars for a subscription to
Nesika.

I certainly hope that you have a
good response in regard to sub-
scription of this paper because its
information is. useful for. all the
people of B.C. .
: Sincerely,
Edgar Charlie
Administrater

sansa Indian Band’

% oe

Besides his nasdonal
scription-contribution, Mr. Charlie
also sent in a subscription by the
Ahousat Band Council.

The following have also sent in

CASTLEGAR — Chief Joe Pierre
of the St. Mary’s Indian Reserve in
Cranbrook has. been named an
associate faculty member of
Selkirk College.

The appointment, involving no
salary, is until June 30, 1974 and
renewable.

In making the announcement Dr.
Bruce Fraser, college principal,
said the position was intended to
give the chief ‘‘formal right to use
our community college facilities
and personnel to further the aims
of your people.”

The department of continuing
education of Selkirk College has a
fund available for any course or
project Chief Pierre wished to run
under the auspices of the college.

sub- -

their subscription-contributions to
the Nesika publication fund:
Chief Noll Derriksan

Westbank, B.C.

Richard M. Louis
Vernon, B.C.

Winnie Marcellais
Prince George, B.C.

Mrs. Annie Wilson
Campbell Island, B.C.

John Lum
Vancouver, B.C.

We are most happy to receive the
kind letters. above and the solid
support expressed by the sub-
scriptions...»

As has been nated; ‘publishing: a
paper involves more. than merely
the costs of printing and mailing;
office and staff expenses add quite
a lot to costs. If it weren’t for
volunteers who let us use their cars
or vans for free, and even drive for
us, for example, our expenses
would even be more.

That’s why no newspaper ever

Nesika, Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
2140 W. 12th Ave., Vancouver 9, B.C.

| .

| Iam pleased to contribute to your publication fund. ,
i I enclose $3.00 to .cover my subscription for a year.
I
I

—— Money Order —— Personal Check
(Please don’t send cash in the mail.)

Name & Address: .............4.

’ survives on subscriptions alone. On

the other hand, no paper survives
without its readers either.

In terms of enthusiasm for
Nesika and through paid sub-
scriptions — as well expressed by
the above subscribers — the
support of Indian people of B.C. is
the major ingredient not only of
survival, but of independence and
of what ‘Gloria calls “quality.”

‘We hope there are more of you
out there who feel the same as the
Ahousat. Band Council, Edgar,
Gloria, Chief Derriksan, Winnie,
Mrs. Wilson, and John.

There are many non-Indians who
do subscribe to Nesika at $5.00 for

» 12 issues. It. certainly. would, .be

something if their number.can be
matched by B.C. Indians paying

_only $3.00 for a subscription.
As we have said, $3.00 for 12°

issues would just cover printing
costs and mailing, but coming
from Indian people themselves
$3.00 is worth $30.00; if it is-at all
possible to give a price to their
valued support.

Help needed by working mothers

Saanichton, B.C.
: September 6, 1973
Dear Editor:

This subject was brought to my
attention, and I would like to bring
it to your attention. 7 ,

This concerns the working
mother, usually forced out to work
against her wishes. Often, the
reasons are to supplement the
family income and meet the rising
cost of just living.

An alternative is for the
Canadian government to fix an
allowance for the housewife. This
will. supplement family income,
and help mothers so they won't
need to go to work. :

Annually the government sets
out funds for rehabilitation, group
homes, foster homes, therapy, and
other purposes. If the government
is willing to put money into a foster
home to pay expenses for a child,
why not put this money into the
home. A mother can then stay at

home and watch her own child. The.

child will receive its own mother’s
time and love that each. child
deserves, instead of being put into

a foster home where no one really

cares.

T feel if a child were put back into
his or her own home. with. the
mother around to supervise, there
will be a cutback in the population
of wayward children.

Lalso feel that working mothers
contribute to the increase in
divorce cases. Men seem to feel the
working wife is competing with
him in take home pay. Others feel
that women belong in the home
only: Still, the income supplement
is needed even if no male will
admit his family needs it.

On the other hand, a woman
doesn’t like to be'told that she is no
good as a wife and mother.

I can see, therefore, why there
are a few more divorce problems
than yesterday.

In all there should be some sort
of answer or alternative. Think of
what-could be accomplished. I wish
Ican sit and give my children the
kind of love they need, the kind of
love I am capable of giving them.

Name withheld on request

_. October, 1973

N E'S | K A

Page Five

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE

More suffering if rules are changed

Masset, B.C.
- October 11, 1973
Dear Editor:

In a roundabout way Mildred
Gottfriedson .says that nothing
good can come of Indian women
regaining their status after
marrying a white man. She also
says that ifa white woman marries

- an Indian, she should go through a
five-year trial period to prove her
sincerity about becoming an In-
dian before she it given. Indian
rights. . :

I agree with these things, and I
wish that more Indian women

could see that to change the rules
we have lived by for so long could
only make our lives more of a
struggle than it is now.

A lot of these Indian women who
are fighting to regain their status
pretend that they’re only in-
terested in being thought of as
whole Indians, with a desire to be
buried on their own reserves when
they die, and that they have no
interest in the free help that they
will get.

This is ridiculous! It doesn’t
matter how long you’re married to
white men, people still take one

~ Best to leave question of the
Indian Act to the Indian people

Dear Editor: .

In many ways it is gratifying to
see the Canadian white women’s
groups up in-.arms over the
“discriminatory” sections in the
Indian Act regarding the com-
pulsory enfranchisement of Indian
women upon their marriage to non-
status Indians (Section 12(1) (b)

What seems to be in operation
here is the principle that people
always act first and foremost in
their own self-interest.

Many of these white women have
probably never even seen an In-
dian woman, mutch less talked to
one, and even less yet, become
aware of the utter discrimination
and prejudice. to which Indian
women (and men) are subjected to
in this country — even at the hands
of white women. :

That’s’ what. makes it so
Bratifying!

Once - thoroughly | aroused,
- perhaps,” ‘these white women’s
groups will move on to protest the
discrimination and’ prejudice the
Indian women (and men) face in
the area of employment and
housing, for instance.

A STIRRING SIGHT

It would be a stirring sight to see
them march on the board rooms
and hiring halls and landlord of-
fices of their own husbands,
demanding that Indian women
(and men) be given fair and equal
treatment.

Equality is indeed a worthy and
lofty ideal!

But in this windy and dusty old
world it is an ideal seldom
achieved. .

Certainly, here in our own little
world called Canada, it is very
seldom realized by Indian women
(or men).

Even a cursory glance at some

social statistics will confirm that
contention.

Sixty percent of inmates in penal
institutions for women are Indian.
The life expectancy for Indian
women is 34 years. The suicide rate
for Indian girls is ten times the
national rate. The infant mortality
rate for Indian mothers is twice the
national average. Indian girls are
forced into lives of some-time
prostitution, petty crime, child
abandonment, and other forms of
degradation and shame, because
they do not have equality of op-
portunity. :

_ Yet, to my knowledge, no white
women’s group ever marched on
.their behalf before. So.it is, indeed,
gratifying to see them on the
march now. :

WHY NOW?

Yet, I cannot help wondering,
“Why now?”

Is it because of a deep concern
for the discrimination faced by
Indian women, or is it because they
perceive a deep collective insult to
white women in the recent ruling
by the Supreme Court in relation to
Section 12 (1) (b) of the Indian
Act?

If changing Section 12 (1) (b) of

the Indian Act will correct all the
deplorable inequities faced by
Indian women (and men) in this
country, I will gladly join in their
protest. ‘ :

However, I contend the answer is -.

not as simple as the proposed
solution for which the white
women’s groups are up in arms.

For example, it is theoretically
possible to eliminate the
“discriminatory” aspect of Section
12 (1) (b) by amending the Indian
Act to read that Indian males who
marry non-status females shall
also lose their status.

Thus, both non-status males and
females would be treated equally.

MORE THAN SIMPLE
Or, the act might stipulate that
non-status women shall no longer
assume Indian status upon
marriage to a status Indian ‘male.
Thus, both non-status males and
females would be treated’ équaily.
There ‘are, in fact, °

simply amending the Indian Act to
allow Indian women to retain their
Indian status upon marriage to a
non-Indian. Amending the Indian
Act in this way would create
“mixed-status’” marriages. This
solution would solve one problem
by creating many more.

For example, if one of the part-.

ners of a marriage was a status
Indian and one non-status, what
would be the status of the children?
What property and residency
rights would the non-status partner
have on an Indian reserve? How
would band funds be affected?
Even entirely eliminating the
Indian Act would ‘not bring
“equality” to the Indian women

(or men) of this country.

LAST HIRED, FIRST FIRED |
A simple test of this is to ask

those Indian women (and: men)

who ‘are unemployed today, (the

unemployment rate for Indian.

people is well over 50%) and who
are always the last hired and the
first fired. :

It could be that some Indian
women who chose to marry non-
Indians hanker to return to Indian
status preciesly because they have
not. been accorded ‘‘equality” in
the white world. | ;

Eliminating the Indian Act,
which serves as the enabling
legislation to protect Indian status,
would in itself be a violation of the
recognized constitutional
guarantee of a special place in
Canada for Indian people. °

If the Indian Act is faulty, its
faults can be corrected. This

. corrective procedure can best be

done on a whole, rather than a
piecemeal basis.

