Nesika: The Voice of B.C. Indians -- August/September 1976

Transcription (Hover to view)


SCA OR LEC ND





published by
the
UNITED NATIVE NATIONS

August/September 1976





A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE LAND CLAIMS MOVEMENT



U.N.N.
Drops Out of
Native
Council

page 11



Leonard Peltier

Appeal Case

to be Heard

pages 14, 15





Demonstrations against government logging plans begin in Quesnel, as logging trucks keep on rolling.





see pages 8,9,10







Harassment and discrimination
have always been a fact of life for
sthe native people of the Stoney
Creek Reserve who ventured into
the nearby town of Vanderhoof,
but someone had to dice before the
complaints of the native people
were finally heard.

The incident that brought their
complaints to public attention is_a
familiar one for residents in the
area; an Indian is hit and killed
by a car on the nine-mile road
leading to the reserve. This time
it was Coreen Thomas and her
unborn son who were hit and
killed by a car driven by Richard
Redekop, 21, on July 3rd. Two
years ago, it was Stanley Rede-
kop, Richard Redekop’s younger
brother, that hit and killed Larry
Thomas, a cousin of Coreen’s, on
the same stretch of road on
August 5, 1974.

Second Class Mail Registration * 3025

2 While the attention of the press
an and the inquest centred around
ox the facts dealing with the death of
ee Coreen Thomas, the real issuc, as
ae 2 far as the native people are

as 30% concerned, gocs far deeper than
— 2 pi oe that. The Indians of the Stoney
5 3 = Pes Creek Reserve are bitter over the
28 an = = way the death of Larry Thomas
a o = 3 §& was so casually disposed of by the
= & vi = = & Coroner in 1974. They are also
—_—s zoe s very angry over the racist treat-

ment they receive in town





beatings, harassment, discrimina-
tion, exploitation, and unequal
law enforcement. The people are
also deeply frustrated over their
inability to do anything about the
treatment they receive, or to do
anything about improving thepoor
health, bad housing conditions,
and unemployment they must put
up with.

So, when the police sloppily
handled the death of Coreen Tho-
mas; when the local authorities
didn’t give a damn about the
death of another Indian; when the
local establishment became hos-
tile and defensive over the de-
mands for an inquest; the town
gave plenty of reason to believe
the charges by local native people
that there are two standards of
justice in Vanderhoof - one for
whites and one for Indians.

The controversy that was devel-
oping over the case became nat-
ional news and led to an inquest
being called that lasted for four
days with even greater publicity.
The local “‘establishment" hoped
that the inquest would clear the
air of the rotten stink that sur-
rounded their actions in the case,
while the Indians were hoping
that the inguest would answer the
many questions and explain the
mysteries connected with Coreen’s
death. At the same time, they

Inquest Completed at

hoped to focus public attention on
the underlying causes of the con-
troversy - the double standard of
justice and the violence and dis-
crimination that is directed at
members of the native comm-
unity.

Vanderhoof ended up getting
its nose rubbed in the dirt and the
town fathers complained about all
the attention and publicity (mostly
bad) that was directed at their fair
town, They have a legitimate
complaint.

The publicity aimed at Vander-
hoof, with the stories of beatings,
racism, and unequal law enforce-
ment, has been unfair. Vander-
hoof shouldn't be singled out for
such abuse since all the towns in
B.C., particularly in the north,
and their businesses, police, and
government authorities, discrim-
inate against and exploit native
people. In Vanderhoof's case,
however, the local “‘establish-
ment’’ proved to be a litthe more
careless, insensitive, and unlucky
in tying up the loose ends of a
case such as this. If the »cowboy-
and-Indian attitude wasn't a part
of daily life in the town; if whites
and Indians received equal treat-
ment under the law and in the
daily life of the community: there
wouldn't be any controversy and
there wouldn't be any stink.

continued on pages 4 & 5

NEW TITLES!

ALLIED TRIBES
CONFERENCE MINUTES

reprinted by NESIKA
143 page paperback, 33.00

NESIRA has reprinted a
carbon copy of the verba-
tim minutes of a meeting
held in 1923 between the
Executive of the Allied
Tribes of B.C, and the
head of the Indian Affairs
Department at that time,
Dr. Duncan Scott,

The Allied Tribes, first
of all, sought to persuade
the federal government's
representatives not to ac-
cept the recommendations
of the McKenna-McBride
Report, and asked instead
that their claim based on
Native Tithe be heard. In-
cluded in the record is a
20 point statement of ‘the
necessary conditions of eq-
uitable setthement’’. Most
of the 20 points dealt with
hunting, trapping, fishing,
and foreshore tights that

the Allicd Iribes were ask-
ing to be recognized.

WHO OWNS CANADA?
- Aboriginal Tithe and Can-
adian Courts

by Wilham Badcock, pub-
lished by the CASNP

38% page paperback, $1.50

Badcock points out that
his work is not meant to
be a historical or legal
analysis, but just his opin-
ions on the way Canadian
courts have handled the
subject of native rights in
the way they have.

He begins with Colum-
bus. and continues with
the different concepts of
land ownership and = the
doctrine of discovery, and
moves through the Procla-
mation of 1/63, and some
decisions by the U.S. Sup-
reme Court. The major
part of his work is the
section dealing with Can-
adian court decisions, be-
ginning with the St. Cath-
erine's Milling Case in
1687, and concluding with
the decision in the Nishpa
Case in 1973,



T-SHIRTS ARE IN!
T-shirts in the above design in small, medium, and
large adult sizes in red, yellow, and light blue are
now available at the NESIKA office for $5.00 each.



Copies of this butterfly silk-screen print can be
purchased for $5.00 each. They were donated to
NESIKA by Bud Mintz and we are grateful. Size of the
prints - 13°" x 20°".

2 Auguat/ September 1976

NESIR.A

LAND CLAIMS BOOKS FOR SALE -
SUPPORT THE NESIBKA

LAND CLAIMS

INFORMATION BOOKLET |

Prepared by the Church
Support Group and the Un-
ion of B.C. Indian Chiefs.

120 page paperback, $2.00
some of the mimeographed
pages are a little faint, but

the eyestrain is well worth
the effort.

A Speech by Chief Seattle

Joseph Trutch and the
Indian Land Policy
The Nishga Petition of 1913

Our Homes are Bleeding -
excerpts from this book on
the cut-off lands.

The White and Bob Case -
the Supreme Court decision

N.I.B. Statement on Abor-
iginal Title

The Supreme Court Nishga
Decision by Doug Saunders

Federal Policy Statement
on Aboriginal Claims, 1973

East Fraser Land Claims
Action Proposal

THE HISTORY WE LIVE
WITH

by Doug Sanders and the
Victoria Indian Cultural
Centre

24 page paperback, $1.00

The test is based on a
talk given by Doug Sand-
ers, a lawyer who has
worked on land claims for
B.C. Indians for a number
of years. The booklet was
put together and printed by

the Victoria Indian Cultural
Centre.

The booklet includes
several general areas of
discussion; the first trea-
ties, how British Columbia
and the federal government
handled the problem, the
‘cut-off’ lands issue, inter
-tribal organization, the
Nishga claim, and the
breaking of promises.

The booklet is illustrated
with several historical
photographs.







THIS LAND Is NOT FOR
SALE

by Hugh
McCullum .
210 page paperback, $3.95

and Karmel

Four contemporary land
claims are discussed in
detail - the Yukon, North-
ern Manitoba, Northwest
B.C., and the Northwest
Territories.

An entire chapter ts
devoted to an ¢xamination
of two recent land settle-
ments - Alaska and James
Bay - and an explanation of
why native groups across
Canada insist that the
earlier agreements not be
used as precedents for
further settlements.

This Land is a well-writ-
ten, no-nonsense presenta-
tion of the case for
contemporary northern
land claims. The authors’
bias is clear - their
sympathy is with the native
people. The federal govern-
ment and the multi-national
corporations are consistent-
ly presented as villains in a
polarized struggle for con-
trol of the land. Both
government and corpora-
tions have had plenty of
opportunity in the past -
and enormous budgets - to
present their side of the
story in an equally one-sid-
ed fashion. But such a
treatment has been lacking
for some time. After all the
oil company promotional
material, the book is a
needed change.

-from a C.A.5.N.P. Bulletin
review

AS LONG AS THIS LAND
SHALL LAST

by Rene Fumoleau, OMI,
415*page paperback, $5.95

An Oblate missionary has
produced one of the most
carefully documented stor-
ies of the life of the Indian
People of the Mackenzie
Valley in the Northwest
Territories. Fr. Rene Fumo-
ltau started oul to prepare
a “*modest paper’’ on the
significance of two Indian
treaties signed in 1899 and
1920.

Fumoleau spent many
hours interviewing old peo-
ple who remembered the
early treaty parties, and
became the star witness
before Mr. Justice William
Morrow in a caveat action
asking the courts to desig-
nate the 450,000 square
miles as having ‘prior
interest'’ for the natives.
Morrow ruled they did, and

chilling

it was the evidence of Rene
Fumoleau which helped
convince the Judge that the
natives of the NWT had
aboriginal rights predating
the spurious treaties.

It became the basis for a
precedent-setting court de-
cision and provides a
lesson in the
chicanery and insensitivity
of the white government of
that day which employed
any method to obtain
signatures on a document
which no native - and few
whites - could comprehend,

But this is no dry legal
tre atise. It reads more like

a tale of a forgotten people
aie land who have sudden-
ly become headline news.

Thoughtful, unbiased,
clear, itis a major work for
those who would care to
understand the just aspira-
tions of the natives of
northern Canada.

- from a toronto star review





INDIAN CLAIMS IN
CANADA

by the Indian Claims
Commission

278 page bilingual paper-
back, 52.00

The Research Resource
Centre of ‘the Indian Claims
Commission has published
a bibliography (index) of its
holdings documents,
books, articles, legal cases,
maps, and manuscripts as
they relate to Indian claims
in Canada. Included are
their holdings on Atlantic
Canada, Quebec, Ontario,

the Metis on the Prairies,
Treaties 1 to 7, Northern
Canada, B.C. (9 pages).
Also included are compara-
tive holdings for the USA,
Central and South America,
Australia, New Zealand,
and Scandinavia. The chap-
ter on B.C. lists the
published and unpublished
documents the Claims
Commission holds regard-
ing B.C. Indian land
claims.

Also included is a 30 page
essay which provides an
overview of ‘“‘both the
nature of Indian claims in
this country and of at-
tempts which have been
made to deal with them."



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Courageous
Ses age

Qn behalf of my organization, |
Want fo commend vou for your
courageous editorial stance and
lor being prompt about current
issues, especially on. land rights
questions. | am a subseriber ta,
Ien Malive newspapers and am
impressed by the healthy articu-
lation that you journalists are
doing on behalf of the much
needed cause of anmplitving the
ludiain voiwe, Keep it up,

For vour information | am en-
thing a copy of the Report of the
Panel or Pubhe Enquiry inte Nor-
then Hyore Development. This
reports the outcome of a public
heuring staged here in Manitoba
regarding the Churchill - Nelson
River Diversion Project which di-
rectly affects, and actually in-
vides the territories of cizht In-
ian and Metis communities.

All the best in your vital work,

Menno Wiebe
Mennonite Central Committee
Winnipeg

DIA flunkies

& bad manners

gg gg ag a ay

Two potlatches were held by
two families of the Kwickwasut-
einuk Tribe of the Kwakewlth
Nation on Gilford Island on the
weekend of August 28th,

The Smith family also enter-
tained to celebrate the renova-
lions and additions to the Long-
house in their village. Judd Bu-
chanan, (then) Minister of Indian
Affairs, was invited to the Smith

._ LETTERS

PEPE EEEPEEBEe ie

family potlatch. The Minister at-
tended, accompanied by Mrs. Bu-
chanan. a gaggle of DIA flunkies,
and naturally, a large number of
reporters.

Mr. Buchanan “‘gifted’’ the
KRwickwasuteinuk with a mask he
assured us “‘was at least 100
years old"’. This mask was one of
many hundreds stolen, or rather,
“confiscated’’ from the Kwakew-
Ith tribes supposedly to end the
“excesses of the potlatch"’ in the
1920's.

Mr. Buchanan promised that
the Kwakewlth treasures will be

returned to native people, and tf

desired. the government will even
provide us with a house to keep
them in, Two of the younger
members of the Gilford Island

tribes took exception to some of

the Minister's remarks. Ernie
Willie stated that the government
wis returning that which they
took wrongly, and yet they were
still trying to- tell the rightful
owners what to do with their own
property. “Why do we need a
house for our things? We know
who owns what. and each family
should receive their own things."'

I compared the Minister's gift
to a murderer returning his vie-
tim’s bones 50 years after the
crime. “How do you return our
culture, our lost pride and the
languages which were beaten out
of our children’s minds? How do
plan to repay our old ones, most
of whom have passed on, for the
horror and humiliation of the
prison terms that they served for



“NESIKA

CORNER



Judging by the number of
telephone calls to the office ask-
ing when the next issue of the
paper would be out, 11 seems that
there is plenty of interest from
our readership about recent devel-
opments in the land claims area.
However, the sad reality of the
land claims movement lately is
that while there has been interest,
there has been no action.

With the exception of the deter-
}mined people at Nazko-Kluskus,
and the recent meeting at Bella
Coola. there has been almost
nothing happening with the peop-
le in the last five months, Sure,
the lawyers and native politicians
have been busy during this time,
but they aren't going to win a just
settlement or better lives for our
children by themselves, Where
are all the people?

Needless to say, if one is in the
business of producing a paper
about the land claims movement,
it is a little difficult to write
anything if nothing is happening,
so we hope you understand the
reason for the lengthy delay in
the appearance of this issue.

Production of the paper has
been seriously hampered by a
shortage of people to do the
writing for each issue, As things
stand now, the UNN pays the
salary of just one person to
produce the paper and the rest of
the work has to be done by
volunteers.



Speaking of money. a question
was asked recently about where
donations and subscription money
for the NESIKA go. All the
money (subs, donations, books,
posters) goes to a separate ac-
count for the NESIKA, they do
noi go to the UNN, The NESIKA
now pays for all the production
expenses (printing. postage, type-
setting) out of the money it re-
ceives from the readers. It takes |
about $700 in these expenses to
produce each issue! From this
point on, though, we will not be
printing the paper until enough
money in donations, etc. has been
received to cover the costs. The
goal of the people involved with
the paper is to make it financially
and politically independent. You
can help by filling out the sub-
scription form, if you have not
already done so, and sending it in
with your donation. It will ensure
that the next issue is printed and
that you will get your copy.

The NESIKA is meant to be an
open forum for discussion of all
aspects related to the land claims
movement and you are invited to
take part.

This issue was produced by
volunteer labour by people who)
are concerned about the land
claims movement and you are
invited to help them: Shirley,
Darlene, Ed, Shirley, Theresa,
Ernie, Kitty, and Brian.



sit

potlatehing?"’

A controversial incident occur-
red during the Smith family pot-
latch when Mr. Buchanan and
several of his underlings per-
formed an ancient dance in full
regalia. Many of the people in the
audience objected to this, and
some women were seen to cover
their eves in shame. The main
objections expressed were the way
the many reporters literally drap-
ed themselves all over the dance
floor, and also the lack of respect
shown by Buchanan and the other
“dancers’’ who laughed through-
out their performances.

The second potlatch was given
by Mrs. Annie Nelson of Camp-
bell River and Mrs. Ethel Pearson
of Comox, both members of the
Johnson family of Gilford. Having
wrung the maximum publicity of
“being the first Minister of Indian
Affairs to attend a potlatch’’,
Buchanan and the reporters de-
parted.

