Periodical
Indian World - volume 3, number 1 (April, 1980)
- Title
- Indian World - volume 3, number 1 (April, 1980)
- Is Part Of
- 1.06-01.04 Indian World
- 1.06.-01 Newsletters and bulletins sub-series
- Date
- April 1980
- volume
- 3
- issue
- 1
- Language
- english
- Identifier
- 1.06-01.04-02.04
- pages
- 52
- Table Of Contents
-
Editorial...................................2
First All Chiefs Conference......................4
President's Message............................7
Indian Awareness Days.........................8
News News News..............................9
DIA Land Mismanagement:
Hope Band Fights Back.......................10
In the News................................ 12
Negotiating Terms and Conditions of L.S. A.......13
Band Training Up-date........................13
Indian Institutions:
The Root and the Core of the People...........14
Why Volunteer?..............................14
Kitamaat: Planning for Tomorrow Today.........16
Our World...................................18
Minnie Alec..................................20
Indian Education Supplement................21-32
When our Elders were Young.................22
Elders' Words about Owl Rock Camp..........24
Danger: School.....................26
Young Ones' Words about Owl Rock Camp.....29
Thinking for Ourselves.......................31
Teaching a Language........................31
The Indian Way Back to Health.................33
Health Services Review........................34
Alert Bay Report Confirms Band's Claims........35
Child Welfare Study...........................35
Crop Planning................................36
Irrigation Planning............................37
Regulating the Forest the Indian Way............38
Indian Consulting Group.......................39
Windemere Elks:
1980 Provincial Indian Hockey Champions.....39
Up-dates.....................................41
"Not Guilty": Indian Hunters Win Back Rights ... 42
Damning the Liard............................43
The First Water Lily...........................44
Book Review.................................45
Buckskin Gloves Tournaments..................46
Fraser Valley Native Boxing Championships......47
Help Wanted.................................48
Indian Writers................................50
Suggestions..................................50
Two-Act Poem...............................51 - Contributor
- Beth Cuthand
- Pauline Douglas
- Jeanette Bonneau
-
Selina
Timoykin - Rachel Paul
- Larry Timoykin
-
Anita
Cheer - Jean Aquash
- Lisa Paul
- Florence Baptiste
- Carrie Jack
- Joanne Qualtier
- Tracey Bonneau
- Whothonecha
- Murray Timoyakin
- Holly Baptiste
- Emery Louis
- Ervin Charlieboy
- Gloria Thomas Hill
- Denelle Eugene
- Heather Spence
- Mary Green
-
Irvine
Harry - Cindy Joseph
- George Manuel
-
Sadie
Wornstaff - Louise Mandell
- Greg Contois
-
John
Rogers - Lilian Basil
- Brenda Leon
- Norma Pierre
- Willard Martin
- Mark Harvey
- Chester Douglas
- Steven Basil
- Jack Kruger
- Maxine Pape
-
Glen
Williams - Philip Paul
- Clifford Hanuse
- John Warren
- Loretta Todd
- Faye Blaney
- Darryl Watts
-
Judalon
Jeffries - Darrell Ned
- Val Dudoward
- Angela Matilpi
- Fay Edgar
- Mary Schendlinger
-
Penny
Goldsmith. - Type
- periodical
- Transcription (Hover to view)
-
INDIAN WORLD
"THE CHOICE IS OURS"
$1.00
A P R I L , 1980
UBCIC NEWS
EDITORIAL
When I am an old woman, my great-grandchildren
will come to me and they will ask me: "Grannie, did
you ever work for an Indian Government when you
were young?" And I hope that I will be able to say:
"Come my children and let me tell you a story....
A long time ago when I was the age of your mother,
Luke, I had the great privilege to be a part of the
movement to put Indian Government in place."
"You mean there were no Indian Governments?"
Steven will ask in shocked surprise and I will reply:
"There were always Indian Governments. The
stories that came down to me from my great
grandfather and my grandfather tell of the way we
used to govern ourselves before the whiteman came,
and of the way we used to live as one with all creation,
and respected our mother the earth."
"What do you mean 'used to'?" Theresa will ask.
''We live as one now!''
"Oh good grandchild," I will reply, "It wasn't
always this way. There was a time in our history when
we went through many trials and many tears. The
whiteman had no respect for us when they first came
to this island. They called us savages, outlawed our
way of worshipping the Creator, took away our ways
of teaching our young ones, of healing ourselves, of
providing for our families.... they brought sickness
for which we had no cures, deaths for which we saw no
end. They wanted us to be like them for they saw no
value in being Indian. They taught us to worship the
Creator in their way, how to sing their way, dance
their way and talk their way. It was not the same. Our
spirits lost much of their strength, living a way of life
that was not meant for us. But there came a time, in
my generation, when many of my good brothers and
many of my good sisters began to talk about Indian
Government. Way back then, Indian Government was
a new idea for us. I worked for the Union of British
Columbia Indian Chiefs and our leader, George
Manuel, was one of the first people to use the term
Indian Government.''
"I know who George Manuel is," Luke will say
excitedly. "We learn about him in school! Did you
know him, Grannie? Did you talk to him?"
"What's 'Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs'?" young
Theresa will ask.
"That was the beginning of the Federation of Sea
and Mountain People's Government," I will say.
"Grannie, are you that old? Were you there in the
beginning?"
"Yes, good grandchildren," I will say, "I was there
in the beginning. I remember when Nunavut was just a
name on a printed page to the whiteman's
government, when the Dene Nation was just being
born, when our plan to build an Indian Government
here was presented to the Canadian government. It
was on April 29, 1980 in Ottawa when George Manuel
presented the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper to a
man who represented the Canadian Government."
"Why did you have to give it to those guys?" Luke
will ask.
"That's the way it was then," I will say. "The
federal government used to rule our lives through the
Indian Act; you learned about that in school, didn't
you? Well, we had to fight real hard for many years to
bring the human world into being. We took back our
rights, little bit by little bit, year after year, and nothing
could stop us. We lost some of our people along the
way."
"What happened to them?" Theresa will ask.
"They thought our road too hard to walk, too
unrealistic and they became as whitemen. Their
descendants live in the whiteman's lands and they no
longer know that they are Indian."
"Those poor people," Steven will say, "Why don't
we go and get them.''
"It's too late, my boy. We are walking this road and
there is no turning back."
The Editor
OUR COVER: Learning to build a sweathouse is part of Indian Education at Owl Rock Camp. The Penticton
Indian Band has taken control of the education of their children (See Special Supplement).
INDIAN
WORLD
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1
INDIAN W O R L D is the official voice of the Union
of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
It is dedicated to building a strong foundation for
Indian Government by providing an awareness of the
political and social issues affecting the Indians of
British Columbia.
Signed articles and opinions are the views of the
individuals concerned and not necessarily those of the
UBCIC.
Table of Contents
B.C. Chiefs go to Ottawa to present Aboriginal Rights
Position Paper
Editor: Beth Cuthand
Assistant Editor: Pauline Douglas
Written Contributions: Jeanette Bonneau, Selina
Timoykin, Rachel Paul, Larry Timoykin, Anita
Cheer, Jean Aquash, Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Carrie Jack, Joanne Qualtier, Tracey Bonneau,
Whothonecha, Murray Timoyakin, Holly Baptiste,
Emery Louis, Ervin Charlieboy, Gloria Thomas Hill,
Denelle Eugene, Heather Spence, Mary Green, Irvine
Harry, Cindy Joseph, George Manuel, Sadie
Wornstaff, Louise Mandell, Greg Contois, John
Rogers, Lilian Basil, Brenda Leon, Norma Pierre,
Willard Martin, Mark Harvey, Chester Douglas,
Steven Basil, Jack Kruger, Maxine Pape, Glen
Williams, Philip Paul, Clifford Hanuse, John Warren,
Loretta Todd, Faye Blaney, Darryl Watts, Judalon
Jeffries, Darrell Ned, Val Dudoward, Angela Matilpi
and Fay Edgar.
Photographs: UBCIC staff except where credited.
Typesetting: Mary Schendlinger and Penny
Goldsmith.
Editorial
2
First A l l Chiefs Conference
4
President's Message
7
Indian Awareness Days
8
News News News
9
DIA Land Mismanagement:
Hope Band Fights Back
10
In the News
12
Negotiating Terms and Conditions of L.S. A
13
Band Training Up-date
13
Indian Institutions:
The Root and the Core of the People
14
Why Volunteer?
14
Kitamaat: Planning for Tomorrow Today
16
Our World
18
Minnie Alec
20
Indian Education Supplement
21-32
When our Elders were Young
22
Elders' Words about Owl Rock Camp
24
Danger: School
26
Young Ones' Words about Owl Rock Camp
29
Thinking for Ourselves.
31
Teaching a Language
31
The Indian Way Back to Health
33
Health Services Review
34
Alert Bay Report Confirms Band's Claims
35
Child Welfare Study
35
Crop Planning
36
Irrigation Planning
37
Regulating the Forest the Indian Way
.38
Indian Consulting Group
39
Windemere Elks:
1980 Provincial Indian Hockey Champions
39
Up-dates
41
"Not Guilty": Indian Hunters Win Back Rights . . . 42
Damning the Liard
43
The First Water Lily
44
Book Review
45
Buckskin Gloves Tournaments
46
Fraser Valley Native Boxing Championships
47
Help Wanted
48
Indian Writers
50
Suggestions
50
Two-Act Poem
51
INDIAN W O R L D 3
CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
MARCH TO DEMAND FULL
PARTICIPATION
To demand real Indian in-put into
the constitutional changes and to reaffirm Indian people's desire to be
part of Canada, about 250 Indian
Chiefs, Elders and young people
marched on Parliament Hill May 1,
1980.
No End Seen to Past
Frustrations
The demonstration arose from past
frustrations at not having a just and
active role in Constitutional change,
and because of a speech made by
Prime Minister Trudeau April 29,
1980 that showed that the Federal
Government was still not committing
itself to such participation. George
Manuel explained to the Assembly
that the B . C . Delegates and Elders
would be marching to Parliament Hill
in a peaceful demonstration and soon
the Yukon Chiefs and the Dene
joined the forces. As the Chiefs left
INDIAN W O R L D 4
the room several urged, "Join us,
we're going to the H i l l " , and some
joined the ranks.
Throughout the entire procession,
the Indian and Canadian flags stood
side by side symbolizing the Indian
people's wish to see both a United
Canada and a stronger Indian Voice
in constitutional reform. The speakers emphasized that real Indian input
into the talks would aid unity by
strengthening the Indian people.
Once up the hill the Indian people
gathered on the steps, leaders from
several provinces and from the Inuit,
and the Dene Nation Singers added
strength to the people by singing traditional songs.
Right to Participate in Constitution Change
During the demonstration George
Manuel, UBCIC President, Noel
Starblanket, NIB President and
several other leaders and Elders voiced
their strong stand that Indian people
have a rightful place as an equal participating party in changing the
constitution. About ten to twelve
MP's from all three major political
parties came out of the Parliament
Buildings to lend their support.
Before leaving for a trip back to the
conference the people formed a circle
on the grass and again the Dene
singers sang, this time, though, it was
a victory song. With pride on their
faces, the Indian people danced.
Pride and Strength
As the people returned to the
conference through the streets of Ottawa the Chiefs seemed to radiate a
feeling of pride and strength. Many
held tears of pride in their eyes. They
had done something to promote the
conference theme: "The future of our
Children."
•
FIRST NATIONS CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
About 380 Chiefs met in Ottawa
April 28 to May 1, 1980. A historic
meeting was called by the National
Indian Brotherhood to discuss revisions to Canada's Constitution.
Ninety-seven Bands of the UBCIC, 5
Alliance Bands and 8 independent
Bands represented B.C. Indians.
Presentation of B.C. Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper
Although the theme of the conference spoke to the needs for constitutional reform involving Canada's
Indians, the majority of Chiefs initially showed more concern for the
bread and butter issues at home, than
with developing a unified national
direction. The first important resolution tabled came on the first day
when UBCIC presented their Aboriginal Rights Position Paper and put
forward a resolution calling for the
adoption of the essential points of
this paper, as a national goal for all
Bands in Canada (see box this page).
After the leaders' debate, which
took up the entire afternoon, the
question was called and the vote
taken. In spite of what appeared to be
overwhelming support from those
Bands present on the floor the motion
was declared defeated by the Chair.
Since Saskatchewan Bands were
conveniently absent when the vote
was taken, it at first appeared that
this led to the defeat of the motion.
The mood of the UBCIC delegation
amounting to more than 150 Chiefs,
Elders and Observers was depressed
and somber. But, the next morning
after hearing arguments from UBCIC
leaders and Legal Advisors, the Chair
ruled the motion passed and admitted
that she had misunderstood the rules
of the vote, the previous afternoon.
Resolution #2 from British Columbia
Moved by: Chief Bob Manuel, Neskainlith Band
Seconded by: Chief Max Gros Louis, Quebec
WHEREAS
The value of Aboriginal Rights and Treaty Rights has no price, and
WHEREAS
The intention of this conference is to develop a cohesive direction from our
Indian Governments at all levels, including Band, Tribal, Provincial, territorial and National, and
WHEREAS
The goals must be established which reflect our inherent Aboriginal and
Treaty rights, and
WHEREAS
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has adopted the Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper at the Eleventh Annual Assembly, which is based on
the fact that we are the original people of this land and have the right to
self-determination and independence, we also recognize that we need an
expansion of our Indian reserve lands, resources, and our authority to
govern;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT
1. This chiefs assembly adopt as our national goal the implementation of
following positions:
a. Recognition that we are the original people of this land
b. Recognition that we have the right to choose and determine the type of
authority we wish to exercise in our Indian Governments
c. The expansion of our Indian Reserve lands
d. The expansion of Indian Resources including finances based on needs
as identified by our people
e. The expansion of the jurisdiction and authority of our Indian Governments (Band Councils)
f. Clarification and ratification of Indian Treaties that are related to
Indian reserves with jurisdiction to govern ourselves within the following areas:
1. Band Constitution
2. Citizenship
3. Land
4. Water
5. Air
6. Forestry
7. Minerals
8. Oil & Gas
9. Migratory Birds
10. Wildlife
11. Fisheries
12. Conservation
Each Band has the choice as to whether
13. Environment
14. Economic Development
15. Education
16. Social development
17. Health & Welfare
18. Marriage
19. Cultural Development
20. Communications
21. Revenues
22. Justice
23. Indian Law Enforcement
24. Local and Private Matters
or not to implement it.
INDIAN W O R L D 5
Prime Minister offers no more
than Observer Status at Constitutional Talks
On the evening of the second day
the Prime Minister spoke to the
Chiefs at a banquet. His speech was
essentially eloquent fluff and soothing rhetoric, designed to offer a few
crumbs, like increased authority of
Band Councils within an amended
Indian Act. And he promised, " Y o u
will continue to be involved in the discussion of constitutional changes
which directly affect you." Which
means that the present inadequate
observer status we have will be
continued in constitutional talks. He
offered no new policy by the Federal
Government to allow Indian meaningful input into the constitutional
renewal.
No Move to Forceful Action on
Constitution Drives B.C. Delegation to March
After the Prime Minister's speech
and in anticipation that DIA Minister
John Munro's speech to the Assembly, scheduled for the morning of the
INDIAN W O R L D 6
fourth day, will contribute no more
to the government position, the
UBCIC decided on Wednesday night
to register a strong protest against the
government's empty rhetoric regarding Constitutional Change. It was
clear to the UBCIC delegation that
the Assembly of Chiefs had been
swayed from their original course of
taking concrete action on the issues of
Constitutional reform. The Chiefs
wanted to act, to do something that
would call attention to this crucial
issue. They voted unanimously to
march the next morning after
Munro's speech to Parliament Hill
(see lead story).
Because the UBCIC left the convention to march to the Hill and were
followed by other delegations, the
remaining chiefs were unable to get a
quorum and so were unable to vote
on resolutions, but the UBCIC Chiefs
resolved to take a strong stand on the
issue of an Indian vote in the renewal
of guiding laws of Canada's confederation and could not be swayed.
On the return from the hill the
Chiefs met to decide what to do with
their remaining time in Ottawa. It
was decided that the Chiefs should
return to the convention and support
the Dene Nation in the resolution calling for support for opposing an Oil
Pipeline in the McKenzie Delta which
would severely impede their life style
and the survival of the Dene Nations.
Full and Equal Participation Becomes Priority
The Chiefs also decided that they
should put forward a resolution that:
"Government funding for consultation and hearings on the Indian Act
be turned over to Indian Organizations
for our work towards
full and equal participation at all
levels on constitutional renewal, and
that this goal is our absolute priority." The motion was passed and the
UBCIC Delegation returned the next
day with a feeling that B.C. had mae
the Indian Nations of Canada aware
of B.C., that they are a force to be
reckoned with at the National level,
and that our goal of Indian Government is backed by many strong Chiefs
from all parts of Canada.
•
PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
The Indian student drop-out rate from schools has
dropped from 94% to 90% in the past five years. This
means that 10% instead of 6% of our Indian students are
reaching grade XII. The national drop-out rate for white
students before they reach grade XII is 11 %.
The question Indian parents and Indian leaders ask is
"Why do our Indian children fail to do as well as white
students in school?" But the Indian student has not failed
by dropping out before he reaches grade XII. The Indian
student drops out of school because he or she realizes that
all of the educational text books and learning from
lectures are controlled and conducted in the whiteman's
ideological and value system; by white school teachers,
principals, school boards and governments.
Long before they reach grade XII the Indian students
learn of the teachings from their parents, grandparents
and other Elders of the community, of the supreme
Indian principles of being truthful and about sharing of
foods and other possessions with other members of the
Band or tribe, especially the weak and old. people. They
learn about respecting the Mother earth, water, air, sun
and the natural environment, because they are the givers
of a healthy life. This is in direct confrontation with the
whiteman's institution for material success for the
individual, company, or multi-national corporations that
benefits only a small number of people.
For instance, there are only 250 multi-national corporations in the world that control industry, production and
most of the non-renewable and renewable resources. The
Indian student sees this massive confrontation with the
values of his people, and rather than abandon his cultural
values and assimilate into this ruthless system, the 90%
of the Indian students drop out of school.
The destructive feature of this school system is that the
drop-out students are classified as failures by the
whiteman's system. The failure concept of the white
system is often mentally accepted by the Indian parents,
grandparents and Indian Elders and the white authority,
because the majority of Indians and whites do not understand the difference between the Indian and the white
values.
It is dangerous to the Indian student not to understand
the differences in the values because it classifies 90% of
our young Indian population as failures. They are often
rejected by the white system, and ignored by the Indian
world: with nowhere to go they continue to wander in no
man's land.
We have been forced to live with the whiteman's
failure classification System for the past 40 years and this
has taken a heavy toll on the lives and life-styles of our
people. The feelings of failure have broken many marriages and homes, and placed hundreds of our Indian
children under the provincial child welfare act and into
white homes, and made alcoholics of many of our
people. It has led many of our Indian women into
prostitution, many of our people are in penal institutions,
and in recent years more and more of our people are
committing suicide.
We are in a state of crisis that can only be resolved by
us at the Indian reserve community level. This is the
reason the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is urging Indian
Governments to act now in taking control of Indian
Education, in your Indian reserve communities. We must
take a more serious interest in the problems and help our
children and students through their many dilemmas. Our
parents, Elders and leaders must bring into existence
active support mechanisms for our Indian students, if our
goal is to strengthen our Indian cultural identity as a
Nation of people. Then we must start teaching our Indian
children at an early age to speak their own language.
Teach them to be proud of their Indian cultural values
and heritage. This is Indian Government in action.
Yours in struggle,
INDIAN W O R L D 7
ASSIMILATION OR
LIBERATION?
by Brenda Leon
I'd like to tell you about my journey to Lethbridge, Alberta where I
attended "Indian Awareness Days"
at the University. First of all I'll tell
you about a couple of brothers I met
down there that spread a bit of their
wisdom and feelings of their day to
day lives as Native people. The first
gentleman I would like to tell about is
from the Mohawk Nation, his name
is Tom Porter. Tom spoke of how
important the Mother Earth is to our
people, and about how we as Indian
People must continue with our ceremonies to her so she will continue to
be good to us. He spoke about how
Indian people always find a time for
laughter no matter how difficult our
lives may become. This man has
really lifted my spirits.
Mr. Porter left a day early
to rush home to his family and to
his people where they are being
held hostage on their own land,
because the Mohawk people choose
to live the old ways. I thank you
Brother for the feelings you have
given me and I will pray for you,
your family and the Mohawk people.
The next Brother I wish to tell you
about changed my view of drinking.
His name is Floyd Westerman, and he
is an entertainer. The way he put it
was he states his case by writing
songs:
"If you really want to do something for your people put down
that colonial trap, that little brown
bottle, then you'll really be doing
something for your people."
The last I saw of this man
was when he was dancing at the Pow
Wow. His uniform was just beautiful. This spring he will be doing the
sacred Sundance. I also thank you
Brother.
by Norma Pierre
There were some special speakers
with us in Lethbridge that week. We
became aware of many things by
INDIAN W O R L D 8
asking ourselves whether we were
assimilated or liberated. Other
questions forced their way into our
minds such as liberated from who or
what, assimilated with what things,
with which people? Each person
received the answer they were looking
for, they became personal.
Thomas Banyaca, a Hopi Elder,
described a Hopi prophecy that is
mapped out on an Oraibi drawing.
Purification Day
"There will be confusion. Out of
this will come revival of our ways.
The new branches, the new sprouts in
the drawing, you people are those
new branches.
Mother Earth is the foundation of
everything. We are all built the same,
up and down and across.
There will be total destruction, few
will survive. The symbol of the circle
is very sacred. There will be no end to
instructions if we follow them.
We are all related. We are all part
of that. They have a root to the
ground. When we pray, sing, the
spirit flows from our bodies to the
ground, to the environment. We can't
see the air but We are not separated,
we are assimilated with everything.
The white brother has all kinds of
inventions, technology. He destroys.
When he came he brought the cross.
He was given a circle too, but he came
back with the cross. We got caught in
a trap.
Take care of the earth in a spiritual
way. Many people are hiding in the
mountains today waiting for the right
person to come. We were once
strong, we wore hardly any clothes,
we could run far. When the white
people came, he was covered. He had
a sweet tongue and we will fall. Now
he is strong, he hardly wears any
clothes. Don't be like an onion, it
wears a lot and it smells.
The rocks are a part of us. Talk to
them, welcome them. They will give
us a message and you will know.
This was the garden of eden. Give
food to the spiritual people in the
ground, people in the earth.
We have been mistreated. With
prayer and ceremony take care of the
earth. We hold the power. We are
near purification day. The great
spirits are waiting for us. The
spiritual leaders have those powers.
They are waiting for the white
brothers to change or they will get
their heads chopped off. Those who
helped us will have to replant trees,
clean the waters.
The third (purification) is past
already and they have pushed us west.
The young are learning, they are
bringing the pipe back to the land.
Get food ready, carry the circle. "
NEWS, NEWS, NEWS
COMMERCIAL FISHING IN TAKU RIVER
On May 15, 1980, the Fisheries Department will issue
commercial fishery permits for the Taku River area. Saul
Terry, Vice-President in charge of fishing, said fisheries
staff are acting with 'cruel injustice' in issuing these
permits.
He sent a letter to Fisheries Minister Romeo Leblanc
on April 18,1980, asking that he immediately resolve the
fishing permit issue for the Atlin Band. The department
set out their guidelines for permit eligibility giving priority to those who held permits and made registered landings in 1979.
Second priority is given to people residing in Northern
B.C. or the Yukon. In 1979, the Atlin Indian people were
given only two permits of thirteen available. One permit
was not used due to a death in the family of the holder.
Now fisheries officers say the individual is not eligible for
a 1980 permit.