I contend the real concern. of
white women’s groups in this case
is not so much for the plight of their
Indian sisters (or brothers) as a
deep concern for their own plight.

JOIN THEIR PROTEST
If what they’re really protesting
is the discrimination of white

more™
variables to the equation that

look at you and see that you’re an
Indian. As for them being buried on.
their reserves, that’s another way
to save her husband money. If she
were buried on his land, he would
have to pay for the plot.

NOT OF ROSES

Right now, the like of an Indian is
‘no bed of roses, and it’s easy to see
why. It’s because our people have
let the white men take advantage
of our inability to think for our-
selves. They. made promises of
things that they had, and our
people, in wanting to be like them,
foolishly let our lands be taken.

Now they make us feel low as
beggars, when they give us money
for the lands that were once ours.
It’s bad enough that they took our
land, our freedom of hunting and
fishing, now they are taking our
women and they want to get paid
for taking they off the reserves.

Are we going to let them take
also. our power to think for our-

selves? I hope not! It’s easy to see -

that all these things the non-status
Indian women are asking for are
ways to save their white husbands
money, so they must have been

-influenced by them. If they were

such good Indians, they would stop
thinking of only making their own
lives better, and, instead, think of
the future of the rest of the Indians.

Just the other day I passed one of
our women who is married to a

’ white man; she stuck her nose up

in the air. She thinks she is too good
for an Indian now — she has
nothing to do with us.

STATUS EXCLUDED
It’s sad to see this, but this-is the
way it is with most Indian women
who marry white men..They even
put. up.dances:for non-status In-
dians and white people only, no full
blooded Indians allowed. :

And, like Mildred Gottfriedson, I
have seen white women who marry
Indian men. just get Indian rights,
then they leave them. One of these
women is now living common-law
with a white man, and they are
both living on the free help she gets
from Indian Affairs.

We had a good life in the old days
before our lands were taken. Times
were hard, but the food was free,
and we were willing to work for it,
because the land was rich and
there was enough for all Indians.
We took. what we needed, and
didn’t get greedy. So we knew
_peace and sharing among our
people. a

Then we gave up our old ways for
the ways of the white man. Now,
our Indian women are trying to be
like the white women with all this
talk about women’s liberation.

women by their own white men, I
will gladly join them in that
protest.

I suggest they can best leave the
question of the Indian Act to the
Indian people to negotiate with
Parliament.

They might better bend their
energies pressuring the. govern-
ment to provide the Indian people
with the means and the time to
prepare an acceptable and
workable solution to the inequities
of the Indian Act.

In the meantime these white
women’s groups might also expend
some of their energies to ensuring
“equality” for Indian women (and
men), when they do venture into
the white world. ?

The Indian people today are
increasingly desirous of “running”
their. own house. Perhaps, the
white women’s (and white men’s)
groups should concentrate on
“cleaning-up” their own house.

Clive Linklater

These white women have gone too
far with this, and it seems that a lot

of them are sorry they ever got into -

it, but they can’t get out. They see
now, that the only thing they should
have equality in is “equal jobs —
equal pay.”

LOSS MORE THAN GAIN

Now, a lot of them aren’t treated
politely anymore; some are ex-
pected to do everything a man does
without complaining about the cold
and dirt like they used to. I heard
that some of them are even ex-
pected to pay alimony to their
husbands when they get divorced.
They didn’t think about it before
they jumped into it; now a lot of
them find that they lost much more
then they gained.

And this is how it will be if non-
status Indians regain their rights.
The only people who. should be
allowed to choose to live with the
Indians on a reserve are the ones
who have become non-status In-
dians — not because of their own
decision but because their parents
made that decision for them when
they were children. a ,

I have nothing against Indians
being on friendly terms with the
white people, but if people chose
one of their own kind when it comes
to marriage, we’d have a lot less
trouble in our world. But, if they do
decide to marry into a different
race, they should do it without
giving other people trouble. They
made their bed to lie on, let them
lie on it.

When a white man marries a
white lady, he doesn’t expect her
people to support them. Yet, he
allows his Indian wife to ask for
free help from the Indian Affairs

department. He makes it look like
he regards her as being lower than
a white woman, therefore, she
must pay for living with him. She is
not even considered equal to. the
white woman, but yet she wants to
be treated as an equal to the Indian
man.

It has always been the man who
takes care of the women, and if the
white man can’t take care of their
Indian wives without asking her
people to support them, then they
should never even consider
marriage.

In many. walks of life, we find
that by trying to make things -
better, we only make it worse for a
lot of innocent people. So, all you
non-status Indian women, if you
think anything of all Indian people,
you'll forget your selfishness and
think what it would mean for our
people to be shoved around on the
tiny reserves. .

They’re all we have left, this and
our Indian rights; don’t help the
white man to take it away from us.
Be thankful that the people you left
behind to marry a white many are
safe and unthreatened by any more
injustices by the whites.

Leave us this, and let it be.

A universal Indian,
Roxanne Brown

SAANICHTON — A baby boy
was born to Marilyn and Ralph
Underwood of the Tsawout
Reserve, in August, their first
child.

Ross Modeste has won the 10-
speed bike prize of the raffle held
September 5, by the Tsawout Girls
Softball Club.

A democratic solution is needed

R. R. No. 1,

Qualicum Beach, B.C.

. * Oct. 22, 1973
Dear Editor:

The letter of Mrs. Underwood,
“On. overnight color change,’’
which you used as an editorial is
timely I agree, but it gives no
direction we should take.

Indian reserves were set up for
many reasons; permit me to deal
with a specific one. The most hotly
discussed one throughout all
-Canada at present: Indian women

_ losing their Indian status when

they marry a white man.

My opinion is that if Indians lose
their status for this reason, Indian
men should come under the same
ruling. Indian reserves were to be
Indian reserves, not Indian and
white women reserves. If Indian
women are allowed to bring their
white men on reserves, there

‘would be no longer any Indian

reserves. The majority of chiefs
and councillors would be white
men. I doubt if this statement could

“make .

be disputed. The end result would ©
be the government stepping in and .
abolishing reserves. Rightly so,
because there would be no longer
Indian reserves.

This issue is brought up at every
women’s lib meeting in Canada
now. Thousands. of cases will be
before the courts, and eventually
they will win. That is, if we won’t
decisions now, not
tomorrow.. ,

The most democratic solution is
this: equal rights for men and
women, or no reserves.

You will note that I did not
mention Metis women because
they are our sisters.

Sincerely,
Alfred Recalma
Big Qualicum Band

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr. Recalma,
who has just. celebrated his 70th.
birthday last August, promises to
write on other subjects in the
future.

Band member asks what chiefs —
and band managers are for

Box 389,
Fort St. James, B.C.

Dear Editor: '
I read so much about other
reserves’ band managers and the

‘wonderful things they’ve been

doing.

I would like to know what the
band manager’s job consists of, or
what he’s supposed to do.

We have a band manager here on
our reserve. (Necoslie Reserve),
but I haven’t seen a thing done for
my people. Sure, maybe a couple of
cheap houses they build, but
there’s always the complaining
about having no money for other
projects!

We also have a band office here,
but half the time there’s no one
working there, so people end up

writing to Prince George for
assistance. As far as I know the
people at the office here are ear-
ning $400 to $700 a month for sitting
on their rear ends.

We also have a chief. I haven’t
seen him do a thing for our people,
and what is the chief supposed to
do.

Besides telling non-Indians to
stay off the reserves, I think my
people would like a few changes in
our office and more action, but
what can we do? .

Well, I know a few people won’t
like me to write this letter, but
that’s their problem. I think it is
about time our people speak on
what they want or want to be done.

Yours sincerely,
Marge Sam

Page Six

N ES ' K A

PLANNING YOUR FAMILY

Birth control for the modern family

First of a series, Part II
By DR. GEORGE POVEY

EDITOR’S NOTE: The series of
articles on family planning by Dr.
Povey concluded the last article of
Part I on human reproduction in
the August, 1973 issue. We now
present Part II of the series on
birth control, of which there are 11
articles. Part III will. deal with
venereal diseases with two ar-
ticles.

ORAL CONTRACEPTION

Many methods of birth control
are available to the modern
family, including contraception, -
abortion and sterilization.

Contraception means the tem-
porary prevention of pregnancy.

Abortion means the termination
of early pregnancy by surgical
means.

Sterilization means the per-
manent prevention of pregnancy
through a- surgical operation on
either the husband or wife.

CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS

_ Birth control pills contain
medications which act upon the
woman’s. reproductive system to
Suppress ovulation; that is, they
prevent the ovary from producing
an egg each month. ‘

The woman’s menstrual periods
continue in the.normal manner,
and her sexual life is, in general,
not affected by the pills. However,
she does not become pregnant
because ovulation cannot occur
while she is taking the pills.
HOW TO TAKE PILLS

Most oral contraceptives come in
packages of 21 pills. When starting,

- the first-pill should be taken on the
fifth day following the beginning of
a menstrual period.