Besides honouring the family's
lost members and naming the
newest of the family members,
the Johnsons adopted the Ameri-
can Indian leader Leonard Peltier
into their family. Peltier was
given the name ""Gwarth-ce-laas”
which was one of Mrs. Nelson's
and Mrs. Pearson's father’s na-
mes, and which means ‘‘Leads-
the-People™. No Canadian judge
can ever say again that our
brother Leonard Peltier has no
roots in Canada.

At the Gilford Island potlatch,
the Smiths, in all traditional cour-
tesy, asked all members of the
DIA present, including Judd Bu-
chanan, to help themselves to the
potlatch gifts. For all days the
people of the Kwakewlth will

remember the actions of Buchan-
an's flunkies as they tore through
the boxes of gifts and walked
away with armloads of goods,
instead of the ONE gift which any
native person would have taken.
lt is very sad to report that the
worst offenders were the Indian
employees of DIA. However, the
rest of the DIA gagele followed so
steadfastly in their leader's steps
did not set a new criterion in
manners cither, Many Kwakewlth
women were seen to shield their
eves in disgust while OUR em-
ployees pawed their way through
the T-shirts, ete. put forth for all
the people by the Smith family.

Does taking a job with DIA
automatically make a person -
non-Indian or Indian - forget all
manners that he may have acquir-
ed during his life? Judging from
the behaviour of DLA personnel at
the Peter Smith potlatch on Aug-
ust 27th on Gilford Island, the
answer to this question must be a
loud and unequivocal **YES"’. In-
dians all over Canada have long
been aware of the appalling lack
of manners among the minions of
the Department of Indian Affairs
they have never made any secret
of their lack of breeding in their
dealings with our people. Perhaps
we can make excuses for the
white men in the Department
considering the culture from wh-
ich they sprang. But what do we
say to excuse the foul manners on
the part of INDIANS who work for
the Department? Is it a required
course like Rudeness 101?

The Minister, Mr. Buchanan,
made much of the fact that he
was the first head of the Depart-
ment of Indian Affairs to attend a

potlatch, Let us sincerely hope

that before they come again that
someone teaches them a few
manners -- | mean for $400
million a year, they can acquire,
at least, a little class.

Donna Tyndall
Courtenay

Coreen Thomas

Time was

when your eyes opened
sccing beauty only as a child

yOur spirit

giving freely of your love

a sister giving
a sister sharing

filled with joy of new birth inside
dreams of tomorrows freedom
freedom to survive, the white world.

Time was

a place among your people
whose strength unites

the souls
of a proud race.

Yes,
you were Indian
Coreen Thomas
your beauty
your peace

will always be remembered.

Your spirit
lives on
in our heart.

NESIKA

Lelan Shaffer
Vancouver

August/September 1976 a

VANDERHOOF-STONEY CREEK cont.





The scene of the accident. Note the sitreet-lights and the short
distance to town. X marks about the spot where Coreen was hit.

THE ACCIDENT

The weekend of July drdmarked
the 50th birthday of the town of
Vanderhoof, and a street dance
was part of the celebrations.Many
people from the Stoney Creek
Reserve attended the dance, in-
cluding Coreen Thomas,

She had rented a room at the
Vanderhoof Hotel for the night,
rather than return to the reserve.
After the dance had ended, Coreen
returned to the hotel but discov-
ered that she had lost her room
key. Corcen told two of her
friends when she came out of the
hotel that the desk clerk refused
to give her another key. She said
she was told “tough luck’’ and
even refused permission to go to
the room and wake up a friend
that was sleeping in her room at
the time. Since no one had money
for a taxi, there was little left but
io begin the nine-mile walk home
to the reserve.

Coreen was 21 years old. and
nine months pregnant. She was
due to give birth four days later,

Coreen and her friends met up
with other Indians from Stoney
Creek as they made their way to
the beginning of the two lane
highway that leads to the reserve.
An argument broke out between
the Indians, now numbering ten,
and a small group of white youths.
The whites followed the Indians
and the two groups shouted in-
sults at each other for “2 an hour
as they stood at the corner of 6th
sirect and Nechako Avenue, which
is the start of the highway to the
reserve.

That intersection is still in the
town limits, is well-lighted, and
leads up a fairly steep hill. Since
there are no sidewalks, both
groups were standing on the
roadway, |

A car came out of town, up the
hill, and scattered Indians and
whites to both sides of the road.
The brakes squealed, Coreen was
hit and thrown by the car.



The driver of the car got out,
looked at the body in the road,
yelled that he was going to get
the police and an ambulance, got
back into his car, backed up,
turned around, and headed back
into town, Although the scene of
the accident ts only a few hundred
yards from the main highway and
one mile from the centre of town,
the police didn't arrive until 30
minutes later, and the ambu-
lance 10 minutes after that.

The autopsy showed that Coreen
died almost instantly. Her unborn
baby could only have been saved
if the proper medical help arrived
within four or five minutes after
the accident.

lf was over an hour after the
accident that Richard Redekop,
the driver of the car, was finally
taken to the police station and
given a breathalyzer test. The test
showed a reading of .08, and
another test given just 14 minutes
later, showed a reading of .05.
Redekop was released after mak-
ing a statement to police, and no
charges were laid.

The police (RCMP) later took
statements from six of the native
witnesses to the accident and
finished their report. The report
said that Coreen ran into the path
of the car, and referred to state-
ments from some of the witnesses
that Coreen was playing
“‘chicken"’ with the car to get it to
stop.

TURNER SATISFIED,
NO INQUEST

The police report was then
turned over to the Coroner for the
Vanderhoof area, Eric Turner.
Although a coroner has the res-
ponsibility to investigate deaths in
which unusual circumstances are
involved; deaths in which a law
has been broken or may have
been broken; or where the invest-
igation of a death could prevent
further deaths; Turner did not call
an inquest because he was satis-





4 August/September 1976



NESIKA

fied with the police report and
closed the file on the death of
Coreen Thomas.

When Larry Thomas was killed
on the same highway in 1974,
Turner held an inquest into his
death. The sloppy manner in
which it was held caused a lasting
resentment among the Stoney
Creek people and a determination
by Sophie Thomas, an aunt to
both Larry and Coreen, that
Coreen’s death would not be
“swept under the rug’’ as Larry's
had been.

The jury eventually criticized
over-crowding in the pickup truck
(there were six people in the front
seat), but the Coroner only called
Iwo of the six to testify. The jury
attached no blame to Stanley
Redekop for the death of Larry
Thomas and no charges were ever
laid.

INQUEST PRESSURE BUILDS

Qnee the file on Coreen Thomas
had been closed, Sophie Thomas
led the fight to keep the matter
alive. The publicity and the in-
quest that followed were not so
much due to her efforts, but
rather to the uneven actions and
the hostile attitudes of the Coro-
ner and police.

Murray Miller, a lawyer in the
Smithers Community Law Office,
was called in by the parents of
Coreen Thomas and by the B.C,
Human Rights Association, to in-
vestigate the matter. After inter-
viewing the police, the doctor that
performed the autopsy, the Cor-
oner and several of the witnesses,
Miller produced a report that
raised several contradictions and
seriously questioned the judge-
ment of the Coroner and the
police.

When Miller presented himself
at the RCMP station and ex-
plained that he was investigating
the death of Coreen Thomas, he
reported that Officer Taylor ‘‘tur-
ned very hostile and defensive"
and began defending Redekop.
Taylor's sergeant soon arrived
and according to Miller, was even
“more hostile, surprisingly so"’.
The police refused to give Miller
any information at all and indica-
ted their refusal to give out a
routine motor vehicle report was
standard procedure.

When Miller interviewed the
Coroner, Eric Turner said he was
“satisfied with the police report
that this girl had jumped in front
of a car and more or less deliber-
ately got herself run down.""
Turner suggested that “she did
this because she was drunk’’.
Turner continued that he was
“perfectly satisfied'’ with the pol-
ice version and that he wasn't
going to call an inquest"’ unless
he was forced to"’. He also stated
that the pressure for an inquest
was “‘politically motivated’’.

Miller's report raised several
question marks concerning the
“official’’ version of the accident:

* Pregnant - The doctor who
performed the autopsy stated to
Miller that the police didn't think,
there was anything unusual about
the death at all, and didn't ‘‘even
note that she was pregnant."'

*Drunk - Statements obtained
by Miller show that Coreen had,
at the most, six beers in the
previous six hours, Dr. Swanney,

who performed the autopsy, sta-
ted to Miller that “he did not
notice any significant smell of
aleohol’” but “‘was surprised at
the blood/alcohol reading’ which
was .19.

*Speed - Estimates of the speed
of the car as it came up the hill
differ widely. Most of the native
witnesses say the car was travel-
ling at a high rate of speed, with
two estimates of 60 and 70 miles
per hour. One of the white eye-
witnesses said the car was going
45-55, another said it was going
35-65, while another said it was
going much slower.

A police expert measured the
length of the skid marks and
estimated that the car was going
between 37 and 4l miles per hour
when it began to skid (the speed

limit at that intersection is 30
m.p.h.).
*Chicken - Many whites com-

plain that the Indians play ‘‘chi-
cken"’ with cars by stepping out

hitch-hike a ride. The natives say
that white punks make a habit of
driving very fast and very close to
native pedestrians to force them
off the road and into the ditch as
a crude form of “‘sport’’. Native
complaints to police get nowhere
because of “lack of evidence"
and no charges have ever been
laid for dangerous driving. (Three
armed forces personnel from the
base near Prince George have
stated that they saw a truck force
a native girl off the road and into
the ditch on the same day and on
the same road that Coreen
Thomas was hit).

*Witnesses - There were ten
native and three white witnesses
to the accident. The police took
statements from six of the native
witnesses, almost all of whom
were juveniles or under 20 years
of age. Two of the other three
were adults (26 and 39 years old),
but they were not questioned, The
police did not allow any adults to
sit in when any of the juveniles
were being questioned,

Marge Thomas was accused of
lying by the police when she said
that Coreen wasn't playing chick-
en. The 14 year old later changed
her story in the 144 hour cross-
examination and said that Coreen
had been playing chicken, George
Patrick is said to have told the
other native witnesses that he was
threatened by the police about the
fact that he was on parole while
he was being questioned. Cecil
Raphael was never questioned,
but told Miller that the car was
going “very fast'’. Sharon Rap-
hacl was likewise never ques-
tioned and denied that Coreen
was playing chicken, that she was
trying to get off the road when
she was hit.

The glaring contradictions and
unanswered questions convinced
Miller that an inquest was “‘absol-
utely necessary’, Dr. Swanney
agreed with him, as did Bill
Parkinson, an Officer for the B.C,
Human Rights Commission. Park-
inson and Miller felt that an
inquest had to be held or charges
had to be laid to clear the air,

INQUEST CALLED

The ever-increasing publicity
brought more and more groups
into the case - native organiza-
tions, the B.C. Human Rights
Commission, the B.C. Police Co-
mission, and eventually, the Att-
orney-General’s Department. The

lawyers in that office investigated
and told Attorney-General Garde
Gardom that there was no alterna-
tive but to hold an inquest.
Gardom announced on August
26th that Turner had ‘“‘changed
his mind” about holding an in
quest, although Turner was quot-
ed in the papers the day before as
saying an inquest was not need-
ed. Turner later explained that
the reason he changed his mind
was that a local Indian, Sophie
Thomas. had written him asking
for an inquest, saying that was all
that was necessary.

At that point, Turner was deter-
mined that any inquest would be
very narrowly confined ta the
immediate details of what hap-
pened on the road. He didn't
intend to investigate why Coreen
was refused the room she had
rented in the hotel as a reason for
being on the road in the first
place.

Then came the surprising news
that Turner himself had hit and
killed a pedestrian with his car.
Turner hit and killed a pedestrian
in 1965 in Prince George, left the
scene of the accident and didn't
report it to the police until the
next day. He was charged with
leaving the scene of an accident,
pleaded quilty was fined $300,

Rumours circulated at that time
that the reason Turner didn’t stay
at the scene was that he too had
been drinking.

As the publicity centred around
Turner himself, he withdrew from
the case and the Attorney-Gen-
eral's office announced that the
Chief Coroner for the province,
Glen MacDonald, would be con-
ducting the inquest. Before Tur-
ner left the case, though, he
asked the Sheriff in Prince George
to appoint three Indians from
outside the Vanderhoof area to sit
on the six-person jury. Event-
ually, four of the six jury mem-
bers were Indians - Emma Baker,
Cecile Ketlo, Sally Erickson, and
Ken Luggi, who was selected
foreman of the jury.

TENSIONS PEAK AT INQUEST

The inquest was held from
Saturday September 25th through
Tuesday September 28th at the
high school gymnasium and Le-
gion Hall in Vanderhoof in an
atmosphere that bred rumours
and suspicion like mosquitoes in a
swamp. There is a solid basis for
such suspicions on the part of the
native community since several of
the native witnesses have com-
plained about threats, and even
gunfire being directed at them,
and reportedly coming from the
Redekop family.

Cecil Raphael was hit over the
head with a beer bottle in a fight
with the Redekops at a local
hotel. Barbara Thomas said that
Stanley Redekop identified him-
self to her as the driver of the
truck that killed Larry Thomas
and stated that ‘‘they would get
the rest of the family as well”.
Another of the witnesses, Johnny
Charlie, has said that he was told
he would never live to testify at
the inquest by one of the Rede-
kops. At least one Indian from the
reserve while. driving near the
Redekop home, is said to have

had his tires shot out. A garage

attendant reported that the tire
puncture was a bullet hole,

As Coroner MacDonald tried to
conduct an open and relaxed
inquest, certain unrelated events
became the basis of ugly rumours
that swept through the hall and

od noire) eo laut

increased the racial tension.

A native woman was released
from the hospital as the inquest
opened and the story soon spread
that she had been beaten the
night before by the Redekops.
Later investigation showed that
she had been beaten but it had
been a family quarrel, On the
second day, a group of white
teenagers were “‘fooling around"
with an unloaded rifle, pointing it



RCMP Constable Taylor

ldn't run fast enough.

It seems that from the evidence
and testimony that Coreen was
drunk, and probably very drunk,
when she was hit. Her reaction
time, vision, and judgement were
probably affected.

There also seems to be very
litthe doubt that Redekop was
speeding when his car approached
the two groups standing on the
road, even though he testified






’ . : atte is -
i eee ‘. -
Marge Thomas



at people on the main street of
town. The police finally set them
straight, but not before the inci-
dent became the basis of wild
exageerations.

An equal number of whites and
Indians, totaling almost 200 pe-
ople, sat through most of the four
days of testimony. All 13 witnes-
ses testified and there were 13
different versions of how the
accident happened. That wasn't
surprising since many of the wit-
nesses had been drinking; since
the whole thing occurred in a
matter of seconds; and since they
were trying to remember the
events of three months previous.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A careful consideration of the
physical evidence and the state-
ments and testimony of the wit-
nesses leads to the most probable
explanation of what happened on
the morning of July 4rd:

Coreen was standing with a
group of nine other natives from
the reserve at the corner of 6th
Street and Nechako Avenue with
a group of 3 whites and 1 Indian
standing further down the hill. As
the Redckop car came up the hill
at a high rate of speed, the
natives split into two, with one
group, including Coreen going to
the right-hand side of the road,
and the other moving to the
left-hand side of the road.

For some as-yet unexplained
reason, it seems clear that Coreen
decided to run to the other side,
but was hit by the Redekop car
when she was only half-way
across the road.