The Atlin Band is now demanding that six of their
Band members receive permits. The Indians of Atlin have
traditionally fished the Taku River and feel they are entitled to a full share of the resources.
Nowhere in the policy or the actions of fisheries officials has any consideration been given to the needs and
rights of Indian people and Minister Leblanc has been
asked to meet with Atlin Chief Sylvester Jack to resolve
the issue.
ATLIN BAND DEMANDS SIX PERMITS FOR
During the Royal Commission Inquiry into Uranium
Mining and milling, Atlin was identified as an area where
there was high potential for Uranium mining.
Now although uranium mining has been banned in the
province for the next seven years, Placer Mining Ltd., is
proposing to mine molybdenum in the Atlin area.
The Atlin Band and the UBCIC are concerned that
such a mine might present many of the problems
associated with uranium mining. In order to ensure that
the interests of the Atlin Band are protected the Atlin
Band and the UBCIC are undertaking a land use study
and have asked the government to hold community hearings. Our plan is to present the Atlin Band Land Use
Study at this time.
Very basically the land use study involves one of our
trained mapper/interviewer/researchers to work with the
Band in compiling information on hunting, trapping and
the numerous ways of traditional land use and food
gathering throughout the traditional and aboriginal territory of the Atlin Band. A l l of the relevant material is then
transcribed to the maps, and will be used as the basis for
the study.
NISHGA TRIBAL COUNCIL CONVENTION
The Nishga Tribal Council held its 23rd Annual Convention at Kincolith, B.C. on April 9th, 10th and 11th,
1980. The start of the convention also marked the opening
of the oolichan season.
People from the four communities from Kincolith,
Greenville, Canyon City, and New Aiyansh were present
for the three day meeting.
One of the main topics in the convention was the
effects of the Amax Molybdenum mine on the salmon
fishery at Kitsault, B.C. James Gosnell, President of the
Nishga Tribal Council, had this to say about the mine:
"We are commercial fishermen and we're not convinced
that the mine won't affect the fishery on the Observatory
Inlet. We're not against development but we want to be a
part of it."
The Nishga Tribal Council received authorization at
the convention to use any legal means open to them to
stop the opening of the Molybdenum mine.
Leaders spoke of the provincial government's promise
to the Nishga people to negotiate land claims which have
been going on for 110 years. Attorney General Allan
Williams has promised that the Nishga Land Claim will
be settled before any other claim in B.C. "We want to
hold him to that promise."
CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTER
The Canadian Human Rights Reporter is a new
service for people who require knowledge and understanding of the trends and developments in Human
Rights across Canada. The Reporter provides a source
for the complete text of all provincial and federal decisions, a calendar of pending decisions, and comment
from experts in the field. The annual $50.00 charge includes nine issues of the regular calendar, comment and
index section; and issues concerned with news and developments will be published as they occur. For more
information please write to: Canadian Human Rights
Reporter, 91 Langley Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
INDIAN W O R L D 9
DIA
MISMANAGEMENT
Hope Band Fights Back
Once again the past and present
tactics of the Department of Indian
Affairs are being challenged by Indian
people. This time it's the Hope Band
that's taking action against the DIA.
DIA Mismanagement Loses 11
A c r e s of Band Land
Hope Band is suing the DIA on two
separate accounts. One concerns the
DIA selling 11.22 acres of their land to
the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
without the consent of the Band. In
1923 the C P R was putting a railway
through the Fraser Valley and
apparently needed gravel as bedding
under the tracks. The company put
forth a position paper to the
government requesting the purchase
of the 11.22 acres of Scham reserve,
which is part of the Hope Band. The
land contained gravel that the C P R
could use for the bedding. The arrangement made between C P R and
DIA was to convey the land "for
gravel pit purposes only." DIA
neglected to put the phrase "for gravel
pit purposes" into the document of
conveyance, so CPR claims to own the
land absolutely. The land is no longer
required for gravel pit purposes.
The Band members at no time either
consented or surrendered the land.
And now, about 57 years later, the
Band is ready to take the whole issue to
court. The Band members are ready to
make their claim to land they never
gave up. The first move they made was
to register a Caveat, a claim to the land
which freezes it from any further
change of hands of exploitation.
Immediately the C P R disputed the
Caveat saying that the company holds
a valid deed on the gravel pit.
However, the Band says that the deed
is invalid because it failed to reflect the
true agreement.
"It (the gravel pit area) was sold,"
said Hope Band's Band Manager, Pat
John. "But the Indian Affairs did
The Hope Band is suing the DIA on two separate accounts, concerning the
loss of their land.
that. They allowed this to happen and
there was really no legitimate right for
them to let it go like that. And that
gives us a claim to it. We would have
had to surrender it and we didn't.''
Another 113 A c r e s of Band Land
Illegally Surrendered by DIA
The second account on which the
Band is suing concerns the surrender
of most of its Scham reserve, near the
town of Hope. This is a much more
complicated case. It is also one which
is more confusing and angering for the
Band members.
In 1976 Earle Bachman, a DIA
official in its land department, called
P.D. Peters, Hope Band's former
chief at that time and told him to get
his people together for a meeting.
When the people came together,
Bachman began talking about a
surrender. Band manager Pat John explained what happened during the
meeting.
"We have two minutes (notes) from
two different ladies that day. As those
minutes look, he, Bachman, had
talked about 12 to 19 acres as being
surrendered. That's what the people in
that group were told. And if they surrendered what he was talking about it
might be at the most 19 acres. As it
turns around, 133 acres were surrendered and 12 acres were retained for
the people. Everyone involved at that
time still doesn't know what happened."
The Hope Band members didn't
hear anything else about what was
discussed that day until about a year
later. During the course of that year or
so there were elections and a new Chief
and council were brought into office—
Jim and Pat John became the Chief
and Band manager respectively. Then,
one day Bachman came into the Band
office with the surrender paper and
said they might want to look at it
before it was forwarded, apparently
INDIAN W O R L D 10
to DIA headquarters.
Surrender Papers Inadequate
Pat told what happened the day
Bachman brought the paper into the
office. " A s a people we didn't know
the surrender had happened. Bachman
showed us that one page (of the
surrender paper). (On the paper) they
kept changing the number of people
who were present at the meeting and
people kept initialling it and pretty
soon it said 'Dorothy Peters—Feb. 19,
1976'. How could she be there voting
when she went and had a baby? Then, I
think as a reserve we had realised what
that guy had done."
De-Surrendering the Land
It was then that the Band decided
that it had to do something, but what
to do was the question. So, they
learned how to go about de-surrender-
NATIONAL FISH FORUM
The UBCIC is hosting a National/International Fish
Conference—May 21-22, 1980 at the Sandman Inn, 180
W. Georgia Street (across from the Bus Depot) in
Vancouver. Attendance will be approximately 150 from
across Canada and a delegation of Brothers and Sisters
from the U.S.
A n agenda has been forwarded to each District
Representative and a letter sent to each Chief.
Delegates and observers will be expected to cover all their
own expenses. There are absolutely no funds for travel,
meals, or accommodation.
a notice was to be hung in clear view of
the Band members and we had to
to the reserve and conducted a
surrender.
"In our way we had to let the insult
of what had happened to us go back to
the people and to talk about it and to
rant and rave a little bit," she said.
"Then we let it mellow off for a while
and let the community pulse with it a
while until finally they were saying,
"you mean I'll never walk on that land
again?" I think we also wanted our
young people to understand what
happened too."
There Isn't an Indian y e t . . . .
Pat said that the Band members are
now ready and together to go ahead
with their de-surrender, through the
courts.
At the end of March there
was a Band member referendum
concerning the de-surrender of the
land. The vote was unanimous, every
member wanted their land returned.
She summed up the feelings of the
people:
P.D. Peters, former chief of the Hope Band, remembers past land
struggles.
understand what they were voting
ing land. "But," Pat said, "we had to
about. Then, before the vote, there
also learn how a legal surrender was
had to be 30 days for the people to
carried out. We found out that for a
think about it." Pat said Bachman
surrender to be legal, under the Indian
gave them a phone call then went down
Act, it was supposed to be announced,
"The major cause is that the land is
all we've got and there isn't any way
we'd surrender our land. There isn't an
Indian yet who's got the blood in him
to say, "yeah, I'll give my land up." I
think that's the first issue. The people
would never give their land up."
The Band is now working with
UBCIC lawyers in preparing the case
for the courts.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 11
IN THE
NEWS...
After a few years of planning and working we finally
got a good crop of hay off our field. Starting last September we cut and put up about 150 tons of mixed oat and
alfalfa hay. The oats was just a cover crop to give the
alfalfa a boost. We want to thank the people and the
school kids that helped with the sprinkler system, also
Jim Roweds and Leslie Hunlin who spent many hours
seeding the field. We are planning on fertilizing the field
this spring. If weather permits and all goes well we will
have two crops of hay this summer.
A l l of the hay that was put up last fall is sold.
Our thanks to Patrick Charleyboy who spent a
considerable amount of time and effort to start up
Redbrush Indian Enterprises.
—Ervin Charleyboy
Photos: Redbrush Indian Enterprises
SPRING BRINGS GOOD NEWS
Well, Spring's finally sprung, we hope. Every time we
think spring's here it snows again.
Some of our Band members are getting excited because
it's almost time to start construction of new homes and a
few renovations. One home to be constructed this year
will be the first Solar home in this area.
Our local Native hockey team, the Windermere Elks,
went to Smithers, B.C. on Easter weekend for the B.C.
finals, and WON!!! The Elks have been doing very well
this year with no games lost. Keep up the good work,
Elks!
Our ladies sewing club is doing well with their project
of quilts, slowly but surely.
Submitted by
Denelle Eugene
Shuswap Band Secretary
TRAPPERS
I think trapping has been excellent
in
the Chezacut area. I heard there
REPORT
were mink, squirrels, beaver, wolf,
and muskrat coming out of there like
crazy. There are quite a number of
trappers up there; Donald Billy, Elmer
Billy, Jack Gilpen, Johnny and Ila
Lulua are all up there trapping in the
Chezacut area. Down here at Redstone a few people have been trapping; Felix and Justine Marianne,
Dominic Baptiste, Tommy Hunlin
and myself.
The Department of Indian Affairs
have approved Economic Development Project for trappers that have
asked for funding. The Band has all
the traps on order and they will be
here in a while. Ron Morrow at the
store has the traps on order.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 12
L.S.A. TERMS AND
CONDITIONS
As the March 31st deadline for reaching agreement on
contribution arrangements (L.S.A.) drew closer,
controversy surrounding the terms and conditions attached to those arrangements was at its most heated. At this
time only about thirty eight percent of the Indian Bands
in the Province had come to some agreement with the
Department.
All the Bands in the provinces of Manitoba, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia had rejected the proposed
agreement. Sixty-two percent of the Bands in B.C. are
prepared to do the same.
Terms and Conditions Cause of
Dissatisfaction
It seems that the Bands are not so concerned with the
agreement itself. Rather, they are dissatisfied with the
terms and conditions which were obviously formulated
by the Department and Treasury Board.
• Indians were not involved or consulted in the formulation of the terms and conditions of the Local Services Agreement as prepared by the Department, and
approved by the Treasury Board.
• The terms and conditions are not suited to Band
Councils' delivery of essential programs to Band
members. These terms and conditions reflect the objectives of the Department only.
• The terms and conditions are presently structured to
the government's efforts to change the Indian Act,
i.e.:
— Charter system involving incorporation of Bands
— white paper policy
• The terms and conditions state that acceptance automatically commits Bands to fit into government
systems and compels them to accept overall government policies, objectives and goals.
• There has been no mention of Federal and constitutional responsibilities for the Indian people. Programs and services are continually referred to as
contribution subsidies. Band Councils are denigrated
in that they are merely referred to as recipients.
• Indian Bands should be full participants in the development of terms and conditions which reflect their
needs.
Minister Gives Ultimatum: Sign or No Funds
The newly appointed Minister of Indian Affairs was
approached with these concerns. While he did agree to
extend the deadline to April 30th, he had not fully
indicated whether there would be further consideration
of the contentious terms and conditions. Instead, he later
found it necessary to issue an ultimatum that, unless satisfactory agreements were in place, funding would be cut
off at the deadline. This resulted in many and much involved submissions from Provincial and Territorial Organizations as well as the National Indian Brotherhood.
Deadline Extended to July 15,1980
The Minister has agreed to meet on the issue on April
21st. It will probably be a primary item on the agenda, as
well, at the All-Chiefs Conference to be held in Ottawa
on April 28th. The main purpose of the meeting is to
determine a process by which alternative terms and
conditions can be developed.
In the meantime, the Minister has agreed to permit a
further extension of the deadline to July 15th. During this
period, a deliberate consultation process is to take
place to ensure mutually acceptable arrangements
between Indian Bands and the Department.
It has also been assured that funding to all Bands
will continue, provided a proper B.C.R. indicating
the purpose and disbursement thereof is submitted
to the Department.
•
BAND TRAINING
Work on the Band training project has virtually come
to a standstill, although response at the remote or outlying areas has been more than encouraging. The importance of this area of Band development has been overshadowed by the disturbing controversy with the Local
Services Agreement.
The course development activities continue at the
Union office. The main thrust is to provide management
and administrative skills demanded by the Local Services
Agreement. As such requirements are identified, it becomes more evident that a very deliberate and well developed process in Band training is essential to a proper
introduction of the Local Services Agreement.
At the moment, the development team is concentrating
on the following key areas: roles of council and the administrative staff, organization, planning, financial
administration, communications and other useful management skills.
The development personnel will resume work in this
area as soon as the problems with the Local Services
Agreement have been satisfactorily resolved.
Participation of Band organizations is undoubtedly
essential to the entire process. Therefore, all contributions are welcome.
Band training seminars will continue as soon as we
receive enough requests from the field.
INDIAN W O R L D 13
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The Root and the Core of the People
There were three memorial dinners just last month in
Neskainlith, for a wife and a husband who died a year
ago and for a father who died a long time ago. They were
part of tradition that the people see as one of the essential
institutions for the well-being of a community. Indian
Government is based on institutions that are traditional,
Neskainlith Band Chief Robert Manuel says, and cannot
be understood or practised until these basic, fundamental
institutions are in place again for the people of the
community.
"We severed the umbilical cord of our connection with
our grandparents and great grandparents and the work
that they have done. But the more I study the Indian
traditional institutions that were here, I find their value
just immense and my respect for our Indian way just
grows and grows. The very fundamental, simple things,
exercises or processes that we have to go through to deal
with different things: they really have deep meaning,
beyond intellectual meaning. That's what we have to
reconnect ourselves with.
Then we can worry about our systems, the administration. There are people we have hired to take care of that
kind of stuff and allow us to organize at this level. The
work continues, the administrative work, while we are
mending the umbilical cord, fixing it with this medicine
that the old people left us and that we have set aside for
so long.
I think we have to deal with these more critical things
first, like the way to deal with death. There are too many
people here that are carrying things from way back that
they should not be carrying any more. I think it inhibits
and restricts our growth. Ever since I've been here, I have
watched this community climb like crazy, then take a
nose dive, then climb like crazy again and then take a
nose dive again and just kind of shatter. These very basic
things have to be dealt with by the individuals. Once they
have dealt with them, I think we have got a chance to stay
at a higher level. So one of the areas that we are hitting at
right now is how we deal with death. Part of it comes
from the fact that I have gone through that experience. I
learned a lot, and I went through the one-year mourning
period, in the traditional spiritual way of our people here.
At the end of the year, I had to put on a feast. It didn't
make a lot of sense to me during that time, only after I
had gone through that process and ended up at that
Why Volunteer?
sufficiency to ourselves, makes our
community strong as long as we work
together. Actually this is all not really
new to us. It has been a part of our
life style. It was not unusual to help
out the community as much as you
can. That's what really made us
strong. Our people cared about their
fellow members, our ties were bonded
strongly together. We had an attitude
in which we cared about ourselves,
both mind and body.
from Neskainlith News
Why volunteer? Why do Neskainlith people put extra hours into their
jobs and into their community? Is it
the individual's dedication, is it the
future of our children or is it the realization of how much work actually
has to be done to keep the Band running? I think we have all come to a
conclusion of our Band.
Community input has helped us to
plan ahead, take action over our lives
and project our possible future.
There is volunteer work done in many
areas in our Band; such areas as Education who is attempting to take hold
of the education of our own young
people, to teach them the essentials of
our life that they would need to survive not only in our immediate community but the outside world as well.
Social Development's plans for the
recreation center, the positive recreation activities and the many other
INDIAN W O R L D 14
photo: R. Manuel
programs. Administration's improvement on the efficiency of the office to
serve the people better, and agriculture's task of plowing, discing, and
planting. The volunteer work is done
in good spirit. The feeling of knowing
we are a few steps closer to our self
Who benefits? I think the people in
the immediate community do, but the
individuals do too. There is personal
achievement, recognition, learning
and sharing, accomplished. The community benefits in such ways as: the
development of the community to
serve people more efficiently, the
direction in the future of our children, develops a sense of belonging, we
share and learn together.
So Neskainlith, you've come a long
way!
year's end-of-mourning with the memorial dinner. The
memorial dinner has a psychological effect. It is a kind of
setting-aside of that mourning period, setting free the
spirit of the one that died, allowing me to go on with life
again. It really did have that strong effect.
Then it just came to my head like a bullet going
through. We have a system and I have gone through that
system, that process of dealing with something that I
could never have understood in any way except through
this experience.
I could see if I had not done what the old people had
told me, then I would probably have suffered for years
and years to come. There are no other people around here
who have done that and they have carried that weight
with them, all of ten, fifteen years.
Another of the things that traditionally happened here,
and was lost for a time, was that the Chief always spoke
at the burial. Maybe other people did, too, but the Chief
definitely always visited the family and always spoke.
That was told to me by the Elders. I remember the first
time I had to do that, I was just scared: I didn't know
what to do. What had happened was that the Priest now
had the whole thing. The external institution had pushed
right in and excluded ours. Now when I go to other communities where the Priest has been allowed to take over
completely, I see people coming to the dinners drinking,
and a lot of disrespect. But since we came back to this
Chieftainship institution talking, it has really cleaned up
here. It is really good.
It is really rebuilding and putting back an institution
that we had. And it works best for us. I would not want
to ever see us deal with death in a different way. I think it
is important that we get it straight on, that we deal with it
as a sacred part of life. Our community institutions are
the cornerstones. We can talk about all the paper and all
the administrative structures, but only when we establish
these institutions as the cornerstones for our Indian
Government, will we have the root and the base in that
foundation and form the foundation on which we can
build our administration, our constitution and our court
system. Our law and order will be based on this.
For the last two years we have also been wanting to
have a feast for all the babies on the reserve. When the
baby is born, we should have a feast and have the people
come in and welcome the new baby into the community.
We are going to be giving them names and going through
a ceremony to establish a community responsibility to
those babies in some way. We have not got that far yet,
but it will work out after we get this other thing cleared
up. I think we have to work on the death first, before we
can rejoice and welcome the children into our community.
After the births, there is another institution that we are
familiar with, but it is not very well established. It is in
the talking stage here. That is the training of our young
First of all we identified where our problems came
from. Then we spent a whole lot of time trying to
figure out why it happened and how we could change
it. But we were always clinging to the colonialism,
hanging on to it, blaming it, blaming the white man,
blaming the schools, blaming the churches, instead of
just letting it go and starting over.
If you look at the ritual of death, you look at the
ritual of the memorial dinner, the whole concept
behind that is: let it go, start again, live your life, go
back to your roots and just carry on. It will always be
there, that person that died or, in this case, colonialism
will always be with us. We will never get rid of its
effects. It'll be a scar that we carry, but scars don't
hurt. Scars don't have to hurt, they're just there. I
guess that's the latest transition that we've made—is
just leaving it alone and going in the direction that we
have to go, strong and happy again."
Michelle Good, Band Administrator,
Neskainlith Band
people. That is the sweathouse, the swimming and the
running and so on. We have to take back some of the
responsibility for the training of our young people.
After that, something else we have talked about is traditional marriages, coming in later on.
Once those things are all in place, then we have finished our work in terms of the foundation and the root
and the core of the people.
I'll tell you about a vision that I had quite a while ago.
It was on the coast. I was sitting by a fire dozing. I came
to this big valley and it was a hill and there was, I guess,
the most magnificent Indian man that I've ever seen in
my life. He was standing on the hill, really strong, physically in good shape; strong eyes, nice long black hair. He
was really powerful. This image radiated a lot of power. I
watched for a few minutes and all of a sudden he started
crumbling. He went down on his knees and he was laying
over on his stomach and he started getting sick. He
started to look ugly. His skin started to turn bad, his hair
started to turn ugly, he lost his vision. I went over closer
to him and what I saw was quite a shocking experience.
What that man was made of was a whole pile of little
Indians; that was his whole being. Some of them were
drinking, fooling around, taking dope, all kinds of stuff
like that. I never understood it for a long time. Later on I
understood. I think I do anyway. That was our Indian
nation at one time and it went down. There's a whole pile
of people that make up that nation. Each one is a part of
it, each one is kind of a cell. Only when we collectively get
strong, will he stand again. Maybe some day before I die
I will see it again, I'll see him standing again. But every
one of us is important in that. There's no one man that
can make that man stand: he's big."
•
INDIAN W O R L D 15
KITAMAAT: PLANNING FOR
TOMORROW TODAY
by Mary Green
Land Claims Office,
Kitamaat Band Council
Kitamaat is a very athletic-minded
community; it is one of our ways of
introducing self-discipline to the very
young in our village. Basketball is a
very major part of our young
people's
recreational
activity.
Basketball season begins in earnest in
the month of October, and normally
runs through to the end of March,
after our Junior teams are finished
with their Basketball tournaments for
the season. Our young people are
encouraged to continue basketball
fitness throughout the year, and this
is done on their own, after the basketball season is over.
After basketball our Soccer season
begins with 5 teams. Our youngest
team's players are from 6-9 years old.
This team seems to be the second
attraction to our many spectators,
mostly moms and dads, next to our
Senior men's team. Enjoyment and
fitness is the key to our recreational
activities.
Cultural-Conscious Community
But outside of sports activities, other
developments in our village are
progressing, such as our Haisla
Choir, our Women's Clubs, and
Indian Dancing, to name a few.
Our community, for instance, has
almost doubled in size in the last 1015 years. Our population growth has
hit its 1000 mark with additions of
probably 5 to 10 more members
before the year is over. Housing areas
are continually being developed to
accomodate
our
increasing
population. We are depleting our
housing lots right on our reserve, and
we will have to begin housing
development in our other reserves in
the next 10 years.
Our
community is cultural
conscious; cultural programs are encouraged and activities in this area
ORDER FORM: T-SHIRT TRANSFERS
Each $1.00
Make Cheque or Money Order Payable to:
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
Send to:
Attention:
Indian Government Portfolio
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
440 West Hastings
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 1L1
Telephone: 684-0231
Name:
Address:
City:
INDIAN W O R L D 16
have gradually been established. Our
Indian Dancing group is taking hold
again as part of our valued heritage.
Land Claims
Land Claims has been established
quite actively this past year. With our
research work done in depth, consultants have been hired on a project-toproject basis.
Phase 1 of our Land Claims was
completed in December 1979 and
from there we're entering into Phase
II. Our first Haisla Land Claims
Convention was held on February 5,
1980. The community participation
was very good. The theme of the
Convention was, " U N C O V E R T H E
PAST—PROTECT T H E F U T U R E "
Our second Land Claims Convention is scheduled for April, 1980, with
invitations that will go to other
communities living on our Haisla
Boundaries. The theme of this
coming Convention will be " P L A N
FOR TOMORROW T O D A Y " .
Land Claims can be the turning
point for Indian people, where
economic independence will be
achieved and progress in Indian
Communities obtained while still retaining our Indian identity, therefore
preserving our heritage.