After that, one pill is taken daily

for 21 days,.which will finish the
‘package. Then no pills are taken

for seven days. After that, another

package of pills is started.» -

-The pattern is repeated, the pills
being taken daily for three weeks,
following which no pills are taken
for a week. During the week
without the pills, the menstrual
period should occur.

Some packages contain 21 birth

- control pills followed by seven
inactive ‘placebo’ pills,.making a
total of 28 pills. In this case one pill
is taken every day, with no in-
tervals between packages.
FORGOTTEN PILLS

Pills should be taken at a regular

time during the day, usually the
first thing in the morning or last
thing at night, when they are least
likely to be forgotten. “
- If one pill is forgotten, it should
be taken as soon as the omission is
noted, and the cycle of pills con-
tinued.

If two or more pills are forgotten,
they should be taken and the cycle
continued, but some other form of

‘protection, such as condom or
vaginal foam, should be used until
the next menstrual period.

SIDE EFFECTS

Sometimes uterine. bleeding
occurs between the expected
menstrual periods. It is not harm-
ful and does not mean. that

protection is lost. If bleeding is’

- slight, the pill cycle should be
continued. If it becomes severe,
the .woman ‘should. contact her
family planning advisor.

- The pills usually decrease the
menstrual flow. They also tend to
decrease menstrual cramping.

Occasionally, a menstrual period
may fail to occur. If this happens,
the woman should start her next
package of pills after seven days,
‘as usual, but she should contact her
family planning advisor for
pregnancy testing.

SLIGHT WEIGHT GAINS

The pills may cause a slight
weight gain as the result of water
retention. A gain of more than five
pounds is not due to the pills, but it
is due to the same things that cause
people who are not taking pills to-

gain weight: overeating and lack
of exercise.

Sickness to the stomach, breast
discomfort, and nervousness
sometimes occur. Such problems
can often be relieved by changing
to a different type of pill.

The only serious complication
associated with oral contraception

is a slightly increased tendency to .

form blood clots. Clots may occur
in the legs, in the lungs; in the
heart, or in the brain.

These accidents, occasionally
fatal, fortunately, occur very
rarely. This risk must be weighed
against a considerably greater risk
of bearing a child or undergoing
abortion. .

KEY POINTS OF PILL USE

1.. The first: time, begin pills five
days after the start of the
menstrual period. .

2. Take one pill daily for 21 days.

3. Then take no pills for seven days.

The menstrual period will occur

at this time.

4. Again, take one pill daily for 21.

days (three weeks), and then no
pills for seven days (one week).

MAKE A HABIT

5. Make a habit of taking pills at
the same time each day.

6. If one pill is forgotten, take it as

*. soon as it is remembered, and

continue the cycle.

7. If more than one pill is forgotten,

take the pills that were forgotten,
and continue the cycle, but use

another form of protection until
the next menstrual period.

8. If slight bleeding occurs, ignore
it; continue taking the pills.

HEAVY BLEEDING

9. If bleeding is as heavy as a
menstrual period, consult your
family planning advisor. =

10. If a menstrual period fails to
occur, start the next package of
pills after seven days as usual,

but contact your family planning ©

advisor.for pregnancy testing.
11. Women who have had blood
clots should not use oral con-
traception except under unusual
circumstances.
Anyone using the pill who has
severe leg or chest pains, who
coughs up blood, or who has
severe headaches or -blurred
_ vision should call her doctor.

NEXT ARTICLE |. .

The intrauterine device (IUD)
will be discussed. .

BRANDON, Man. — The Indian -

and Metis Friendship Centre here
set up an authentic native Indian
village of 15 teepees during the
Manitoba Provincial Exhibition in
August.

The centre received a $10,000 |
grant for the project from the.

department of state which has
awarded $79,875: worth of grants

under the federal multiculturalism ]

program.

~ October, 1973

again,

up and down, big and small,
~ which can be used are coloured
other, and very simple puzzles.

home. ;

with her older brother and sister
and we would like them to be re
they are.

should be sent to:
MRS. LAURA FOWLER

100 W. Pender St.
Vancouver 3, B.C.

Telephone 684-3391

A FAMILY OF THREE ©
AS CUTE AS CAN BE

Ronnie, Mary and Sue are brother and sisters of part native
Indian heritage awaiting permanent parents.

Each child has individual needs which could be met by warm,
understanding parents who have the
them reach their potential and learn

Ronnie began to speak at age five years and requires speech
therapy and assistance to enlarge his understanding and ability to
learn new words. He enjoys his “‘special school" and will probably
never enter the regular school stream. -

His parents can help at home by looking together. at lots. of
books, reading to him, naming. pictures, and doing pencil and
paper work. Ronnie must learn concepts of everyday life such as
right and left. Educational toys
blocks, barrels that fit inside each
With his cooperative attitude and
responsive nature, he will probably make steady gains in the tight

Ronnie has fond memories of his sister Mary, aged three years,
from whom he was recently separated. After being in care for a
year and a half, Mary is beginning to emerge from her emotional
withdrawal and is becoming responsive and talkative. Mary is very
frightened of “new faces’’ and needs constant reassurance and the
physical contact of a warm and loving adult.

Sue at.age two years is healthy and normal. in all respects. She is
developing well and is cheerful and
within the past year and a half,
united as the family group that

For further information ‘on these children and others, enquiries

ADOPTION PLACEMENT SERVICE

interest. and patience to help
to place their trust in adults

active. Sue has had no contact

A guide to First Citizens’ Fund applications

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following
guidelines should _ help. everyone
interested in applying for: grants

from the First Citizens’ Fund. We
~ thank the Indian advisory office of

the B.C. department of provincial
secretary for supplying Nesika
with. this important information.

First citizen

To contribute support to projects
involved with the advancement
and expansion of the culture,
education, economic cir-
cumstances, and position of per-
sons of the North American Indian
race who were born in and are
residents of the Province of British
Columbia.

Future general

(1) The Provincial Secretary,
who is responsible for the ad-
ministration of the First Citizens’
Fund will seek the advice of the
First Citizens’ Fund Advisory
Committee which. will be
established from amongst the
Indian residents of the Province of
British Columbia. The Advisory
Committee will be asked to make
recommendations to the Provin-
cial Secretary and the Minister of
Finance.

(2) The policies of the First
Citizens’ Fund shall be open for re-
examination and evaluation.

(3) Allocations from the First
Citizens’ Fund represent new
money to initiate projects in the
area of culture, education,
economic development, and
recreation.

(4) The general philosophy of the

First Citizens’ Fund is there be

local input toward projects

_ whenever possible.

NOT A REPLACEMENT

(5) Fund allocations are not
intended to support or to replace
existing programmes financed by
the Department of Indian Affairs,
Canada, nor to displace or sup-
plement existing programmes
financed under any other depart-
ment of the Government of British
Columbia. Allocations from the
Fund are not to be made for water,
sewage works, or housing projects.

(6) Allocations from the Fund

_ ticular, long-term.commitments to
the administrative and. structural.

.are to avoid entering upon long-

term commitments and, in par-

costs of existing of contemplated

(7) The administrative costs of
the Fund -are to be kept at the
lowest. practical: level. ;

(8)-To the extent that ad-
ministrative structure is required
by the First Citizens’: Fund the
retaining of qualified Indian
personnel is to be given top
priority.

_(9) Allocations from the Fund
for investment purposes will not be
considered at any time.

NOT FOR LEGAL EXPENSES
(10) Allocations from the Fund

_ for legal expenses will not be

considered at any time.

(11) Allocations from. the Fund
for capital purposes are to be made
under consideration that com-
munity support, based on the
ability to pay, will be met from
local sponsors. /

(12) Wherever possible  in-
dividual applications to the Fund
should have the endorsement of a
bona fide provincially based Indian
organization or a local Band
Council.

(13) Allocations from the Fund
represent trust monies, and a
satisfactory accounting. must be
made by recipients of all disbur-
sements from the Fund.

(14) Project and programme
budgets must be open to inspection
by the First Citizens’ Fund.
SATISFACTORY ACCOUNTING.

(15) Additional allocations from
the Fund will not be considered
until all previous grant monies
have been satisfactorily accounted
for by the recipient.

(16) Allocations from the Fund
are not to be made to compensate
for an over-expenditure of an
authorized grant. :

(17) Allocations from the Fun
are not to be made to support an
event after the expiration of that
event.

(18) The Fund shall | be
programme or project-oriented
with emphasis placed on

assistance at the local community
level. :

organizations ° and ‘programmes. -

PREFERENCES OF GRANTS
(19) Preference will be given to

:; applicants who have not previously

applied for assistance, °°

(20) Priority’ will. be given’ to”

projects and programmes. ‘that
project possible long-term benefits
and to programmes offering on-
the-job training or the upgrading of
skills to improve employment

. opportunities.

Project policy

(1) Projects designed to improve
the standards and authenticity of
the basic Indian . curriculum
content of public school courses
will be considered.

(2) Upon the recommendation of
a Band Council or a bona fide In-
dian organization, applications will
be considered for either ap-
prenticeship training or in-service
training in such fields as banking,
real estate, property and business
management, counselling, etc.