No one will ever know wWhy
Coreen decided to run. across the
road, but some testimony at the
inquest provided one possible ex-
planation. One of the white you-
ths who was standing further
down the hill was actually stand-
ing in the middle of the road,
according to several accounts.

Qne of the witnesses near him
iestified that Redekop had to
swerve around the youth for a
second, his car was aiming at the
group of natives, including Cor-
een, on the right-hand side of the
road. Coreen could have been
frightened by the speeding car
pointed in her direction and dec-
ided to run to the other side, but
being nine months pregnant, cou-

pisae J oat iyi



that he was only doing 30 miles
an hour, ALL the other evidence
points to a much higher speed
than that, including Officer Tay-
lor’s notebook comment that the
car was travelling at “excessive
speed’ when Coreen was_ hit.

CHICKEN

The inquest showed that there
is little reason to believe the
police version that Coreen was
playing ‘“‘chicken"™’ with the car.
That version came about as a
result of statements taken by the
police a few days after the acci-
dent from two young native girls
who were witnesses. Marge
Thomas, 14 and Donna Patrick,
16, signed statements to the eff-
ect that Coreen had been playing
“chicken”.

The two girls rocked the inqu-
est when they testified that the
police officers who took their
Statements “‘forced"’ them to say
that Coreen had been playing
chicken. Constable Taylor, the
officer involved, said the matter
came up after he arrived at the
scene of the accident and was told
by Patrick that Coreen had been
playing chicken,

Taylor questioned Donna Pat-
rick two days after the accident
and her written statement says
that Coreen had been playing
chicken. However, when she was
called to testify, Donna Patrick
said she had been forced to say it
and that Taylor told her ‘*he could
easily ‘send her away" if she
didn’t say that Coreen was play-
ing chicken, She also said that
Taylor was “‘talking mean" to
her.

Marge Thomas also denied the
chicken statement, saying that
Taylor had forced her to say it. In
a voice that could barely be heard
in the hushed and tense gymna-
sium, the 14 year old said ‘*He
made me say it because | was the
last one to talk to him". She had
been questioned for 1%: hours by
Taylor after the accident, while
the same procedure took only
20-30 minutes for the other wit-
nesses. Marge Thomas testified
that while questioning her, Taylor
made her cry and “talked bad"’ to
her. When first asked about Cor-

ecn playing chicken, Marge den-
ied it but later said she was
forced by Taylor to say it was
rue,

OFFICIAL CARELESSNESS

The inguest also pointed up
several unexplainable events con-
nected with the death of Coreen
Thomas that abviously calls for
some changes and improvement
on the part of the local officials:

*When the ambulance took the
body of Coreen Thomas to the
hospital, her sister, 14 year old
Marge Thomas, was left at the
scene, screaming hysterically on
the roadway at 4 a.m., which
could easily have led to a severe
shock reaction. The driver of the
ambulance happens to be the
editor of the local newspaper in
Vanderhoof which complained
about the publicity the town was
getting and denied that there was
any racism directed to the native
people.

*There has been no explanation
as to why it took 40 minutes for
the ambulance driver to be con-
tacted after the hospital was con-
tacted about the aecident.,

*When the body of Coreen
Thomas arrived at the hospital, it
was taken directly to the morgue,
without it being declared legally
dead by a doctor.

THE VERDICT

The jury came up with the only
verdict possible under the circum-
stances. It said that the death of
Coreen Thomas was an accident
caused in part by the negligence
of the driver of the car, Richard
Redekop. The jury ruled that
Redekop was at fault because he
was driving too fast, on a narrow
road, late at might.

The verdict didn't satisfy the
Thomas family or the other people
on the Stoney Creek Reserve. The
jury made no recommendation
about whether criminal charges
should be laid, leaving the matter
up to the Crown prosecutors.
They appeared to do nothing for
the next two weeks, so Coreen's
father, Peter Thomas, took the
unusual step of filing charges
himself against Redekop, charg-
ing him with criminal negligence
in the death of his daughter.
Redekop has been issued a sum-
mons to appear at a preliminary
hearing on October 21st.

The jury also made several
other recommendations calling
for: improved emergency services;
the establishment of a native
friendship centre in town: the
RCMP to ensure that juveniles
under 16 have a parent or guard-
ian present when being interview-
ed and breathalyzer tests to be
taken as soon as legally possible
in a fatal accident where accident
appears to be involved.

The harassment and discrimina-
tion that the native people have
complained about won't disappear
as a result of hearings by inter-
ested and impartial bodies such
as the Police Commission and the
Human Rights Commission, but it
is a start towards bringing the
problems out in the open and
dealing with them, rather than
pretending they don't exist. An
encouraging sign is the fact that
the town and band councils have
begun meeting to implementsome
of the recommendations the jury
made so that Coreen'’s death, and
life, will have had some meaning.



NESIBRA
ri il i c i¥

August/September 1976 5

OvVE welaisi c

af ofenuul

Carrier Nation Gathering Held



The first traditional gathering
of the Carrier Nation in almost 80
years was held recently to prove
that the concept of a ‘‘Carriet
Nation’ and many of the cultural
and traditional values of the Car-
rier people are still alive and well,

Historically, the many clans and
tribes of the Carrier Nation met
each year in the fall on the shores
of Stuart Lake at Binche (now
called Pinchi on the road maps) to
generally carry out the legal af-
fairs of the Nation. Births, deaths,
adoptions and names were recor-
ded; the titles and positions of
leadership were recognized and
strengthened; and any disputes
between families or clans were
resolved. It was also at that time
that the leaders of the Nation
made sure that the people all had
enough food and supplies to last
them through the winter.

The Carrier elders say that the
last real gathering (ba‘lh'ats) took
place at Binche in the late 1800's
or early 1900's. The reason they
stopped was because a chief who
was hunting for food for one of
the ba'lh’ats, accidently shot and
killed someone. The bad feelings
that were created from the shoot-
ing. plus the preaching of the
local priests that the potlatching
was the work of the devil, put an
end to the gatherings. ;

Plans for a gathering in the
Mo's were cul short when Ernie
Sam, a highly-respected and out-
standing athlete and the main
promoter of a new gathering, was
killed in a mill accident. The
memory of his plans and efforts
lasted, as did the tales of the
gatherings of long ago, and no
doubt helped inspire the all-wo-
man organizing committee which
eventually succeeded in holding
the gathering that was enjoyed by
several hundred people on August
21st and 22nd. The gathering was
held again at Binche, a small
village of about twenty houses
located on a beautiful stretch of
beach where Pinchi Creek flows
into Stuart Lake.

The committee (Sheila, Mavis.
and Colleen Erickson, Brenda and
Clara Bird, Aileen, Irene, and
Freda Prince, and Francesca An-
toine) organized the festival and
used a summer student employ-
ment grant from the Secretary of
state to fund the event,

According to one of the women,
the reason they organized the
gathering was because their work
and schooling had combined to
make them feel like ‘‘outsiders’’
to the Indian community, and

they wanted to prove that the



The Carrier elders at the festival - the men playing bone games
and the women watching the dancing,



Nation"’
was still alive, They wanted to
prove to themselves and others
that a traditional gathering of the

concept of a “Carrier

Carricr Nation could be pulled
together, despite the 80 years and
the many changes that have taken
place since the last one.

While some people wanted to
see the festival turn out some-
thing like a county fair or the
P.N.E., complete with rodeo, and
On @ pay-as-you-go basis, the
women were successful in having
all the emphasis placed on tradi-

tional Carrier activities, free of

any charge. They themselves are
probably most proud of the well-
organized kitchen staff and their
ability to feed several hundred
people and serve a thousand
meals in the two days to the
people who attended. The women
banned pop and ice cream and
junk foods and concentrated on
traditional items in the Carrier
dict - mountain goat, beaver,
moose, bear, salmon, trout, stur-
gcon, vegetables, honey, and tea.
All of the traditional foods were
donated to the festival by various
SUPPOrlers.

People were encouraged to stay
at the site and camp-out overnight



Louis Mattis, left, and Peter Bird, right, dance to celebrate Peter's
new name and status as a dene-zah.

6 August/September 1976



NESIKA

on the picturesque lake shore,
away from the city lights and
distractions (booze) of nearby Fort
St. James.

The ‘entertainment’ that was
scheduled was of a traditional
nature while the organizers hoped
that others would arrange other
activities on the spur of the
moment and on a do-it-yourself
basis. The planned and unplanned
activities included the singers and
dancers from Stoney Creck and
Nautley, potlatching, games and
races for the kids, canoe racing,
bannock-making contests and bo-
ne games for the grown-ups.

The high point of the gathering
was when Peter Bird, 27, assu-
med the name (Walking-with-the-
Wind) and song of Albert Sey-
mour in a ceremony during the
festival, marking the fact that he
is now the leader of the Tsa-yu
clan of the Carrier Nation, He is
now also regarded as a dene-zah,
or “good man" who is to be a
leader and an example-setter for
others to follow in living a good
and proper life. He ‘‘inherited”’
the mame and tithe from Albert
Seymour, the last clan leader,
who died in the early 1960's,

The organizers wanted the
people to enjoy themselves at the
gathering free from the influence
of drugs and alcohol. Although
they wanted to ban all booze, they
had to settle for a compromise
that actively discouraged its use
and made sure that there was no
drinking done out in the open,
Even though the women have
received compliments from people
who enjoyed themselves and tho-
ught the gathering was well-orga-
nized, they have received just as
many complaints from the boozers
who griped about the restrictions
on alcohol, with some of them
even saying, ‘‘What is an Indian
without his bottle anyway?"

The several hundred people who

attended proved that the commit-
tee’s method of publicizing the
gathering was a success. Most of
the people in the north hadn't
heard of the festival before it took
place, and that is the way the
women wanted it. They feared the
type of crowd that would be
attracted to such an event if it
were promoted on radio, televi-
sion, and the papers; so they
relied entirely on written invita-
tions to the many Carrier bands
and on a word-of-mouth campaign
to publicize the gathering.

After it was all over, and before
the huge clean-up job began, the
women were talking about ‘‘next
year’ and a bigger and better
festival. They don't see much
problem in raising the $1,700 or
so they think will be necessary to
hold another gathering, so they
hope to be able to hold it without
a government grant,

COMMENT

These women have set an
example for the Carrier and other
native peoples to follow, in the
values and traditions they are
irying to promote and preserve.
Whether they realize it or not,
they are not just saving the
“‘culture’’ of the Carrier people,
but the Carrier people themsel-
ves.

When the language, dances,
songs, Values and traditions of the
Carrier people, or any people,
have died, then those people and
that Nation will have died too.
There still may be brown-skinned
and black-haired people still liv-
ing, but they won't be Carriers or
Haidas or Salish or “Indian’’,
they will only be bad copies of
white people,

That is what the land claims
fight is all about - survival; the
very survival of INDIAN Nations,
and no amount of economic deve-
lopment or government dollars
will help us survive. Only by
returning our languages, values
and traditions to every-day use
will Indian people and Indian
Nations stand a chance of surviv-
ing, and only then will a land
claims settlement and our chil-
drens’ lives have any meaning,

It seems like we can look
forward to another gathering of
the people of the Carrier Nation
al Binche next August, and if the
energy, ideals, and commitment
of the organizers spreads among
the other members of the Carrier
Nation, maybe we can look for-
ward to the continued survival of
that Nation and its people.

More information on this year’s
gathering or on next year's plans
can be obtained from: the Carrier
Festival Organizing Committee,
Box 41, Fort St. James, B.C.

Provincial Commissions Being Organized

The Chicts’ Council of the
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs met
lor the first time ‘since the Cour-
tenay asscmbly, on Aug. 19 & 20
at the Devonshire Hotel in Van-
COLUVE TD,

Five or six of the 15 districts in
the Union were represented, abo-
lt average attendance tor the
Council since Chilliwack. The
Council members who did attend
were - Ray Jones, Babine: Archie
Charles, East Frasers Wes Mo-
deste. South Island: Jacoh Kruger
Kootcnay-Okanagan; and Forrest
Walkem, Thompson-Nicola; iis
well as the three Executives - Bob
Manuel, Phihp Paul, and Steven
Point,

The Council set an ambinous
agenda for themselves with these
lems to be discussed: 1) B.C,
Land Claims Commission 2) Indi-
an Rights Commission 3) Aborigi-
Hal Rights Research 4) Financial
Situation 3) Budger Proposal 6)
Order in Council 1036 7) Indian
Status Cards 8) Tribal Council vs.
District Council Y) Indian Rights
Commission on Fishing 10) Van-
couver and Cogualeetva office 11)
National Indian Brotherhood 12)
Eeonomic Development.

Untortunately, for our readers,
we have ne report on the discus-
siuns that were held since the
NESIKA reporter was asked to
leave the meeting.

We have learned since then,
that the nuinutes of that meeting
have been distributed to the Cou-
neil members and may eventually
be made available to the bands.
We could only learn that the
financial siuanon of the Union
wis Hot good, although a budget
request had becn made to the
Seerctary of State. The NESIKA
was also told from several sources
thar at one time during the
meeting that the “*non-status”’
bogeyman appeared at the mect-
ing with Philip Paul speaking
against the “"non-status’’ issue,
For once though, it seems thar a
majority of Council members dis-
agrecd with him on the issue. °

The Executives had prepared a
Bulletin that was sent out on Aug,
lth. and is the only ‘official’
source Of infurmation about the
Union's activities since the Cour-
tenay assembly five months ago.
The Bulletin is a result of the new
press pohcy of the Executive and



NESIKA Kicked Out

Unil just recently, there has
been no response, no report, and
ng comment’ from the execu-
tives on the UBCIC's plans and
activities. Many people were, and
probably sill are, wondering what
the Union is up to,

The Executives had mailed out
a bulletin announcing the meeting
with the note “the Mecting is
open as usual’’.

Well, the meelings are open -
but apparently only to those peo-
ple who have the time and money
fto get to Vancouver to attend the
meeting. If people can't get to the
meeting and depend on reading
about it in a native newspaper,
then it isn’t open.

Before Executive Philip Paul
began his report, he warned the
Council menibers that he would
be as candid or forthright in
stating his views since the editor
of the NESIKA was present. He
said that the Council would be
determining policy and that no
organization or government does
that in full view of the press.
| Bob Manuel stated that the
Executive had developed a policy
to publicize whal was happening
within the Union by distributing
Bulletins to the bands, friendship



states that “we are making a
special effort to keep you infor-
med"’.

The Bulletin summarized the
resolutions passed at the assem-
bly. lt announced that the Union
will be involved in the establish-
ment of “Provincial Commis-
sions as a model for organizing
bands with certain common inte-
rests.

Since the Devonshire Council
meeting, there has been another
meeting of the Council, this time
in Whitehorse. The occasion was
the annual assembly of the Natio-
nal Indian Brotherhood, of which
the UBCIC is a member organiza-
tion, The Council meeting in
Whitehorse. though, only dealt
with the issues related to the NIB
assembly. At thal meeting, it was
learned thar Lillian Howard, the
former Band Manager for the
Nootka Band, and a key person in
the Gold River blockade, was

centres, and the media.

Council member Ray Jones did

nol agree at first with closing the
meeting to the press since the
people in his district could never
find out what happened at pre:
vious meetings from their former
representative, and that the paper
would help inform the people in
the communities on the actions
taken by the Council,

The Council eventually voted to
close the meeting and the NESI
KA editor left, but not before
Richard Malloway. a Stalo elder
observing the meeting, blasted
the Council for the move and left
in protest.