Sound Community Employment
Employment in our Community is
quite sound and only very few
employable people are jobless. A
survey on our Employment Profile—
1980 has just been completed with the
results very much in favour of our
Band members.
The major employers are Alcan,
Eurocan, the fishing industry,
logging,
garages,....Our
Band
Council is also a source of employment.
We feel the employment figure to
be very good. We have roughly 60%
employable people, with about 7-
10% unemployed. During the
summer months, we should have a
number of Student Employment
Programs going. Student employment is a very important part of the
young people's lives, in the sense that
this instills a desire to work and be
independent on the part of the
student.
We are proud of our athletes, but
we are also proud of our achievements in other areas.
•
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is again conducting a
twenty-week Radio Communications Training Program,
to begin June 2 and end October 17. There are six
positions available, two to be filled by people who plan to
become involved in radio development with their Bands.
The training will take place in Vancouver for approximately twelve weeks, with the practicum to be held outside of the city for the last eight weeks. Newswriting,
newsreading, announcing, researching, and equipment
operation will be featured in the training. Applicants
need no previous experience. Good reading and writing
abilities, enthusiasm, and willingness to work hard are
the qualities required. For more information or to submit
applications please write to: Radio Communications
Training Program, Communications Portfolio, 440 West
Hastings St., 3rd Floor, Vancouver, B . C . V6B 1L1, or
phone Val Dudoward at 684-0231.
INDIAN W O R L D 17
OUR WORLD
The first load of bricks produced by the Sumas Band! Many of the Band members used to work here under a non-Indian
managed and owned company. Now they have taken over the works and things seem to be going just fine. They'll be
going into full production again pretty soon. Wanna buy some Indian bricks? Contact Chief Larry Ned at 859-7759.
Burt Williams is a National Sports
Figure. He has been rodeo riding
since the age of 18.
Burt had his ups and downs participating in sixty rodeos in 1979 and
would like to double that in 1980 so
he can qualify for the Canadian National Finals. He needs a financial
sponsor so he can ride and win the
Championship.
As a member of the Mount Currie
Band, Burt teaches social studies,
Indian language, and rodeo.
INDIAN W O R L D 18
ROBERTS 60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Bill and Frances Roberts' 60th wedding
anniversary at the Thunderbird Hall in Campbell
River, B.C. on April 25,1980 was a memorable
occasion.
There was a wedding cake, decorations, toasts
and about 400 guests attending, half of them
being Bill and Frances' relatives, children and
grandchildren.
Many respected persons talked on this special
occasion
Archie Pootlass, UBCIC Vice President, presented to Bill and Frances two airplane tickets to
attend the All Chiefs Conference in Ottawa.
Eddy Paul, 8 years old, of Sechelt
Band, received the "Most Sportsmanlike Player Trophy", the biggest
of three for him that day. He plays
left defenseman for the Elephant
Stone Recreational team.
After spending six months at
Northern Lights College in Dawson
Creek, Cliff-C.C. (Crazy Cowboy)Pettis of Seabird Island Band is ready
to tackle the job of Farm Manager of
the Seabird Island Farm.
During the spring break 36 native students, ranging
from fifteen to eighteen years of age from Hazelton and
surrounding villages, travelled to Europe.
We departed from Vancouver to London on March
31st and stayed in London for 2 days. We lost one day
because of time difference. London time is nine hours
ahead of ours. We attended Her Majesty's Theatre
featuring a Broadway musical. We saw the London
Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey,
Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral. After our
stay in London we moved on to Holland, where our
group stayed in a 400-year-old castle in the country. Our
stay in Holland was a rest period for everyone (especially
the chaperones); it was a really nice change being in the
country. The hospitality the people in the small
community showed towards us was wonderful. On April
5th after riding train after train for 7 hours, we arrived in
Paris. Our stay in Paris lasted for 5 days. After getting
used to London, then Holland currency, we had to change
over to French money which was quite confusing. During
our stay in France we went up to the very top of the world
famous Eiffel Tower for a panoramic view of Paris. We
also went on tours of the City of Paris which was really
beautiful. We were all very surprised when we saw a
totem from Hagwilget brought to Paris by French
explorers hundreds of years ago. After five full days of
fun and sightseeing we returned once again to London
for our last few days in Europe. Once again we went on
tours. Most of our group knew our way around from our
previous visit so we were allowed to go in separate
groups. By this time everyone was getting a little homesick and tired of the constant rush in both London and
France.
It was really hard to believe that we were actually in
Europe; it was beautiful, wonderful and terrific. We all
had a lot of fun; it was quite an experience since it was the
first time in Europe for most of our group. On Saturday
April 12, 36 tired but happy students (plus two exhausted
chaperones, Brigetta Vanheer and Dan Fujino, both
teachers of Hazelton Senior Secondary) all arrived back
home. I'm sure we will all remember our long journey to
France, London and Holland for the rest of our lives.
I'd like to thank all the people responsible for making
our trip possible. Thanks, it was wonderful.
Cindy Joseph, Hagwilget Band (16 years old)
Editor's Note: Funds for the trip were raised by all
participating students, their parents, relatives and
friends, who organized and supported the bake sales,
raffles and bingos of the "Paris or Bust" funding
campaign.
INDIAN W O R L D 19
MINNIE ALEC
til 2 a.m. and said he could sit for
hours listening.
When she was young she learned
how to hunt instead of going to
school. She was taught how to make
her own clothes, mocassins, blankets
out of beaver and rabbit, and to make
fish traps out of wood. And just
living off the land. One medicine she
talked of was sap of the pine that you
would scrape and dry at a certain time
of the year when the leaves first come
out. The sap was used for healing
different infections, cuts, sores, and
so on.
Minnie Alec is in the middle of this old photograph, surrounded by her
family. She was raised in Bella Coola, and then moved to Anahim Lake
when she was ten years old.
Minnie Alec, 96 years old, is an
Elder from Trout Lake (Buncheck).
Minnie was born in the fall and lost
her mom so she was raised by her
grandparents "Commuh" from Bella
Coola
and
"Moywees"
from
Anaham Lake (Chilcotin). She lived
in Bella Coola till she was 10. Minnie
said when she lived in Bella Coola
they used to all live together in a long
house with a fire in the middle of it.
She remembers she used to travel by
boat to Namu. And she mentioned
how she really missed the Coastal seafood; sea-weed, herring eggs, oolichans and grease.
Listening to Minnie Alec speaking
Carrier and Dennis Patrick translating to English, made me very
envious that I could not understand
the stories she was telling, that Dennis
could understand her. He had a hard
time to translate into English, but
that usually is what happens with any
Indian language. Dennis Patrick is
one of her many grandchildren and
seeing him and everybody having so
much respect for their grandmother
reminded me of so many other Indian
families. Dennis was saying that he
sometimes listens to her story-telling
INDIAN W O R L D 20
Minnie expressed her concern on
Fishing Rights and she said long ago
we were able to fish the Fraser River
anytime we wanted and the fish stock
never depleted. They fished for their
winter stock and what they needed,
and they hunted. "Now when food
costs are high, how are we going to
live if they take our livelihood away
from us?"
LEFT: Elder Minnie Alec today
with one of her great-grandchildren.
BELOW: Minnie Alec, on the far
right, learned to hunt, make mocassins, and build fish traps out of
wood when she was young.
Photos: Courtesy Dennis Patrick
INDIAN EDUCATION
SUPPLEMENT
We need to develop Indian Education to give back to
each individual, regardless of age or means, the opportunity to seek out his fullest potential and to contribute a
portion of this success to the general well-being of the
community and the strength of Indian Government.
If we examine what Indian Education for Indian
people was prior to white contact we would find that it
allowed everyone to find a place and to experience continuous usefulness. The success of our communities,
when they were strong, depended on a communal thrust.
The main thrust of the provincial school system is
towards competition and individualism. This creates
untold problems when our entire community is founded
culturally and basically on a concept of communalism
and co-operation.
We need to examine the three-fold nature of a human
person, which is mind, body and spirit. Indian people
have been suppressed in all these three areas, which explains the general breakdown that has dumbfounded
by Philip C. Paul
white experts:
1. What goes on in the minds of Indian people? Is there
enough Indian content to give Indian people a healthy
feeling about themselves? Are Indian people given the
opportunity to develop a sound healthy mind? In my
opinion many Indian people have been mentally beaten
down to a level of feeling privileged to be tolerated but
hating every minute of it. Indian control, to me, means
correcting this problem in such a way that it is not dependent on outside sources ever.
2. The second vital area that we need to examine is the
body or the physical suppression of Indian people.
Because of the poverty and lack of access to traditional
foods, the state of health of Indian people has reached a
disastrous state and even if the best education was made
available, we would be prevented from succeeding due to
this problem. We have to be re-educated how to eat for
good health. Without this correction, no education system can succeed.
(continued page 32)
INDIAN W O R L D 21
Residential School
WHEN
OUR ELDERS WERE YOUNG
Eddy Thevarge is a respected Elder of the Lillooet tribe and lives on the D'Arcy Reserve. He was interviewed by Glen Williams, Co-ordinator of the St. Mary's Feasibility Study. The study is going on with 47
Bands in the Vancouver District because DIA was trying to close this very beautiful Indian Students' Residence on the bank of the Fraser River at Mission, B. C.
This study makes us find out about our recent history, when our Elders were young and went away from
home to school.
It was about 1915 or 1916 and I was about 12 years old
when I first went to school. It was hard them days and
there was no transportation of any kind from D'Arcy to
the coast and up to Mission.
We still were struggling for something to eat in them
days. After I did start going to school, we weren't getting
too much at the table but we still felt better off that we
were getting something to eat three times a day anyway.
These were not 3 square meals a day, but more than what
we got at home.
I left home with oversized clothes and no shoes and
was expected to wear shoes daily. When I would play
around the school grounds, I would take off my shoes
and go barefoot. I was punished 3 or 4 times before I
learned to keep my shoes on.
Residential School Days
For the first year, I had problems because I wasn't able
to understand the English language and every time they
wanted me to do something they would have to get an
interpreter to tell me what to do. I was really out of
INDIAN W O R L D 22
control. I'd do as I pleased for a few months. I got
punished quite a few times. It was only because I wasn't
able to understand the English language. After I started
to learn it a little bit, I started to enjoy my schooling in
Mission.
I was an orphan when I left home, and so I didn't miss
much at home after I went to school. We used to go to
school about 3 hours a day in the morning. At recess time
we would go up to the dormitory and straighten out our
beddings. After lunch the book learning was over and
then we would do chores for the rest of the day.
Anyone who could pick up a rock was sent out to work
in the fields picking up rocks, digging up stumps and
getting them pulled out by a stump puller and a team of
horses. Other jobs included making wood, ploughing the
fields, putting in a garden and at times harvesting plants
in the fall time. That was quite a training, always working
in big groups. It was quite fun, it was more like play than
work, and the days seemed quite short.
Around 1918, after clearing much of the land from
stumps of about 4 to 5 feet in diameter, an orchard of
about 300 trees was put in on the hill, which was the
boundary for the school. We worked and improved this
orchard for a long time.
I was quite at home there. In fact the first 2 or 3 years I
was in Mission, I didn't have any holidays and no home
to go to; I was kept right in school. I was about 18 when I
came out, and in about the 3rd grade. I couldn't hardly
write my name but I went on working. I stayed away
working about six years before I came back to D'Arcy.
My uncle caught up to me in Lillooet. He said it's about
time you came home, so I came home. The education I
got seems to have really stayed with me, because it took
me a long time to get to the third grade, with only 3 1/2
hours a day schooling.
Keeping Education a Priority
With the 5 or 6 years out, I learned quite a bit to get
along with our non-Indian friends. I was able to talk with
them and look them in the face when talking. When I
first came out of school, my head was down no matter
who was talking to me. If there was a non-Indian, I
couldn't raise my head up to say yes or no, I'd shake my
head either sideways or round ways. I worked my way out
of that by staying out and away from home for that
length of time. After I was home, after my Chief asked
me to come home, I got to be secretary. I done that from
1928 to 1936, then I became a Councillor for the Band.
We had a hereditary Chief at that time, just the
Councillors were put on. I stayed on Council until my
Chief passed away, then I became a Chief. 1 held the
Chief there for about 20 years. Seeing that a lot more of
our children are getting more education, then I thought I
would step down and let them do the Chief for the
reserve. During my terms as Chieftain, I worked with
organizations and my priority was education. When we
did get the 8 hours education for our children and the
province took over the schoolings, our children were
getting a full education right up to the 12th grade and
better if they have good marks, with finances from the
government.
Indian Control Needed at Mission
It seems now that they are trying to do away with the
boarding schools. I think if our Indian people were to
take over Mission it will be quite a benefit to the Indian
people and to their children's education. To keep it for
education purposes at all times. Learning the reading,
writing, arithmetic and also the agriculture part of it, I
think a group that could go through the school from that
time on would be able to look after themselves. After
they learn a little bit of arithmetic, reading and things like
that, they will learn about planting their own things down
there, a garden and fieldstuff. It can be used for
recreational grounds for some part of it where they would
learn to get along with one another.
I fully support our leaders trying to get control of the
school grounds at Mission.
We still need a school where an Indian could control it,
an Indian teacher or principal or caretaker who is really
close to their own people. They will have a better control
over the children who go to school, and the children will
have a better feeling by having their own kind of teaching
right there at the school. They could also learn some of
their own traditional ways of life; they are very valuable
to an Indian person.
It was the children who could pick up a half a
pound of rock...a lot of the work by the students
went into building St. Mary's. That's why I am
encouraging the leaders of today that if we can get
control of the school ground there we can use it
for the purpose it was meant for by the children
that cleared the ground there.
Mission was kind of a central point for the Chiefs
gathering for the Fraser River and Lillooet district. They
used to go over there and gather up and have a big
Potlatch. When the priests saw that it was a good
valuable piece of ground, they approached the chiefs to
see if they could put a school there, and clear the ground
up. The Chiefs said it's okay if it's going to be a school
for our children; we don't mind. That's how the priests
got a hold of that piece of ground. That was before they
even had engineers surveying the reservations. If the
engineers had come before the priests had applied to the
Chiefs, it would have been a reserve itself for the people
down that way.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 23
It has been a long year since the last special education issue was put out by UBCIC. At that time, I was asked
to contribute an article on education. I gave much deep thought as to what I would write at that time. One
thing I realized was that I could not write about something I only had theories about.
Now I can contribute something, something more special than my words or thoughts. The contribution that
is being submitted is about an educational experience that is happening, an experience, the impact of which is
only beginning to be felt and understood and which will have such widespread and far-reaching effects that we
can only guess what they may be at this time.
We have taken control of the education of our children. We have been able to do this only through the help
of our Elders and through the instructions of our Creator as handed down through our legends and the
practice of our medicine ways. That is where our strength is, that is what it was given to us for. If we overlook
that in our educational scope, then all our efforts to help our young people learn skills to survive with, will
continue to fail.
This article contains the words of some of the elders and youth who participate in this educational
experience. We learn from and teach each other through practice of our ways. It is an honour for those of us
who work here to be a part of this and we are humble and grateful every day for being allowed such a privilege.
This article is a sharing of that experience and goes out to you who are all our friends and relations.
ELDERS' WORDS ABOUT OWL
ROCK CAMP
Elders and young people work together at Owl Rock Camp; here, they're digging a kitchen, called a pit house.
Us Elders with grandchildren we
are concerned. How I grew up—I was
trained in the old ways. I got up with
the dawn and I learned lots. I helped
my parents. I learned how to get food
and wood and I know the disciplines.
And now I can talk on this day.
I see that our people have lost
many things: their language, their
INDIAN W O R L D 24
good words, their discipline and customs. What I see is that this camp is
made as a discipline place. The kids
are being brought here to learn all
kinds of things: from making things,
to gathering food, to learning the
language, and to understanding the
customs, disciplines, and ways of our
people. I see that our kids are
learning so fast they are becoming
better than us. I thank the Creator for
making a place like this for our
people. This place is clean, pure, and
strong. The spirits are helping us to
learn and teach each other. A l l of
these things are worked that way,
from tanning hides, to learning
respect.
sure we could make it to come about.
It seemed we might be too late. A
little longer and we would have been
too late.
As we go through here up to this
point in our work, what I have realized is that it is almost like we were
headed to fall off a high cliff and that
we could not see ahead.
We have been fortunate to have
been given this chance. Our Creator is
so kind to us. There are a few of us
left who know some of the ways and I
guess the Creator can see our
suffering and pities us and puts it into
our hearts to do this. We didn't
ourselves think this place up, because
we are so smart; we have been pitied
and helped before we fell off that
high cliff. This is our way of survival
that he is showing us. Some of us will
survive. That is why now our children
and grandchildren will have it put
into their minds and hearts; and
maybe their children and grandchildren will survive and happiness
will be with them.
It is from here that the kids will
find out many things. There are two
kinds of people here right now and we
have been crowded by the other kind
too much. This has been so for many
years now. Maybe we will now turn
the tide. Nobody will help us, we
must do it ourselves.
I say again, I am not old but my
Our grandchildren—I am so
thankful, our Ancestors' ways are
back; they speak through and to you.
Selina Timoykin
Lim Lempt
What I think is that when I'm
home I sometimes see that my kids
just think of music and town. I think
of the things like work; making
wood, getting up early, working with
the horses and working with all living
things. I see that these things are all
gone now. I say to the kids, look at
these things. I see now these kids here
at camp; these kids—this granddaughter now—it's the first time for
all my kids and grandkids to like old
ways. She likes to get up and work.
Now their camp here stands up. I tell
them this will be your discipline—
this is where your good fortune is. A l l
the things that are learned there you
will need. You can be poor but work
hard, give lots away. That is much to
learn.
What I want is all my kids and
grandkids to come and learn at the
camp. Because soon all us Elders will
be gone. Now those kids learn and
they will carry it to their children and
our ways will always stay here. Even I
wish I could take other kids from
everywhere and bring them here to
learn. They would all know. Now this
place is made and maybe so near to
being too late. Ten years from now
maybe this place could not be. But
now it is.
place is with the Elders. Now it has
been a while since this camp has
walked with our people and my eyes
are opened. I see the change happening fast. I don't think that we are
trying to go back to the past and be
like we once were. We can't make it.
And at the same time we can't make it
to be different either like the white
man, so the more we retain of what is
ours, the better we are.
That is what this camp is made of.
For the new generation to know what
must be done and how to live for the
change that is coming. Money will
not always be the leader here. This
camp is not led by money. That is
what we see.
This camp is for every Indian no
matter from where. It is all coming
out how the children are changing.
The children are here to learn many
things. That is what this camp is
about. We are not saying that we wish
to change people, but if our people
notice differences in people who came
here to learn then maybe it is so. If
you try to copy others, you cannot .
become like them, but if you look at
yourself you may find out who you
are. These are some of the things the
young ones here are looking at and
right now they are much better people
than we will ever be. That is why I
help here.
I would be pleased if you who read
Lim Lempt
Rachel Paul
Penticton, B.C.
Photo: Penticton Band
My name is Scaten. I put my place
with the Elders, because their ways
are from long ago and I guess my
beliefs are strong that way. I guess
from many I am one of the few who
are lucky; I didn't get too
brainwashed by non-Indian culture.
What I think of is that when this
place was first talked about, I was not
INDIAN W O R L D 25
DANGER:
SCHOOL
DANGER:
SCHOOL
this. Know what I say as I speak now.
I guess you did not resent what I said
and you have read this far. If you are
Indian and think and believe that way
then the words I have said, you may
take some meaning and wisdom
from, and you may use it in some
way.
Lim Lempt
Larry Timoykin
Penticton, B.C.
because I learn some things that are
important, and when I return home I
can share with my relations. It gives
them hope and through their prayers
this camp can be strengthened.
I don't feel I'm here because I want
to be, I feel I am directed here. I feel
it is through the Great Spirit things
are done. And it is through this legacy
our Indian people have learned and
gone on beyond, that we will follow
through. With this belief and strength
we cannot fail.
the most important things is seeing
my children involved and seeing the
transformation and change that is
happening. It is beautiful to see the
young ones taking over and working
to help, and forgetting their selfcentredness and learning to care for
each other and help regardless of age.
A place of great spiritual uplifting. A
place where love will grow powerful
and strong and alleviate the hatreds
that destroy. A place we can learn not
Photo: Penticton Band
Anita Cheer
Colville Reservation
Omak, Washington
My name is Wanasut, after my
great-grandmother, who is from
around Ellensburg, Washington area.
This place is so alive, it's a place
you always come back to. There is
such a drawing force here, even when
you are away it is on your mind. The
workers here we believe are directed
to be here. We help each other spiritually, mentally, and physically. It's a
good place to come to hear our
Elders, and a place for remembrance
of things that have happened. Many
revelations and realizations come out
here. It is a very inspirational place
and we pray that many more spiritual
camps will be resurrected and one of
INDIAN W O R L D 28
to be judgmental because if we feel
that such things happen that is
something we must pray about. This
is a place for learning to become
harmonious with man, animals and
all nature.
We are learning from the Elders of
the prophecies that have been laid
down for us and now I see that our
children are preparing for what is in
the future, and how they must help all
people to be prepared. There is great
honor and respect for the spiritual
leaders. We hear their words and we
know that the time is now at hand to
meet the needs of our people. I am
planning to be here as often as I can
I am Jean Aquash, Ojibway.
These spiritual camps are very
important to our children and our
generations ahead. These are nests
for grandfather to keep us protected
so we can learn the ways of our
people, the right ways for us. In these
camps we learn to build our spirit,
our mind, our body. We learn again
what it is to live. Many of our camps
help our children learn. Children who
have been through the concrete
jungles of the cities where there is no
life, where those live who don't know
what it is about. They learn about
their abilities both physical and
spiritual. They learn to exercise their
minds because in these camps we have
the sacred sweats where we learn to
purify ourselves and become innocent. We learn the ceremonies from
our Elders. We learn to respect and to
be humble.
We must have many more camps so
we can learn in our family circles
everywhere. So we can hear the inner
voice of what the Great Spirit wants
us to do, the directions He gives to us
as individuals. We learn all these
things through the sweats and ceremonies. It is the spirit we build up, to
meet our Creator, not just for
ourselves but to share with and help
one another. This is the knowledge
the spiritual camps give for the generations ahead. I believe that with a lot
of hard work, maybe we can save
some lives.
Regular Visitor from
Anpo Camp
Oregon
Photo: Penticton Band
So we need all our spiritual
medicine people, pipe carriers and
anyone else who walks this road to
feel at home at any one of these
camps. So that we can be together in
spiritual unity when the time comes.
These things I believe and much
more.
By acknowledging and learning
instructions and ways of our Elders,
we learn to acknowledge the Great
Spirit in many ways and all forms of
his creation.
YOUNG ONES' WORDS ON OWL
ROCK CAMP
These Indian classes are special to
me because I am an Indian. I'd just
like to write down a few lines about
what's been happening around here
while I was here learning. When we
arrive up at camp we run up the hill
for a while and come back down, and
then we have a little meeting about
what's going to be happening in the
next classes. Then we make Indian
baskets.
Jeannette and Teeny are our
teachers who show us how to make
baskets. The boys would be making
bows and arrows. Martin teaches the
boys. Then we have lunch and have
time to walk around and play. Then
we have Indian language lessons and
stories about Indians of the past
taught by Jeannette and Martin. In
the summertime we will be riding
horses, travelling, building, and
much more. So I would like to invite
all Indians: children, teenagers, and
adults. We are learning about our
own culture.
Lisa Paul
The Owl Rock Youth Group have a
camp up on the reserve, if you visitors
would like to stop by and visit for a
couple of days. Our camp is similar to
ones in the old days, because we have
a kitchen part that is dug into the
ground, called a pit house. We also
have a long house that is used for
people to sleep and for gatherings.