(3) Upon. the recommendations
of a Band Council or bona fide
Indian organization, consideration
will be given to projects involving
in-service training where the Fund
would pay the salary of native
Indians being trained in order that
the Indian might learn special

-Skills on the job. The maximum

duration of such training should
not exceed 12 months.

(4) Projects designed to improve
the counselling of Indian students
within the school systems will be
considered by the Fund in co-
operation with local school boards.
PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAMMES

(5) Projects designed to improve
pre-school programmes for Indian
children will be considered
provided the pre-school type
projects are not available through
Federal or other agencies.

(6) Upon the recommendation of
a Band Council or a bona fide In-
dian organization students from
the Indian population will be
considered for _ incentive
scholarship awards.

(7) Projects designed to promote
Indian communication and unity

through the staging of educational .

seminars or conferences will be
considered for support.

(8) Consideration for capital
construction projects suchas
community centres and recreation

“facilities. will be given with support"

from the Fund: and an. equal
amount from th3. local area to a
maximum of $25,000. Payments for
capital projects. will be for
material only and will be on the
basis of receipt of progress
reports. ‘

LOCAL
PROJECTS a

(9) Projects designed to promote
communication between various
local Indian Bands and com-
munities in the Province of British
Columbia will be considered for
support from the Fund.

(10) Projects designed to
promote Indian culture through the
staging of pageants and festivals
will be considered by the Fund.

(11) Projects from Band
Council, including community-
based workshops and distribution
centres designed to promote the
development of Indian arts and
crafts in the amount of not more
than 50 percent for expenditures
towards space, tools, stock,
materials, etc., provided that 50
percent of the cost is met by the
local Indian. Band and to a

COMMUNICATION

‘maximum of $25,000 will be con-

sidered bythe Fund. Payments for
capital projects will be on the basis
of receipt of progress reports.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS

(12) Projects designed to initiate
co-operative economic develop-
ment will be considered in the
amount of 50 percent of the cost of
the project provided that 50 per-
cent is met locally to a maximum
of $75,000. Such projects should be
of the nature that the start-up
grant from the Fund need not be
continued. indefinitely. Payments
for capital projects will be on the
basis of receipt of progress
reports, :

(13) Upon the recommendation
of a Band Council or a bona fide
Indian organization, individuals
will be considered for assistance to
develop a commercial undertaking
in an amount not more than 50

Continued on Page 12A
See: RECREATION

October, 1973

NES IKA

Page Seven

PHILIP PAUL, representing the Union of B.C. Indian
Chiefs, confers with BCANSI officers in front of the
Newcombe auditorium in Victoria. The association of .
non-status Indians were at the capital to meet with

Premier Barrett and some members of the cabinet.
Talking with Paul is BCANSI vice president Jim
Lannigan, right. BCANSI president Fred House, left,
is concentrating at something else.

PREMIER DAVE BARRETT, with BCANSI’s Fred House, “Reliieided

with much sympathy to recommendations to help poor people. In general
delegates to the presentation seemed to feel satisfied, although there was
some dissatisfaction with the very short duration of the meeting.

[Staff photos]

Sympathy from government, “specifics” from people

By G. McKEVITT

VICTORIA — “The doors are
open”? — that phrase was used

often in the proceedings and
summed up the feelings of the
delegates of the B.C. Association of
Non-Status Indians after
presenting their major brief to the
Provincial Government in Victoria
on September 2r.

The 130-page brief was a com-
pilation of recommendations, both
general and specific, that BCANSI
felt the government should use as a
guide in its dealings with B.C.
Indians, Status and, in particular,
Non-Status. It dealt basically on
three major areas: education,
housing and economic develop-
ment. — .

In the opening statement of the
short half-hour meeting. with
Premier Barrett and. concerned
cabinet ministers, Association
president Fred House outlined
what he thought. the government
should keep in mind in dealing with
the brief.

Foremost, House said, the B.C.
Non-Status Indians. should not be
considered as: “... a special
people but. rather. “people | with a
special problem. ”

NO EXTRA COSTS
He went on to say that the type of
proposals put forward in the. brief
related: to economic development
would cost the government no
extra funds: “The money row
being spent on welfare can be spent
instead in helping the people in
economic development.”
_ House also strongly pointed out
to the government that BCANSI
did not ‘want a department of In-
dian affairs set up in B.C.. but
rather that they work through
existing departments.
The Government’s reaction to
the brief was sympathetic although
fairly unspecific. Premier Barrettt
told the approximately 70
delegates that the government was
open to any co-operative housing
proposals that they had or knew
about. :
Hesaid that he was well aware of
the terrible housing conditions of
many native people and cited his
experience of seeing some of the
shacks in Chetwyn when he visited
there as leader of the opposition.
He did not, however, offer to try
staying in one for a night as the
brief suggested, in the spirit of his
- recent try at commercial fishing.
PREMIER'S RECOM-
MENDATIONS

Barrett also told the delegates

' that he-now personally had Frank °

_Calder’s old Ministry without
Portfolio and that he-would soon be

‘making public recommendations
from it. He did not hint, however,
what they would be.

The Premier ended his
statement by saying that the
government was very sympathetic
with many of the. recom-
mendations in the brief, but it.was
up to the people themselves to
» come up with the specifics as to
how the changes could be ad-
ministered.

The reactions ‘from the other

. government

members were
similar in spirit. Minister of
Human Resources Norm Levi
noted that he was pleased to see
that BCANSI and UBCIC were
making a unified stand in the
presentation of the brief.

The UBCIC Council had earlier
in the week voted in unanimous
support of the brief, and, in many
instances throughout the paper,

recommendations were made to
use both organizations for con-
sultation and resources personnel
in government action.

FIVE-ACRE PLOTS

Dave Stupich, minister of
agriculture, also commended this
unity, although, in his speech, he
seemed to have the mistaken
notion that the brief was a joint

presentation. Stupich also revealed
a new government move to make
available plots of agricultural land
of approximately five acres for
people to become established in
farming: . as -a way of life.”

This. was ‘in line with a recom-
mendation in the brief for allot-
ments such as this.

After the short meeting the
government members rushed off to

INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Union recommends changes in the law

VANCOUVER — The Union of. ©

B.C. Indian Chiefs, in a meeting
with the Archaeological Sites

Advisory Board, has outlined the . .

basic principle that. “control over
research dealing -with Indian
people must ultimately rest with
Indian people”. _

The board has responded by
forming a. committee to act on
recommendations of the Union
based on ultimate Indian control.

The recommendations touched

mainly on changes of legislation ~

and. of requirements of issuing
permits.

On legislation, the Union
recommended raising - penalties,
not less than $5,000 fine or not less
than one year imprisonment for

violations of the Archaeological -

and Historic Sites.Protection Act.

- universities,’

At present the penalty. is a

maximum fine of $1,000 or up to six
months imprisonment. . -

The Union said that ‘“‘a’ violation
of the Act must be seen as also
being a violation of.our heritage.”

Further, the Union stated that
relevant legislation be changed so
that artifacts of prehistoric origin
are recognized as belonging to the
Indian people of the area, and that
artifacts held. by researchers,
museums, ‘or any
other person or institution. be
recognized as “‘being held in trust’’

- for Indian people.
Written permits from the band .

council of the area in which ex-
cavation is to take place must be
required, said the Union.

Other changes recommended
regarding permit also include:

NORTH WEST CULTURAL SOCIETY
Major projects planned for 1974

By LIA McGOOKIN

Some old news, some new news,
and all good news as we breathe a
sigh of relief that the summer rush
is over. All members worked very
hard, and — although it’s been said
before — thanks a million to
everyone who pitched in.

Our president, Simon Baker
(who has got to be one of the most
underrated men, and yet he does so
much that few people ever hear
about) is already planning a
number of major projects for the
1974 season.

We plan to. be ahead of the game
this year; we are asking for our
money now, so that it is in the bank
before the project and not after.
This gives any treasurer a good
night’s sleep, although, I think,
Hattie enjoys the challenge of a
last-minute hustle.

We are working on short-range
and long-range projects this year.
With a little luck, we just might get
this Coiety off the ground and
flying high. We need team spirit,
cooperation, and, above all,
respect for the guidance our
president must give us as he leads
the whole show.

Our projects consist of the set-
ting up of a base of operations, if
our LIP grant is approved, and
from there coordinate all the
cultural activities we are called
upon to work with. We expect to do
the Victoria Fair, the Sea Festival,

and the PNE, as usual, and some of -

the members. will be pitching in to
help the BCANSI organize the

native entry for the Spokane
World’s Fair in 1974. This is what I
call TEAMWORK.

At the same time our main corp
will be working on the long range
project which is to be called ‘The
Indian Heritage Village’ tem-
porarily. The name is still being
tossed around, so this: is where
we'll need your help.

Chief Baker would like to call a
general meeting of all the mem-
bership on Tuesday, November 20.
It is most important that we have
the general election of a new
executive before the 1974 season
gets under way.

As recording secretary I will be
sending out meeting notices to tell
you the time, place,:etc., but, in
case our postal department goofs
up, if you don’t get the notice,
please call me at 687-5411 or 731-
6371, for more information.