NESIRA believes that progress
on the land claim will only be
made on the basis of full, frank,
and open discussions. The Council
actions do nothing to enhance or

increase discussion among native

people about the issues concer-
ned. If anything, it is an annoyan-
ce and a challenge to our investi-
gative abilities to find out what
was sald. More importantly, tho-
ugh, it 18 a disservice to the

people who are interested in the]

land claims issue but who can't

attend the meetings,



selected by the UBCIC as the
person who will be responsible for
coordinating the B.C. input to
the national committee on the
revision of the Indian Act.

When questioned about the re-
ecnt developments in the Union,
Chief Executive and Spokesman
Bob Manuel had little information
on the working of the provincial
commissions to be established,
He explained that the reason for
litthe information was the new
press policy that is attempting to
gel away from the many press
conferences, statements, and in:
terviews of the past. Manuel said
tha, “we have a problem with
communication, and we would
prefer lithe communication to mi-
nimize the distorrion.”" He said
the low-profile approach is a big
change in the “extreme position”
of previous years. He finished by
saying "Il think we are in a
fantastic period of time.”

Questioned later, Union Execu-
tive Philip Paul said the commis-
sions were Manuel's idea to. get
away from the big bureaucracy of
before. He said that they would
probably be operated indepen-
dently of the Union. He noted
that the commission on cconomic
development is already tunction-
ing under the leadership of Chief
Joc Mathias. and that an educa-
tion meeting in Chilliwack in
November is hoped will become
the basis of a provincial commis-
sion On cclucation,

lt appears that the commissions
will have to get their own funding
and the bands that choose to
become involved in a certain
area of interest will probably be
setting their own rules of opera-
thon.

When asked about the B.C,
Land Claims Commission, Philip
Paul said that it will be “similar
to before in terms of fieldworkers
incach of the tribal groups’’. He
said that past President of the
NIB. George Manuel, (Bob's fa-
ther) had been asked to lead the
commission, but that the Union
docsn't have “‘definite commit-
ment’ as vet from George Ma-
nucl,

It appears that the Land Cla-
ims Commission will be funded at
least partly through the UBCIC
since Paul said the psovernment
didn’! want any funding to be
uscd “in a political way"’.

On the matter of funding, he
referred to the strong lobbying
¢cflort that was needed to pet
funding in the first place, (3215,-
O00 has been approved, the same
as the UNN.) He blamed the
delay in funding on Senater Guy
Williams (the past President of
the Native Brotherhood). aod Cui.
inct Ministers lona Campagnola
and Len Marchand, who were
actively trying to persuade the
government not to give any fund-
ing to the UBCIC or the UNN, but
to vive in to the Brotherhood for
land claims. (Guy Williams could
not be reached for comment by
press time.)

NESIKA has also learned — that
the past President of the Native
Council, Gloria George (Ron Geo-
rge's aunt) also was campaigning
in Ottawa to prevent funds from
reaching the UNN,



A Land Claims



Renee Taylor and Dora Speck of
the Nimpkish Band at Alert Bay
have prepared a pamphlet ‘in the
hopes of encouraging understand-
ing and solidarity between native
people and workers’’ on northern
Vancouver Island.

Some of their thoughts:

“What land claims means to us
is that we regain our land, our
waters, and our resources (before
industry destroys them all): that
we take control over our lives, our
culture and our education - our
destinies. That we mend the wou-
nds of the last few hundred years
and become once again, proud,
independent people, that our chil-
dren can grow up strong and
healthy.



“The government.and compan-
ies look at the land and resources
and people only in terms of
dollars. They see us as obstacles
to “‘progress’’. (Progress, we
think, means bigger profits for
them.)

“We know that control of our
land is a necessity for our inde-
pendence, and our independence
is the only way that we can
survive as a people.

“Our situations are different in
many ways and we must learn to
respect each other's ideas and
wavs Of life, but we share much
in common, We have a common
enemy and we must work togeth-
er and give each other support in
our strugelés:-Odly in this-‘way

essage fo

can we create a better world for
all our children.

“We have heard much opposi-
tion from white working people to
some recent demonstrations con-
ducted by native people to draw
attention to our situation and to
pressure the government to nego-
tiate. We feel your anger should
not be directed at us but at those
who created and now maintain the
situation,

“When workers go on strike,
you too, inconvenience the public,
but your labour is your bargaining
power and that is what you must
use to get what is rightfully
Yours.

Labour



“A just settkement of our land
claim is what we are striving for
and our Jand is our bargaining
power. It is all we have and so we
must assert our ownership.

“Just as you encourage those
who are put out by your picket
line or withdrawal of services, to
urge your employers to settle your
disputes rather than cross your
picket line or break your strike by
scabbing, so we too, urge you to
pressure the government to nego-
tiate with us rather than you
threatening us with violence as
has happened."



NESIKA "August/September 1976 7

_ We the Nazko and Kluskus Bands of Southern Carrier people
do publicly and openly declare:

1, Thai we hold aboriginal title to the lands on which. our

ancestors dwelt and from which they gained their living;

2. That no further encroachment of any kind by outsiders
shall be permitted on the remaining unspoiled portions of our
aboriginal territory, namely, the watersheds of the Nazko and
Blackwater Rivers west of the Nazko River to the Ulgatcho
Mountains;

3. That we shall take what steps are within our power to
protect and keep for ourselves and our children the right to
continued and undiminished use of those remaining unspoiled
portions of our land and resources;

4. That we are prepared to meet with the proper authorities

of provincial and federal governments to discuss our land claims. |
-and to establish joint means of protecting our separate and mutual

interests,

passed March 5, 1975 :
re-affirmed March 18, 1976



lf the focus of Indian attention
regarding the land claims issue
isn’t centred on Nazko right now,
it should be. It is obvious that not
much of anything is happening
anywhere else in the province,
and everyone scems to be waiting
for someone to do something.
Well, the people of the Nazko and
Kluskus Bands have decided to do
something.

For now, they have decided to
hold weekly marches and demon-
strations in Quesnel to build
public support for their cause and
are secking help from Indians and
non-Indians across the province.

They are trying, first of all, to
prevent a logging project from
being jammed into their home-
lands. They were successful in
petting the NDP government to
put a halt to the project, but the
Socreds plan to drive ahead and
refuse to consider any changes.
The government says the timber



is needed to fuel the sawmills and
pulpmills in Quesnel (and also
fuel the provincial treasury with
timber royalties).

The Indians say the project is
invading their tribal territory and
that their aboriginal rights and
ownership of the land and re-
sources have to be recognized
before any development takes pl-
ace.

They say that logging will harm
the environment and reduce the
fish and game population and
affect their diet. More than that,
though, the new roads will result
in unwelcome development - hun-
ters, tourists, businesses - that
the local people will have no
control over. The bands complain
that the highly-mechanized log-







BOTH YOUNG AND OLD
MARCH IN QUESNEL DEMONSTRATIONS







ging industry has little use for
unskilled Indian labour, and that
the Indians will get no benefits,
and will probably be harmed,
from the harvest of the resources
on their own lands.

They have offered to share their
resources with the rest of the
province, and have offered to
co-operate with the government
and the non-Indians in the area to
plan the future development of
their home-land with maximum
benefit and minimum damage.
The government has refused their
offer,

The first in a series of weekly
demonstrations was held on Tues-
day, Sept. 28th, in Quesnel, with
another on the Sth of October,
and a third on the 12th.

Approximately 125 native peo-
ple marched the one nvule from
the Friendship Centre to the
provincial government offices dur-

ing the first demonstration. That
may not be considered a large
number by certain standards, but
it represented almost the entire
village of Nazko. The Nazko and
Kluskus people were joined by a
force of two dozen people from
Mt. Currie and Fish Lake. The
Mt. Currie people are no stranger
to any of the demonstrations or
blockades that were held during
the past year and a half, and the
Fish Lake people, under the
leadership of Toosey Chief Ray
Hance, have been actively work-
ing on the Nazko issue for over a
year.

While the Indians marched on
town: the odd Indian passerby
joined in; the RCMP's cameras
clicked away; the white bigots in
the crowd ‘shouted racist slurs;
but mostly, the white population
of Quesnel just stopped and star-
ed. °

As the people gathered at the
government building, Nazko Band
Manager Dennis Patrick began
the speeches, half of them in the
Carrier language, to the crowd.
Dennis Patrick is clearly the driv-
ing force and the main organizer
of the demonstrations, and he
restated that the Nazko and Klus-
kus people are not opposed to
future development, they are will-
ing to share their resources, if the
government is willing to co-oper-
ate. Patrick was followed at the
microphone by Kluskus Chief
Roger Jimmie, and UNN Vice-
President Ron George.

The 3 demonstrations and ex-
tensive politicking by the bands
have resulted in some minor suc-
cesses being achieved: 1) The
B.C. Human Rights Commission
have agreed to hold hearings into

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NAZKO - KLUSKUS
“the basic thing we are trying to do















th
i ._ | :. Pg | | : 4 Mach Bare . )
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the Nazko-Kluskus demands, 2)
Lobbying at the annual convention
of the B.C. Liberal Party, the
natives won a unanimous resolu-
tion in support of their demands,
3) The Minister of Labour, Allan
Williams, who is also responsible
for Indian matters in the province,
has agreed to meet the bands,
and possibly other Cabinet Minis-
ters, ‘hopefully in December'’.

History
of the
dispute

The Nazko and Kluskus people
began keeping a record of all
their actions after they learned
that the government planned to
drive a logging road and a huge
logging project through the heart
of their territory. What began in
early 1973 was a long and patient

LUSKUS



struggle to get the federal and
provincial governments to join in
a co-operative planning process
that would see the Indian people
benefit from all future develop-
ment rather than be the victim of
what they feel would be a destr-
uctive method of developing the
area.

For 31 months, the people of
the two bands worked quietly
through all the appropriate chan-
nels; writing letters, attending
meetings, making studies and re-
commendations. Their invitations
lo government to co-operate in
the long-term planning for the
area, based on their research
findings, have been ignored.

The government has said their
recommendations are ‘too gener-
al" and have never given the
Indian people the opportunity to
participate in a meaningful way in
the planning process. The govern-
ment clearly intends to drive the
logging roads into the Nazko-
Kluskus homeland despite the
social, cultural, economic, and
environmental impact on the ma-
jority of the people in the area -
the Nazko and Kluskus people.

The diary they kept, beginning
on February 12, 1973, now con-
tains more than 200 entries, docu-
menting the many letters, reports,
and meetings over the ‘matter
during the past 3 years.

What follows here are some of
the highlights of that record,
taken from the September Special
Edition of Coyoti Prints (extra
copies available at Box 6000,
Williams Lake). The diary illus-
trates the “‘positive, reasonable,
democratic and non-violent quality
of the Nazko-Kluskus approach"
and also reveals the governments’

intention of ignoring the fair and
just demands of the Nazko and
Kluskus people.

Feb. 12, 1973: The Nazko Band
Council asked the DIA to
study the effects of proposed
logging in the Nazko area and to
ensure there would be no bad
effects. The band also wrote to

“the Williams Lake District Fores-

ter to “hold off all logging per-
mits in this area, until a full study
is completed by DIA’.

March 9, 1973: The District
Supervisor of DIA wrote to the
Regional Superintendent of Eco-
nomic Development for DIA and
recommended a 5 year logging
moratorium to cover the Black-
water and Kluskus areas. He also
recommended that a joint federal-
provincial study be established to
““prepare a plan to protect the
Indian interest in the area and
promote the orderly development



of the region"’, He added that *‘we
feel the situation is very critical
and request it be treated with a
high priority."*
March &, 1973: The band wrote to
Bob Williams, B.C. Minister of
Lands and Forests:

“We, the original residents of
this land, are beginning to realize
that we are not going to benefit
from the natural resources and
their exploitation unless we are
included in the planning of the
uses for this area.

“We also fully realize that,
without being consulted, the
future revenue of development of
the area, especially logging,
would mainly benefit large com-
panies and may even harm us.

‘ it is mow, the Indian
people of Nazko are wholly depen-
dent upon hunting, trapping and
fishing for the major part of their
earned living. These three occu-
pations are also our inheritance
and our nght. Timber harvesting
would threaten these rights and
our ability to exercise them with-
out replacing the loss which we
will suffer.

“We would then propose to you
that plans for development of this
area be forestalled until adequate
steps have been taken to ensure

that our rights and our lives will’ |

not be negatively affected."’

May 15, 1973: Williams replied to
the letter and noted that meetings
had been arranged with the local
forester. It is pointed out that the
District Forester always gets the
responsibility for dealing with
such issues, but never gets the
authority to make any of the
necessary changes.

June 15, 1973: The band writes to
Premier Barrett:

THE 20 POINTS

1. Only Indians can hunt and
fish in this,area,

2. Indians allowed to use tradi-
tional hunting and fishing met-

i ee oe

Jhods, and allowed to hunt at all

seasons, and to sell traditional
Indian foods,
3, Government has to buy all
guiding licenses and fish-camp
permits, and give them to Nazko
and Kluskus Bands.
4. Nazko and Kluskus Bands to

|have power to sell hunting and

fishing licenses in this area.

5. No outsiders to hunt or fish
in this area without a guide.

6. Bands to control who can
use the logging roads.

7. Bands to have first chance at
developing housing subdivisions
or trailer parks for use by outsi-
ders. .

5. Bands to control grazing per-
mits.

9. Bands to have power to.

license businesses; stores, hotels.

bars. lodges, service stations, out-

fitters. trail riding business, ete.
10. Bands to issue logging per-

mits and road-building permits.
11, Indians to be given first



“You are aware that the Nazko
Indian Band has requested con-
sultation before licenses are
granted. Our opinions are, appar-
ently ignored as consultation has
not been forthcoming.

“Much harm will come to many
on both sides should we be forced
to push this to a public and
political level, and this is the last
thing we want to do.

“We do oppose the way that
development is occurring. We re-
quest that you now protect these
rights by placing a moratorium
upon this area...until we can
present you with a plan that will
allow development without des-
troying our people."

Two weeks later, Barrett wrote
saying the letter had been refer-
red to Williams.

Aug. 6, 1973: The band writes to

Lil! c 1 ui] Wieealir wl] i
= 5 a | i ion L

Dennis Patrick

That's a problem with the Indi-
We don't take

movement,

lit Fall lie fa

chance at any logging and con-
struction jobs in this area,

12, Blocks of timber to be reser-|
ved near Indian reserves and
camps, for permanent and exclu-
sive Indian use.

13. Bands to issue permits for
mineral and oil prospecting or|
development,

14. Bands to get payments or
royalties for timber cut in this
area. a a5

15. Bands to issue permits for
land leases in this area.

lo. All traditional Indian camp-
sites, burial grounds, trapping
cabins, fish-trap places. grazing
meadows, trails, be given special
Indian Reserve status. -

17. Logging trucks to stay off
the main road until it is comple-
ted for public safety, dust control,
etc.

IS. Water rights to be controlled
by the bands. _ ,

19, All tradifional ranch land|
lost recently shall be. returned to
Indians.

20, Compensation for trapline
destruction caused by roads and



Williams again having had no
reply from their previous letter.
“July 27th was the date for the

closing of tenders for’ timber
licenses. That date has come and
gone and nary a person or
government agency, despite our
protestations, has consulted with
us, or bothered to assess or even
consider the impact of this logging
upon the Indian people, the origi-
nal inhabitants and rightful own-
ers of this land."