We have lots of room to put up tents.
We have a lake up there called Eneas
Lake. This lake is sacred, it is nice
and beautiful. It is also quiet up here.
Once you come up you won't want to
leave.
I think the camp is the best place
I've been to so far. I like to think in
quiet and learn the Indian ways: how
to make baskets, pick berries and
bitter roots, how to speak my
language. The reason I want to learn
all that is because the older people
will not be here forever. We will be
here surviving on our own and will be
thankful for the things they taught
us, because then we will know how to
make things to carry our food and
things to get food with. If we have
kids we can pass what we know down
to them.
Today we fixed our baskets and the
boys worked on their bows.
I'm really thankful when I come to
the camp. I would like to thank the
camp workers for taking the time to
teach us.
Florence Captiste
H i ! Well, I'd just like to inform
you on things I have been learning up
at the longhouse. Every morning we
jog up to Charley's place at the end of
the lake and back to the camp. Then
we have classes and lunch and after
that we go up the hills or sleighriding. We have two more classes and
then exercise and play, then go back
to the Band office.
Carrie Jack
Penticton
This camp means a lot to me
because I learn many different things
and it helps me in many ways. The
things we learn are to speak our own
language and taking sweats; plus we
have respect for the camp and others.
I travel from Vernon once a week
to come to the camp; that's why it
means a lot to me.
The girls are making shawls and
INDIAN W O R L D 29
also we sing many Indian songs.
Joanne Qualtier
Okanagan Reserve
Vernon, B.C.
H i , I'd like to inform you on what
the whole idea of these cultural
classes means to me.
What we are doing is learning to
respect our Elders, each other, and to
respect each living animal, plant or
tree. We also learn discipline. We try
to avoid small arguments or fights.
We all treat each other equally.
Sometimes it seems really hard for us
to get used to it. I think it's really a
great experience.
We've also learned to do our work
and enjoy it. Usually the girls clean
up, cook lunch, serve the people and
wash dishes. The boys pack water,
chop and pack the wood.
We learn old legends and our
language from our Elders.
The girls are making shawls and we
have just started to put the fringes on
them. Probably in the future we will
make Indian costumes. The boys are
making bows and arrows the
traditional way.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that
these cultural classes are really
something. I hope you understand.
Murray Timoyakin
I think that the camp is here to
teach us how to be ourselves. I have
learned that discipline here has become pretty well self-explanatory, to
me anyway: meaning that we discipline ourselves. I also regained my
strength to be able to talk to the
Elders and learned how to be kind,
thoughtful and courteous. Or, in
shorter terms, to be respectful
towards others.
I also think the main reason for this
camp is for us to increase our living
skills, not just learning skills, so that
we may be able to survive when the
snow comes here to stay.
Holly Baptiste
Field Trip to Salmon Arm, B. C.
We went to Salmon Arm to see a
pit house and a sweat house. There
were 35 students that went up to
Salmon Arm. We went in two vans
plus we used Jeannette's car because
there was too much weight in the
van.
Plus we saw another place that
had a little model made into a pit
Photo: Penticton Band
Tracey Bonneau
Penticton Reserve
Penticton, B.C.
Age 12
house, like a little village.
H i there. My name is Wholthonecha. Or Punky or Larry Kenoras—
sometimes worse, like the saying
goes. I would like to share a few
things with my people about Owl
Rock Camp.
A person or #1 can really straighten
out a lot of things, if you are honest
with #1. By that I mean doing what
you want, feeling good about it now
and tomorrow, too. A place, or
places like this, is a need for our
people, young and old.
After you have learned about you,
then comes life, respect, love, selfdiscipline, sharing, honesty, learning
the ways of the North Americans—
the caretakers of the island.
A place, or places like this, is a
need for our people, young and old.
We need you to remember that, so
whenever you are around the south
central Okanagan Valley, come to
your camp, share what you have to
offer yourself!
To all my friends and relatives,
Way 7.
The Penticton Indian Band Education Committee has committed itself to a Cultural Awareness Youth
development program in answer to the social disorientation which is afflicting our young people today. We are
of the opinion that self-awareness, pride and personal motivation stem from a firm understanding of one's
history and parent culture.
The program of activities is designed to assist each individual develop not only practical skills but also social
and life skills that will help each to cope and survive as an Indian person in today's society.
The program which has now been in operation about five months involves a one day a week immersion
session with activities centred on cultural awareness through our history and customs, spiritual knowledge and
guidance, physical training and wilderness survival training.
The program is now being expanded to allow for youth from all areas to participate. The camp is open seven
days a week to all Indian visitors.
Penticton Indian Band Education
INDIAN W O R L D 30
Committee
Language:
Thinking for
Ourselves
The main difference between white
educators and Indian educators is
their method of teaching a person.
White educators teach a person to
be dependent. This is done by mind
controlling.
Indian educators teach a person to
use the power of their mind and all of
their senses, and to be responsible
and independent.
White educators teach a person to
read from a book. This way, you are
only making use of just one of your
senses.
White educators do not teach a
person to depend on his/her mind.
The white educators teach a person to
depend on another person. We come
to believe that we cannot do things
for ourselves.
If you want your tire changed on
the car, you don't do it yourself. You
get somebody else to do it.
If you want your house painted,
you can't do it right. So you get
somebody else to do it.
If DIA says you cannot teach
Indian people because you are not a
teacher, then you get a white man
from DIA to do it.
If somebody says that you're a
dumb Indian, you depend on his
mind and believe it and be a dumb
Indian.
Indian Education
Indian educators are basically
everything from Elders, Chiefs,
parents, children, plants, animals and
the Mother Earth. Indian educators
teach you from the time you are born
through all of your life. Indian
educators teach a person to use all of
his mind and to concentrate into
extreme depths and use his senses as a
balance of reality.
When we do something we must
also include the use of all our senses:
our eyes, ears, taste, smell, nerves,
heart (feelings), our mind and spirit
together as one. If we want to defeat
fisheries, DIA or alcohol, then we
must put into our minds that we can.
We are responsible for our own
mind, body and spirit. Indians are
creators of our own Destiny.
•
The Indian language is an
important part of Indian cultural
programs. Through the learning of it,
other areas can be developed such as:
history, social conduct, physical
training, cooking, plant medicine,
etc.
The "baby" method of teaching a
language is based on what a baby
goes through to learn a language.
A first phase would be a simple
introduction to the language by
hearing it spoken on a daily basis.
Use Indian words mixed with
English.
The first thing is to learn to hear
the right sounds.
The second thing, after learning to
hear for a few months, is to try to
pronounce the sounds without trying
to remember the meaning. That is
training the vocal muscle. A n important step is remembering the meaning
of a sound.
The third step after making the
sounds is learning simple every-day
words that are used often. This can be
built up with nouns (person, place or
thing), verbs (action part of sentence
such as go, do), and adjectives (add
meaning to nouns e.g. blue shirt).
This leads to knowledge of the
language.
As you would do with a baby, give
praise and encouragement to the
person learning to speak and understand.
INDIAN EDUCATION SCHEDULE
May 23-24: St. Mary's Student Residence Reunion at
St. Mary's, Mission.
May 26-27
May 1980
May 5-8,1980
Training
Workshop
Training Co-ordinators
Cultural Education Youth Meeting
for
Band/District/Tribal
May 12-15,1980
National Indian Control of Indian Education Conference, Winnipeg, Man.
Designed for Band Representatives
May 22-23
Proposed dates to co-ordinate a meeting of Bands
concerned with residential school buildings—Resource
people from other Provinces. UBCIC Boardroom.
May 29-30
E-12 Meeting, Union Board Room, 440 W. Hastings
Street
June 9-10
Training Meeting
Union Boardroom, 440 W. Hastings
June 11-13
St. Mary's Survey-Report to 47 Band's Representatives from the Vancouver District Area of DIA—at St.
Mary's, Mission
•
INDIAN WORLD 31
(from page 21)
Another example of physical suppression is the
beautiful land that was left us by our ancestors, which the
white people call reserves. We treat them like reserves
because we are taught to treat them that way. Indian
Governments must teach us to see this land the way our
ancestors saw it.
3. The third vital area of concern is the spirituality of a
person, which is the foundation of the other two areas.
The three fundamental areas of mind, body, and spirit
must be dealt with as one, but the first two cannot
succeed without the third. The main thrust of communalism in Indian communities was based on a strong and
integrated spirituality, which was based on a co-operative
oneness with nature. The Indian mind, body and spirit
and nature were one, and when things were so, the Indian
prospered. Not that he had everything, but what he
received is really all he needed to fulfill his existence with
satisfaction and dignity.
What do we have now to replace what we had? The
seeking of spiritual fulfillment has created a spiritual
supermarket on many reserves that has divided many
families and communities. This will not satisfy the
spiritual togetherness we need. The spiritual rebirth of
the Indian people must be the cornerstone of a new
direction in Indian Education.
A study of Indian people before contact will show us
how the Indian Education system, Indian Government
and spirituality were integrated and inseparable.
The choice that we have is clear at this time: do we
want to take control over our survival now? Or let
someone else control our extinction?
We have to develop an approach that borrows sound
unchanging principles from the past and combines them
with the needs of the present in order to create a vision
for the future that is designed to help Indians succeed
today.
•
The spiritual rebirth of the Indian people must be the
cornerstone of a new direction in Indian Government
INDIAN W O R L D 32
THE INDIAN WAY BACK TO
HEALTH
Indian people from all over British
Columbia
and
neighbouring
provinces and territories came to
participate in our Indian Health Conference held at the Kamloops Indian
Residential School, March 21-23.
Elders and young people alike came
forward to share their feelings,
concerns and ideas on Indian Health
and our peoples' responsibility.
A solid foundation was set by the
people who came together; they gave
of themselves to rekindle the positive
attitudes and strengths of our forefathers.
The sacred ceremonies, dancing,
drumming and singing which took
place in the evenings made people feel
strong to share good things.
said George Manuel, guest speaker
and UBCIC President.
"They had to be healthy so they
really made every effort to make
sure that they were healthy. There
were many things to do to stay
healthy. They had to learn about
herbs, leaves, roots, berries and so
forth. They had to know what to
do to stay healthy. They had to
make it their priority. That was a
value they had."
Our Elders learned about
herbs and roots to stay
healthy. Now we have to
teach our children the
traditional way.
Sharing our knowledge makes
us stronger
The need for more people gatherings was strongly recommended
throughout the conference,
to
strengthen our people to work towards Indian control of Indian health.
This feeling was expressed by
Peter Bighead, one of the guest
speakers from the Blood Reserve in
Alberta.
"We should start sharing. That is
one of the greatest gifts that is
given to our Indian people, is the
gift of kindness, a gift that no
other nationality is given; it's being
close to nature—the Elders know.
We start hanging onto this kind of
thing, we're going to be a lot stronger."
"Old Indians used to have a great
deal of concern on health so that
they would not get sick, because
their whole existence depended on
health,"
swimming, and fasting. These strong
disciplines made life good for
everyone.
Over the three days of the conference, we discovered and shared the
very basic roots of how we can begin
to deal with the issue of Indian
Health. Through this conference, our
people clearly stated the direction
which must be taken and with whom
the responsibilities lie. The necessity
to find our way back to our
traditional practices is needed to
A n overall consensus was reached
that Indian health endows more than
physical well-being, but it also has to
include emotional, mental and
spiritual well-being. As Alberta
Lightning, a medicine man from
Hobbema, Alberta, stated:
"In the beginning of the native
creation everything was created
mentally and spiritually. That was
the only birthright that was
granted."
The traditional disciplines which
our people used daily to maintain
good health were shared by our
Elders and guest speakers. These
included sacred sweats, winter
follow a path that was given to us by
our Creator.
"If you're really serious about the
health of your family then you
must redevelop that priority; we
must redevelop that old concern
about our health. We have to
develop again to start mentally
conditioning our people to look
after their health," George Manuel
says.
Our brief, which we prepared and
presented to Health Services Review
'79, reflected the feelings of those at
the Indian Health Conference. Our
brief was also submitted to National
Health and Welfare.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 33
HEALTH SERVICES REVIEW
The presentation given at the
National Health Services Review '79
in Edmonton this month was of great
importance to B.C. Indians in gaining
control over the delivery of health
services.
A recent health hearing held in
Vancouver in February, 1980, was
too early for the Union to give its
presentation and more consultation
was needed with the Bands.
Now, it is hoped the Health
Services Review '79 will be able to
sort
through
the
complexities
surrounding Indian health and
propose changes with the Federal
Goverment to ensure we survive as a
healthy people in control of our live.
George Manuel and five Band
delegates, along with staff members
of the Health Portfolio, presented the
main points and recommendations
from their submission.
Henry Smith, an Elder of the
Tsartlip Band, opened in prayer for
Special Commissioner, Emmett Hall,
to listen and accept B.C.'s submission
to the hearing. The Commissioner
listened as George Manuel told him
the provincial government in B . C .
denies it has constitutional responsibility to Indian people.
out of fear that the medicare system
might collapse as doctors threaten to
pull out of medicare.
"If doctors are going to insist on
total control of their own profession
and a larger income, then they must
be willing to give adequate medical
care to serve more isolated areas in
the North and become more
accountable to the people they
serve," George Manuel said.
Nonnie Elliot, a Community
Health Representative
for
the
Tsartlip Band, said they find
problems when dealing with Medical
Services. "We still have inadequate
housing, faulty sewer systems which
are always running over because of
septic systems poorly installed on the
reserve, and our suicide rate is high.
effective until those needs are met."
A Band faced with these serious
problems must negotiate with two
separate government departments to
resolve those problems.
George Manuel said Indian people
could develop a lot of self-help
programs if the Department of Indian
Affairs
were
responsible
for
channelling the funds to them. To
deal with one agency would make it
easier for Bands to find solutions to
the problems they face.
The Kwakiutl District Council
presented their submission on the
health situation in Alert Bay.
Commissioner Hall said he couldn't
do anything about it, but listened as
he was told of the many difficulties
the Band has been experiencing.
Health care is provided by the
Federal Government, but only as a
matter of policy that seems to
change with each change in
government. Indian health must
be entrenched in the Constitution
as a right or it will always be
endangered. It was recommended
the Indian Act must be revised to
reflect this right and to reflect the
right of Indian Government to
control the health care delivery
system.
"The provincial government in
B.C. wants to take over the services
One of our fifteen recommenof Indian people but they don't want
dations was that the Federal governus to be involved in them. We don't
ment exert force on the Provincial
want health services to be turned over
government to cause the negotiations
to them.
Bill Cranmer, top r., Ernie Willie, top. I., of Land Claims and Aboriginal
Nonnie Elliot, b.r., Evelyn Ignatious, Rights to begin. The only solution to
"We would like to see the federal center, Henry Smith, b. left.
better health is settling these claims
government turn the block funding
and establishing Indian government.
which provides the provincial govern"It all relates to the basic needs of
The end of the submission read:
ment for services of Indian people,
our people. Once those needs are met,
"Should our recommendations be
over to the Indian people in B . C . "
then we can concentrate on prevenrejected by the Federal Government,
B.C."
tative measures and make health our
we will then take our case to the
The Health Review '79 was held
priority. I don't think our job can be
United Nations.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 34
Alert Bay Health Inquiry
REPORT CONFIRMS
BAND'S CLAIMS
Dr. Gary Goldthorpe, Commissioner for the health hearings at Alert
Bay in March, gave his report on the
health and health services of the
Nimpkish people on April 19, 1980.
During his 23 day stay at Alert
Bay, Dr. Goldthorpe found in his
study of 132 death certificates of the
Nimpkish people that many of the
deaths occurred in cases of alcoholism and despair.
He found 56% of the Alert Bay
people died before age 40 and infants
had a 44% chance of reaching age 40.
The death rate for the people on reserve is almost three times the rate for
members of the group who live off
reserve.
"Alert Bay Indians are less healthy
than other B.C. Indians. One can say
an Alert Bay Indian stands a 25%
greater chance of dying within the
next year than does an Indian elsewhere in Canada."
Dr. Goldthorpe felt it was ironic
that those who had the most seem to
have lost the most. "Today the Alert
Bay Indians, among the wealthiest
and most sophisticated in Canada,
suffer higher death rates than other
Canadian Indians who live in remote
villages without running water, electricity or central heating."
He said their health declined with
suppression of their language and culture, with the anti-potlatch laws,
schooling away from home and
family, with the decline of salmon
stocks and with the influx of welfare
cheques and the disappearance of
their communities.
"From countless hours of listening
to residents of Alert Bay and other
communities I find Dr. Jack Pickup
possesses at least the minimum level
of medical skill and knowledge to
practice medicine in B . C . But Dr.
Pickup has been on many occasions
drunk while performing as a doctor,
and in public at Alert Bay. Renee
Smith died in St. George's Hospital
due to the negligence on the part of
Dr. Jack Pickup to apply adequate
medical care and procedures."
Dr. Goldthorpe recommended that
Dr. Pickup move to practise in a larger community and that he abstain
from alcohol or, if impossible, to
enter a treatment program for alcoholism. Goldthorpe asked the B . C .
College of Physicians and Surgeons
to review the evidence they received
on Dr. Pickup's care.
The Nimpkish Band's final submission to the Commissioner on March
24, 1980, said they want control of
the health services delivered to them
and establish a Nimpkish health board
to operate a health clinic on reserve.
Dr. Goldthorpe supports the
Band's wishes to establish a health
board and affirms their desire to take
control of their own health care system. He recommended the Medical
Services Branch and the Nimpkish
Band negotiate as soon as possible to
bring about their control of health
services.
Nimpkish Band Manager Pearl
Alfred said she felt it took a lot of
courage on Dr. Goldthorpe's part to
make the report he presented.
"The report confirmed everything
the Band has been saying. We knew
our health here was poor but to see
the statistics in black and white
confirmed it.
Now we have to make sure changes happen quickly. We are now
planning and are hoping to meet
with the Federal Minister of Health
within ten days to discuss the turnover of services to the Band.
Dr. Goldthorpe has given us a lot
of backup for discussions with the
Provincial Government. I think
things can only get better.''
•
CHILD WELFARE
STUDY
The Steering Committee for the
Child Welfare Study held a meeting
on March 26, 1980 to determine
what the next step will be. Representatives from the Program Evaluation Branch in Ottawa, DIA
Regional Office, the North Coast
District Council, the Lakes District
Council, the Union of B.C. Indian
Chiefs, the B . C . Native Women's
Society, the Alliance, a Native newspaper, and the co-ordinator of the
study attended.
The co-ordinator submitted a
Preliminary
Report
to
the
committee
and,
after
some
discussion, the committee agreed
that more time is needed since many
of the finer details are not yet included in the terms of reference. The
preliminary stages of the study will
be extended by three more months
so that the co-ordinator will have
ample opportunity to meet with a
wider range of Indian people. Since
the people of the north are unable to
attend any of the assemblies, the
Tribal Councils in the committee
will hold meetings with the coordinator for people in their region
to keep them informed.
After learning of the extension,
many have sent in their terms of
reference or phoned to make
arrangements to meet with the coordinator. Hopefully this trend will
continue until the 30th of June 1980
when the preliminary stages of the
study will end.
Indian Home Needed
An Indian family of two brothers
and two sisters needs a home. They
are now staying in a temporary
foster home.
The children's mother visits them,
but cannot raise them on a daily
basis.
For more information, please call
Annabelle Fung at 438-6101, or
Muriel Simon at 321-3441, Ministry
of Human Resources.
INDIAN W O R L D 35
CROP PLANNING
photo: Mary Louise Williams, Mt. Currie
Mount Currie Band farmer readying the land for spring activities.
It's the time of year when there is a lot of activity
around everything to do with agriculture: farm supply
stores, fertilizer and machinery dealers, processing companies, dairymen, ranchers, sheep breeders—the list goes
on and on.
Now is the time everybody is planning their crop
program for the growing season. There are many factors
which will affect these plans. Based on past experience or
on future projections, almost everybody will be making
changes to their past year's operations. Some will just be
alternating fields from one type of production to
another, others will be making major changes, such as increased production to suit forms of expansion like herd
size or shortage of feed in past years. Others may have
overproduced and not been able to market or use last
year's production, though this doesn't happen very
often. There may be a need for a different ratio of specific
feed types.
Planning Factors
The main factors in determining what crops to grow or
how much of it will be the ability to market and the
economic benefits to be realized. Crop rotation also
affects one's crop planning. Because different crops use
INDIAN W O R L D 36
by Chester Douglas
different constituents from the soil, the grounds must be
periodically switched from one type of production to
another, to avoid permanent damage to the soil.
Another factor to consider is that certain cultural and
other practices that are necessary for one crop type are
detrimental, and often critical, for another. A n example
of this is the use of Atrazine for the control of weeds in
corn. Atrazine is a chemical used to control broadleaf
weeds in corn crops. Although it gives highly effective
control of weeds, it has a residual effect; that is, it remains
in the soil long after the crop year is over, and if used at a
high rate, critical amounts of the chemical remain in the
soil two or three years after.
So when a person is planning his crops for the year, he
should consider his feed requirements, his ability to
market and his soil management before making his final
decision.
Something that shouldn't be overlooked in crop
planning is the ability to harvest when the crops are
ready. If a person doesn't plan his production and
harvesting time properly, he might end up with all his
crops ready to harvest all at once. This could result in
losing part of his crop.
•
WIAC Workshops
Planning an Irrigation System
A n irrigation system should be designed and installed
so that it suits the particular circumstances (soil, crops,
climate, water sources, etc.) of the area to be irrigated. It
is no good to simply copy a neighbour's system or choose
a method which at first hand seems suitable. By making
sure that all factors are checked out, costly mistakes and
future operating problems can be avoided.
• Plan Ahead—have your plans finalized the year before
you wish to irrigate; try to arrange to install your
system in the fall.
• Contact your local WIAC fieldworker for information
on available publications on irrigation. Your local Ministry of Agriculture Office can also supply you.
• Get a good map of your area and mark out the areas
you wish to irrigate. A n air photo is very useful: ask
your WIAC fieldworker to order one for you.
• Contact your local Ministry of Agriculture Office and
get advice on the irrigation methods which will be most
suitable to your particular needs and circumstances.
Arrange to have your soil tested. You may also need to
improve drainage.
• Check out the sources of water—are they reliable?
What are your water rights? How much water is
available? Have the water tested for Quality (it may
have high levels of dissolved salts). Does the water have
a lot of sand in it? (this will clog up sprinklers). If you
are considering having a well drilled, contact Environment Canada who can advise you on likelihood of
success.
• If you are planning to use electric pumps, you will be
restricted by the availability of hydro service: do you
have single or three phase service? Gas and diesel
Date
Workshop Place
May 6
Small
Animals
T o be set Farm
Machines
To be set Home
Gardens
Field man
Cranbrook
Cancelled
Dan
Graveile
Ft. St. John
Angus
Dickie
Lillooet
Mike V.
Joseph
District
May
12-16
Fieldmens WIAC
Workshop Boardroom
WIAC
May
12-13
4H
Stoney
Creek
Jimmy
Quaw
May
20&21
Stoney
Land
Clearing & Creek
4H
Jimmy
Quaw
engine powered pumping systems are expensive to buy
and operate. Tractor driver pumps are hard on tractors
and tie up valuable machinery when you may need it.
• Estimate how much labour is involved with different
systems.
• Should you decide on a sprinkler or gun system, approach a reputable irrigation supply company in your
area. They should be willing to design a proper system
and draw plans and give you a definite quotation. The
company should also be willing to have their proposed
plans checked by your local Ministry of Agriculture
Engineer. Do not expect the company to give you any
of their plans before you have made a contract with
them. Arrange to have the proposed plans given in confidence to your Ministry of Agricuture Engineer for
checking before you make a contract.