At the general meeting we will
have available to all members a
complete layout of both the short
and long range projects for your
comments and approval (or,
disapproval,-if you so wish). —__

So, put a big ring around the 20th
of November on your calendar, and
please give us your support as we
prepare to really become the North
West Indian Cultural Society as it
should be, a total provincial or
national joining of peoples — both
Indian and non-Indian — working
together without prejudice to
preserve the most sophisticated
culture this world has ever known.

See you November 20!

requiring the archaeologist to
submit a detailed list of artifacts
“recovered to the band council;
requiring the archaeologist to
submit copies of reports on the
excavation to the’ band council, and
that these reports must be ac-
companied by a copy in “ordinary
English.”

In addition, the Union also
recommended that new jobs. be
created or present: jobs changed to
include policing of archaeological
sites, and that archaeologists be
encouraged to hire balla people if
possible.

New policy set
for law studies

LONDON, Ont. — The University
of Western Ontario has recognized
that the-legal profession has no
ssignificant membership among
native people, and has announced a
policy to encourage law studies by
Canadian Indians.

The Faculty of Law of the
university notes that few Indian
students apply for admission to law

schools, and admission procedures -

“may have failed to take full ac-
count of the cultural dissimilarities
-and social considerations which
are unique to native Canadians.”

Admission to the university law
school, therefore, will be on an
individual basis, considering many
factors.

These factors maturity,
academic performance, results on
the Law School Admission Test,
personal interviews, employment
history, leadership potential, and
letters of reference — will not be
“determinative” and may even be
not considered at all in some cases.

The law faculty however will see
to it that ‘only. those applicants
who have a reasonable chance of
success” will be-admitted.

Mainly, admission will be based
either on successful completion of
two years university work after
Grade 13, or its equivalent; or on
the basis of age, experience,
maturity, or outstanding qualities
shown by the applicant’s previous
careers.

When a student is admitted, he
will be offered additional help and

support to minimize any difficulty .

he may meet during the law school
program.

Financial assistance is available
from the Department of Justice
and the Department of Indian
Affairs.

derlying disappointment

other appointments. The delegates -
however stayed on to talk and hear
speakers afterward. There seemed
to be a general satisfaction in the
government’s response although
there also existed a certain un-
in the
length of the meeting.

This was first brought to the
surface by BCANSI research
director Bill Willson: ‘‘I feel that
after all the time and trouble you
(the delegates) have put into
preparing this brief and coming to
Victoria, that the government
could find more than 15 minutes in
their schedule to talk to you.”

This sentiment seemed reflected
in the spirited response of the
delegates and some of the sub-
sequent speeches by members of
the Board of Directors.

A GREAT VICTORY

Fred House, however, in his final
words of the morning, told the
delegates that he felt that: “...
even if the meeting had been three
hours long, we could not have

accomplished anymore than we

did in those 15 or 20 minutes.”

He went on to say that he felt the
government had shown their
responsiveness, and now the real
work. would begin to get recom-
mended programs into operation.

“The doors are open,’’ House ~
said.

Other speakers at the after-
meeting included Alberta Metis
Association president Stan
Daniels, who said that he felt thatt
BCANSI had made a great victory
that morning, and UBCIC research
director Philip Paul.

Paul stressed the importance of
BCANSI and UBCIC working
together on things .of common
interest. He said that one must
take into account the past tensions
between the two organizations and
work toward overcoming them.

To be heard, the UBCIC Council
member said, the Indian people
must have ‘‘strength in numbers.”

Paul revealed that he and House
had met earlier in the week and
had discussed areas where the
organizations could work together.

Later on in the day some of the
delegates met in private meetings
with the various ministers affected
by the brief for more detailed
conversations on specific ideas in
the recommendations.

NURSES OR PARA-
PROFESSIONALS

Wanted to work: with native
Indians in the Strathcona area
as part of a mental health
team.
[Apply to:
Dr. John Kyle
1687 W. Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
Tel: 736-8066

Deadline of Applications

November 15, 1973

Send copy. of letter of application,
or applicant’s name and address to:

Mrs, Pat Colford
600 Vernon Drive
Vancouver 4, B.C.

Page Eight

EDITOR’S NOTE: The
following is a condensation of
a statement prepared by the
National Indian Brotherhood
on economic development of
Indian communities. It was
prepared for. the Western
Federal-Provincial - Con-
ference on Economic Op-
portunities, July 24-26, 1973.

Introduction

The Indian communities in the
West, as elsewhere across Canada,
have undergone a variety of ex-
periments all supposedly designed
to maximize the economic
potential of our communities and
our reserved lands. All have had
certain common ingredients, and
all have been uniformly charac-

terized by a startling lack of:

success,
The most common ingredients

which these programs shared

included: :

1. strong central control in

Ottawa.

2. failure to use that cen-

tralization to develop any

type of overall coordination
or planning.

-_ 3. general absence of local
participation in any of the
early planning stages.

4. failure to connect com-
~ munity. development to

economic development, and

5. per capita application of

funds well below the criteria

for ‘“‘depressed regions’ or

The failure of these programs is
all the more disturbing if we
realize there is probably no other
area in which the Indian com-

munity share as many common.

interests with the federal govern-
ment. g

Federal and provincial govern-
ments and Indian peoples stand to
profit by an approach to economic
development. that is successful
materially, socially, and
culturally, as determined by the
Indian community.

_ A proposal

We propose a straight-forward
method of economic development
based.on the following:

A. Documentation of the

present situation — as

assessed by the community

B. Determination of future

objectives by the community

C. Development of the

"necessary approach, through

dialogue between the com-

munity and qualified

economic advisors retained

by the community.
'. Rather than being the designers
and judges of their economic
destiny, Indian people have been
the root of big business employing
civil servants, consultants, outside
merchants, who have been . the
chief beneficiaries of large funds
voted for aiding the development of
Indian communities. Simply
putting funds directly into the
hands of Indian people would go a
long way to raising the general
standard of living in Indian
communities.

The failure to clearly establish
public policy of Indian economic
development has contributed
immeasurably to the opportunity
for public servants to substitute
their own interests for our ob-
jectives. The federal government
must make a firm commitment to
the economic emancipation of the
Indian people. It must identify its
own goals in such terms that both
public servants and Indian people
clearly recognize whether specific
programs and projects will move.
us toward the fulfillment of those
goals.

Paternalism has long been
condemned, even by those accused
of it. Most often paternalism is

N ES 1 K A

N.1.B. ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF INDIAN COMMUNITIES

Need also upgrading human resources

chastised for the psychological and
sociological damage it inflicts. In
the case of economic development
we can Say more simply, it just has
not worked. -

We are more than aware of our
present. economic situation. The
decades of neglect and abuse
permeate every aspect of our lives.
The only thing more important

-than that awareness is our belief

that we can rise above our present
situation given the resources and

cooperation which the government

is capable of lending.

necessary for a developing
country is not available to
Indian reserves, which face
the same socio-economic
problems faced by. countries.
receiving Canadian aid;

5. The terms and conditions
of the loan and its in-
terpretation by departmental
officials, ete., force Indian
people or Indian Bands into
incorporation with all the
implied hazards, especially
in reference to potential loss
of reserve lands.

6. Finally, the interest earned

hydro; other community
amenities aimed at
discouraging migration, and,
equally important, en-
couraging the immigration of
required skills; arterial
roads, highways, and air-
ports providing an
~ economical link with outside
suppliers and customers;
fully equipped industrial
parks; a range of incentives
that along with those offer 2d
by the Provincial and
Municipal governments,
offer as a prospect a plant,

In economic terms Indian
communities compare to. those
of underdeveloped countries.
On UNESCO graphs an Indian
community would compare to
Botswana, while Canada stands
in favourable comparison with
most advanced western
European economies.

HOUSING

Indian ‘reserves have a
desperate and immediate need
for 10,000 houses. Within five
years there will be a need for an
additional 5,000. Of existing
houses 5,000 are in need of
major repairs.

figures represent an alarmingly
high percentage of people
without proper housing today.

Where the average Canadian
family of 3.7 persons share 5.3
rooms, the average Indian
family must find. space for 6.4
people in 3.6 rooms.

INFRASTRUCTURE
The infrastructure — com-
mon mechanical ingredients

For a 250,000-population these .

Indian communities: the statistics

needed for both social and
economic health of -a com-
munity — reflect the same
disparity.

_For Indian homes there are
79% with electriciy, 31% with
running water, 24% with indoor
toilets, 19% with indoor baths,
and 25% with telephones.

This contrasts with 98% of
houses with electricity, 97.4%
with running water, 96.1% with
indoor toilets, 93.5% with indoor
baths, 94.3% with telephones _
across Canada.

POOR HEALTH, SHORT LIFE

These living conditions
contribute directly to poor
levels of health, and to short life
expectancies in Indian com-
munities. Within the Saskat-
chewan Indian community
dystentry and typhoid, caused
by poor water supply and lack
-of sanitation, are 22 and 35
times greater ‘than in the whole
province; TB is 14 °times as
great. : % ‘
INFANT MORTALITY

Infant mortality is out of all

‘proportion to the national

figures. Thirty per cent of the
inmates of penitentiaries in
western Canada are native
people. Excessive use of alcohol
is above the national average in
direct proportion to the level of
despair.