Sept. 12, 1973: Williams’ Deputy
Minister Stokes replied to the
letter:

“Your immediate concern ap-
pears to be the possible degrada-
tion by logging of the water of
Michelle Creck from which the
domestic water supply of Nazko
Village is obtained. There should
be no cause for anxiety.
continued on page 10

fa) an



action. We wait for the govern-
ment to do things for us. We
should just go ahead and do it
ourselves. When we have ideas,
good ideas, we wait for the

government to say yes or no. The
future is now. The basic thing we
are trying to do is get a better
future for our people.





Stanley Boyd

If you want to come and make a
road through our land. =
want to chase out all the animals —|
that we are do dependent on. If —
you want to cut all our trees. If
you want to leave every place [|
you've been bare. If you want to el
come into our land and strip it so el
nothing can live there any more - [=
then | don’t think you should (=
come in. (2

If you

NAZKO-KLUSKUS cont.



“Accordingly there is ho neces-
sity for a moratorium on logging
as you suggested.”

Oct. 3, 1973: The band writes to
tcll Stokes that he missed the
point of their letter, that water
quality is a concern, but not the
main concern, They again ask for
a postponement of logging and
road development in the areca.
Oct. 25, 1973: Stokes replies and
passes the letter back to the
District Forester.

Sept. 18, 1973: Dr. Michacl Kew,
a UBC professor doing research
while living at Nazko, wrote to
Premier Barrett and urged “the
preservation of the Blackwater
drainage system, a moratorium on
the granting of forest cutting
licenses, and the establishment of
a long-range plan for multi-pur-
pose use in consultation with local
residents, ""

Nov. 8/73-Apr. 11/74: The Forest

Service proposes to build am

‘instant’ town of 75-100 families 2
miles from the village of Nazko,
Little or no thought is apparently
given to the problem of sewage
disposal, Sirong protest from the
bands results in the Forest Ser-
vice cancelling plans for the sub-




example of some






ie ne as wake 7 :
ae | = . - =
= Le 5
eae ry eae ,
Sie le ie .

of the not-so-pretty work done to plow the

Kluskus Chief
Roger Jimmie



the environment and people of the
area.

No logging road construction be
permitted for at least 3 years.
Sept. 16, 1974: Professor Kew
publishes the second part of the
Navzko-Kluskus study and conclu-
des:

‘These two bands have issued
a request and a challenge to...the
government, It is a request for a
guarantee of some measure of
control over their resources and
their land: it is a challenge to the

iF f





logging road through the Nazko-Kluskus territory.

diviston,
Apr. 11, 1974: A letter from the
District Forester says the subdivi-
sion has been cancelled but the
logging road will go ahead.
May 8, 1974: A permit to build a
logging road through the area 1s
issucd.,
BLOCKADE
May 15, 1974: Band members
physically block the road-building
equipment from beginning work
on the road, resulting im meeting
with Cabinet Ministers.
May 21, 1974: A delegation of
Nazko people travels to Victoria to
meet with Williams and Levi and
ask for a 5 year moratorium.
Williams and Levi grants a 3
month delay in road construction
until the Nazko-Kluskus study is
completed.
STUDY REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS
Aug. 25, 1974: The completed
Nazko-Kluskus Study Report is

sent to Barrett and all Cabinet
Ministers with recommendations
that:

The government of B.C. recog-
nize the aboriginal rights of the
Nazko and Kluskus people.

A multi-use planning board be
created composed of Carrier and
non-Indian residents of the area.

Research be done into ways by
which resources can be harvested

government to interrupt and
divert an historic trend of exploi-
tation.”

Sept. 74-Jan. 75: All efforts by
the bands fail to achieve a meet-
ing between the bands and Cabi-
net Ministers to discuss the Study
recommendations.

Jan. 21, 1975: The Nazko and
Kluskus Chiefs write to Premier
Barrett:

“We are taking the initiative in
convening a meeting on March
Sth of this year. At that time the
assembled peoples of Nazko and
Kluskus Bands will be prepared
t listen to your government's
considered response to (our) pro-
posals.

March 5, 1975: The meeting
begins and no government offi-
cials show up. The bands publish
their DECLARATION.

June 20, 1975: Forestry Minister
Williams is forced into a meeting
with the Caribou Tribal Council.
For the first time he sees the
Study maps and hears the recom-
mendations because they are read
out to him.The meeting produced
no meaningful results.

July 26, 1976: The new Socred
Forestry Minister Tom Waterland
writes to the bands: “‘The Gov-
ernment shares your concern but
finds that we now have no alter-
native but to proceed with orderly



and used with minimal damage to development of the timber re-
10 August/September 1976, NESIKA



Who are the



Nazko-Kluskus People?

These people are members of
the Southern Carrier Nation and
their ancestors were the first
inhabitants of the 3,200 square
miles in the Blackwater River
watershed west of Quesnel. Today
their descendants - the Nazko and
Kluskus people - still hold abori-
ginal title to their ancestral lands.

There are about 15 houses and
a population of 110 in the village
of Nazko. The littl vil-
lage is located on a large reserve
65 miles and 2% hours of bone-
crunching travel over the gravel
road that links them with Ques-
nel.

The most dependable method of
reaching the Kluskus territory
(20-30 miles from Nazko) is sull
by saddle horse or horse and
wagon over the dry-weather road
that links the two areas. Kluskus
has no village site, and the band
members live instead on scattered
homesteads on the various bran-
ches of the Blackwater River
system.

Once the Nazko and Kluskus
people were solely dependent on
the land and its resources for
meeting their needs. Over the
years, however, a number of
factors - disease, compulsory sch-
cooling, DIA policy, government
restrictions on aboriginal rights
have combined to force these
people to become dependent on
welfare. The fish (trout, salmon,
cod, char) and game (moose,
deer, bear, rabbits, beaver) are
still the major part of their dict,

source in this area." and orders
road construction to begin.

Aug. 3, 1976: A meeting in
Victoria with Forestry Minister
Waterland and Labour Minister
Williams is achieved. Waterland
tells the 7 Nazko delegates that
he can not consider the study
recommendations because they
are ‘‘too general’’. He says that
his department is going ahead
with logging plans for the Nazko
area and can not deal with the
land claims issue. He says that
road construction will begin on
Aug. 9th.

So, two years of study and talks
by the Nazko-Kluskus people are
ignored by the government as
they announce their intention to
invade the Carrier lands from the
east, north, and south.

Aug. 25, 1976: A band meeting
finalizes the demands of the peop-
le into the ''20 Points’’ and sends
them to Victoria.

Sept. 26, 1976: Road construction
is underway. A band meeting
decides not to block the road, but
to hold a series of public demon-
strations in Quesnel to build sup-
port for their cause.

Sept. 28, 1976: The demonstra-
tions begin.

The focus of Indian attention
should be centred on Nazko be-
cause the stakes are high, and the
winner takes all.

The government has shown its
intention to bulldoze over the
trees and the rights of the Nazko
and Kluskus people, and maybe
even over their bodies as well if it
comes to that.



but increases in logging and min-
ing activity, and increases in the
numbers of white hunters and
tourists have caused serious re-
ductions in the fish and game
population,

The litthe wage employment
that is available is usually short-
term and seasonal in nature. Fhe
ame other alternative open to the
people living in the village - cattle
raising - is no longer possible
because of the losses of land,
erazing rights, and water rights to
the doven or so white ranchers
that have settled in their territory,

Half the Nazko-Kluskus popula-
tion of 260 is under the age of 15,
with almost all of them speaking
the Carrier language as their
mother tongue, Even though 75%
of the people in the territory and
in the local grade school are
Indians, the local school board
refused to allow one hour per day |
instruction in the Carrier langu-
age to be given at the grade




school. The school-age children
from Kluskus attend residential
school or board out in Nazko,



Williams Lake, or Quesnel, be-
cause schools have never been
operated in that area.

It is litthe wonder thar with their
traditional reliance on the natural
resources of the area and their
isolation, that the Nazko and
Kluskus people fear the instant
towns, massive logging operations
and accompanying development,
that is proposed for their lands.










If you are interested in the
cause of these people, they ask
you to do four things:

1. Write them for more infor-
mation if you need it, The address
is Nazko-Kluskus Band, R.R. #5,
Quesnel, B.C,

2. Office supplies and funds are
needed to continue the struggle
donate if you can.

3. Write to Premier Bennett,
and Cabinet Ministers Neilson,
Waterland, Williams, and your
M.L.A.. and DEMAND that the
government stop all development
in the Nazko-Kluskus area.

4. The best way to understand
the situation is to see it for
yourselves, so all interested peo-
ple are invited to go to Nazko-
Kluskus and experience their way
of life.









UNN Drops Out of Native Council



United Native Nations President
Bill Wilson led a walk-out of the
B.C. representatives to the annual
assembly of the Native Council of
Canada after only a day and a half
of a scheduled three day meeting.
Wilson's highly-publicized parting
shot was that "the NCC is nothing
but a bunch of groupies and hang-
ers-on living off the backs and
sufferings of Indian people’.

For their part, the NCC took a
“good riddance” attitude and pass-
ed resolutions banning ‘‘status"’
Indians from membership in the
national body. The resolutions
were aimed directly at the B.C.
delegation since four of the fifteen
representatives, including Wilson,
were ‘status’ Indians.

The B.C. organization (formerly
BCANSI) has had an on/off rela-
tionship with the Native Council
ever since the rejection of funds in
June, 1975, This time, though, the
break appears to be final.

At the first meeting of the UNN
Board of Directors following the
assembly, the Board unanimously
voted to back uns letter written by
Wilson to the Presidents of other
NCC member organizations,saying
that the UNN does “not intend to
be involved, in any way, with the
Council in the future."" Apparently
the United Native Nations — will
attempt to deal directly with the
federal government on the aborig-
inal rights issue and ignore the

NCC,
THE DELEGATION

Only about half of the UNN's 10
districts had named a representa-
tive to attend the NCC meeting in
Ottawa, so the UNN Executives
named the representatives from the
remaining districts to fill out the 15
member delegation. To present a
unified front at the assembly, the
UNN Executives also invited an
elected Executive from the Union
of B.C. Indian Chiefs and the
Native Brotherhood to attend. The
Brotherhood Executives were busy

fishing and couldn't attend, and
the Union never replied to the
invitation, In their place were

George Watts. a past Executive of

the UBCIC. and Jacob Kruger. a
Chiefs’ Council member for the
UBCIC, and they filled out the
remaining two places on the dele-
Baton .

A striking feature of the group
were the brand-new faces that
were altending an NCC assembly
for the first time. Without a doubt,
the new cast of characters was due
to the rejecuion of funds, since
previous delegations had been
made up of pretty much the same
people, year after year.

The rejection of funds resulted in
many of the past leaders moving
on to other organizations, but more
importantly, it resulted in an en-
urely new attitude and determina-
tion on the part of those that
remained, The realization that the
aboriginal rights issue is a struggle
for the survival of Indian people
was carried into the NCC assembly
by a serious and determined group
of people.

However,.all the other represent:
atives came from organizations that
had never experienced the rejection
of funds, that had never made
aboriginal rights their one and only
mandate, and that were still involv-
ed in operating brown bureauera-
cies. The B.C. delegation was
simply not prepared for the amount
of time that the rest of the NCC
wanted to spend on social affairs

and on issues not related to land
claims or aboriginal rights, A con-
frontation was inevitable.

THE AGENDA

Warnings of a showdown over
the agenda could be seen a month
before the assembly when newly-
elected President Bill Wilson wrote
to the NCC Executive and com-
plained that the proposed agenda
was too much like agendas prepar-
ed by DIA for conferences design-
ed to accomplish nothing.

The agenda showed that the
theme of the conference was to be
‘“Unity and Aboriginal Rights**
The. amount of time devoted to
those subjects showed something
else. however. There were two
panel discussions on the subject in
which a few “‘experts’’ -would
lecture the delegates on the sub-
ject. B.C, was protesting that the
panel discussions did not allow for
any open discussions to be held on
the topic, and was only a one-way
flow of information. Apart from the
panel discussions, the agenda had
1 hour devoted to delegate discus-
sion on aboriginal rights, 144 hours
devoted to flag-raising, 4 hours
devoted to all the various aspects
related to the elections, and all of
the evenings devoted to dances,
and fiddling and jigging contests,
with apparently no thought of the
assembly working in evening ses-
sions.

THE ASSEMBLY

The first blow-up of the assemb-
lv. held July 29-31, occurred early
the first day as the NCC Executive
report was being presented. The
Iypewritten report (single-spaced)
was 31 pages long and had a 28
page appendix, and the Executive
(Gloria George, Duke Redbird, and
Fred Jobin) decided to read it
aloud to the assembly while the
delegates followed along in the
copies that had been distributed.

The B.C, delegation quickly ask-
ed that the assembly move instead
to the discussion period on the
report, and make more efficient
use of the delegates’ time. A vote
was taken and the other provinces
voted to listen to the Executive
finish reading the rest of the
report. That was apparently too
much for the frustrated B.C. dele-
gation to stand, and they walked
out of the assembly. They were
followed by members of the Sas-
katchewan organization who were
observing at the meeting, and the
two groups held a separate meet-
ing to discuss the Trudeau letter,
while the rest of the assembly
listened to the Executive report
being read.

By noon the next day, dissatis-
faction and frustration had reached
its peak and a vote taken at a
meeting of the B.C. delegation,
showed everyone in favour of leav-
ing the meeting right then and
going home early. The group de-
cided to have Wilson and Hugh
Braker explain the reasons for
leaving immediately after the lunch
break.

Braker explained that the land
claims fight is a life-and-death
issue, and that it would be imposs-
ible to bridge the differences that
were apparent between the NCC
and the UNN. Since he believed
that each group was in the way of
each other, the B.C. delegation felt
that they had no alternative but to
withdraw.

Wi Wilson followed up along the
same Jines as Braker but finished
with a stinging attack on the NCC.
He slammed the NCC and the
“unity’’ theme when it was plan-
ning to dump “‘status"’ Indians as
delegates to the assembly. His last
remark was the ‘‘groupies and
hangers-on"’ quote that he is later
have said to regretted.

Wilson's blast and the walk-out
that followed triggered a loud and
angry response, and the assembly
quickly voted to ““get even"’ with
the B.C. delegation. Since four of
the B.C, group were ‘“‘status"'
Indians, and since there had been
earlier grumblings about this and
the fact that “they’’ have their own
organization, the assembly passed
a series of resolutions to ban
‘“status"’ Indians from the rest of
the 1976 assembly and from all
future assemblies.

The final walk-out also resulted
in some highly-questionable actions
taken by the assembly to stack the
meeting with phoney B.C. dele-
gates. The Chairman of the assem-
bly was Gene Rheaume and he
became caught up in the mad rush
lo accept three women observers
from B.C. who were at the assem-
bly representing the Indian Rights
for Indian Women organization, as
the official B.C. delegation. The
women were promised full voting
powers, their expenses, per diems,
and quickly voted in to replace the
missing UNN representatives, with-
out a hint of protest. Rheaume
allowed the move to take place
even though he used to be a
Member of Parliament and should
have known better, When an ob-
server suggested that what the
assembly had done was illegal, the
delegates didn't want to hear about
it.

Doris Senger, the leader of the
women's group, finally realized
that the motion to ban ‘‘status”’
Indians would include her group
(one of the three women was a
“status’’ Indian), so she announc-
ed that her proup would have to
leave the assembly as well. Secing
that the efforts to prop up the NCC
with phoney representatives would
not work, Rheaume angrily blasted

the women as they walked out of

the meeting.
THE ELECTIONS

Gloria George, as President of
the NCC, had earlier decided not to
run for re-election, and the election
saw Harry Daniels of Saskatche-
wan, Ed Head of Manitoba, and
Jim Ducharme of Alberta run for
the office. Daniels, who had lost
the election for President in 1975
by only 7 votes, won the election.