• Plan to instruct your workers on safe working habits—
irrigation pipes and power lines can be killers!
•
A suitable irrigation
system depends on
each individual's
circumstances like
water supply, soil,
crop, climate and so
on.
Right: setting up irrigation for the Seabird
Island Band's beancrop last year.
INDIAN W O R L D 37
Regulating the Forests
the Indian Way
The Indian Timber Regulations suggests that Indian
Bands are incompetent in the management and development of their own timber. Last month we discussed two
ideas for changes in the Regulations: Band authority and
control over Indian timber management and obtaining
timber quotas to supplement the depleted Indian timber.
What is the next step? What are your ideas? It is time for
action rather than just talk. If you have any comments or
views about the following draft proposal for action
contact the Forestry Committee at (604) 684-0231 or
write to 3rd floor, 440 West Hastings Street, Vancouver,
B.C. V6B1L1.
Summary
This proposal will focus on the hearts on the administrative policies and procedures of Indian timber. Our
goals and objectives are to lead towards Indian Bands
independently directing the development of the forestry
sector. This step will advance the overall progress of the
economic development activities of Indian Bands in B.C.
Goal
To amend the Indian Timber Regulations and include
the following objectives in the process.
Objectives
• Draw up alternative plans of action in preparation
for discussion with Indian Bands and District Councils, in order to form a clear direction for the management of Indian timber.
• Assess the role and authority of the Departmental
District Foresters according to the Indian Timber
Regulations.
• Assess the success and failures of the forms of agreements that give rights to cut Indian timber.
• Assess the financial management of monies derived
from royalties and stumpage payments of Indian
timber.
• Plan the development and maintenance of an up-todate inventory system of Indian timber. (The
present one is about 20 years old).
• Draw up plans to develop and establish a central
Indian forestry body to secure financial backing for
the many Indian forestry resource people who could
concentrate in such areas as (a) monitoring the goals
and objectives of Indian Bands to by-pass bureaucracy of both federal and provincial government
agencies, (b) monitoring the federal and provincial
agreements to ensure that Indian Bands are not excluded from important forestry agreements (such as
the case with the federal-provincial agreement on
silviculture or tree planting or stand tending), or (c)
INDIAN W O R L D 38
The Indian Timber Regulations:
• regulate the harvesting, sale and disposal of timber within Indian
reserves and surrendered lands
• dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (for Indian use) to a
Band for Band purposes, or to a member or a group of members
of a Band to cut timber or fuel wood for his or their individual use
without the need to pay royalty or stumpage payments
• dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (to sell timber) to a
Band or member or a group of members of a Band for a period of
one year and stumpage or royalties must be paid unless such payments are waived as a measure of relief to the permit holder
• dispose of Indian timber through a "Licence" which is available
to any person other than a member of a Band on whose behalf the
timber is being administered
• specify that Licences are available where timber has been surrendered or released to the Crown or without a surrender where the
Assistant Deputy Minister is satisfied that the sale of the timber is
in the interest of the Band and the Band Council consents
• specify that Licences are to be issued after advertising except
where stumpage or royalties payable on the timber will not exceed
$2,500.00 and are for a term of one year and are renewable
• specify that ground rent must be paid each year at a rate of $0.20
per acre with a minimum fee being $40.00 and a security deposit
must be kept in place
• specify that both the Permit (to sell timber) and the Licence
stumpage or royalties are payable and the timber must have been
measured by a licenced scaler or by some other person appointed
for the task and all stumpage or royalties must have been paid
before the timber can be manufactured at a mill unless consent
has been obtained from the Assistant Deputy Minister.
monitoring the Canadian economy in regards to
interest rates that may hurt the overall development
of Indian forestry.
• Develop a mechanism by which the federal government will negotiate a federal-provincial agreement
for a program that can allocate timber quotas for
Indian Bands to supplement the depleted Indian
timber. (This is by no means a part of Indian land
claims).
• Determine how the Band by-laws can give Indian
Bands more local control over such matters as reforestation (re-planting after Indian trees have been cut)
or other matters that will affect the long term development of Indian timber.
This account supports George Manuel's statement in a
press release on April 11, 1980 regarding the Department's funding policies :
"The funding of the Department must be changed to
emphasize positive socio-economic development programs for Indian Bands instead of social assistance
dependency. These welfare programs now dangerously
dominate any socio-economic development. In 198081, more than 27 million dollars has been ear-marked
for Bands. Little more than 3 million dollars has been
slotted for socio-economic development. Divided
among the 194 Bands of B.C., an average of $140,000
would go to each Band for welfare payments, while
only a miniscule $15,500 would reach each Band for
job creation and economic development.''
•
INDIAN CONSULTING GROUP
A new consulting firm has opened its doors for
business in Vancouver recently. NDCS Consultants are
prepared to offer a wide range of development services to
Band Councils, Indian Organizations and individual
business people.
The difference between this consulting group and all
the others in B.C. is that NDCS Consultants is a wholly
Indian-owned business venture. A l l the partners in the
group are Indian professional people from different parts
of the province. They include businessmen, a lawyer,
educators and experienced administrators.
The interim president of the group is Chief Gordon
Antoine, Coldwater Band:
"Our firm has a unique advantage in understanding
and assisting with the aspiration of Bands and individuals as well as those of other cultural minorities in our
society. We have worked with Band Councils, government departments and our own businesses. We know
the problems and we also know the opportunities that
are available."
Some of the areas where the group can provide assistance
to Bands are:
community planning
project development (logging, real estate, etc.)
general management services
preparation of funding proposals
staff recruitment
negotiations with government
special Band training courses
environmental and socio-economic impact studies
Gordon Antoine went on to say:
"I would like to emphasize that this is strictly a business venture by a group of people with certain skills to
offer. We are not associated with any other provincial
Indian organization or group. We are strictly professional consultants with a service to offer."
NDCS Consultants has an office at 225-744 W. Hastings
Street in Vancouver. The office phone number is
682-7615. The group is presently preparing some literature which will be sent out to all Band offices later this
month.
•
WINDEMERE ELKS
NEW PROVINCIAL INDIAN HOCKEY
CHAMPIONS
by Irvine Harry
During the long Easter Weekend
many fans were treated to excellent
hockey action in Smithers when the
all-native Provincial Hockey Playoffs took place.
A total of nine teams took part in
all of the action. Two teams came
from each recreational zone in the
province.
Windermere Elks
Zone 3
Merritt Braves
Zone 3
Alkali Lake Renegades
Zone 4a
Prince George Native Sons Zone 4b
Ft.St. James Chiefs
Zone 4b
Kispiox Warriors
Zone 5
Hazelton Wolverines
Zone 5
Moricetown Canyon Bears Zone 5
Kitimaat Thunderbirds
Zone 5
As zone 5 was hosting the provincial play-offs they had the option of
putting in more than the two-zone
representatives.
INDIAN W O R L D 39
NEED FOR NEW
PROVINCIAL SPORTS
ASSOCIATION
Hockey action got underway with
Fort St. James Chiefs playing against
the Kitimaat Thunderbirds and
winning quite handily.
Other first round action was Windermere Elks beating Kispiox Warriors, Prince George Native Sons
beating Hazelton, Ft. St. James
Chiefs bettering Merritt Braves and
Moricetown Canyon Bears whipping
Alkali Renegades.
A l l of the losing teams dropped
into the " B " bracket.
In the " A " events, Windermere
Elks easily handled Prince George
and Ft. St. James Chiefs nipped
Moricetown Canyon Bears. This led
to the quarter finals and had Windemere squaring off against the Fort St.
James Chiefs. The southern team,
Windemere, easily outskated, and
generally outplayed, the Chiefs from
Fort St. James, who incidentally were
the past provincial winner for 2 years
running.
Action on the " B " side:
Kispiox beat Kitimat, Alkali beat
Merritt, Kispiox beat Hazelton, Moricetown beat Kispiox.
Alkali Lake beat Prince George
and Alkali Lake avenged their first
INDIAN W O R L D 40
round loss to Moricetown. The two
remaining teams vying for the right to
play against the Windemere Elks
played an excellent game with the
outcome being: Fort St. James finally
beating the fast skating Alkali Lake
Renegades. This set the stage for the
final game between Fort St. James
and Windemere. The result was the
same as the game for the " A " finals
—Windemere easily out-classed the
Fort St. James team and thus won the
right to say that they are the Native
Hockey Champions for 1979/80.
Most Valuable Player—Pete N i cholas, Windemere
Most Inspirational Player—Arnie
Ignatius, Alkali
Most Points—Rick Nicholas, Windemere.
The final placements for Native
Hockey:
#1 Windemere Elks
32 Fort St. James Chiefs
#3 Alkali Lake Renegades
#4 Moricetown Canyon Bears
#5 Kispiox Warriors
#6 Prince George Native Sons
#7 Hazelton Wolverines
#8 Merritt Braves
#9 Kitimaat Thunderbirds.
•
A number of years back the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports and Recreation Federation office was established and opened, funded from
Ottawa.
Communications, therefore, was
established and opened doors to
many
Indian
communities
throughout B . C . who otherwise
would not have any means of
communicating.
Through this source we were able
to plan better sports activities for our
young people. Tournaments were
established, with the Provincial
Finals determining which community
is the Provincial Champion in their
own area of sports.
Travel was no obstacle for teams
through grants obtained by the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports & Recreation
Federation staff. Young people
struck up friendship among each
other, learning and becoming aware
of other villages.
Unfortunately, cuts in budget over
the past two years have been felt
throughout B.C., and now the office
is closed. With the closing of the
office communications with other
areas of B.C. are once again broken.
With the cutbacks in budget so severe
that the office has to close down, it is
like closing the door to the opportunities that are available to our young
people.
If we just accept this to happen it
will be like going back to how we
were in the past...."Isolated once
again".
It is up to each community in B.C.
to do something about keeping this
communication open among Indian
villages, through the B . C . Native
Amateur Sports and Recreation
Federation as our head office.
Perhaps each Zone can draft up a
resolution requesting that the B . C .
N.A.S. & R.E. be opened again; there
is a need for this office. Physical
recreation is a preventative program
in regards to alcoholism and drug
abuse.
by Mary Green
UP-DATE
WEST COAST OIL PORTS INQUIRY
In August, 1979, the National Energy Board announced
hearings into the matter of application made by Trans
Mountain Pipeline Ltd. and Foothills Oil Pipeline Ltd.
for Certification of Public Convenience and Necessity,
under Part III of the National Energy Board Act.
On October 15th the National Energy Board began its
hearings in Vancouver.
The Foothills Oil Pipeline Company withdrew its
application early in the hearing and consequently the
UBCIC intervention focused on the Trans Mountain
application.
The National Energy Board on February 21, 1980
announced that they were not going to give Trans Mountain Pipeline a permit to construct its Alaskan Oil Pipeline until environmental studies have been completed.
Since the National Energy Board decision, Trans
Mountain has announced it will do its environmental
studies and will re-submit its application for a hearing as
early as September, 1980.
URANIUM ENQUIRY
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has completed its
submission to the Bates Inquiry into uranium mining in
British Columbia. Although the Commission of Inquiry
was to terminate when the seven year moratorium on uranium mining and exploration was declared, participants
were asked to prepare submissions on the evidence heard
to date. Some of the highlights of the UBCIC submission
were:
(1) We identified the special concerns that Indian people
have concerning the possibility of uranium mining in
this province and we urged the Commission to make
recommendations to the provincial government which
would recommend and protect our rights and interests, not only from uranium mining but from all uncontrolled development.
(2) We drafted model legislation which we believe would
ensure that a moratorium on uranium exploration
and mining is observed. The legislation also attempts
to deal with some of the other potential health hazards
identified by the Commission such as uranium in
water and the wastes from all mines.
(3) We provided the Commission with a brief which outlines the minimum studies which need to be done
before the initiation of any development which might
interfere with Indian interests.
If Bands or individuals want copies of this material,
please contact the Energy and Resources Portfolio at the
UBCIC.
MUSQUEAM CASE
The Musqueam Band is suing the Department of
Indian Affairs for mismanagement and breach of trust in
leasing their land without the Band's agreement. The case
re-opened on March 20th and 21st, 1980, with some
evidence of the lands lease.
Jack Ellis, Crown witness and part share owner of one
of the smaller golf courses on the reserve, told of a conversation that took place with Band members around
1961. Ellis had the impression some members of the Band
appeared to know what was in the lease.
All of the Band members denied it. However, the evidence was very vague and the case was closed. The judge
will be giving his decision on the case in June, 1980.
FISHING CASES
Leslie Edmonds was found guilty but given a discharge
on part of the Judge's decision that Fisheries negotiate
with the Indian people.
May 5, 1980: Peter John, 40, a member of the Hope
Band was charged of fishing with a net near Ruby Creek,
seven miles west of Hope on August 6, 1979. His case was
heard April 10, 1980 and has been held over to May 15,
1980.
April 29, 1980: Rene Kelly was charged with unmarked
fish on October 31, 1979 at Mission. Her case was
adjourned.
HUNTING CASE
April 14, 1980: D'arcy Simpson of the Tsartlip Band was
charged with possession of a firearm. His case was
dropped on April 14, 1980.
Angus Davis: The Legal Team has since taken action
against the Majestic Wiley Construction Co. for the
damages caused to Angus's traplines in the Fort St. John
area. There will be an examination for discovery some
time in May, 1980.
Raymond Bob of Anaham was charged for shooting
moose and grouse out of season. The charges against him
were dropped on March 24, 1980 because the hunting
took place on reserve land. The judge told the Indian
delegates present at the court to consider it a victory on
their part.
April 24, 1980: Fred Shields was charged with hunting for
food in the Lillooet area. His case was adjourned for
another date not set.
INDIAN W O R L D 41
' 'NOT GUILTY":
Indian Hunters are
getting back our Hunting Rights
For over two years now, Indian
hunters have been going before the
courts and have been pleading not
guilty to hunting charges. In September of 1978, Francis Haines told the
court that he had a right to hunt. He
also told the court that the Provincial
Government was acting illegally in
the way they applied the Provincial
Wildlife Act because, by denying out
of season hunting sustenance permits,
Indian people were in fact being
denied their rights to hunt.
Now two years have passed. Our
efforts have paid off. Two weeks ago,
the Attorney-General of British Columbia announced that from this time
onwards, it will be the policy of the
Attorney-General of British Columbia
not to proceed with hunting charges
against Indian people who have been
charged when they are hunting traditionally for food. The Attorney-General's office also said that they intended to negotiate with the Indian people to put in law (the Wildlife Act)
our Indian concerns over traditional
food hunting.
The Victory is Far From
Complete
We have learned from the Attorney
-General's office that the Wildlife
Officers do not agree with the position taken by the Attorney-General.
In fact Wildlife Officers continue to
arrest and press charges against
Indian people who are hunting traditionally for food.
Fred Shields, an Indian hunter
from Seton Lake, was to appear in
Court for a hunting charge in Lillooet
Thursday, April 17th. Fred is a 49
year old Indian who was hunting deer
to feed his wife and four children.
UBCIC lawyers contacted the prosecutor and asked that the charges
against him be dropped. We made the
request based upon the announcement of the Attorney-General's office
several weekks ago. The prosecutor
refused to drop the charges immediately, saying that he would only drop
the charges against Indian people
who are hunting for sustenance. In
other words, the prosecutor was putting himself in the position which the
Wildlife Officers previously took; so
if the Indian person was hunting for
sustenance, as defined by nonIndians, out of season hunting may
be permitted. After negotiating with
the prosecutor and lawyers for the
Provincial
Government,
the
Provincial Government agreed to adjourn Fred's trial so the matter can be
looked into further.
Victory Brought About by
Indians Pleading Not Guilty
All those Indian hunters who pled
not guilty over the last two years and
fought their case have really helped
all Indian people along in having
hunting rights recognized in law.
There is still a great deal of work to
do. Only some people within the Provincial Government are convinced
that Indian hunters have rights which
should be enforced in law. There is
still a good deal of negotiation and
education to take place among other
members of the Provincial Government and the public at large.
•
HUNTING AND TRAPPING PORTFOLIO.
At the Northern Regional Conference in Fort St. John, March 13 and
14, 1980, Hunting and Trapping
was a major agenda item. The
Chiefs at the conference passed a
resolution to hold a Trappers
Forum in Williams Lake in the 4th
week of June.
The guidelines given at the Northern Regional Conference for the
Hunting and Trapping Steering
Committee for the Northern Region
are as follows:
• Breakdown of Wildlife Act.
• How to register traplines.
• Interference of companies and
farmers.
• Expanding Indian traplines and
Band traplines.
• Trappers' support programs.
INDIAN W O R L D 42
•
•
•
•
•
•
Trappers' Co-op on Reserve.
Fur selling.
Purchase of equipment.
Fur enhancement programs.
Trapping rights.
Breakdown
of
trapline
• Breakdown of trapline meaning.
• Individual trapper problems.
• Protection of Indian trappers,
cabins, property.
Two or three representatives from
each district will sit on the Steering
Committee, to ensure and assist the
Union in work that has to be done.
On April 8 and 9, the Fort St.
John District Council discussed the
Trapping Forum. The Chiefs passed
a motion that all persons wishing to
attend the Trappers Forum give one
beaver pelt of reasonable size and
quality to cover travel expenses. If
there were any dollars left over, they
will be used to finance another
Trappers Forum next year or cover
costs for meetings dealing with
Hunting and Trapping.
In order to organize for the trappers who will attend the Forum, it
would be much appreciated if a list
could be made and sent or phoned
in to the Union office by May 15,
1980. We will then make the necessary travel arrangements. It would
also be appreciated if people attending could bring their own bedrolls
and tents.
For more information, call Steven
Basil, Co-ordinator, at 684-0231,
local #20.
•
DAMNING
THE LIARD
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs passed a resolution at
its 11th Annual General Assembly that the UBCIC
should oppose any large scale hydro-electric project
proposed by B.C. Hydro, including those planned for the
Peace, Liard, and Stikine rivers.
On April 1-2, 1980, five people from the community of
Lower Post participated in a workshop on the proposed
B.C. Hydro Dams on the Liard River. Basically the
workshop was to review B.C. Hydro's plans for the Liard
River and to do an examination of B.C. Hydro from our
past experiences in dealings with them on other issues and
on Hydro in general. We also discussed Land Use Studies
and the impacts the proposed dams on the Liard river
would have on the community of Lower Post.
Proposed Liard Dam to be one of World's Largest
In mid-1978, B . C . Hydro announced that possible
hydro-electric projects on two major river basins in northern B.C. were being intensively studied: the Liard, the
Stikine and Iskut rivers.
The Liard River rises in the Yukon and enters B . C .
near Watson Lake. It flows about 480 kilometres through
B.C., around where the Lower Post community is situated, and the river flows on a further 368 kilometres
through the Northwest Territories to Ft. Simpson where
it discharges into the Mackenzie River.
In the summer of 1979, B . C . Hydro went into its
second summer of engineering and feasibility studies into
plans for hydro-electric power development at the Liard
River.
To dam the Liard would create the same amount of
power as the Peace, which is one of the largest hydroelectric power projects in the world. B.C. Hydro's plans
for the Liard would involve 3-5 dams and a reservoir. The
reservoir would be twice as large as the man-made Williston Lake.
B.C. Hydro's studies are supposed to include
hydrology, plant ecology, fisheries biology, wildlife biology, and forestry, mining and recreation resources.
Hydro Studies Irrelevant to Indian Concerns
Although the feasibility studies have been underway
for over two years B . C . Hydro's first drop-in visit to
Lower Post was in the late fall of 1979. They asked the
Indian people to participate in a questionnaire. The
Indian people would not participate because the questionnaire was so irrelevant to their way of life and
because there was no prior consultation. They told B.C.
Hydro that they would do their own study on the impacts
of Hydro's Plans.
Whole Reserves would be Flooded
Hydro's plans for the Liard River would be devastating
to the Indian people. Two reserves are situated in the
flood area. Almost all of their traditional and aboriginal
territories would be flooded, therefore destroying their
hunting, trapping and fishing territories including their
year round camps. Archaeological sites, recreational activities, and a total way of life would be destroyed. People
in this area rely heavily on moose, black bear, grizzly,
caribou, fox, wolves, beaver, coyote, lynx—all these and
different species of fish would be flooded out.
There is also the possibility of homes being flooded,
and whole Indian Reserve lands. The community of
Lower Post and Upper Liard have made it very clear that
their Reserves are not for sale and are not interested in
any land surrenders so that they can be flooded. The
people have also made it clear that they are going to
struggle to save their way of life and to preserve their
environment which provides for their way of life.
The Lower Post community is in the process of developing a Land Use Study with the Union and are working
on ways and means of protecting their reserve lands and
their traditional and aboriginal territories.
•
INDIAN WORLD 43
This book was written and researched by Chief John
Snow of the Morley Reserve in Alberta. He is the elected
chief of the Wesley Band of the Stoney Indians. He deals
primarily with the problems his people have encountered
since the signing of Treaty 7, which encompasses his
people.
He begins the book in the tradition of all Indian people
throughout North America, in the oral tradition. It did
not really dawn on me until much later, for it did seem as
his voice were speaking out to me; or was it a voice that I
had heard before, perhaps the voice of one of my Elders.
I believe that it is the universal voice of all Indians
throughout North America, one which speaks of strong,
healthy, proud, and very traditional people.
He then discusses the coming of the white settlers and
the missionaries who were very influential, in conjunction with the Federal Government, in getting the Indians
to accept the influx of white settlers. A n appropriate quotation from the book which I found to sum up the
situation is:
"Before the whiteman came we had the land, they had
the Bible. Now we Indians have the Bible, they have
the land."
He also speaks of the concept of Christianity, which is
sharing, which was nothing new to Indian people, as the
sharing of all things that were essential was part of the
Indian people's lives. This is one of the reasons that he
states why Indian people were so easily swayed into
Christianity.
He then goes on to explain the frustrations felt by his
people in the signing of the treaty, where the biggest
problem was the translation. There were times when three
different languages had to be spoken, from Stoney to
Cree then to English. Their interpreter at that time was a
missionary. As a result, during the translation of the languages between the Chief who signed the treaties and the
government official, the actual meanings were
interpreted improperly. Consequently the Indians at that
time were misled into signing a legal document of which
INDIAN WORLD 44
their understanding was very different from what was
contained in the treaty.
Some of the Indians that were present during the signing of the treaty, had believed that they were signing a
peace treaty. They had heard of some of the rebellions
that were happening in eastern Canada and the
movement of various Indian tribes from the United
States into Canada. One of the chiefs had asked the
Lieutenant Governor the real meaning of the proposal,
and was told, 'to make peace between us.'
There are also very fine examples of how the Department of Indian Affairs consistently gave in to the
demands of public outcry of the white society. One example was the grazing rights for cattle and horses: the white
settlers usually were given preference over the Indians in
the selections of their choice of land available for such
purposes.
Indian people were also confined to their reserves
except when they were issued a pass from the department.
I found it very disturbing that they were not allowed to
move freely without fear of imprisonment. The Jews in
Nazi-occupied Europe were also persecuted if they were
apprehended without the Star of David sewn to their
clothes.
I would recommend this book for reading to both
Indian and non-Indians from the age of sixteen and over.
I believe that this book recreates the mood and life-style
of Indians today and the past, although it is focussed
mainly on the Stoney Indians. It reflects what was
happening to most Indians (whether it was treaty or nontreaty), for we were all dealing with the same enemy: the
envroavhment of the white settlers, the coming of the
missionaries and the infringement of policies from the
government, which were designed to strip us of all human
dignity and to become solely dependent on what is later
termed by the white society as government handouts.
This book may be purchased for $12.95 at most bookstores throughout B.C.
•
by Reg Percival
The First Water Lily
by Heather Spence
My people have this story about the first water lily.
Long ago some Indians lived by a lake in the mountains. They fished in the lake and hunted in the forest.