UNEMPLOYMENT

The ' national average
unemployment for employable
Indian people is 56%. While
some communities. suffer only
10% at the best of times, 80% is
not uncommon at the height of
winter. :

The average annual per
capita income for registered
Indians is about $500, compared
to Prince Edward Island, with
the lowest per capita income of
any province, with an average
of $2,188. ~

DROP-OUT RATE

The drop-out rate among _
Indian. secondary .. school. .
students remains at 94% despite
revision of school contracts and
superficial forms of integration.

Present approach

The federal government has -

never taken a comprehensive
approach toward the economic
development of Indian reserve

communities. The only significant .

attempts consist. of the Depart-
ment of Indian Affairs Economic
Development Sections efforts; the
Indian Economic Development
Loan Fund, and the Department of
Indian Affairs Arts and Crafts
Central Marketing Service.

The efforts.of the DIA Economic
Development Section can be
measured by this section’s use of
federal funds, In 1970-71 the Section
spent $10.2M: $8M for operation

expenditures, only $2.2M for.

capital to reserve communities.
The fiscal year 1971-72. was no
better; of the $13.9M budget, $10M
was spent for operation ‘ex-
penditures, only $3.9M for capital
to the reserves.

For 1970-71 the DIA launched the
$50M Indian Economic Develop-
ment Fund, a start in the right
direction but deficient of the
necessary capital investment
estimated at $1,000 to $1,500M.

Irrespective of the amount these
are the major shortcomings of the

‘Fund:

/. It is primarily loan rather
than social capital oriented
(only.$10M is grants);
_2.The rate of interest on
loans, especially loans over
$25,000, is totally unrealistic
in relation to the socio-
economic nature of the task;
3. Its term of 15 years is far
too short, and thus the burden
of repayment is far too great
in relation’ to the potential
development . opportunities
still available for Indian
people;
4.The lack of repayment
grace period normally
considered absolutely

on the loans is transferred

back to the government

rather than back to the Fund.

The DIA Arts and Craft Central
Marketing service is also a step in
the right direction, but does not go
far enough to be effective. Its
prime purpose has never been fully
developed; major avenues for
maximum benefit to the people
working in this industry have not
been used; aspects— retail
market outlets, permanent
training facilities, protecting
producers from foreign in-
fringement of markets— have
never been fully developed.

CIDA and DREE

_ Although some assistance for
economic development of Indian
people have ‘been granted, the
forms of this assistance have not
been applicable to our present
situation. , ;

For example, when agencies, .

such as the UN and the Canadian
International Development
Agency (CIDA), plan economic
development programs for
developing countries, or when the

Department of Regional Economic’
Expansion’ (DREE) promotes.

economic growth in the have-not
provinces of Canada, all stress the
need for infrastructure as a pre-
requisite and basis for economic
growth. : .

To promote development DREE
emphasizes the availability of the
following:

‘““‘Human ‘resource
deveiopment with an_ in-
tegrated program for the
training and upgrading of all
human resources; this led to
the construction of relevant
. education institutions, design

of meaningful programs, and

the hiring of corfipetent staff;

community services such as
roads, water, sewage and

machinery, and sufficient
- working capital to get
started, in addition to funds
for training a work force.”
Similarly, _ CIDA grants
developing countries soft loans
which may be 50 years interest-
free, with a 10-year repayment
grace. These soft loans are con-
sidered as grants in terms of cost
of money and purchasing power of
the dollar at the end of a 50-year
repayment period.

Different terms

When the programs available to
Indian communities are compared
to those conducted by CIDA or
DREE, one fact stands out: neither
the capital nor the terms under
which it is made available either to
emerging nations or to depressed
regions of Canada are available to
Indian Reserves.

While civil servants pronounce
on whether one ‘reserve or another
has the potential for economic
development, the dollars which
any other region or community
would consider essential are
denied to the Indian communities.

-Prince Edward Island— with a

population slightly smaller than
the Indian population of Canada,
and with a per capita income four
times as great ($2,000 per capita
for 110,000 people) — required a
total of $725M for regional
development. Compared to these
figures, the total assistance to
Indian communities is negligible.

Comparisons of DREE funds and
grants-in-aid fail to. include
Equalization Payments whic¢h
bring the provincial treasury up to
a national average per capita.
Although the low income figurés
for Indian communities might
contribute to

province, those payments fail to
benefit destitute Indian com-

increased .
_ Equalization Payments to the

October, 1973

munities except in the most
peripheral ways.

Future objectives

The future objective of the In-
dian people is to control their own
destiny. This objective requires
full recognition of Native title, and
sufficient federal legislation to
terminate the present exploitation
of Indian lands and resources by
non-Indian interests and to-
facilitate local development by
Indian communities.

It must be the community that
determines the goals and the
means of development, limited
only by the technical advice of its
own. professional counsellors. It is:
idle to talk of either self-reliance or
community control unless the
economic power which basic
development can begin is placed in
the hands of the community. Given
the dollar-power, Indian com-'
munities can make as effective use
of their own resources as any
neighbouring community.

We should not be expected to
make-do with less. -

Necessary approach

The economy of Indian com-
munities can be restored, if a socio-
economic development approach
from the communities is followed.
This requires the federal govern-
ment to take certain definite ac-
tions:

1. A statement in principle

committing the government

to the economic. eman-
cipation of the Indian people;

2. The direction for

development must come

from the reserve com-
munities; the federal _
government must replace its —

‘present policies with a

commitment. to support

directions chosen by. the

communities, and give clear —

their jobs; 2

3. A ‘national committee of -

the Indian people and

economic advisors retained
by the national Indian
community should receive
federal support in order to:

a) analyze and re-design the

structure of relevant sections

of the Department of Indian

Affairs and Northern

Development;

b) analyze and coordinate all

sources of government

funding provided to Indian
communities;

c) analyze and re-structure

the delivery system of

government funds provided .

to Indian communities;

4. Basic funding for essential

services, normally provided

by local governments, should
be calculated for. Indian
communities based on an,

Equalization Payment for-

mula to be distributed within

the Indian community,
among the bands on a per
capita _. basis; these

Equalization Payments

should not diminish the right

of the Indian community to
seek grants-in-aid or other
federal funds for specific
programs calculated on

formulas comparable to .

those applicable to other

Canadian communities;

Quality of personnel

5. The quality of personnel of
the Department of Indian
Affairs must be upgraded by:
a) finding other suitable
employment for all personnel
who are either technically or
personally incapable. of
following policy directions
Continued on Page 12

See RECOMMENDATIONS

October, 1973

DELEGATES AT FIRST NATIVE WINTER SPORTS AND RECREATION WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP AND spaxté clinics proved very beneficial to delegates, although in above.
photo some people appear puzzled. Advice, practice sessions, and helpful hints on
available founding were featured at workshop held in Prince George in September.

NESIKA

Emphasis put on sports for children

PRINCE GEORGE — More than
a hundred delegates attended the
winter workshop held here
recently under the sponsorship of
the B.C. Native Amateur Sports
and Recreation Winter Workshop.

Recreational sports for children
was a major concern of discussions
in relation to swimming, basket-
ball, and hockey.

Barbara Morgan, speaking on
aquatics programming, said: ‘If
there is a native community on the
doorstep of an indoor pool

situation, there is no reason why
the children cannot. become in-
volved with the competitive sport
of swimming, or with the learn-to-
swim part of it,. or with
recreational swimming.”’

She assured delegates that
children. are given by the
federation the ‘‘opportunity to seek
excellence if they should decide, or
to simply ‘enjoy’.”

John Lambe of the Native Winter
Games.committee, Prince Rupert,

said that his group is looking
forward to hosting the games.
. , Speaking of plans for. the games,

Lambe said: “We would like to
think of the games as more than

just athletics. It is a first for the
province.

‘‘We would like to bring Native
bands into. Prince Rupert for en-
tertainment. They have a large
salmon festival each summer —
perhaps; a-small scale of same can
be done during the games.’

Lambe recalled that some ten to
fifteen thousand people have at-
tended ee native tournaments in
the past

Plans for a West Native Winter
Games have not been realized, he
said, because other provinces are
not ready yet, although Alberta has
shown some interest.

The games will be starting with

only three sports, and will add
more events in the future.

Wayne Hunter, coach of .the
Hollend Hockey team from Powell
River, conducted a clinic and
spoke on the structure of native
hockey.

‘Hunter said that amateur hockey
is affiliated with CAHA, and there
is a membership of about 50,000
children.

For children, he said, ‘dry land
training” will give some insight
into the game.

Hunter emphasized flexible
coaching when teaching, and
coaches must motivate a child or a
team in a positive manner.

“Sports are only a part of life,”
Hunter said. ‘‘But through sports a

person can become a total person. .

Remember that capabilities differ.

Ages six to eleven years play for

enjoyment. At 15-16 years boys are
self-conscious.

“Children play for own en-
joyment but need leadership. When
the child is ready for help, give.it to

him. When ‘he asks for help, take .

the time to help him.”