Duke Redbird was defeated in
his bid to be re-clected as Vice-
President by Melvin Nash of New
Brunswick. Fred Jobin was re-
elected Secretary-Treasurer by ac-
clamation,

RESULTS

While the “‘Unity and Aboriginal
Rights’’ theme had been selected
for the assembly, the conference
results clearly showed that the
NCC's concerns are anything but.

A unity of sorts was accomplish-
ed as the NCC proved that all of
their member organizations are
unified in their desire to keep
“‘status’’ Indians out of the NCC,
The NCC's record over the past

two years has resulted in three of
its member organization either
walking out of the NCC or being
driven out. In fact, after the first
walk-out of the B.C. and Saskat-
chewan delegations, all the remain-
ing delegates stood and held hands
to demonstrate their unity.

If the ‘unity’ theme didn't pan
out, the NCC's record on ‘‘aborigi-
nal rights" proved to be even
worse. In three days of assembly,
the Trudeau letter, with its promise
of negotiations on the matter of
aboriginal rights and land claims
for metis and non status Indians
and government funding to help
establish any claims, was never
discussed. A national plan of action
to deal with the issues of aboriginal
rights was likewise, not discussed.

The NCC's real concerns are
accurately reflected in the resolu-
tions that were debated. The as-
sembly passed 18 resolutions: 5
regarding housing, 6 miscellane-
ous. | each regarding funding,
foreign beadwork, the new gun
law, Canada Manpower, and edu-
cation; and only 2 resolutions re-
garding aboriginal rights. One of
the few resolutions that was defeat-
ed was one called for the next NCC
assembly to be held out-of-doors
and under canvas.

There was no direction, mandate
or priority given by the assembly
for the newly-clected Executive to
follow regarding the many complex
issues related to the whole area of
aboriginal rights. Even though the
Executive now has a free hand to
deal with the issue, it seems that
there will be little change in direc-
tion of the NCC for the time being
at least. The Executive will still be
carrying out the different program
areas - housing, Manpower Out-
reach, the recording business, ete.
President Daniels already points
oul some minor successes in pro-
gram areas that the new Executive
has achieved for one or two of the
member organizations.

As for the aboriginal rights issue
Daniels said recently that things
will have to wait until after a
September 23rd meeting between
the NCC Executive and Health
Minister: Mare Lalonde, who has
been given the responsibility for
coordinating the consultation pro-
cess with the federal cabinet and
the NCC. The September meeting
will determine a date for an Octo-
ber mecting between the cabinet
and the Board of Directors of the
NCC, Daniels said the Council will
be adopting a ‘‘wait-and-see"' atti-
tude until it learns the cabinets
ideas on the subject of aboriginal
rights.

When the UNN Board of Direc-
tors met to consider the situation at
their first meeting following the
NCC assembly, the Board unani-
mously voted to stay out of the
NCC and attempt to deal directly
with the federal government on the
aboriginal rights issue. Wilson and
some Board members admit that
the UNN's position may make their
work more difficult but see no
other alternative now that the NCC
is bound to stick to its exclusion of
““status’’ Indians from its member-
ship.



NESIKA

August/September 1976 11

An Offer You CAN Refuse

The Federal Government has
made an offer in the Yukon,
similar to the deal made in James
Bay, that would extinguish, once
and for all, Indian title to the land
in the Yukon Territory, The terms
of the povernment’s offer (which
were completely rejected by the
Yukon negotiators) are printed
below,

Since essentially the same offer
was made to the Cree people in
James Bay, it 1s likely that they
will make the same pitch here in
B.C., if they haven't already done
so with the Nishga people.

NESIKA asked B.C, native
leaders for their opinions on the
government's offer, and their co-
mimcnots follow.

The Offer

The objective of this offer is to
provide a basis for the settlement
af native land claims,

1. Eligibility - The government
accepts as participants in the
Yukon land claim settlement all
those persons of Indian blood
living in the Yukon whom the
Council for Yukon Indians (CYT)
has recognized. However, the go-
yernment reserves the right to
review the list of cligible persons
after the completion of the census
by the CYL. The government also
recounives that there should be
some form of appeal regarding
decisions to include or exclude
any person.

2, Land - For the purpose of this
settlement, four categories of land
are proposed:

Category I: The natives will be
given approximately 1,200 square
miles of land depending on the
number of persons included in the
final settlement and based upon
an allotment of [28 acres per
person, The terms of land tenure
to be discussed.

Category 2: Lots under fee
simple ownership in the existing
communities will be granted to
natives. The quantum and condi-
tions of use are to be negotiated.

Category 3: 15,000 square miles
of land will be designated as
areas for the use and benefit of
the native population, Hunting,
trapping, and fishing by non-na-
tives will be restricted on these
lanils.

Category 4: On all all the
remaining unoccupied Crown land
in the Yukon Territory, the na-
tives will have similar rights in all
matters as other citivens subject
to enjoyment of special rights the
Indians now have in respect to
taking game and fish for food,
However, the natives would have
to establish their dependence on
fish and game for subsistence.

3. Withdrawal of Land from Alie-
nation - In order to protect the
interests of native people during
negotiations, certain lands may be
withdrawn from alienation on a
temporary basis. The lands selec-
ted would have to bear some
relation to the Indian population
distribution and the withdrawal
would have to be without preju-
dice to the eventual settlement.

4. Hunting, Trapping, and Fish-
ing - The native population will be





given the exclusive right to hunt,
trap, and fish on Category | lands
and special rights for hunting,
trapping, and fishing on Category
3 lands. These lands will be
managed in accordance with hun-
ling, trapping and fishing regimes
to be established under appropri-
ate federal or territorial legisla-
tion, On Category 4 lands, the
natives will be subject to the
same laws and regulations that
apply to others; however, the
right presently held by Indians to
take food for domestic use on
unoccupied Crown land subject to
cunservation practises will be ex-
tended to all those cligible under
the settlement wha demonstrate
their dependence on fish and
game for subsistence.

The participation of native
people in an advisory committee
on game management policy 1s
acceptable in principle as well as
special measures for employment
af native people.

5. Cash Payment - A total cash
amount of $25 million will be
made available to the natives. Of
this amount, $2 million will be
advanced as soon as an agrec-
ment in principle has been achie-
ved and the natives have establi-
shed a duly constituted organiza-
tion to receive, hold, and manage
the funds.

6. Resource Revenue Sharing -
The government intends to retain
all of the subsurface rights and
right of entry thereon on all
lands; however, it is ready to
consider some alternatives, On
Category | lands, the native peo-
ple will be given 50% of gross
government resource revenues.
On all other lands, the natives
will receive 25% of gross govern-
ment resource revenues as earned
to a total of $25 million.
7. Timber - Outside of Category |
lands, the government is ready to
set aside subject to negotiation a
limited number of timber areas
for natives and to develop a
means to ensure these will be
held and managed in a manner
consistent with good forest mia-
nagement practises under appro-
priate federal and territorial regu-
lations.

8. Taxation - On Category | land,
the natives will enjoy the same
exemptions from taxation as may,
from time to time, be extended by
legislation to native people in
Canada.

9, Development Institutions - The
government supports the concept
of a corporate body or bodies to
hold the assets to be provided
under this offer of settlement, the
details of which will have to be
worked out jointly, The federal
government furthermore under-
lakes to provide special assistance
io native people in job training,
management, placement services,
and economic development.

10, Programs - Federal programs
will continue to be made available
io nalives, in some cases on an
enriched basis through the Yukon
Territorial Government under a-
vreement with the federal go-
vetnment, in other instances un-
der the administration of the
natives, with the remainder as
required, to be carried out by the



12 | W{upusl/ Seplembel 1976

RESIKA

federal government directly. The
division of responsibility is to be
worked out in consultation among
the parties invelved. The govern-
ments’ objective will be to ensure
that the native people will have
an effective voice in determining
the form and contents of program
development and delivery at the
community level,

11. Local Government - The go-
yertnments accept the principle of
ereatly expanded native partict-
pants in municipal government.
On Category | lands, the native
municipal structures would have
more flexibility and broader po-
wers than band councils. These
structures and their administra-
tion are to be worked out in
consultation with all interested
parties.

12. Final Agreement - It is con-
templated that an agreement to
settle native land claims based on
Indian interests in the Yukon
Territory will be incorporated in
federal legislation. Nothing con-
tained in the final agreement shall
prejudice the rights of the natives
as Canadian citizens of the Yukon
Territory, and they shall accord-
ingly be entitled to all of the
rights and benefits available to all
other citizens. Laws of general
application in the Yukon Territory
will apply to all natives except in
cases where federal legislation
otherwise provides.

Bill Wilson, President of the
United Native Nations. said the
proposal offers ‘‘absolutely no-
thing’ and 1s based “‘on corpo-
rate interests to which this gove-
rnment is enslaved"’.

‘Legally and morally. the Indi-
ans hold tithe to the Yukon Terri-
tory, and with the tithe they carry
the right to determine how the
Territory should be used, The
government and white people are
squatters on Indian land and it
should be the Indian people dic-
tating how government partici-
pates in the development of In-
dian resources.

‘‘The basis of the offer is as a
settlement of native claims - but it
should be a perpetual recognition
of native rights so that future
generations can provide for them-
selves.”

#1 - They claim the right to
review the list and may not allow
Indians to determine who the

Indians are.

#2 - The Indians are getting
screwed again. They ‘‘get’’ 1,200
square miles out of a total of
207,000 in the Yukon, There are
6,000 natives out of the total
18.000 plus population, so 30% of
the Yukon's population (the nati-
ves) will be getting only 2 of 1%
of the land.

The offer is based on the
Prairie treaties and the govern-
ment expects the native people to
become farmers and till the soil...
lt must take 500 square miles of
trapline to support one family,
compared to their offer of 1
sqaure mile for a family of five.

#3 - This will not benefit the
native people, only the govern-
ment and the oil companies,

#4 - These rights will be subject
to legislation and change. The
natives will have to prove their
need for fish and game and the
government will not allow Indians
on welfare to fish or hunt for
fowl.

#5 - The $25 million is all that will
be paid forever. They offer 32
million as a bribe to stampede the
people to a final settlement.

#6 - 50% could be 0% if the
government accounting practises
are like the oil companies. The
25% royalty is a grant from the
resources that have already been
stolen, with a maximum of only
$25 million.

#7 - The government retains all
timber rights, the Indians get no
guarantees - only tokenism like
4,

#% - No concessions here.

#10 - Indians up there will be
subjected to welfare programs all
their lives. It's just DIA B.S.

Copies of the Yukon offer were
distributed at the Union of B. C.
Indian Chiefs conference in Cour-
renay. UBCIC Executive Philip
Paul said the offer is the *‘extin-
guishment approach, based on the
same principles as the James Bay
settement, it's not much differ-
ent. The government intends to
assimilate Indian people and they
are using the same approach
non-treaty areéas.*'

UBCIC Executive Bob Manuel
suggested that it would be more
important to hear what the chiefs
had to say about the offer, rather
than comment on it himself.



SLAVE BAND
TO SUE PROVINCE

The Slave Indian Band has run
out of patience with the provincial
government over its foot-dragging
in trying to settle the claim over
royalties it is owed for natural gas
being pumped off the reserve
near Fort Nelson.

They have announced their in-
tention to sue the province and
are finishing up their research
and expect to be in court in
mid-November. They have been
getting support from the federal
government on the issue, and the
DIA has granted them $10,000 to
research their case.

The three parties involved ag-

reed earlier in the year to negot-
iate the issue. but three separate
meetings to begin negotiations
have all been cancelled, and all at
the request of the province and
Minister Allan Williams.

“The provincial government is
not even remotely interested in
negotiating the issue’’, according
to Slave Band lawyer Andrew
Schuck. He says the province has
been informed of the band’s in-
tention to sue, and have said that
they will go to Ottawa to achieve
a settlement before it gets to
court, “but frankly, 1 doubt it’,
said Schuck.

Princess Pageants & False Values

In an article in the last issue of
the Native Perspective, “*Butch"
Smitherham (Sin Kaleep). of Kel-
owna, Was speaking against the
false values connected with Indian
Princess Pageants. In a recent
letter to NESIRA, he expands on

these views:



| believe in equality between
men and women, and | am not
agaist aliraclive women in any
way. | da feel a great sympathy
for voung wemen who are not
endowed with beautiful bodies
und expensive clothing and who
samecnmes feel “left out” im a
society that supports many false
Walaliws,

Perhaps we, as native people,
Con honour our native women In a
Way That walks hand-in-hand with
our awn speck culture. The na-
ive Value system places very little
importance on the 34-24-34 magic
Ngures that are held in such high
esteem by Hollywood talent se-
outs or by Miss America beauty
Contest judives. Native people ha-
ve always considered a strong and
healthy wenman superior to the
trail and underweight woman of
the fashion shows. Surely we can
honour aur native women for their
usctul talents and achievements
rather than borrowing the stand-
ards sect by the Hollywood cos-
metic culture,

Lcl us review briefly what has
Happened i us since Nalive peo-
mic have begun taking on parts of
the European culture.

Over the last five hundred
years, the culture of the indigen-
ous people of both South and
North America has changed a
yreal deal, Mative people have
eta much of the European
aud Asian culture. partly by pop-
ular selection, and parth by get-
ting crushed under the wheels of
the European acculturation proc-
ess. Even the act of looking in the
mirror to sec how you have
changed is not a part of your
culture. Mirrors were traded for
aon prices to Indians by the
eariy Tur traders.

How far will native people go in
adeptiing the white man’s culture?
Are we bordering on the ridicu-
igus When we complain bitterly
about losing our native culture,
vet. at the sume time, are cagerly
grasping the European culture
that is being offered to us?

wow Lo ger to the point, One of
the most obvious adoptions of the
white man’s culture ts the annual
Indian Princess Pageant. True. it
is colourtul, and perhaps enjoyed
by those fortunate cnough to be
candidates, but what relationship
has uo to Indian culture?

The Indians who lived here
before the year 1900 did not
sponsor Princess Pageants. The
image of the beautiful Princess
came from--Europe, along with
many other fairy tales and Euro-
pean folklore. Monarchics and
Royal families were held in great
reverence by the middle-class pe-
ople of Europe, and by their
imitators - the lower classes. The
princess image symbolized purity,
beauty, innocence, and a great
prize for the charming prince on a

white horse, to carry away in a
swirl of romance, after defeating
several wicked kings and bandits
on black horses. The beautiful
Indian Princess, and the surroun-
ding glamour of the Princess
Pageant. are nor found in the
history of the Indian people as we
know it.

On the other hand, the native
people placed great value on
useful things, ideas, animals, and
people. They gave little time to
the worship or admiration of a
beautiful face or figure: to the
painting of colourtul landscapes
with snow-capped mountains and
blue skies. The sun, the rain, and
the seasons, along with the land,
the rivers and lakes. and the
ammals and birds, were useful for
the survival of the tribe. and
therefore they were Important to
the people, The tools, utensils,
and homes of the native people
were valued for their practical
purpose rather than their appear-
ance or their cost.

The native people dressed ac-
cording to the dictates of the
weather and the job that was
before them, whether it was hun-
ting, fishing, or making war. All
native people dressed the same
because there was no great divi-
sion between rich and poor; nor
did they have to dress to keep up
to their neighbour. Neither did
they put all of their belongings
out on display, so that their
neighbours might envy them, or
think that they had great power
because they were wealthy.