One night a hunter went high up the mountain to talk to
his friend, the Owl. It was dark and the sky was full of
stars. One star was enormous and beautiful and very very
bright. The hunter went home to wake everybody up. He
wanted them to see the strange star.
The people were frightened of the huge star. They did
not know if it meant good luck or bad luck. The Chief
told a man called Red Sky to go up on top of the
mountain to ask the star why she is there:
"Beautiful star, why are you there?" he yelled up at
her.
"I would like to live with you because everyone in your
village is so happy, dancing, singing, laughing, playing,
fishing, swimming."
When the star heard the good news she went on top of
the mountain to live, but it was too far from the village.
Then she tried on top of a fir tree, but she could not see
through the branches.
Red Sky went down the mountain to ask the Chief if
that would be okay. The Chief said, "That would be
terrific."
So the beautiful star floated down to the lake and
stayed there forever because she was happy.
The people in the village were very happy the lovely
star had found a place where she could see the children
playing and laughing.
She soon turned into the very first water lily.
This is a simplified re-told legend from "Tales of
Nokomis'' by Petronella Johnston.
•
INDIAN WORLD 45
B.C. INDIANS TOP BOXERS
Story of the Buckskin Gloves Tournament
Photo: Emery Louis
The first Buckskin Boy was Freddy
Baker from the Totem Athletic Club
in North Vancouver in 1951. Fred
Baker was also acclaimed Canada's
Greatest Indian Athlete of that year.
In 1955 to 1957, a flashy Eddie
Campbell won the honour of being
the Buckskin Boy. This is the longest
period a boxer has been acclaimed
this title. In 1957 Eddie Campbell
also won the coveted Tom Longboat
Trophy which is awarded to Canada's
outstanding Indian Athlete.
Although the first Buckskin Boy
was in 1951, the Buckskin Gloves
Tournament was first staged in 1949.
The first Tournament was held at St.
Paul's School in North Vancouver
and was such a success that an annual
tournament was planned. The
tournament was to be all native contestants and Grand Chief Andy Paull
suggested they be called the "Buckskin Gloves."
Prior to the first annual tournament the boxing shows were very
small and held on various reserves,
with meagre equipment and limited
facilities. From the Reserves, the
exhibitions were held in various halls
Gerald Peters (age 19), has won two
Buckskin titles 1978, 1980, Vernon,
B.C.
Photo: Emery Louis
and auditoriums in Vancouver and
throughout the Lower Mainland. The
cards were always an artistic success
but a financial failure. People scoffed
at the idea of an all-Indian boxing
show ever being a big attraction but a
man by the name of Alex Strain and a
committee held faith in their belief.
VERNON, B . C . In 1978 the
Buckskin Boxing Tournament was
brought into the Interior of British
Columbia for the first time in the
history of this all-Native Tournament. Since 1978, this tournament
has been bid on by boxing clubs in
B.C. for the right to hold this prestigious Native Boxing Tournament and
we have been successful in bidding
for the last three years. This year
Williams Lake was the successful
bidder. Each year that the Buckskin
Gloves have been held in Vernon, the
interest in Native athletics has increased and improved.
This year for the first time the top
Boxers in B.C. are Native. At major
tournaments this year, at least 8 have
Joe Todd (age 14), 1980 Golden Glove been won by Native Indians. CLIFF
B A L E N D I N E of Victoria won the
Champ, Kamloops, B.C.
most prestigious award, "Junior
EmeryNative
Louis
Golden Boy Award."byOther
boys to win in major tournaments
were Mark Michel of Astoria, Bronze
Boy; Randy Gallor of Astoria, Jade
Boy; Joe Todd of Kamloops, Jr.
Golden Glove Winner to mention a
few. Most of these boys will be
making a trip East to represent B . C .
in the Canadian Championships. This
team will comprise of at least 6 Junior
Native Boxers.
The results of the 1980 Buckskin
Boxing Tournament are as follows:
Sr. Buckskin Boy—Allan Deuth,
Williams Lake
Runner-up—Gerald Peters, Okanagan Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Junior Buckskin Boy—Cliff Ballendine, Victoria
Runner-up—Curtis Gensaw, California
Best Prospect—William Napier,
Yakima
Best Bout—Dempsey Gregorie,
Vernon/Cliff Ballendine, Victoria
Most Successful Club—Okanagan
Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Clubs that participated in the
Buckskin Gloves were from California, Oregon, Washington, Alberta
and B.C.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 46
Don Louis (age 16), Three year Buckskin Champion 1978, 1979, 1980,
Vernon. B.C.
FRASER VALLEY NATIVE
BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
On April 18-19 the Fraser Valley Native Boxing Club
sponsored the biggest Invitational Boxing Card held at
the Chilliwack Coliseum.
During the two-day card it is estimated that thirteen
hundred spectators attended the Coliseum. Archie Moore
was the attending celebrity, the former world light
heavyweight Champion. Accompanying Archie was his
Queen Charlotte Islands boxing team.
There were a total of 127 contenders from Saskatchewan, Regina, British Columbia, Oregon, California and
Alaska.
Most Sportsmanlike Boxer: Tom Harris of Nicola
Valley Boxing Club, Merritt, B.C.
Best Club: Regina Boxing Club, Saskatchewan.
Senior Buckskin: Dixon Davis, 18 years, of Warm
Springs, Oregon.
Runner-up: Andrew Mosquito of Regina.
Junior Buckskin: 14-year-old Isaac Taite of the
Astoria boxing club, Burnaby, B.C.
Runner-up: Greg Laboucane of Langley, B.C.
Chilliwack's Ray Bailie was the highlight as the Best
Senior bout, defeating George Mason. Earlier this year
Mason won a bronze medal at the Canadian nationals.
Best Senior Novice: Both weighing in at 139 pounds
and 17 years old, Lionel Samuels of Sandspit fought
against Dixon Davis.
Best Junior was fought between Greg Laboucane of
Langley and Randy Galler of Astoria Club, Burnaby,
B.C.
Best Junior Novice: Wade Shaffer, Regina Club,
against Isaac Taite, Astoria club, Burnaby, B.C.
Gary Authenieth won the heavyweight junior division
by a knockout in the second round.
The Intermediate class was won by Roy Barrett, 147
pounds, beating Desmond Teewee of Warm Springs,
Oregon. Ron Hurst came second in the Senior 125-pound
class when he lost to Dusty Isbister in the finals.
Brian Skrysnick came second, after losing to Jay
Gallagher, Astoria Club, in their final.
Stephen Authenrieth was the uncontested intermediate
heavyweight winner. Stephen fought a special exhibition
and lost to Chester Kelly of Whitehorse. It was Stephen
Authenrieth's first fight and Kelly's thirtieth.
Cyril Prescott was second in the 90 pound class. He
lost in the final to Lome Mike of Nicola Boxing Club.
John Silver placed second in 119 pound class. He lost
to Cliff Balendine of Victoria, present B . C . Golden
Gloves Champion.
Ambrose Silver was the uncontested winner in the
intermediate open class 106 pounds.
Pictures and Story by Greg Contois
Moore, a living legend in the boxing world, was born
either 1913 or 1916. He is said to be the oldest boxer to
hold titles of any weight class in boxing history. From
1936 to 1946 Moore recorded 136 knockouts, more than
any other in a boxing career.
On 1956 November 30 in his early 40's he challenged for
the heavyweight title which was left open after Rocky
Marciano's retirement. Moore lost in the fifth round to
22 year old Floyd Patterson. Moore retired in his late
40's, still holding his title up to 1962.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 47
HELP WANTED
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER
Bringing into priority, strong family ties, helping families
to grow in unity, love, and understanding.
Job Description:
Help set up family budgets.
Assessing individual family strengths and weaknesses.
Counselling on a one-to-one basis.
Identify family needs.
Provide referral service for families.
Assisting families or individuals to take advantage of
community services.
Provide supportive services to children in care.
Work to improve family relations, thereby lessening
family breakdown.
Working with broken homes.
Working relationship with Social Worker, Community
Health Representative, Drug & Alcohol Counsellor,
Band Council.
Qualifications:
Minimum Grade 12.
A high degree of maturity.
Demonstrate ability to work effectively with families
and children on the reserve.
Experience in community development.
Preferable with undergraduate training in behavioural
science.
Submit Applications to:
Lower Similkameen Indian Band
P.O. Box 100
Keremeos, B.C., VOX 1N0
Attention: Josephine Terbasket, Social Worker.
Deadline Date for Applications: May 22nd, 1980.
Job Starting: June 2nd, 1980
MANAGER,
BUSINESS D E V E L O P M E N T & OPERATION
Required to develop and monitor business opportunities
for native people in a small but growing community in
North Central B.C.
Should have experience in finance, economics, and corporate planning.
University education in commerce and economics is an
asset.
Previous employment experience in a native community
or organization is essential.
INDIAN W O R L D 48
Salary: $25,000+ depending upon experience.
Full benefits available.
Please submit in confidence resume to:
Ms. Nancy Plasway
President
Burns Lake Native Development Corporation
Box 1030
Burns Lake, B.C.
V0J 1E0
ALCOHOL COUNSELLOR
Massett, Queen Charlotte Islands, B . C . — A vacancy has
occurred at Massett for a qualified and/or experienced
Alcohol Counsellor for the Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Program. The successful candidate would be required to
re-organize the program which has been in existence for
about 3 years. They would work with one part-time assistant.
Within the terms of the project, which is financed by
the National Alcohol Abuse Program, the Counsellor
must be of Native Indian origin.
Applicants should write for further information to:
Dagaanthl Tlaat, P.O. Box 189, Massett, B.C. V0T 1M0.
Closing date for applications will be May 24th, 1980.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF FRIENDSHIP CENTRES
requires a
SOCIAL FACILITATOR
Duties:
• Develop working relationships between the N A F C
and non-native organizations that are concerned with
issues related to urban and migrating native peoples
• Aid non-native organizations to develop and implement effective policies that facilitate the development
of urban and migrating native peoples on a national
and local level as well as to communicate these policies to all interested groups
• Respond to local requests for information, resources
and support
• Act as a staff resource to the community interaction
committee of the N A F C Board of Directors and
work under the direct daily supervision of the N A F C
Executive Director.
Qualifications:
• A n extensive understanding of the cultures of native
peoples and a special knowledge of the needs and
aspirations of migrating and urban native peoples
• The ability to sensitize non-natives to native values
through public speaking and interpersonal skills
• Extensive knowledge of non-government and service
organizations
• Good organizational skills
• Proven ability in the communication arts, both written and spoken
• Freedom to travel
• Ability to speak a native language is not a requirement, but will be considered an asset.
Salary: Negotiable, please state salary expectation.
Closing Date: May 15,1980.
Apply in Writing to:
Executive Director
National Association of Friendship Centres
200 Cooper St., Suite 3
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0G1
Telephone: (613) 563-4844
QUESNEL TILLICUM SOCIETY
Native Friendship Centre
319 N . Fraser Dr., Quesnel, B.C. V2J 1Y8
992-8347
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Applicant Should Possess:
• Experience in dealing with the problems and needs of
native people in an urban and rural environment.
• The public relations skills and experience necessary
to deal effectively with government agencies, other
native Indian organizations and groups and the local
native and non-native community.
• The ability to manage a diverse staff engaged primarily in providing social assistance; referrals; and cultural, social and recreational programs to native
people in this community.
• The administrative experience to work effectively
under the direction of and in close consultation with
the Centre's Board of Directors.
Qualifications:
• A university graduate or high school graduate with
considerable experience in related job areas.
• Administrative, Personnel, and Financial skills to
manage a staff and budget.
• Administrative experience with native organizations
a definite asset.
• Counselling or community development skills and
experience an asset.
• Knowledge of various funding sources.
Salary: Negotiable.
Closing Date: May 19, 1980. Reply in writing curriculum
vitae and copies of references. Specify on reply
Attention Selection Committee.
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Indian Government Portfolio
Technical Co-ordinator
This portfolio focuses on developing the concept of
Indian Government.
A n understanding of the
British North America Act and the Indian Act is a must
It is also important that the person be able to develop a
good working relationship with people.
Qualifications:
• Familiarity with Band Council Administration
• Must be able to organize meetings and workshops
related to Indian Government
• Must be able to supervise and direct a team-oriented
office staff, organize and monitor in-coming work
from the field
Duties to Include:
• Providing Bands with resource people and information relating to Indian Government
• Assist Bands in Developing policies and by-laws to
meet community needs
• Evaluate government policies and programs
• Assist Bands in developing strategies in strengthening
their government powers
• Analyze documents in existing legislation with reference to Indian government authority
Applicants must be willing to travel extensively.
Salary will be negotiated commensurate with experience.
References are necessary.
Deadline for Applications: May 30th, 1980.
Please submit resumes to the attention of:
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
3rd Floor—440 West Hastings
FIELD RESEARCHERS
Twenty students are being hired this summer to work as
field researchers with various Bands. The main objective
of this project is to promote and strengthen the concept
of Indian Government. A l l information gathered will be
compiled into resource booklets, which will then be made
available to all Bands in B.C.
Duties to include:
• Working with communities and travel to
neigbouring Bands as well
• Organizing meetings and/or workshops at the
community level
Salary: Salary will be $120/week.
The project extends from now until August 29th, 1980.
* Please note that as of April 15th, 1980, of the twenty
field research positions, 10 are still available. If you are
interested or have any questions have your Band manager or Chief contact the Indian Government Portfolio.
INDIAN W O R L D 49
Indian Writers Workshop
An Indian writer has special responsibilities to both herself/himself and to the Indian communities that (s)he visits and
writes about. We need Indian writers to emerge from our Indian community whether they write from their life experiences as Indians or from a broader perspective. And we need to support and encourage each other as Indian writers.
These messages surfaced at the 3rd Annual Indian Writers Workshop held April 1st to the 3rd at the Coqualeetza
Cultural Education Centre. Maria Campbell, author of "Half Breed" and several children's books, led the workshop.
More than 15 of us attended the workshop, some for the second or third time. We spent a day doing role-playing, in
which each person developed the character of a member of a fictitious reserve, and became that person for a day. Each
us found that experience a bit disturbing, frustrating—it gave us a lot to ponder. We re-learned an important lesson:
when we go to a community we are dealing with people, human beings who continue to exist after we've made them pa
of words on a page. It is not our duty or even within our ability to judge, but it is our duty to dig for those things, those
facts and feelings, that lie below what is superficial and easy to see.
This is a part of what defines us as Indian writers: knowing who we are, and trying to convey a sense of our people to
others, Indian or non-Indian.
Suggestion
by Gloria Thomas Hill—Coqualeetza
"Tell us the story K'noha."
They climb up over the steel rim bed into the two
soft mattresses and under the covers. They never really
"made" their beds, that is to pull their sheets back
taut or tight, but rather smoothed and straightened the
blankets and quilts instead. It was winter.
The little girl had two small brothers who were constant companions and bedtime was the time for stories, when all three children lay back to dream and
wonder
"Well, there was this man and his name was Tadahdahoh. He had all snakes in his hair. He was such a
terrible man that he could not look at anyone or no one
could look at him. He used to live amongst the people but
after this happened to him he couldn't anymore.
It was a terrible thing that happened. He soon went
away to live in a cave. It just had to go that way. Tadahdahoh who carried a rattle so that when someone approached he would shake it fast and hard to let you know
that he was there. When you heard that rattle you knew
that it was his, there was no other sound like that."
Her mother swallowed softly and drew the covers
over the children. Since the little girl could remember,
her mother's hair was white—it never felt like hair—
almost like ashes. Her hands were smooth and shiny,
and dark: they were small hands with long curvy fingers
which always smelted like tobacco.
This other man, the one I can't mention his name, he
was walking through the land talking to our people. We
were a bad people then, we killed and fought each other,
some even ate another man. In a stone boat he came to
talk to us, and at the same time that Tadahdahoh was
living in the cave.
When he first reached the land he came to a village and
they would not give him shelter. He had to sleep in the
cold ground outside the village and every day the people
came to test him and to try his strength. He claimed he
This year's workshop, and those held during the previous
two years, emphasized the importance of personal
responsibility and developing a community of Indian
writers. For three days we shared our feelings of joy, fear
and frustration as Indian writers. For many of us, it was
a painful but very necessary release.
was the great law and the great spirit had sent him but
they would not listen. He had to show them the power
that the Creator had given him, then they let him in. The
first people that he came to he called Gonyengie'ea. They
were the Mohawks; the first nation to be gathered and
they lived at the eastern door. Now he went into the
village and chose an evil woman who poisoned people to
be a part of this new way. When she heard him talk, she
changed right away to be right and good. She was the
first grandmother."
By this time the children were dozing off.
The little girl fixed her body and curled her legs
up close to her chest. Her smallest brother leaned up
against her back and he was breathing evenly and steadily now.
"Well, this man he went to the cave on his way to his
next village, He heard Tadahdahoh's rattle and he spoke
to him.
"'Don't be afraid and alone now. Come out from
there and bring your rattle.'
"Tadahdahoh just laid close to the wall of the cave:
that's how he lived, you know, just laid there in the cave.
Well this Tadahdahoh, he became firekeeper at the Great
Council after this other man got all the nations together.
He still has his rattle. It has lots of power. His name is
Tadahdahoh today, the man who keeps the fire.
The next time the mother told the story it would be
about the following nation to be formed. She would
tell about the people and events that made up each
nation. Eventually the entire story of the peace-making
journey would unfold. How could the children know
then that this was the story of the great peacemaker,
whose name still is not to be mentioned openly, of the
clans and the feats of the longhouse of the Confederacy of the Six Nations that expand between the
eastern and western drawers. How could the children
know then that it was the story about them... Iroquois.
TWO-ACT POEM
ACT I
by V a l Dudoward
My people.
It was so long ago
That I called you by
that collective name.
Now I am wiser.
You speak the language
Of those who cut out your tongues;
You wear the clothes
Of those who stripped you naked;
You go to the churches
Of those who raped you;
You drive into your coffins
the nails that they invented.
My heart weeps blood
For those
Who danced for strength,
Whose shadows still dance
On this earth.
Where are they now,
Those people?
Sometimes
I catch a glimpse
Of my ancestors
In the eyes of
Bums on Skid Row.
They know,
But
They don't
Fight anymore.
And from time to time
The eyes of a "successful"
Indian
Cry out with the pain
Of what they've misplaced.
Oh
They all know...
But it was lost
Dust in the wind,
Long before
They
Came into this world
Yes,
My heart weeps blood
For those
Who danced for strength
Whose shadows still dance
On this earth.
Raging,
Sweating blood,
I
Felt
Myself slip and trip,
Not wanting to
Get up
But
Finding myself
On my feet
each time.
I'm screaming
Glass
Shatters and
cracks
Eagles cry
clouds weep
But
Nobody hears.
Family
Friends
Touch me
Tell me
what and
where and why—
What
new kind am I
Where
do we meet
and Why
is there no
reflection of me...
your stories
and
Happy songs;
We'll
sing
When
I visit you.
And
you'll say,
Just
Like
you always used to,
That
My birth was meant
to be
and My time
is now A n d . . .
ACT II
I fell into the cracks
of the sidewalk
And
Lay there
With the
Fingers of dust.
But
Cold North-Wind
Blew
Me back to Earth.
Each time, avoiding mirrors
Running
But
Still
outside in inside out
I
can't get away.
Screaming
Grandfather,
I
need a friend,
Let's share secrets
That
only we
can keep;
I
Love
Grandfather.
I'll visit you
Soon,
Under your
Cool stone house
In the hidden village.
FROM: UNION OF B.C. INDIAN CHIEFS
440 WEST HASTINGS ST.
VANCOUVER, B.C. V6B 1L1
THIS MONTH:
Our supplement this month is Education (pages 21 to
32), but it does not include desks and blackboards—
the traditional symbols of "Learning". A n experience
called Owl Rock Camp is introduced by Jeannette
Bonneau and Penticton Indian Band Education
Committee. Those who share their feelings about the
camp are: Elders Selina Timoykin, Larry Timoykin, and
Rachel Paul; Young People Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Holly Baptiste, Murray Timoykin, Carrie Jack, Joanna
Qualtier, and Larry Kenoras (Wholthonecha); and
visitors Jean Aquash, Ojibwa, and Anita Cheer of the
Colville Reservation in Washington State. Elder Eddy
Thevarge talks about his early years at St. Mary's Residential School and his political feelings about it now.
Physical health is a part of our education, too, and we
have a report on The Fraser Valley Boxing Championships by Greg Contois (pages 46-47). Irvine Harry of the
Caribou Trail Council has the results of the All-Native
Provincial Hockey Finals (pages 39-40), and Emery Louis
of Vernon has a story on the Buckskin Gloves.
Community news comes from Ervin Charleyboy of
Alexis Creek, who has news of their trapping and Indian
agricultural enterprise. Denelle Eugene of Shuswap talks
about the changes spring is bringing to their area. (page
12).
A community of writers is what prompted Gloria
Thomas Hill, program assistant at Coqualeetza Cultural
Education Centre, to write the story of Tadahdahoh.
(page 50) The community of Kitamaat is shared by Mary
Green, who works in the Land Claims Office of the
Kitamaat Band Council (page 16). The story of the end of
the B . C . Native Sports Federation and its effect on
isolated communities (page 40) is also written by Mary
Green.
The communities of the Hazelton area sent off 36
students to Europe recently: Cindy Joseph of the
Hagwilget Band describes the two-week experience (page
19). And elementary school student Heather Spence of
the Squamish Band tells the story of The First Water Lily
(page 45). Our thanks to everyone who worked to create a
new feeling and look for this April issue of INDIAN
WORLD.
i
INDIAN WORLD
is
‘““THE CHOICE IS OURS”
———
APRIL, 1980
EDITORIAL
When I am an old woman, my great-grandchildren
will come to me and they will ask me: ‘‘Grannie, did
you ever work for an Indian Government when you
were young?”’ And I hope that I will be able to say:
‘“*Come my children and let me tell you a story....
A long time ago when I was the age of your mother,
Luke, I had the great privilege to be a part of the
movement to put Indian Government in place.”’
““You mean there were no Indian Governments?’’
Steven will ask in shocked surprise and I will reply:
“There were always Indian Governments. The
stories that came down to me from my great
grandfather and my grandfather tell of the way we
used to govern ourselves before the whiteman came,
and of the way we uSed to live as one with all creation,
and respected our mother the earth.”’
““‘What do you mean ‘used to’?’’ Theresa will ask.
“We live as one now!’’
“Oh good grandchild,’’ I will reply, ‘‘It wasn’t
always this way. There was a time in our history when
we went through many trials and many tears. The
whiteman had no respect for us when they first came
to this island. They called us savages, outlawed our
way of worshipping the Creator, took away our ways
of teaching our young ones, of healing ourselves, of
providing for our families.... they brought sickness
for which we had no cures, deaths for which we saw no
end. They wanted us to be like them for they saw no
value in being Indian. They taught us to worship the
Creator in their way, how to sing their way, dance
their way and talk their way. It was not the same. Our
spirits lost much of their strength, living a way of life
that was not meant for us. But there came a time, in
my generation, when many of my good brothers and
many of my good sisters began to talk about Indian
Government. Way back then, Indian Government was
a new idea for us. I worked for the Union of British
Columbia Indian Chiefs and our leader, George
Manuel, was one of the first people to use the term
Indian Government.”’
‘I know who George Manuel is,’’? Luke will say
excitedly. ‘‘We learn about him in school! Did you
know him, Grannie? Did you talk to him?”’
‘‘What’s ‘Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs’?’’ young
Theresa will ask.
“That was the beginning of the Federation of Sea
and Mountain People’s Government,’’ I will say.