In basketball. provincial coach
John Olsen, who introduced ‘Mini
Ball in B.C., described Mini Ball as

"away of introducing children to the

sport.

“It’s for children under 12.
Baskets are lower, courts are
smaller. The rules are basically
the same but geared for en-
joyment. Extreme competition is
not sought at. this level,” he ex-
plained.

Olsen was with the 1972 Canada
All Star team, and has travelled to
Russia for exchange of ideas.

Other speakers and resource
persons for clinics included Harold
Mann, coach and 1961 gold
medalist in boxing at the British
Empire Games; Ray Peebles,

. Association;

president, B.C. Amateur Hockey
Paul Wodchye,
volleyball coach; and Betty Ann
Davies, a St. John’s instructor in
first aid and manager-operation of
her ambulance service in Prince
George. /
The workshop also set up a plan
of tournaments to be held, but no

- firm dates were worked out.

New chiefs for
Lakes area bands

Larry Dixon, 26, has been elected

“chief of. the Canim Lake Indian

Band.

The new chief replaced Charlotte
Christopher who resigned to’: go
with her. husband, Roy, Canim
Lake’s administrator, who. will
take. business. administration cat
Camosun College in Victoria.

Dixon, son of former chief Eddie
Dixon, is also a member. of. the
economic development committee
for the reserve. He-has also worked
in recreation and helped to start
softball and hockey in Canim. Lake.

The young chief is married and

“has three children.

Mrs. Marjorie’ Dixon also hap-
pens to be the education coor-
dinator of the band, and she will be
one of three instructors of a new
driving school for native people set
up in October.

* oe *

At the Alkali Lake reserve, on
the other hand, the band is to elect
a new chief to replace Irvine
Harry.

Harry resigned in August, and
has. been appointed assistant
executive director of the new Fish
Lake Indian training centre.

ROGER ADOLPH* BCNASRF director, and Art Helin sit with representatives from B.C.
Indian bands attending winter sports workshop. The workshop produced a tentative
schedule of winter games, and spokesmen have said that definite dates will be an-
nounced as these are set.

Page ‘Nine

[Photos courtesy of BCNASRF ]

Contest deadline
extended Nov. 30

WINNIPEG — Man. — The
deadline for entries to the
National Indian. Flag Contest
has been extended to November
30, 1973.

A prize of $100 will be
awarded.

The contest is open to all
persons of native ancestry
except the staff of. the New
Nation and their immediate
families.

Entries must be mailed or
shipped postpaid to:

National
Contest /
' The New Nation
590 Main Street
Winnipeg, Man.

Indian Flag

Harry Amos, 55

KITIMAT — Harry Amos, for-
merly chairman of the Terrace
District Council, died on Sep-
tember 29, after a lengthy illness,
at age 55 years.

He was also the chairman of the
board of directors of the Haisla.
United. Church; and a past
president of the Kitimat Village
Athletic Club.

Since 1970 he was a field officer
for the. Terrace District Office of
the department of Indian. affairs.

Mr.. Amos also was a former

. councillor and chief of the Kitimat

Indian Band.

He is survived by his wife,
Frances, and six children, Gerald,
Morris, Carol, Nancy, Barbara and
Harold.

The family requests that in lieu
of flowers. donations be made to the .
Haisla United: Church Building
Fund, Kitimat Village; Kitimat,
B.C. — By Gordon Robinson.

Band’s own funds helped build
_ Nitinaht: multi-purpose centre

By G. McKEVITT

NITINAHT . —:. Very — ap-
propriately, the last sunny days of
the Indian summer held out just
long enough to accommodate the
official opening of the Nitinaht
Band’s  Cultural-Recreational
Centre. Held on September 15, the
ceremonies attracted at least 800
Indian and non-Indian guests.

The huge, beautifully con-
structed building is the
culmination of a winter works
project begun back in February.
Its construction was handled

almost-entirely by band members’

with the only non-member being a
supervising carpenter hired from
Port Alberni.

The band also supplied a. good

YOUNG DANCERS of the Nitinaht Indian Band entertain during the barbecued on the shore of the Hitinaht Lake, below the village, and then
opening ceremonies of their new cultural recreation centre. The centre driven up to the new centre for the sumptuous feast offered to guests.

was built as a winter works project. For the luncheon fare salmon was

{Staff photo]

part of the financing with over
$30,000 coming from band funds.
The rest of the funding came
through the federal government
and the provincial First Citizens’
Fund.

The majority of the floor space in
the building is taken up with
recreational purposes, highlighted
by a large hardwood, varnished
floor lined out for various sports.
The rest of the structure is devoted
to band. office facilities and
cultural activity rooms.
ELDERS’ COMMITTEE

The opening. day ceremonies
were the result of a committee of
elders set up by the band. to
recreate, as closely as possible, the
traditional celebrations. They
began in the morning with a series
of welcoming songs by Nitinaht
elders presided over by Coun-
cilman Martin Edgar. :

In Edgar’s main talk he
welcomed the guests and com-
mented that it was not often the
Indian and white people got
together but they must | work
towards doing more so in the
future. This idea was welcomed
with’ a warm round of applause
from all present.

The morning was ended with a
performance by some fine young
Nitinaht dancers.

Following this event the band
presented a huge feast of bar-
bequed salmon, potato salad, fresh
corn,-and crab. The feast was
dedicated beforehand by singers
from the: various guest band
representatives who sang their
individual native songs.
PRESENTATION OF GIFTS

After the feast the band
presented gifts of Indian sweaters
and small totem poles to a number
of guests in gratitude for the help
they had provided towards the
completion of the centre. Sweaters
were also presented to various
band members instrumental in the
work.

Page Ten

THE FRONTS of. four of ’KSAN’s six houses are
shown here. The first two on the left are the carving
houses, the first being the Kitanmax School for North .
Coast Indian Art in the wintertime. The third building

a By G.McKEVITT

The story of ’KSAN is the most
optimistic happening in: present
day Indian culture in B.C.

The dying embers of the Gitksan
people’s great cultural heritage

- could have been cold and forgotten
in a frighteningly short period cof
time. With the spark of a few key.
people, but, most of all, through the
constant fanning of both the Indian
and non-Indian communities in
Hazelton, that fire came back to
life.

Driving into Hazelton, in the
northwest-of the province, one can
hardly miss the signs directing you
to the “‘’KSAN Indian Village.”
Located in this small town of 432,
the village stands at the point
where the Bulkley River joins the
Skeena and ‘‘where Indian villages
‘have stood for thousands of years,”
_according to the National
Museum’s beautifully illustrated
book on ’KSAN.

Here stand six “houses,” side-
by-side, facing the Skeena River.
On the outside these buildings
resemble what a northwest coast
Indian village would have looked
like 100 years ago. But, inside, they
tell the story of the Gitksan people
— the people of the river of mists—
from the Stone Age to. the present
day. -

Hourly tours

Hourly tours are conducted
through these houses. The first, or

Stone Age House, shows the inside.

of a typical dwelling before the
coming of Europeans. The building
which housed 50-60 people had a
square pit in the centre which was
used for cooking while the raised
platform surrounding it was the
sleeping area. This.was the house
of the Frog, Wolf, Bear and
Fireweed Clans. Lifesize figures
made of plaster and dressed in furs
make the scene even more real.
Next is the Feast House of the
Wolf and Bear Clans. Here are
many influences of the fur traders.
Buttons are now sewn on blankets.
Materials are used and coins are
pounded to be used decoratively.

AN, a

B.C.

INDIAN

N ES ! K A

COMMUNITIES:

*KSAN’s MANAGER Neil Sterrit talks with

-is the Gift House and the fourth, behind the group of
people, is the original Treasure House built in 1958.
The pole which tourists are admiring was carved to
honour everyone who helped in ’KSAN, using their

Mr. or fully smoked salmon to chew on as they tour the

Joyce Turner who runs the smoked salmon stand. At -. grounds. The log wall in the background ‘is the

the entrance to ’KSAN Village people may buy partly

The door to this house is very
narrow and the guide explains that
this allows only one person in at a
time so that he can be seated in his
place.

Just inside the door the. floor
seems to be cut into a circle. This
section of the floor can be. spun
from below and if a chief happened
to be standing on it at the time and
fell — of course, he would then
have to give a feast for everyone.

The chiefs seemed to be sub-
jected to many ' goodnatured
abuses in the old days. In the
centre of the floor was a huge
carved wooden bow! with spoon of
matching size. If a chief was dared
to eat its contents and failed to do
so he, too, was responsible for a
feast in the near. future. As the
guide described all the goings on of
the Feast House, it wasn’t hard to

smokehouse.
hear the robust laughter still
ringing through the building.

An original house .
The original Treasure House,

‘built in Hazelton 15 years ago, is

the next building now used for
regalia and artifacts only. The art
work on the front of this. house is
noticeably different from the rest.
Said *’KSAN’s manager, Niel
Sterrit: “‘That is an indication of
the state the art work was slipping
tto even then in 1958.” /
The fronts of the other buildings
completed only three years ago are
extremely confident in com-
parison. ‘ .
Present day art work: weaving,
silkscreens, carvings, engraved
silver and gold and beadwork is for

[Staff photo]

sale in the building beside the
Treasure House. /

The next two buildings are the
backbone of the whole village.
Here, the carvers and engravers of
the village do their work. The last
building houses the only existing
school for Northwest Coast Indian
Art.