The film industry of Hollywood
deals in beautiful faces and bod-
ies that have certain sex appeal.
The beaunful clothing and jewelry
worn by their characters, is not
every-day wearing apparel, they
are made for that special scene.
The film industry has glamourized
the body beautiful, the hair sty-
les, the expensive gowns that
portray the female body as wom-
an’s greatest asset. and all of the
oather false ideals that they sell
through motion pictures. The film
indusiry deals in the unreal.

The multi-billion dollar cosmetic
industry makes many millionaires
who live off the backs of men and
women who have been brain-
washed into believing that they
must imitate the Hollywood cul-
ture, no matter whatever the cost,

The cosmetic industry has care-
fully and deliberately influenced
Americans and Canadians to bel-
ieve that they must appear, smell,
walk, talk, drink. smoke, and
travel in a certain way or style, or
they will not be accepted by their
friends. Many people spend all of
their time, money, and energy
trying to live up to these false
ideals set by those who dictate
what people should wear, how
they should smell, and how they
should impress the opposite sex.

Native people, as late as the
1920's, were sensible in their
value system. The woman who
was fertile, gave birth to healthy
children, and who was able to
give her baby a good supply of
mother’s milk, was held in high
regard as being useful to the
tribe. The shape of her breasts or
the curve of her thigh meant very

litte if the woman could not bear
children, tan animal skins, cook,
and make clothing for the family.

Even in old age. women were
valued for their usefulness in the
family. The senior citizens of that
day were the instructors of the
children, and the old women
passed on their wisdom to their
erand-daughters.

The Indians did not put their
grandmothers in homes or insti-
tutions: they were part of the
extended tamily and they were
useful to the tribe. Wrinkles, grey
hair, and gnarled hands were
badges of honour on old women
and were not to be covered,
disguised, or the cause of dis-
comfort,

Are we native people going to
sell out our true culture by adop-
ting new values that are not in
tune with Indian culture? Are we
going to change our values be-
cause we are influenced by the
advertising that is thrown at us
night and day on radio, television,
newspapers. and store windows?
Do you realize that the large
companies hire psychologists to
study your habits and your weak-
nesses, 50 that their employers
ean sell you more of their prod-
ucts? Whether you like Ww or not,
you are living in a consumer
society where all of our wealth
goes into consumer goods that
must be sold to you. the public.
The sales pitch will differ, but it
is designed to sell you products,
whether they are useful or mot.

These are the questions that we
as native people should be debat-
ing. Do we want to preserve the
values of our forefathers, or do
we want to weaken our strong and
practical values by adopting the
customs and behaviour of the
Hollywood-oriented Americans?

We should examine everything
we do in relation to our true
Indian culture. We should ask
ourselves: Why are we doing
this? Is it useful for the survival
of the tribe and in agreement with
Indian values? Is what | am doing
really being myself, or am I doing
it to keep up to the Joneses?

If one of our young native
women does not resemble Miss
America or Miss Universe, she is

apt to become self-conscious and
fearful she will not meet the
approval of her friends. The an-
nual Princess Pageant ts pulling
us down the road of the Euro-
American cosmetic culture, and
we are falling for the whole false
set of values that surrounds the
worship of beauty and sex. Are
we aware of what is happening?

A few years ago, a young
native girl was successful in win-
ning a Queen competition m a
western town. She was feted and
displayed in many towns of B.C.
Her crowning glory was her ap-
pearance at Vancouver City Hall.
One of the Vancouver newspapers
put her picture on the front page.
She was riding bareback - a horse
of course, and she had very little
on except a big smile, a bikini-like
costume, and a chieftain’s full-
feather headdress.

When have native women ever
worn the full headdress of a
chieftain (prairie culture at that)
much less a buckskin bra and
mini-skirt? Where docs this fit in
the native culture?

“Princess Pageant’ is a forcign
name in any native language.
Maybe we had a name for a
beautiful and talented woman whoa
was considered an asset to the
tribe. but lam sure that mt would
not be interpreted as “gorgeous”
or ““sexy'*.

| dowt want our women to go
back to gathering berrics or roots,
but if there are to be prives and
recognition given for native wom-
en. let i be placed on their more
important skills and accomplish-
ments, rather than on their ““bea-
uly.

The time, money, and enerey
used in Promoting Princess Payz-
canis across Canada mish: be
morc usefully given to promote
the revival of our spiritual being
and the preservation of our natu-
ral resources in a worid that ts
bent on self-destruction,

It is time to wake up--to call on
the Great Spirit to help guide us
in a world that is full of false
prophets and false valucs. We
should remember the message
that was handed down to us from
our great leaders of the past:









We are sovereign peoples.

We value our different ways,
Learned from our grandparents,
Whose ceremonies we follow,

Whose languages we speak,

Whose customs we honour.

You will know our separate identities
By the style of our lives.

We are sovereign peoples.
We do not interfere with

The affairs of others,

And we expect the same in return.
We appreciate our differences,

We journey in friendship --

But each in our own paths.



NESIKA

August/September 1976 ) 13

Peltier Appeal to be Heard



The next act in the literally
life-and-death drama to keep Leo-
nard Peliecr alive will be played out
in a Vancouver courtroom in laie
October. At that time, the legal
defence team acting for Peltier will
argue their case for an appeal to
reverse the original judgement
from Justice Schultz that there was
cnough evidence presented at his
extradition hearing to send him
back to the U.S. to stand trial for
the deaths of two F.B.I. agents
killed in a shoot-out on Pine Ridge
Reservation a year ago last June
26th,

here have been several encou-
raging developments in the Peltier
casc in the last two months, but
the Defence Committee working on
his behalf points out that Leonard
is still in solitary confinement a-
gainst prison regulations; that a
vreat deal of work sull has to be
done to build public suppert to
pressure Justice Minister Ron Bas-
ford inte granting political asylum
for Peltier; and that the campaign
for wide public support will have to
be stepped up if all avenues of
appeal fail and Peltier ts returned
tur the U.S.

After a four week hearing ending
May 28th, Justice Schultz ruled
that cnoueh evidence had been
presented to extradite Pelt ier to the
U.S. to stand trial for four charges:
2? counts of murder in South Dakota
(the shoot-out with the FBI), 1
count of auempted murder in Wis-
consin (related to a barroom brawl
incident in 1972), and 1 count of
burglary in Oregon (between the
Pine Ridge shoot-out and the time
of Pelticr’s arrest). Schultz ruled
that there was no evidence to
support a charge of attempted
murder in Oregon, and according
to the lawyers, the Americans will
not be able to try Peltier on that
charge if he is ever returned to
the United States.

The lawyers have filed a state-
ment of appeal with the Federal
Court of Canada listing ten differ-
ent reasons why the original ruling
should be overturned, If the appeal
court accepts one of the ten points,
the lawyers say it will be enough to
throw out one or more of the
charges facing Peltier.

The legal defence team (Dun-
ics, Grant. Holekamp, MeCrea.
Rafael, Rosenbloom, Rush, and
five law students) are hoping to be
allowed to enter new evidence at
the appeal hearing. Usually, thou-
vh, new evidence is not heard at
appeal courts since the lawyers
usually argue the legal technicall-
ties. precedents, matters of proce-
dure, and the fine print in the law
books.

They are hoping to be allowed to
introduce the evidence presented at
the trial of two other AIM mem-
bers charged with the killing of the
sume two FBI agents, which will
just about destroy the only piece of
evidence that the U.S.government
has that connects Leonard Peltier
with the shootings,

THE SHOOT-OUT
PINE RIDGE

The FBI has formally charged
four AIM members with murder in
the deaths of the two FBI agents -
Robert Robideau. 29; Darrell But-
ler, 34; Jimmy Eagle, 19; and





Leonard Peltier, 32. At the trial of
Butler and Robideau in Rapid City,
lowa, an all-white jury decided
after five days of talks, that Robi-
deau and Butler were not guilty of
the murder charges.

The jury foreman said that even
though the jurors believed that
hoth the defendants had been
shooting at the agents, that this
was not “excessive” since they
determined that the event was “a
case of one armed camp against
another armed camp". The jury
apparently accepted the recommen-
dation of the trial judge when he
told the jury that the shootings
would be justified and in self-de-
fence if the jury believed that the
defendants had acted to protect
Indian women and children who
were under attack, from being
injured or killed.

The historic decision essentially
says that ordinary citizens May use
extreme measures (in this case,
rifles) to protect themselves against
the aggressive actions of govern-
ment aAeents.

The shoot-out resulted in the
deaths of agents Jack Coler and
Ronald Williams, and in the death
of Joe Stunty, a native from cast-
ern Washington. Stuntz’ death was
almost forgotten in the hysterical
press campaign that the FBI start-
ed immediately after the shootings
with tales of the agents being
“oxyecuted’’ and their bodies **rid-
died with bullets”. A year later a
government witness at the Butler’
Robideau trial testified that the
agents had been shot three times
each, although there were 116
bullets in the agents’ cars. (There
were several hundred bullets in the
little house that the FBI was
shooting at that day that was filled
with AIM members, women and
children.)

The trial was held in the State of
lowa because the judge in the case
was satisfied that it would have
been impossible to give the two
defendants a fair trial in the State
of South Dakota. A survey taken



14

August/September 1976

NESIKA

a





by the defence lawyer showed that
g0% of the white population of
South Dakota believed that any
Indian charged with a crime was
euilty, without being shown any
evidence.

While Butler and Robideau were
acquitted of the murder charges.
they are still serving time for
carlier gun charges. According to
press reports, the murder charges
against Jimmy Eagle have been
dropped. leaving the FBI just one
more chance to “‘pet even" as
some of their agents have sworn to
do, for the deaths of two of their
own, News reports after the acquil-
tal af Robideau and Butler stated
that the prosecution was “crush-
ed’ by the verdict and that the FBI
was “anxious” for a conviction.

A U.S. Civil Rights Commission
worker told the court thar the
people were 56 fearful of the
conditions on the reservation that 1
was only logical that they carry
guns to protect themselves from
attack by BIA goon squads and the
FBL A government witness later
admitted during the trial that it
was the FBI which began the
shooting that day.

With reference to Peltier's case,
though, the most important piece
of testimony that came up during
the trial was from one of the
government witnesses, 4 native
person who had been forced into
testifying with the threat of a
murder charge if he didn't co-
operate. Wilford Draper stated that
he was at the scene of the shoot-
out with the FBI and he didn't see
Myrtle Poor Bear there that day. In
fact, he testified that he had never
seen her before in his life.

Poor Bear is the woman who has
admitted being a paid informer for
the FBI, and claims to have been
Peltier’s girlfriend. In two sworn
statements presented at Peltier’s
hearing, Poor Bear said: 1) that
she saw Peltier shoot the agents.
and 2) that Peltier told her he had
shot the agents.

The U.S. did not let Poor Bear
testify at the trials of Robideau and
Butler because her contradictory

statements would have casily been
torn apart under cross-cxamination,
That didn’t prevent the U.S. using
those same statements in a Cana-
dian courtroom to get Peltier extra-
dited since the statements, stand-
ing alone, couldn't be challenged
or cross-examined.

There was no evidence offered al
the Butler/Robideau trial to con-
nect Peltier with the shootings, and
Peltier testified at his extradition
hearing that he had never seen
Poor Bear, his “girlfriend”, before
in his life.

Under the strange rules of an
extradition hearing in Canada.
however, the kind of evidence
presented by Poor Bear can send
Peltier back to the States, and all
on the basis of a contradictory.
bought-and-paid-for statement from
an FBI informer, who was probably
forced into becoming an intormer
herself.

Peltier’s lawyers hope to intro-
duce the evidence from the lowa
trial into the appeal hearing, but a
recent ruling by the Supreme Court
of Canada may make that evidence,



_even if it is allowed to be present-

ed, of litt belp to Peltier. In
another unrelated extradition hear-
ing. the Supreme Court ruled that
contradictory evidence is not for a
Canadian court to decide. If there
is any evidence to back up a
charge, and even if there is 100
times as much evidence to show
the opposite, then the Canadian
courts have to let the American
courts decide the matter.

The lawyers are pinning their
hopes for a successful appeal on
the fact that there was not enough
evidence produced at the hearing
i extradite Peltier and that the
government officials did not live up
io «othe terms of the extradition
treaty with the U.S. That treaty
states that prisoners must be re-
manded every eight days. and this
was not done in Peluier’s case.

DAY OF PROTEST

The Leonard Pelticr Defence
Committee and the several branch-
es it has established in other
Canadian cities will hold a National
Day of Protest on September 25th,
to protest his solitary confinement
and to build puble support for
Peltier to be granted political asy-
lum.



With the tremendous victory that
was won at the lowa trial and the
charges being dropped against
Jimmy Eagle, it is obvious that
the only target the FBI has left is
Leonard Peltier, and judging by
the FBI's actions at the lowa trial
and on the Pine Ridge Reserva-
tion. they will obviously do every:
thing in their power to get Peluer
comvicted.,

Some of the efforts by American
authorities to crush the American
Indian Movement and its leader-
ship in recent months include:

* When the body of Anna Mac
Aquash was found by the roadside
in a remote area of the Pine Ridge
Reservation, wrapped in a blanket,
with blood on her head, the
FBl-hired pathologist declared that
she had died of “‘exposure’’ and
the police and FBI made no further
investigation, even though foul
play was suspected and obvious.
Anna Mae Aquash died of expo-

LEONARD PELTIER cont.

sure all right, when she was
exposed to a .38 bullet in the back
of the head, the same type of
weapon carried by FBI agents. The
fact that she was murdered wasn't
discovered until after an autopsy
was performed by a pathologist
hired by her family and AIM. The
last time Aquash had been seen
alive, she was in police custedy in
Oregon, on her way to South
Dakota on a pun charge.There is no
record of her ever appearing in a
South Dakota court for the charge
nor has any explanation been offer-
ed to explain how she got out of
police custody.

The U.S. Civil Rights Commis-
sion called the FBI's actions follow-
ing the discovery of her body
“extremely indifferent and = care-
less"’, The publicity that resulted
finally got the FBI working on an
“official investigation’’.

* There has been no investiga:
tion, however, into the death of Joe
Stuntz, although a BIA policeman
claims to have shot him.

* Before the Butler/Robidcau
trial, the FBI promised two natives
money, jobs, education, protection,
and a new identity if they would
testify for the government, and a

murder charge against them, if
they didn't. They did.
*Hutler has testted that the

same promises were made to him,
and he refused to testify for the
government, so he was charged
with murder.

* A former cell-mate of Butler's
admitted that he was promised
special treatment by prison and
FBI authorities if he would testify
that Butler had made a “‘yatlhouse
confession’” to him.

* FBI Director Kelley signed
telegrams that were sent to police
forces across the country that said
that AIM was planning to use
2.000 ‘‘Dog Soldiers to disrupt
the Bicentennial celebrations. The
AIM dog soldiers were supposed to
shoot public officials and tourists in
South Dakota, blow up government
buildings and power plants, ‘burn
out’ farmers, and crash the South
Dakota Pen.

When Kelley was questioned
about the telegram at the Butler/
Robideau trial, Kelley admitted
that there wasn't “‘a shred of
proof” to back up the charges.

* The FBI placed no limit on the
illegal searches, harassment, ter-
ror, manpower, and money that the
FBI used to pursue the manhunt
for the killers of their two agents,
compared to their record of dozens
of unsolved murders of AIM mem-
bers in the past year on the Pine
Ridge Reservation.

The efforts of the Defence Com-
mittee have succeeded in bringing
support from the Canadian branch
of Amnesty International (AI), a
world-wide organization working
for the release of political prisoners
around the world. The Canadian
chapter has called for Peltier's
release from solitary confinement,
and that he be granted political
asylum and not be returned to the
U.S. where they fear he will be
killed.