“‘Grannie, are you that old? Were you there in the
beginning?” ,
“Yes, good grandchildren,’’ I will say, ‘‘I was there
in the beginning. I remember when Nunavut was just a
name on a printed page to the whiteman’s
government, when the Dene Nation was just being
born, when our plan to build an Indian Government
here was presented to the Canadian government. It
was on April 29, 1980 in Ottawa when George Manuel
presented the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper to a
man who represented the Canadian Government.”’
‘‘Why did you have to give it to those guys?’’ Luke
will ask.
‘‘That’s the way it was then,’’ I will say. ‘‘The
federal government used to rule our lives through the
Indian Act; you learned about that in school, didn’t
you? Well, we had to fight real hard for many years to
bring the human world into being. We took back our
rights, little bit by little bit, year after year, and nothing
could stop us. We lost some of our people along the
way.”’
‘‘What happened to them?’’ Theresa will ask.
“‘They thought our road too hard to walk, too
unrealistic and they became as whitemen. Their
descendants live in the whiteman’s lands and they no
longer know that they are Indian.’”’
. ‘Those poor people,’’ Steven will say, ‘‘Why don’t
we go and get them.’’
‘It’s too late, my boy. We are walking this road and
there is no turning back.”’
The Editor
OUR COVER: Learning to build a sweathouse is part of Indian Education at Owl Rock Camp. The Penticton
Indian Band has taken control of the education of their children (See Special Supplement).
ae
_,
‘INDIAN
WORLD
VOLUME 3, NUMBER I
B. Cc. Chiefs go to Ottawa to present Aborizinal Rights
Position Paper
Contributors
Editor: Beth Cuthand
Assistant Editor: Pauline Douglas
Written Contributions: Jeanette Bonneau, Selina
Timoykin, Rachel Paul, Larry Timoykin, Anita
Cheer, Jean Aquash, Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Carrie Jack, Joanne Qualtier, Tracey Bonneau,
Whothonecha, Murray Timoyakin, Holly Baptiste,
Emery Louis, Ervin Charlieboy, Gloria Thomas Hill,
Denelle Eugene, Heather Spence, Mary Green, Irvine
Harry, Cindy Joseph, George Manuel, Sadie
Wornstaff, Louise Mandell, Greg Contois, John
Rogers, Lilian Basil, Brenda Leon, Norma Pierre,
Willard Martin, Mark Harvey, Chester Douglas,
Steven Basil; Jack Kruger, Maxine Pape, Glen
Williams, Philip Paul, Clifford Hanuse, John Warren,
Loretta Todd, Faye Blaney, Darryl Watts, Judalon
Jeffries, Darrell Ned, Val Dudoward, Angela Matilpi
and Fay Edgar.
Photographs: UBCIC staff except where credited.
Typesetting: Mary Schendlinger and Penny
Goldsmith.
INDIAN WORLD is the official voice of the Union )
of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
It is dedicated to building a strong foundation for
Indian Government by providing an awareness of the
political and social issues affecting the Indians of »
British Columbia.
Signed articles and opinions are the views of the
individuals concerned and not necessarily those of the
UBCIC.
EGitoridh: «wells Gahan + os ek cig a eae < ae
First All Chiefs Conference.............000c0eeee f
Presidents Message... sess hues oh) s sides > eee 7
Indian Awareness Days ..... Bes ¥en yy So 8
News News WEWsS. So) Gu. -ss sein). ga ae 9
DIA Land Mismanagement:
Hope Band Fights Back ..............0 0 ee eees 10
Inte News). oa say? oe ihe eas) Capea, bee be
Negotiating Terms and Conditions of L.S.A....... 13
Band Training Up-date .............. cee eee eee 13
Indian Institutions:
The Root and the Core of the People........... 14
Why Volunteer? 2... 0... bcs ee Mpa ce ee ee 14
Kitamaat: Planning for Tomorrow Today......... 16
Our World.......... Bo dad. dete ae ae ot ae 18
Migtie AleG: a... ..%et-Gu . de. . Se ee 20
Indian Education Supplement ................ 21-32
When our Elders were Young ...............05 ze
Elders’ Words about Owl Rock Camp s.04854,8 0 24
Danger:ehogl +. ahs ac: = a Po se ue 26
‘Young Ones’ Words about Owl Rock Camp..... 29
Thinking for Ourselves. .............2000eeeee 31
Teaching a Language.................. ze 31
The Indian Way Back to Health ................. 33
Health Services Review ........ 000 ce ee ace eenees 34
Alert Bay Report Confirms Band’s Claims ........ 35
CHild Welfare SOUGY cctude G58 20% 1 pies i aecie Beale 35
RT Ee EMR oe mre om serene « iba yo oie ee 36
Irfigation mlanning. |. cece. he... v any eae SIR bed 37
Regulating the Forest the Indian Way ............ 38
Indian Consulting Group..............ee eee eas 39
Windemere Elks:
1980 Provincial Indian Hockey Champions ..... 39
RUD aGs acm.) 5 oma, Yo wath (id eiigie3 aos aa we 41
**Not Guilty’’: Indian Hunters Win Back Rights ... 42
Damning the Liard a. fae5.'.. yd aed. severe bd. US 43
AALS ES CVV AheE WIRY aoe dk imyts Ages bas oT p » hee. ae
Book Review’... 1: sim: gies me oa dos wy ees og 45
Buckskin Gloves Tournaments...............085 46
Fraser Valley Native Boxing Championships ...... 47
Pelp Wameds..... «tedis {ices mantels: <2 loan 48
Indian Writers.................. * tad unease Oe 50
Suggestions .......... a cual 54h on sium Me 50
PWOsACL POM |. / Lngebs ade t-iu pee Sl ao ee 5i
* INDIAN WORLD 3
CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
MARCH TO DEMAND FULL
PARTICIPATION
—
\ f
NX WM ¢
—
— awh
&
To demand real Indian in-put into
the constitutional changes and to re-
affirm Indian people’s desire to be
part of Canada, about 250 Indian
Chiefs, Elders and young people
marched on Parliament Hill May 1,
1980.
No End Seen to Past
Frustrations
The demonstration arose from past
frustrations at not having a just and
active role in Constitutional change,
and because of a speech made by
Prime Minister Trudeau April 29,
1980 that showed that the Federal
Government was still not committing
itself to such participation. George
Manuel explained to the Assembly
that the B.C. Delegates and Elders
would be marching to Parliament Hill
in a peaceful demonstration and soon
the Yukon Chiefs and the Dene
joined the forces. As the Chiefs left
INDIAN WORLD 4
the room several urged, ‘‘Join us,
we’re going to the Hill’’, and some
joined the ranks.
Throughout the entire procession,
the Indian and Canadian flags stood
side by side symbolizing the Indian
people’s wish to see both a United
Canada and a stronger Indian Voice
in constitutional reform. The speak-
ers emphasized that real Indian input
into the talks would aid unity by
strengthening the Indian people.
Once up the hill the Indian people
gathered on the steps, leaders from
several provinces and from the Inuit,
and the Dene Nation Singers added
strength to the people by singing tra-
ditional songs.
Right to Participate in Constitu-
tion Change
During the demonstration George
Manuel, UBCIC President, Noel
Starblanket, NIB President and
several other leaders and Elders voiced
their strong stand that Indian people
have a rightful place as an equal par-
ticipating party in changing the
constitution. About ten to twelve
MP’s from all three major political
parties came out of the Parliament
. Buildings to lend their support.
Before leaving for a trip back to the
conference the people formed a circle
on the grass and again the Dene
singers sang, this time, though, it was
a victory song. With pride on their
faces, the Indian people danced.
Pride and Strength
As the people returned to the
conference through the streets of Ot-
tawa the Chiefs seemed to radiate a
feeling of pride and strength. Many
held tears of pride in their eyes. They
had done something to promote the
conference theme: ‘‘The future of our
Children.’’ e
- FIRST NATIONS CONSTITU-
TIONAL CONFERENCE
About 380 Chiefs met in Ottawa
April 28 to May 1, 1980. A historic
meeting was called by the National
Indian Brotherhood to discuss revi-
sions to Canada’s Constitution.
Ninety-seven Bands of the UBCIC, 5
Alliance Bands and 8 independent
Bands represented B.C. Indians.
Presentation of B.C. Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper
Although the theme of the confer-
ence spoke to the needs for constitu-
tional reform involving Canada’s
Indians, the majority of Chiefs ini-’
tially showed more concern for the
bread and butter issues at home, than
with developing a unified national
direction, The first important resolu-
ticn tabled came on the first day
when UBCIC presented their Abori-
ginal Rights Position Paper and put
forward a resolution calling for the
adoption of the essential points of
this paper, as a national goal for all
Bands in Canada (see box this page).
After the leaders’ debate, which
took up the entire afternoon, the
question was called and the vote
taken. In spite of what appeared to be
overwhelming support from those
Bands present on the floor the motion
was declared defeated by the Chair.
Since Saskatchewan Bands were
conveniently absent when the vote
was taken, it at first appeared that
this led to the defeat of the motion.
The mood of the UBCIC delegation
amounting to more than 150 Chiefs,
Elders and Observers was depressed
and somber. But, the next morning
after hearing arguments from UBCIC
leaders and Legal Advisors, the Chair
ruled the motion passed and admitted
that she had misunderstood the rules
of the vote, the previous afternoon.
Resolution #2 from British Columbia
.Moved by: Chief Bob Manuel, Neskainlith Band
Seconded by: Chief Max Gros Louis, Quebec
WHEREAS ,
The value of Aboriginal Rights and Treaty Rights has no price, and
WHEREAS
The intention of this conference is to develop a cohesive direction from our
Indian Governments at all levels, including Band, Tribal, Provincial, terri-
torial and National, and
WHEREAS
The goals must be established which reflect our inherent Aboriginal and
Treaty rights, and
WHEREAS
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has adopted the Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper at the Eleventh Annual Assembly, which is based on
the fact that we are the original people of this land and have the right to
self-determination and independence, we also recognize that we need an
expansion of our Indian reserve lands, resources, and our authority to
govern; M
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT
1. This chiefs assembly adopt as our national goal the implementation of
following positions:
a. Recognition that we are the original people of this land |
b. Recognition that we have the right to choose and determine the type of
authority we wish to exercise in our Indian Governments
c. The expansion of our Indian Reserve lands
d. The expansion of Indjan Resources including finances based on needs
as identified by our people
e. The expansion of the jurisdiction and authority of our Indian Govern-
ments (Band Councils)
f. Clarification and ratification of Indian Treaties that are related to
Indian reserves with jurisdiction to govern ourselves within the follow-
ing areas:
1. Band Constitution 13. Environment
2. Citizenship 14. Economic Development
3. Land 15. Education
4. Water 16. Social development
5. Air ; 17. Health & Welfare
6. Forestry 18. Marriage
7. Minerals 19. Cultural Development
8. Oil & Gas . 20. Communications
9. Migratory Birds 21. Revenues
10. Wildlife 22. Justice
11. Fisheries 23, Indian Law Enforcement
12. Conservation 24. Local and Private Matters
Each Band has the choice as to whether or not to implement it.
. INDIAN WORLD 5
Prime Minister offers no more
than Observer Status at Consti-
tutional Talks
On the evening of the second day
the Prime Minister spoke to the
Chiefs at a banquet. His speech was
essentially eloquent fluff and sooth- —
ing rhetoric, designed to offer a few
crumbs, like increased authority of
Band Councils within an amended
Indian Act. And he promised, ‘‘You
will continue to be involved in the dis-
cussion of constitutional changes
which directly affect you.’’ Which
means that the present inadequate
observer status we have will be
continued in constitutional talks. He
offered no new policy by the Federal
Government to allow Indian mean-
ingful input into the constitutional
renewal.
No Move to Forceful Action on
Constitution Drives B.C. Delega-
tlon to March
After the Prime Minister’s speech
and in anticipation that DIA Minister
John Munro’s speech to the Assem-
bly, scheduled for the morning of the
INDIAN WORLD 6
fourth day, will contribute no more
to the government position, the
UBCIC decided on Wednesday night
to register a strong protest against the
government’s empty rhetoric regard-
ing Constitutional Change. It was
clear to the UBCIC delegation that
the Assembly of Chiefs had been
swayed from their original course of
taking concrete action on the issues of
Constitutional reform. The Chiefs
wanted to act, to do something that
would call attention to this crucial
issue. They voted unanimously to
march the next morning after
Munro’s speech to Parliament Hill
(see lead story).
Because the UBCIC left the con-
vention to march to the Hill and were
followed by other delegations, the
remaining chiefs were unable to get a
~ quorum and so were unable to vote
on resolutions, but the UBCIC Chiefs
resolved to take a strong stand on the
issue of an Indian vote in the renewal
of guiding laws of Canada’s confed-
eration and could not be swayed.
On the return from the hill the
Chiefs met to decide what to do with
their remaining time in Ottawa. It
was decided that the Chiefs should —
return to the convention and support
the Dene Nation in the resolution cal-
ling for support for opposing an Oil
Pipeline in the McKenzie Delta which
would severely impede their life style
and the survival of the Dene Nations.
Full and Equal Participation Be-
comes Priority
The Chiefs also decided that they
should put forward a resolution that:
‘“‘“Government funding for consulta-
tion and hearings on the Indian Act
be turned over to Indian Organ-
izations for our work towards
full and equal participation at. all
levels on constitutional renewal, and
that this goal is our absolute prior-
ity.’’ The motion was passed and the
UBCIC Delegation returned the next
day with a feeling that B.C. had mae
the Indian Nations of Canada aware
of B.C., that they are a force to be
reckoned with at the National level,
and that our goal of Indian Govern-
ment is backed by many strong Chiefs
from all parts of Canada. °
.
F PRESIDENT’S
| MESSAGE
The Indian student drop-out rate from schools has
dropped from 94% to 90% in the past five years. This
means that 10% instead of 6% of our Indian students are
reaching grade XII. The national drop-out rate for white
students before they reach grade XII is 11%.
The question Indian parents and Indian leaders ask is
“‘Why do our Indian children fail to do as well as white
students in school?’’ But the Indian student has not failed
by dropping out before he reaches grade XII. The Indian
student drops out of school because he or she realizes that
all of the educational text books and learning from
lectures are controlled and conducted in the whiteman’s
ideological and value system; by white school teachers,
principals, school boards and governments.
Long before they reach grade XII the Indian students
learn of the teachings from their parents, grandparents
and other Elders of the community, of the supreme
Indian principles of being truthful and about sharing of
foods and other possessions with other members of the
Band or tribe, especially the weak and old. people. They
learn about respecting the Mother earth, water, air, sun
and the natural environment, because they are the givers
of a healthy life. This is in direct confrontation with the
whiteman’s institution for material success for the
individual, company, or multi-national corporations that
benefits only a small number of people.
For instance, there are only 250 multi-national corpor-
ations in the world that control industry, production and
most of the non-renewable and renewable resources. The
Indian student sees this massive confrontation with the
values of his people, and rather than abandon his cultural
values and assimilate into this ruthless system, the 90%
of the Indian students drop out of school.
The destructive feature of this school system is that the
drop-out students are classified as failures by the
whiteman’s system. The failure concept of the white
system is often mentally accepted by the Indian parents,
grandparents and Indian Elders and the white authority,
because the majority of Indians and whites do not under-
stand the difference between the Indian and the white
values.
It is dangerous to the Indian student not to understand |
the differences in the values because it classifies 90% of.
, ee he ; ~. ;
vr nly 4 Fa
our young Indian population as failures. They are often
rejected by the white system, and ignored by the Indian
world: with nowhere to go they continue to wander in no
man’s land.
We have been forced to live with the whiteman’s
failure classification system for the past 40 years and this
has taken a heavy toll on the lives and life-styles of our
people. The feelings of failure have broken many mar-
riages and homes, and placed hundreds of our Indian
children under the provincial child welfare act and into
white homes, and made alcoholics of many of our
people. It has led many of our Indian women into
prostitution, many of our people are in penal institutions,
_and in recent years more and more of our people are
committing suicide.
We are in a state of crisis that can only be resolved by
us at the Indian reserve community level. This is the
reason the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is urging Indian
Governments to act now in taking control of Indian
Education, in your Indian reserve communities. We must
take a more serious interest in the problems and help our
children and students through their many dilemmas. Our
parents, Elders and leaders must bring into existence
active support mechanisms for our Indian students, if our
goal is to strengthen our Indian cultural identity as a
Nation of people. Then we must start teaching our Indian
children at an early age to speak their own language.
Teach them to be proud of their Indian cultural values
and heritage. This is Indian Government in action.
a
Yours in struggle,
avy Wamu
INDIAN WORLD 7
. to rush home to his family and to
ASSIMILATION OR
LIBERATION?
by Brenda Leon
I'd like to tell you about my jour-
ney to Lethbridge, Alberta where I
attended ‘‘Indian Awareness Days’’
at the University. First of all I'll tell
you about a couple of brothers I met
down there that spread a bit of their
wisdom and feelings of their day to
day lives as Native people. The first
gentleman I would like to tell about is
from the Mohawk Nation, his name
is Tom Porter. Tom spoke of how
important the Mother Earth is to our
people, and about how we as Indian!
People must continue with our cere-
monies to her so she will continue to}
be good to us. He spoke about how
Indian people always find a time for
laughter no matter how difficult our
lives may become. This man _ has
really lifted my spirits.
Mr. Porter left a day early
his people where they are being
held hostage on their own land,
because the Mohawk people choose
to live the old ways. I thank you |
Brother for the feelings. you have
given me and I will pray for you,
your family and the Mohawk peo-
ple. 7
The next Brother I wish to tell you’
about changed my view of drinking.
His name is Floyd Westerman, and he
is an entertainer. The way he put it
was he states his case by writing
songs:
‘If you really want to do some-
thing for your people put down
that colonial trap, that little brown
bottle, then you’ll really be doing
something for your people.”’
The last I saw of this man
was when he was dancing at the Pow
Wow. His uniform was just beauti-
ful. This spring he will be doing the
sacred Sundance. I also thank you
Brother.
by Norma Pierre
There were some special speakers
with us in Lethbridge that week. We
became aware of many things by
INDIAN WORLD 8
asking ourselves whether we were
assimilated or liberated. Other
questions forced their way into our
minds such as liberated from who or
what, assimilated with what things,
with which people? Each person
received the answer they were looking
for, they became personal.
Thomas Banyaca, a Hopi Elder,
described a Hopi prophecy that is
mapped out on an Oraibi drawing.
Purification Day --
‘‘There will be confusion. Out of
this will come revival of our ways.
The new branches, the new sprouts in
the drawing, you people are those
new branches.
Mother Earth is the foundation of
everything. We are all built the same,
up and down and across.
There will be total destruction, few
will survive. The symbol of the circle
is very sacred. There will be no end to
instructions if we follow them.
We are all related. We are all part
of that. They have a root to the.
ground. When we pray, sing, the
spirit flows from our bodies to the
ground, to the environment. We can’t
see the air but we are not separated,
we are assimilated with everything.
The white brother has all kinds of
inventions, technology. He destroys.
When he came he brought the cross.
He was given a circle too, but he came
back with the cross. We got caught in
a trap.
Take care of the earth in a spiritual
way. Many people are hiding in the
mountains today waiting for the right
person to come. We were once
strong, we wore hardly any clothes,
we could run far. When the white
people came, he was covered. He had
a sweet tongue and we will fall. Now
he is strong, he hardly wears any
clothes. Don’t be like an onion, it
wears a lot and it smells.
The rocks are a part of us. Talk to
them, welcome them. They will give
us a Message and you will know.
This was the garden of eden. Give
food to the spiritual people in the
ground, people in the earth.
We have been mistreated. With
prayer and ceremony take care of the
earth. We hold the power. We are
near purification day. The great
spirits are waiting for us. The
spiritual leaders have those powers.
They are waiting for the white
brothers to change or they will get
their heads chopped off. Those who
helped us will have to replant trees,
clean the waters.
The third (purification) is past
already and they have pushed us west.
The young are learning, they are
bringing the pipe back to the land.
Get food ready, carry the circle. ”’
NEWS, NEWS, NEWS
COMMERCIAL FISHING IN TAKU RIVER
On May 15, 1980, the Fisheries Department will issue
commercial fishery permits for the Taku River area. Saul
Terry, Vice-President in charge of fishing, said fisheries
staff are acting with ‘cruel injustice’ in issuing these
permits.
He sent a letter to Fisheries Minister Romeo Leblanc
on April 18, 1980, asking that he immediately resolve the
fishing permit issue for the Atlin Band. The department
set out their guidelines for permit eligibility giving prior-
ity to those who held permits and made registered land-
ings in 1979,
Second priority is given to people residing in Northern
B.C. or the Yukon. In 1979, the Atlin Indian people were
given only two permits of thirteen available. One permit
was not used due to a death in the family of the holder.
Now fisheries officers say the individual is not eligible for
a 1980 permit. |
The Atlin Band is now demanding that six of their
Band members receive permits. The Indians of Atlin have
traditionally fished the Taku River and feel they are en-
titled to a full share of the resources.
Nowhere in the policy or the actions of fisheries offi-
cials has any consideration been given to the needs and
rights of Indian people and Minister Leblanc has been
asked to meet with Atlin Chief Sylvester Jack to resolve
the issue.
ATLIN BAND DEMANDS SIX PERMITS FOR
During the Royal Commission Inquiry into Uranium
Mining and milling, Atlin was identified as an area where
there was high potential for Uranium mining.
Now although uranium mining has been banned in the
province for the next seven years, Placer Mining Ltd., is
proposing to mine molybdenum in the Atlin area.
The Atlin Band and the UBCIC are concerned that
such a mine might present many of the problems
associated with uranium mining. In order to ensure that
the interests of the Atlin Band are protected the Atlin
Band and the UBCIC are undertaking a land use study
and have asked the government to hold community hear-
ings. Our plan is to present the Atlin Band Land Use
Study at this time.
Very basically the land use study involves one of our
trained mapper/interviewer/researchers to work with the
Band in compiling information on hunting, trapping and
the numerous ways of traditional land use and food
gathering throughout the traditional and aboriginal terri-
tory of the Atlin Band. All of the relevant material is then
transcribed to the maps, and will be used as the basis for
the study.
NISHGA TRIBAL COUNCIL CONVENTION
The Nishga Tribal Council held its 23rd Annual Con-
vention at Kincolith, B.C. on April 9th, 10th and 11th,
1980. The start of the convention also marked the opening
of the oolichan season.
People from the four communities from Kincolith,
Greenville, Canyon City, and New Aiyansh were present
for the three day meeting.
One of the main topics in the convention was the
effects of the Amax Molybdenum mine on the salmon
fishery at Kitsault, B.C. James Gosnell, President of the
Nishga Tribal Council, had this to say about the mine:
‘*We are commercial fishermen and we’re not convinced
that the mine won’t affect the fishery on the Observatory
Inlet. We’re not against development but we want to be a
part of it.’’
The Nishga Tribal Council received authorization at
the convention to use any legal means open to them to
stop the opening of the Molybdenum mine.
Leaders spoke of the provincial government’s promise
to the Nishga people to negotiate land claims which have
been going on for 110 years. Attorney General Allan
Williams has promised that the Nishga Land Claim will
be settled before any other claim in B.C. ‘‘We want to
hold him to that promise.”’
CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTER
The Canadian Human Rights Reporter is a new
service for people who require ‘knowledge and under-
standing of the trends and developments in Human
Rights across Canada. The Reporter provides a source
for the complete text of all provincial and federal deci-
sions, a calendar of pending decisions, and comment
from experts in the field. The annual $50.00 charge in-
cludes nine issues of the regular calendar, comment and
index section; and issues concerned with news and de
velopments will be published as they occur. For more
information please write to: Canadian Human Rights
Reporter, 91 Langley Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
INDIAN WORLD 9
DIA MISMANAGEMENT
Hope Band Fights Back
Once again the past and present
tactics of the Department of Indian
Affairs are being challenged by Indian
people. This time it’s the Hope Band
that’s taking action against the DIA.