To say that "KSAN began in 1970
when the village was opened would
make it appear that it had sprung
into life as if by magic. But, in fact,
many years of hard work led to this
present achievement.

It can be traced back as far as 20
years, when its seeds were taking
root, unknown, even, to the people
who were planning it.

The words of these people
printed in the National Museum’s
book on ’KSAN says it best: |

“°KSAN began more than 20

October, 1973

fire come back to life

family crests. The little man with the hat at the top of
the pole honours all the non-Indian people who have
taken part in *KSAN.

years ago as part of Hazelton’s
effort to’ solve its economic and
social problems. Ours was, and is,

_ a low-income area with “a mixéd

population, half of which is Indian.
The problem associated with low
incomes and mixed races did not
pass us by. When ’KSAN began,
few people in Hazelton, - either
Indian or non-Indian, understood
or respected the Indian culture,
which existed before the advent of
settlers, traders or missionaries.
Under the leadership of the
Hazelton Library Association, a

- group of Indians and non-Indians_

banded together in the belief that

economic and social problems.
might diminish if the entire

community were made keenly

aware of the stature of the Indian

culture, and if the arts and crafts of .
this culture were revived.

“Today this concept is widely
accepted; twenty years ago it was
revolutionary. The group per-
sisted, persuaded many chiefs to
display their regalia, raised $10,000
locally, and constructed — the
Skeena Treasure House in 1958,
*KSAN’s first building.”

Raising $10,000

They make it sound like a
natural and smooth sequence of
events, when it actually took six
years to raise the $10,000!

But, it soon became evident that-
the Treasure House was. not big
enough. It was popular not only for
the treasured artifacts on display,
but the quality objects which were
for sale. :

The group met again and con-
ceived the idea for ’KSAN. Their
calculations told them they would
need $100,000 and, of course, land,
as the Treasure House was located
in the town of Hazelton. ‘

The town council came up with
$15,000 with a promise for twice .
that amount, and ARDA came up
with the rest. ARDA also suggested
a carving shed and an adjoining
campsite.

The Hazelton Band Council,

‘Continued on Page 12 _

October, 1 973

N —€ S I K A

PROFILES OF PROGRESS

Omineca Band has too much

By G. McKEVITT

In a time when the B.C. Indian is .

making inroads in realizing his
right to a larger share of the
province, the Omineca.Band, south
of Burns Lake, is.a paradox. Ac-
cording to Chief Mary Jane Morris,
their main. problems might just
stem from too much land.

The Ominecas have over 2,000
acres'in-five reserves; and the 113
band members are spread out all
over it. Palling, a little cluster of
seven houses nine miles west of
Burns Lake is a full 45-miles by
road from Chief Morris’s house.

Another single dwelling, also west —

of Burns Lake, is. almost 60 miles
away. Other members are spread
out in other directions. __

Although good for privacy, the
situation offers obvious drawbacks
to. community progress.

Foremost is the difficulty: in
getting services into the various
locations. Palling was created as
the beginning of a village. Most
accessible of all the locations, right
on Highway 16, it was hoped that
with Palling they could centralize
the band’s population.

Prefer familiar places

The community has not proven
popular, however, with the band
members. According to Chief
Morris, even though it now has
sewer and water they still prefer to
live near their more familiar

areas. Consequently most of. the
band is still without these facilities.

This lack of centralization has
led to other dilemmas as well. For
‘some time the council have been
considering the construction of a
community hall. ,

Chief Morris said she felt. that
this would promote community
spirit by giving the people a central

. place where they could meet to-
enjoy themselves and discuss their
affairs. :

The community hall up till now,
however, has been the victim of an
irony, precisely because of one of
the problems the hall would help to
solve — that is a lack of a sense of
community — no decision has been
made to build it.

Community hall site

And, again, because there is no
definite population concentration,
it is very difficult to decide on a

‘location. One solution Chief Morris

has arrived at is to attempt to get a
grant on her own, and have it built
herself, She is thinking seriously of
doing this. If you.cannot take. the
hall tothe community; then let the
community come to the hall.

One building the band plans to go _
ahead with a their office. It will

most likély be ‘situated in Grassy
Plains. This, they hope, will make
the administration. more ac-
cessible to the band members than:
it is now, centred principally at
Chief Morris’ home.

Last year the band tried a dif-
ferent idea in administration, when
it amalgamated with the Lake
Babine Band for welfare and -ad-
ministrative’ services. This
marriage lasted only for six
months. .

Lake Babine had its offices
already set up and it was decided
that the Ominecas could get better
service by this arrangement than
remaining reliant on Indian Affairs
in Prince George. :

Although it did prove an im-
provement in some ways,’ the
arrangement did not last.

Steps to progress

Consequently, the band now
hopes to take things more into their
own hands. Presently they are
handling their own housing in
cooperation with a small con-
tractor in Burns Lake. They are
also thinking about taking over
their own welfare. 5

With an expansion of ad-
ministrative duties in mind, two
band members are taking a course
in management in Prince George.

The employment situation for
the band has become increasingly
poorer over the years as
civilization’s encroachment takes
its toll on traditional vocations.
This is coupled with the fact that to
find steady employment the men

‘must very often live off reserve,

away from their families.

Trapping, which was a mainstay
for many at one time, has more or
less died out with only a few still
involved in it. Many of the
traplines have been destroyed by
logging and in at least one case,
flooding. One band member lost
several trapping cabins when
nearby Ootsa Lake was flooded by
Kenney Dam.

-possible as. they were under.water.

-the -old trails: and natural

Hydro drowned cabins
When the trapper went to B.C.

Hydro to: demand: compensation,

he was told that to receive it he
‘must prove where the cabins stood.
This, of course, was almost. im-

~ The flooding had also destroyed:

‘lakeshore, leaving it. thickly
bushed and impassable. ;
_ The traplines are very difficult to
defend as they are on. Crown land
and are vulnerable to any other
enterprise, such as logging, that
the land might be used for.

The individual band member’s
isolation also has its drawbacks in
the winter. Chief Morris’s house,
which is quite remote, is often
snowed in for weeks at a time. It is -
at times like that, Chief Morris .
said, when she wishes she still had
her horses and sleigh.

Gasoline vs. hay

“When we bought the car. it
became too expensive to buy gas -
and hay both, so one of them had to

go,’’ said the chief.

One woman, however, still
maintains a team and drives them
to the store regularly.

“She used to take them the 35
miles into Burns Lake quite often,
but now they are too old for that,”
Chief Morris said.

It was only eight years ago, too,
that two band members did a
sizable amount of logging on
reserve land with a team of horses
and a cross-cut saw.

Earnings from land leases

For the most part, however, any
revenue earned from _ the
Omineca’s land has been in the
form of leases. They have sub-
divided a portion of the shore of
Owen Lake for summer cabins,
and some pasture is rented out to
the Department of Agriculture.

For the Omineca band, the land °
has been both the supporter and
the divider. Whether too much of it
is the problem or not, as Chief
Morris whimsically suggested, it
does seem to provide a major
obstacle in the band’s way to
progress. |

ee
oe

On hot summer days children cool off in the lake, just a few feet away from chief's doorstep

Page Eleven

land

CHIEF MARY Jane Morris discusses some of the problems of the far-
flung community. Mrs. Morris has been Chief of the Omineca Band for
nine years. She said their main problem just might lie in the fact that they
havea lot of land. Omineca band has 2,000 acres.

[Staff photos]

Clara to go to

WILLIAMS LAKE — Fresh from
San Francisco, the 1973 Indian
Princess of Canada, Clara An-
derson, has her eyes directed to
Japan and Europe.

Clara attended the North
American Indian Rodeo and War
Dance competitions held at the
Cow Palace; she-joined the dan-
cing troupe led by Ernie Philip of
the Vancouver War Dance Club.

In December she will ac-
company winners in the rodeo to
Japan, and next spring she will
accompany the members of the
Cariboo Tourist Association to
Europe.

Meanwhile, she plans to compete
in the Miss Canada Pageant in
November. The pageant will be
held in Toronto.

Clara had been named national
Indian Princess at the 10th annual
pageant held in Edmonton,. and
coordinated by the pageant
committee headed by Vicki
Crowchild.

At that time, the 20-year-old B.C.
Indian Princess received a trophy,

Japan, Europe

a $500 scholarship, and red roses.
The presentation was made by the
1972 Princess, Linda Opoonochaw.

At the San Francisco rodeo and
dance competition she met the
American Indian Princess, Maxine
Lawrence of Arizona, and both
princesses took part daily in the
opening ceremonies and dancing.

On the B.C. front Clara has been
busy attending banquets, studying
modelling and speech.

Financial advisors

VANCOUVER — The depart-
ment of Indian affairs has an-
nounced that band financial ad-
visors will be available about
December 1, 1973 to advise directly
on keeping financial records.

The advisors — three in the
Vancouver area, one each in
Prince George, Terrace and
Kamloops — are available upon
written request to the regional or
district offices of the department.

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