The international level of Al has
sent an investigator to Vancouver
to make recommendations on his
case. If the world body nominates
him as one of its “‘Prisoners of the
Month", it could result in tens of
thousands of letters of support and
world-wide pressure being applied

ta the Canadian government to
release him from solitary and grant
him asvlum.

Peltier’s lawyers point out that if
the appeal is not successful, Peltier
still has the choice of taking the
case to the Supreme Court of
Canada, and that eventually, it will
be up to Justice Minister Ron
Basford to decide whether Peltier
is to be extradited,

PELTIER SUES GOVERNMENT

While the Defence Committee is
working to build public support for
Peltier’s release from solitary, Pel-
tier himself has taken a more direct
route and has sued the Attorney-
General of B.C, and the Warden of
Oakalla for ‘‘illegal conditions of
confinement".

The B.C. Corrections Act clearly
states that no prisoner may be held
in solitary confinement longer than
30 days, and only if the prisoner is
a disciplinary problem, Since his
arrest eight months ago, Leonard
Peltier has been held in solitary
confinement Oct,. 16th will be his
250th day) even though prison
officials admit that Peltier is a
“model prisoner’ and no problem
at all.

The only way a prisoner can be
put in solitary confinement is as a
form of punishment that is decided
by a Warden's Court Hearing.
Needless to say, no such hearing
has ever been held for Peltier.

The government now claims that
Peltier is only in “‘semi-solitary”
according to Deputy Attorney-Gen-
eral David Vickers. When question-
ed why these extraordinary mea-
sures were being taken against just
this one prisoner Vickers has stated
that the government has received
“very, very reliable information”
that “‘they’* are going to do every-
thing in “‘their™” power to spring
Peltier from Qakalla, even though
Qakalla is full of desparate men
who would do anything to get out.

Prison regulations also state that
mechanical restraints (handcuffs
and shackles) may be used ‘only
when necessary in transporting pri-
soners or when necessary in the
opinion of medical authorities to
prevent injury to himself or
others’’. Peltier is suing the gov-
ernment because he is handcuffed
at all times when he is not in his
cell.

Prison regulations also require
that every prisoner is entitled to '”2
hour of outdoor exercise each
day, weather permitting. Peltier is
suing because he was never allow-
ed this outdoor exercise from Feb-
ruary to the middle of June.

Perhaps the prison officials can
defend themselves by blaming the
total lack of exercise on the “‘terr-
ible"’ weather we've had this year.
Well, it may have been “‘terrible
summer'’, or the spring or the fall,
because he is being kept in a cell
that is five feet wide and 8% feet
long. The cell has no window and
no lightbulb, and only a six-inch
hole at the bottom of the door for
light and air.

One other point that Peltier
makes in his lawsuit is the refusal
of the prison authorities to allow
him a visit by his spiritual leader,
Thomas Banyaca, the leader of the
Native American Church. Peltier
points out in the suit that other
prisoners are allowed to practise
their religious beliefs and cere-
monies while he is not.

Last fall, prison authorities at the
B.C. Pen were sued by four in-
mates who were being held in
solitary confinement and the Fed-
eral Court of Canada ruled that
solitary was ‘‘cruel and unusual
punishment’’. However, this is the
first time that provincial prison
authorities have been sued over the
issuc of solitary confinement.

PELTIER ADOPTED

One of the carly supporters of
Leonard Peltier was Mrs. Ethel
Pearson of Comox who is a mem-
ber of the Kwickwasutaineuk tribe
of the Kwakewlth Nation.

At a potlatch given by Mrs.
Pearson and Mrs. Annie Nelson,
Leonard Peltier was adopted by
Mrs. Pearson into the Kwakewlth
Nation. Speaking for her at the
potlatch, her brother Chief Tommy
Hunt said that ""My sister is
adopting Leonard, She says that he
is a good person - the one who ts
suffering in jail for his beliefs. He
is now our brother - a member of
our family a member of the
Kwakewlth Nation, as was her
father. He will have all the advan-
tages and respect the same as all
her other children, according to the
traditions of her father, the great
chief, Kla-lee-lee-gla. She is giving
him one of her father's names,
Gwarth-eec-laas. As such he will be
known to our people forever..."

The adoption of children and the
giving of names is not something
that is dane lightly. and is only
done after the songs and dances
and gift-giving of a potlatch. Leon-
ard Peltier will always be known
among the traditional people of
the Kwakewlth Nation as Gwarth-
ec-laas, or ‘“Leads-the-People’’.

Mrs. Pearson explains that the
reason she adopted Leonard is that
she has a son the same age as
Leonard who is involved in the
Indian movement, and that it may
be only the matter of a few years
before her son, and others like
him, are being treated like Leonard
Peltier is today, for his actions on
behalf of native people.

DEFENCE COMMITTEE

Sometimes it seems that the
biggest problem the workers on the
Leonard Peltier Defence Committee
face isn't how to get him released
from solitary or how to get him
political asylum, but in facing and
overcoming the constant string of
problems and minor crises that
surround their efforts.

The lack of housing for some of
the workers, the lack of money,
and the lack of concern on the part
of the local Indian community,
have made the task of the commit-
tee members that much more diffi-
cult, There is one thing, though,
that the Committee members have
plenty of, and that's harassment
from police and government offic-
lals.

Since beginning work on the
Committee, the workers have had
to put up with countless “‘routine™
ID checks, car searches, and the
like, by a hostile Vancouver police
force. Several members of the
Committee have been refused entry
into Canada by border guards on
several occasions. The Vancouver
cops have been helped out by the
RCMP and FBI agents operating
in Canada, photographing and
spying on Committee members.

And what have the best efforts
of the Vancouver police and two
national police agencics managed
ta come up with in the way of
bombs, machine guns, escaped kil-
lers, and the like? It seems that
after all this time the best they
could do is a ticket for driving
without a license.

Heading up the Commitice now
is Ramona Benke of Port Angeles.
Washington, whose nephew, Joe
Stuntz, was the Indian killed in the
Pine Ridge shoot-out. The Commit-
tee Is apparently going to make an
increased and concentrated effort
in the next few months to build
public support for Peltier, Unfor-

hay



Defence Committee Head
Ramona Benke



tunately, part of the Committee's
work will be trying to overcome the
negative reactions caused by the
actions of several native punks over
the summer, who claimed to be
Committee members, but only end-
ed up giving the Leonard Peltier
cause a bad nanic,

Ramona Benke points out that
the Committee always nceds dona-
tions to cover the cost of materials
and expenses that can’t be begged
or borrowed. What they especially
need, she says. are Iectters of
support on Peltier’s behalf,

SOs

Leonard Peltier has spent the
last eight months in solitary con-
finement. He entered this couniry
legally. He has not been accused of
a crime in this country. He has
never been convicted of a crime in
any country,

lf you are interested in seeing
him receive fair and cqual treat-
ment, then demand that he be
released from solitary confinement.
Write to:

* Attorney-General Garde Gar-
dom, Parliament Buildings, Victor-
la, B.C.

* Henry Bjarnason, Director of
QOakalla Prison, Burnaby, B.C.

If you believe in the cause of
Leonard Peltier, show your support
in favour of him being granted
political asylum. Write to:

* Justice Minister Ron Basford,
House of Commons, Ottawa, Ont.

Then take the time and write
Leonard to give him your encour-
agement. His address is: Drawer
‘0’, Burnaby, B.C.

If you have any time or money
left over, give it to the Defence
Committee at the Vancouver Indian
Centre, 1855 Vine St., ph. 736-8944

The extradition hearing appeal
will begin on Monday, October
25th, at the Federal Court of
Canada in Vancouver.



NESIKA

August/September

15

from left: Bill Wilson, Ron George, Hector Bonneau



The first mecting of the Board
wl Directors of the new United
Native Nations tack Place on
September TL, in Vanewuver, thr-
ee months aher the June assem-
lily

In allendanee was a bure quer
uni - Margaret Orford, the Diree-
tor few District #2: Hector Bonn:
cau, District #3: Frank Supernia-
lt. tnterun Direcpor for District
fo: Hoeh Braker, District a4:
Porey Brooks. a representative af
District FIO: and the LINN
Exccutives, Bill Wilson ann
Cavorac,

In the President's report, Wil:
senexplamed that there had been
ho board meeting until then be-
causc not all the districts bad held
a fcoional meeting te cleet their
representative becuuse most af
he members were involved in
Various SELMMNE? aelivities fish-
Te OS, Ole. He stated
the UNN was nearly broke. with
$2,000 in the bank and $5,000 in
debrs,

tii
und

He mentioned that the bud-
vel request to the Seerclary of
State Was Gill clergy Sib that it iS
likely that there will only be
chough money for 5 ficllworker-
organizers, for now, The goal of
the fickbworker program is to pet
the 2Puss-Ten ls people orgvanived
til inmiercsted to the point that
Mev ate done things on their
Own and not wating or relying on
the cxcculives and head office,

Wilson stated that he was en-
couraged by the response the new
UNNwas vetting from the old
BCANSL membership and even
rom seme Of the Indian Bards in
the provines.

Vice-President Ron George de-
taihead the many field trips he had
made to many of the locals in an
cHfort ty get them organived,

The Board reviewed the applic:
ations for the position of Secre-
tary-Treasurcr that was advert-
incl, Only two of the applicants
were native people, both of them
women. The Board selected Eleo-

Yukon Land Claims



This letter is to inform you that the Council of Yukon Indians is
accepting applications for the Yukon Indian Land Claims Settle-

ment.

This organization is formed of Registered and Non-Registered
Indians and is presently negotiating with the Federal Government
towards a Land Claims Settlement for the Yukon Indian people.

As we are trying to establish the number of persons who may
qualify for the Yukon land claims, a list of persons with Yukon
native background is being compiled by authorized enrolment
officers of the CYI. This enrolment is an on-going process, The
signing of this application does not hold you to any commitment,
except that it signifies that you want to be enrolled with the CYI.

Your application will be screened by a Credentials Committee
comprised of five eligible members residing presently in each of
the twelve communities in the Yukon Territory.

Please keep in mind to qualify, a person must:

a) be enrolled = with

the Council

of Yukon Indians.

b) be able to trace his or her ancestry to an Indian person who is
25 per cent or more Indian AND who has lived in the Yukon

Territory prior to January 1, 1941.

APPLICATION - mail to:

Council of Yukon Indians, 22 Nisutlin Drive, Whitehorse, ¥.T. YIA

355 room 118B



NAME
ADDRESS





If you are concerned whether or not your application is processed
through our office, or if you have any other questions related to the
enrolment for the Yukon Indian Land Claims, feel free to call or

, write to the Council of Yukon Indians, Enrolment Office, 22
) Nisuthn Drive, Whitehorse, Yukon, or phone 667-4491,

c
Lt

apc ig lg et “lig a

norSchooner, a former bookkeeper

fer the Union of B.C. Indian
Chiefs.
The discussion of the budget

that was submitted to Secretary of
State and the approval of salary
figures for the Executive and
staff provided one of only two
subjects that led to conflict in the
ather-wise harmonious meeting.
The Board approved salarics of
$24,000 for both’ the Executives,
316,000 for the NESIKA Editor,
and $12,000 for the head secre-
tary. Director Hugh Braker angri-
ly opposed the increased salaries,
and later objected not so much as
to the amount, of the Executives’
salary, but to the timing of the
move, calling it “politically un-
wise’.

lt was reported that the UNWN
had purchased a van that is
intended to be used to transport
audio-visual equipment to various
mectings., and for the staff and
Executives to sleep in while on
thie revel.

The Board was told that letters
had been written ta the UBCIC
and the Native Brotherhood for a
meclne betrveen all the cxecu-
tives, and for their executives to
sit in with the UNN at the Native
Council meeting. Wilson reported
thal no response was made to the
letter and that another will be
sent tO the same organizations
and others as well, calling for a
mecling of all the native organi-
AULLLONS.

The Board voted to officially
withdraw from the Native Council
of Canada, after the walk-out by
the delegation to their annual
assembly. There have been re-
ports of several locals unhappy
with the walk-out, but the exclu-

sian oof ““status”’’ Indians from
membership ino the NCC guaran-
teed that the UNN would stay out.
A letter is to be written to the
government and the NCC inform-
ing them of the decision. Wilson
is tO arrange a meeting with Mare
Lalonde, the federal Minister re-
sponsible for arranging meetings
with the federal cabinet with
native groups, The meeting is to
discuss the relationship of the
UNN, the NCC, and the federal
cabinet on the land claims issue.

The only other conflict during
the Board mecting came during
the discussion of hiring the field-
workers. Apparently, there was
disagreement from several areas
over the plan that was adopted for
the Board to hire the ficldwork-
ers, Vather than allowing the re-
gional Boards to make the deci-
sion,

Ron George made a report on
the Nazko situation and urged the
Directors to get the locals in their
area to write the lemers of support
that the Navko and Kluskus peo-
ple are requesting,

The next meeting of the Board
in schatiuled) for the weekend of
Oct. JOth, in Kamloops.

Since the Board mecting, app-
roval for funding in the amount of
S215.000 has been reecived, for
the fiscal year ending March
SLA? 7. The Executive have pos-
ted ads for the ficldworker posi-
tions and hope to hire six, or
possibly seven fieldworkers. The
Board had approved a plan that
would see the fieldworkers be
hired for the northern regions and
the Kootenays, with the Execu-
lives responsible for covering the
remaining districts,



Will Nishgas

Will the agreement to be reach-
ed between the Nishga Tribal
Council and the federal and
provincial governments over the
title to the land and resources in
the Nass River Valley create a
pattern to be followed by other
Indian land claims negotiations in
the province?

The provincial government, and
a federal cabinet minister (lona
Campagnola) says that it will,
The B.C, Minister responsible for
Indian matters, Allan Williams,
SayS aS a matter of government
policy that the settlement will be
a precedent and other future
settlements will be based on the
agreement reached with the Nish-
gas.

Nishga Tribal Council President

Set Precedent?

James Gosnell says that “‘We are
negotiating on our own behalf.
We have no interest in other
claims. If | had my way, informa-
tion on the settlement would be
locked up for 50 years."" Earlier
this year, he said that “‘It has cost
us a lot of our own money to
reach this stage, so why should
we negotiate for someone else?"

As for the actual negotiations,
no date or place has been set for
the next session although one
session was held between the
three parties in Kincolith on Octo-
ber 6th. -

Gosnell states that Nishga re-
presentatives will be discussing
the negotiations on the third day
of their annual convention, set for
November 4-6 in Canyon City.



Pg yg Mee Sy



i
i

FIELDWORKER-ORGANIZERS
The United Native Nations
has received funding and is pres-
ently hiring fieldworker-organizers
Positions are still open for some
regions. The person should be
familiar with the Indian Movement
in the province of British Colum-
bia, particularly with the aborigin
al rights and land claims issue.
The person must be free to travel.
Work will involve basic organiza-
tion and education of Indian peop-
le at the community level. Applica-
tions including resume should be
sent to;
Bill Wilson, President
United Native Nations

GENERAL SECRETARY

The U.N.N. is presently looking
for a general secretary. The suc-
cessful applicant must be able to
type accurately and fast. Short-
hand is desirable. Will be respon-
sible for answering the telephone;
mailing; filing; operating an offset
printing press (will train); plus
other general office duties. If you
are interested in a job where you
will never have a dull moment,
send your resume no later than
October 31, 1976, to:

_ United Native Nations |
#203-1451 W. Broadway |
Vancouver, B.C. V6H 1H6,