DIA Mismanagement Loses 11
Acres of Band Land
Hope Band is suing the DIA on two
separate accounts. One concerns the
DIA seliing 11.22 acres of their land to
the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
without the consent of the Band. In
1923 the CPR was putting a railway
through the Fraser Valley and
apparently needed gravel as bedding
under the tracks.. The company put
forth a position paper to the
government requesting the purchase
of the 11.22 acres of Scham reserve,
which is part of the Hope Band. The
land contained gravel that the CPR
could use for the bedding. The ar-
rangement made between CPR and
DIA was to convey the land ‘‘for
gravel pit purposes only.’? DIA
neglected to put the phrase ‘‘for gravel
pit purposes’’ into the document of
conveyance, so CPR claims to own the
land absolutely. The land is no longer
required for gravel pit purposes.
The Band members at no time either
consented or surrendered the land.
And now, about 57 years later, the
Band is ready to take the whole issue to
court. The Band members are ready to
make their claim to land they never
gave up. The first move they made was
to register a Caveat, a claim to the land
which freezes it from any further
change of hands of exploitation.
Immediately the CPR disputed the
Caveat saying that the company holds
a valid deed on the gravel pit.
However, the Band says that the deed
is invalid because it failed to reflect the
true agreement.
“It (the gravel pit area) was sold,’’
said Hope Band’s Band Manager, Pat
John, ‘‘But the Indian Affairs did
The Hope Band is suing the DIA on two separate accounts, concerning the
loss of their land.
INDIAN WORLD 10
that. They allowed this to happen and
there was really no legitimate right for
them to let it go like that. And that
gives us a claim to it. We would have
had to surrender it and we didn’ t.’’
Another 113 Acres of Band Land
Illegally Surrendered by DIA
The second account on which the
Band is suing concerns the surrender
of most of its Scham reserve, near the
town of Hope. This is a much more
complicated case. It is also one which
is more confusing and angering for the
Band members.
In 1976 Earle Bachman, a DIA
official in its land department, called
P.D. Peters, Hope Band’s former
chief at that time and told him to get
his people together for a meeting.
When . the people came together,
Bachman began talking about a
surrender. Band manager Pat John ex-
plained what happened during the
meeting.
‘“We have two minutes (notes) from
two different ladies that day. As those
minutes look, he, Bachman, had
talked about 12 to 19 acres as being
surrendered. That’s what the people in
that group were told. And if they sur-
rendered what he was talking about it
might be at the most 19 acres. As it
turns around, 133 acres were surren-
dered and 12 acres were retained for
the people. Everyone involved at that
_ time still doesn’t know what hap-
pened.’’
The Hope Band members didn’t
hear anything else about what was
discussed that day until about a year
later. During the course of that year or
so there were elections and a new Chief
and council were brought into office—
Jim and Pat John became the Chief
and Band manager respectively. Then,
one day Bachman came into the Band
office with the surrender paper and
said they might want to look at it
before it was forwarded, apparently
toDIA headquarters.
Surrender Papers Inadequate
Pat told what happened the day
Bachman brought the paper into the
office. ‘‘As a people we didn’t know
the surrender had happened. Bachman
showed us that one page (of the
surrender paper). (On the paper) they
kept changing the number of people
who were present at the meeting and
people kept initialling it and pretty
soon it said ‘Dorothy Peters—Feb. 19,
1976’. How could she be there voting
when she went and had a baby? Then, |
think as a reserve we had realised what
that guy had done.”’
De-Surrendering the Land
It was then that the Band decided
that it had to do something, but what
to do was the question. So, they
learned how to go about de-surrender-
L
struggles.
ing land. ‘‘But,’’ Pat said, ‘‘we had to
also learn how a legal surrender was
carried out. We found out that for a
surrender to be legal, under the Indian
Act, it was supposed to be announced,
NATIONAL FISH FORUM
The UBCIC is hosting a National/International Fish
Conference— May 21-22, 1980 at the Sandman Inn, 180
W. Georgia Street (across from the Bus Depot) in
Vancouver. Attendance will be approximately 150 from
across Canada and a delegation of Brothers and Sisters
from the U.S.
An agenda has been forwarded to each District
Representative and a letter sent to each Chief.
meals, or accommodation. -
Delegates and observers will be expected to cover all their |
own expenses. There are absolutely no funds for travel,
4 P.D. Peters, former chief of the Hope Band, remembers past land
a notice was to be hung in clear view of -
the Band members and we had to
= se
* ne eS i * oh
“
understand what they were voting
about. Then, before the vote, there
had to be 30 days for the people to
think about it.’’ Pat said Bachman
gave them a phone call then went down
to the reserve and conducted a
surrender.
“In our way we had to let the insult
of what had happened to us go back to
the people and to talk‘about it and to
rant and rave a little bit,’’ she said.
“‘Then we let it mellow off for a while
and fet the community pulse with it a
while until finally they were saying,
“you mean I’ll never walk on that land
again?’’ I think we also wanted our
young people to understand what
happened too.”’
There Isn’t an Indian yet... .
Pat said that the Band members are
now ready and together to go ahead
with their de-surrender, throvgh the
courts. At the end of March there
was a Band member referendum
concerning the de-surrender of the
land. The vote was unanimous, every
member wanted their land returned.
She summed up the feelings of the
people:
‘‘The major cause is that the land is
all we’ve got and there isn’t any way
we’d surrender our land. Thereisn’tan
Indian yet who’s got the blood in him
to say, “‘yeah, I’! give my land up.”’ I
think that’s the first issue. The people
would never give their land up.’’
The Band is now working with
UBCIC lawyers in preparing the case
for thecourts. e
INDIAN WORLD 11
IN THE
NEWS...
After a few years of planning and working we finally
got a good crop of hay off our field. Starting last Septem-
ber we cut and put up about 150 tons of mixed oat and
alfalfa hay. The oats was just a cover crop to give the
alfalfa a boost. We want to thank the people and the
school kids that helped with the sprinkler system, also
Jim Roweds and Leslie Hunlin who spent many hours
seeding the field. We are planning on fertilizing the field
this spring. If weather permits and all goes well we will
have two crops of hay this summer.
All of the hay that was put up last fall is sold.
Our thanks to Patrick Charleyboy who spent a
considerable amount of time and effort to start up
Redbrush Indian Enterprises. ~
—Ervin Charleyboy
Photos: Redbrush Indian Enterprises
INDIAN WORLD 12
SPRING BRINGS GOOD NEWS
Well, Spring’s finally sprung, we hope. Every time we
think spring’s here it snows again.
Some of our Band members are getting excited because
it’s almost time to start construction of new homes and a
few renovations. One home to be constructed this year
will be the first Solar home in this area.
Our local Native hockey team, the Windermere Elks,
went to Smithers, B.C. on Easter weekend for the B.C.
finals, and WON!!! The Elks have been doing very well
this year with no games lost. Keep up the good work,
Elks!
Our ladies sewing club is doing well with their project
of quilts, slowly but surely.
Submitted by
Denelle Eugene
Shuswap Band Secretary
— 2 = ™ - . re
bat ve Fee am ge a! ll ane setts
TRAPPERS
REPORT
~'_ . r| e
* ie) Sa igs Sw, =
I think trapping has been excellent
in the Chezacut area. I heard there
were mink, squirrels, beaver, wolf,
and muskrat coming out of there like
crazy. There are quite a number of
trappers up there; Donald Billy, Elmer
Billy, Jack Gilpen, Johnny and Ila
Lulua are all up there trapping in the
Chezacut area. Down here at Red-
stone'a few people have been trap-
ping; Felix and Justine Marianne,
Dominic Baptiste, Tommy Hunlin
and myself.
The Department of Indian Affairs
have approved Economic Develop-
ment Project for trappers that have
asked for funding. The Band has all
the traps on order and they will be
here in a while. Ron Morrow at the
store has the traps on order. °
L.S.A. TERMS AND
As the March 31st deadline for reaching agreement on
contribution arrangements (L.S.A.) drew _ closer,
controversy surrounding the terms and conditions attach-
ed to those arrangements was at its most heated. At this
time only about thirty eight percent of the Indian Bands
in the Province had come to some agreement with the
Department.
All the Bands in the provinces of Manitoba, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia had rejected the proposed
agreement. Sixty-two percent of the Bands in B.C. are
prepared to do the same.
Terms and Conditions Cause of
Dissatisfaction
It seems that the Bands are not so concerned with the
agreement itself. Rather, they are dissatisfied with the
terms and conditions, which were obvidusly formulated
by the Department and Treasury Board.
e Indians were not involved or consulted in the formu-
lation of the terms and conditions of the Local Ser-
vices Agreement as prepared by the Department, and
approved by the Treasury Board.
e The terms and conditions are not suited to Band
Councils’ delivery of essential programs to Band
members. These terms and conditions reflect the ob-
jectives of the Department only.
© The terms and conditions are presently structured to
the government’s efforts to change the Indian Act,
Le
— Charter system involving incorporation of Bands
— white paper policy
e The terms and conditions state that acceptance auto-
matically commits Bands to fit into government
systems and compels them to accept overall govern-
ment policies, objectives and goals.
e There has been no mention of Federal and constitu-
tional responsibilities for the Indian people. Pro-
grams and services are continually referred to as
contribution subsidies. Band Councils are denigrated
in that they are merely referred to as recipients.
e Indian Bands should be full participants in the devel-
opment of terms and conditions which reflect their
needs:
Minister Gives Ultimatum: Sign or No Funds
The newly appointed Minister of Indian Affairs was
approached with these concerns. While he did agree to
extend the deadline to April 30th, he had not fully
indicated whether there would be further consideration
of the contentious terms and conditions. Instead, he later
found it necessary to issue an ultimatum that, unless sat-
isfactory agreements were in place, funding would be cut
CONDITIONS
off at the deadline. This resulted in many and much in-
volved submissions from Provincial and Territorial Or-
ganizations as well as the National Indian Brotherhood.
Deadline Extended to July 15, 1980
The Minister has agreed to meet on the issue on April
21st. It will probably be a primary item on the agenda, as
well, at the All-Chiefs Conference to be held in Ottawa
on April 28th. The main purpose of the meeting is to
determine a process by which alternative terms and
conditions can be developed.
In the meantime, the Minister has agreed to permit a
further extension of the deadline to July 15th. During this
period, a deliberate consultation process is to take
‘place to ensure mutually acceptable arrangements
between Indian Bands and the Department.
It has also been assured that funding to all Bands
will continue, provided a proper B.C.R. indicating
the purpose and disbursement thereof is submitted
to the Department. e
BAND TRAINING
Work on the Band training project has virtually come
to'a standstill, although response at the remote or out-
lying areas has been more than encouraging. The import-
ance of this area of Band development has been over-
shadowed by the disturbing controversy with the Local
Services Agreement.
Tke course development activities continue at the
Union office. The main thrust is to provide management
and administrative skills demanded by the Local Services
Agreement. As such requirements are identified, it be-
comes more evident that a very deliberate and well devel-
oped process in Band training is essential to a proper
introduction of the Local Services Agreement.
At the moment, the development team is concentrating
on the following key areas: roles of council and the ad-
ministrative staff, organization, planning, financial
administration, communications and other useful man-
agement skills.
The development personnel will resume work in this
area as soon as the problems with the Local Services
Agreement have been satisfactorily resolved.
Participation of Band organizations is undoubtedly
essential to the entire process. Therefore, all contribu-
tions are welcome.
Band training seminars will continue as soon as we
receive enough requests from the field.
INDIAN WORLD 13
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The Root and the Core of the People
There were three memorial dinners just last month in
Neskainlith, for a wife and a husband who died a year
ago and for a father who died a long time ago. They were
part of tradition that the people see as one of the essential
institutions for the well-being of a community. Indian
Government is based on institutions that are traditional,
Neskainlith Band Chief Robert Manuel says, and cannot
be understood or practised until these basic, fundamental
institutions are in place again for the people of the
community.
**We severed the umbilical cord of our connection with
our grandparents and great grandparents and the work
that they have done. But the more I study the Indian
traditional institutions that were here, I find their value
just immense and my respect for our Indian way just
grows and grows. The very fundamental, simple things,
exercises or processes that we have to go through to deal
with different things: they really have deep meaning,
beyond intellectual meaning. That’s what we have to
reconnect ourselves with.
Then we can worry about our systems, the administra-
tion. There are people we have hired to take care of that
kind of stuff and allow us to organize at this level. The
work continues, the administrative work, while we are
mending the umbilical cord, fixing it with this medicine
that the old people left us and that we have set aside for
so long.
I think we have to deal with these more critical things
first, like the way to deal with death. There are too many
people here that are carrying things from way back that
they should not be carrying any more. I think it inhibits
and restricts our growth. Ever since I’ve been here, I have
watched this community climb like crazy, then take a
nose dive, then climb like crazy again and then take a
nose dive again and just kind of shatter. These very basic
things have to be dealt with by the individuals. Once they
have dealt with them, I think we have got a chance to stay
at a higher level. So one of the areas that we are hitting at
right now is how we deal with death. Part of it comes
from the fact that I have gone through that experience. I
learned a lot, and I went through the one-year mourning
period, in the traditional spiritual way of our people here.
At the end of the year, I had to put on a feast. It didn’t
make a lot of sense to me during that time, only after I
had gone through that process and ended up at that
Why Volunteer?
from Neskainlith News
Why volunteer? Why do Neskain-—
lith people put extra hours into their
jobs and into their community? Is it_#
the individual’s dedication, is it the
future of our children or is it the reali-(}=
zation of how much work actually
has to be done to keep the Band run-'
ning? I think we have all come to aj
conclusion of our Band. ,
Community input has helped us to esitlll
plan ahead, take action over our lives).
and project our possible future.
There is volunteer work done in many
areas in our Band; such areas as Edu-
cation who is attempting to take hold
of the education of our own young
people, to teach them the essentials of programs, Administration’s improve-
our life that they would need to sur- ment on the efficiency of the office to
vive not only in our immediate com- serve the people better, and agricul-
munity but the outside world as well. ture’s task of plowing, discing, and
Social Development’s plans for the planting. The volunteer work is done
recreation center, the positive recre- in good spirit. The feeling of knowing
ation activities and the many other we are a few steps closer to our self way!
sufficiency to ourselves, makes our
community strong as long as we work
together. Actually this is all not really
new to us. It has been a part of our
"life style. It was not unusual to help
fo. , out the community as much as you
} rg) can. That’s what really made us
strong. Our people cared about their
fellow members, our ties were bonded
¥ strongly together. We had an attitude
\ in which we cared about ourselves,
both mind and body.
Who benefits? I think the people in
. the immediate community do, but the
= individuals do too. There is personal
achievement, recognition, learning
oa and sharing, accomplished. The com-
photo: R. Manuel munity benefits in such ways as: the
development of the community to
serve people more efficiently, the
direction in the future of our child-
ren, develops a sense of belonging, we
share and learn together.
So Neskaintith, you've come a long
INDIAN WORLD 14
year’s end-of-mourning with the memorial dinner. The
memorial dinner has a psychological effect. It is a kind of
setting-aside of that mourning period, setting free the
spirit of the one that died, allowing me to go on with life
again. It really did have that strong effect.
Then it just came to my head like a bullet going
through. We have a system and I have gone through that
system, that process of dealing with something that I
could never have understood in any way except through
this experience.
I could see if I had not done what the old people had
told me, then I would probably have suffered for years
and years to come. There are no other people around here
who have done that and they have carried that weight
with them, all of ten, fifteen years.
Another of the things that traditionally happened here,
and was lost for a time, was that the Chief always spoke
at the burial. Maybe other people did, too, but the Chief
definitely always visited the family and always spoke.
That was told to me by the Elders. I remember the first
time I had to do that, I was just scared: I didn’t know
what to do. What had happened was that the Priest now
had the whole thing. The external institution had pushed
right in and excluded ours. Now when I go to other com-
munities where the Priest has been allowed to take over
completely, 1 see people coming to the dinners drinking,
and a lot of disrespect. But since we came back to this
Chieftainship institution talking, it has really cleaned up
here. It is really good.
It is really rebuilding and putting back an institution
that we had. And it works best for us. 1 would not want
to ever see us deal with death in a different way. I think it
is important that we get it straight on, that we deal with it
as a sacred part of life. Our community institutions are
the cornerstones. We can talk about all the paper and all
the administrative structures, but only when we establish
these institutions as the cornerstones for our Indian
Government, will we have the root and the base in that
foundation and form the foundation on which we can
build our administration, our constitution and our court
system. Our law and order will be based on this.
For the last two years we have also been wanting to
have a feast for all the babies on the reserve. When the
baby is born, we should have a feast and have the people ©
come in and welcome the new baby. into the community.
We are going to be giving them names and going through
a ceremony to establish a community responsibility to
those babies in some way. We have not got that far yet,
but it will work out after we get this other thing cleared
up. I think we have fo work on the death first, before we
can rejoice and welcome the children into our commu-
nity. ;
After the births, there is another institution that we are
familiar with, but it is not very well established. It is in
the talking stage here. That is the training of our young
First of all we identified where our problems came
from. Then we spent a whole lot of time trying to
figure out why it happened and how we could change
it. But we were always clinging to the colonialism,
hanging on to it, blaming it, blaming the white man,
blaming the schools, blaming the churches, instead of
just letting it go and starting over.
If you look at the ritual of death, you look at the
ritual of the memorial dinner, the whole concept
behind that is: let it go, start again, live your life, go
back to your roots and just carry on. It will always be
there, that person that died or, in this case, colonialism
will always be with us. We will never get rid of its
effects. It’ll be a scar that we carry, but scars don’t
hurt. Scars don’t have to hurt, they’re just there. I
guess that’s the latest transition that we’ve made—is
just leaving it alone and going in the direction that we
have to go, strong and happy again.”’
Michelle Good, Band Administrator,
Neskainlith Band
people. That is the sweathouse, the swimming and the
running and so on. We have to take back some of the
responsibility for the training of our young people.
After that, something else we have talked about is tra-
ditional marriages, coming in later on,
Once those things are all in place, then we have fin-
ished our work in terms of the foundation and the root
and the core of the people.
I'll tell you about a vision that I had quite a while ago.
It was on the coast. I was sitting by a fire dozing. I came
to this big valley and it was a hill and there was, I guess,
the most magnificent Indian man that I’ve ever seen in
my life. He was standing on the hill, really strong, physi-
cally in good shape; strong eyes, nice long black hair. He
was really powerful. This image radiated a lot of power. I
watched for a few minutes and all of a sudden he started
crumbling. He went down on his knees and he was laying
over on his stomach and he started getting sick. He
started to look ugly. His skin started to turn bad, his hair
started to turn ugly, he lost his vision. I went over closer
to him and what I saw was quite a shocking experience.
What that man was made of was a whole pile of little
Indians; that was his whole being. Some of them were
drinking, fooling around, taking dope, all kinds of stuff
like that. I never understood it for a long time. Later on |
understood. I think I do anyway. That was our Indian
nation at one time and it went down. There’s a whole pile
of people that make up that nation. Each one is a part of
it, each one is kind of a cell. Only when we collectively get
_ strong, will he stand again. Maybe some day before I die
I will see it again, I’ll see him standing again. But every
one of us is important in that. There’s no one man that
can make that man stand: he’s big.” °
INIJAN WORLD 15
by Mary Green
Land Claims Office,
Kitamaat Band Council
Kitamaat is a very athletic-minded
community; it is one of our ways of
introducing self-discipline to the very
young in our village. Basketball is a
very major part of our young
people’s recreational activity.
Basketball season begins in earnest in
the month of October, and normally
runs through to the end of March,
after our Junior teams are finished
with their Basketball tournaments for
the season. Our young people are
encouraged to continue basketball
fitness throughout the year, and this
is done on their own, after the basket-
ball season is Over.
After basketball our Soccer season
begins with 5 teams. Our youngest
team’s players are from 6-9 years old.
This team seems to be the second
attraction to our many spectators,
mostly moms and dads, next to our
Senior men’s team. Enjoyment and
fitness is the key to our recreational
activities.
me
Cultural-Conscious Community
But outside of sports activities, other
developments in our village are
progressing, such as our Haisla
Choir, our Women’s Clubs, and
Indian Dancing, to name a few.
Our community, for instance, has
almost doubled in size in the last 10-
15 years. Our population growth has
hit its 1000 mark with additions of
probably 5 to 10 more members
‘we will
KITAMAAT: PLANNING FOR
TOMORROW TODA
r
before the year is over. Housing areas
are continually being developed to
accomodate our increasing
population. We are depleting our
housing lots right on our reserve, and
have to begin housing
development in our other reserves in
the next 10 years.
Our community is _— cultural
conscious; cultural programs are en-
couraged and activities in this area
Send to:
Attention:
V6B 1L1
INDIAN WORLD 16
Address: ...
ers te ae
ORDER FORM: T-SHIRT TRANSFERS
Each $1.00
Make Cheque or Money Order Payable to:
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
Indian Government Portfolio
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
440 West Hastings
Vancouver, B.C.
i
Telephone: 684-0231
Ce ee |
os ee eee he hh hh rl hl hl hl kl hl hl hl hh hhh hl
have gradually been established. Our
Indian Dancing group is taking hold
again as part of our valued heritage.
Land Claims
Land Claims has been established
quite actively this past year. With our
research work done in depth, consul-
tants have been hired on a project-to-
project basis.
Phase 1 of our Land Claims was
completed in December 1979 and —
from there we’re entering into Phase
II. Our first Haisla‘ Land Claims
Convention was held on February 5,
1980. The community participation
was very good. The theme of the
Convention was, ‘‘UNCOVER THE
PAST--PROTECT THE FUTURE’”’
Our second Land Claims Conven-
tion is scheduled for April, 1980, with
invitations that will go to other
communities living on our Haisla
Boundaries. The theme of this
coming Convention will be ‘‘PLAN
FOR TOMORROW TODAY’”’.
Land Claims can be the turning
point for Indian people, where
economic independence will be
achieved and progress in Indian
Communities obtained while still re-
taining our Indian identity, therefore
preserving our heritage.
Sound Community Employment
Employment in our Community is
quite sound and only very few
employable people are jobless. A
survey on our Employment Profile—
1980 has just been completed with the
results very much in favour of our
Band members.
The major employers are Alcan, .
Eurocan, the fishing industry,
logging, garages,....Our Band
Council is also a source of employ-
ment.
We feel the employment figure to
be very good. We have roughly 60%
employable people, with about 7-
student.
10% unemployed. During the
summer months, we should have a
number of Student Employment
Programs going. Student employ-
ment is a very important part of the
young people’s lives, in the sense that
this instills a desire to work and be
independent on the part of the
We are proud of our athletes, but
we are also proud of our achieve-
ments in other areas. e
Hastings St.,
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is again conducting a
twenty-week Radio Communication& Training Program,
to begin June 2 and end October 17. There are six
positions available, two to be filled by people who plan to
become involved in radio development with their Bands.
The training will take place in Vancouver for approxi-
mately twelve weeks, with the practicum to be held out-
side of the city for the last eight weeks. Newswriting,
newsreading, announcing, researching, and equipment
operation will be featured in the training. Applicants
need no previous experierice. Good reading and writing
abilities, enthusiasm, and willingness to work hard are
the qualities required. For more information or to submit
applications please write to: Radio Communications
Training Program, Communications Portfolio, 440 West
3rd Floor, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1L1, or
phone Val Dudoward at 684-0231.
|
INDIAN WORLD 17
a
The first load of bricks produced by the Sumas Band! Many of the Band members used to work here under a non-Indian
managed and owned company. Now they have taken over the works and things seem to be going just fine. They’ll be
going into full production again pretty soon. Wanna buy some Indian bricks? Contact Chief Larry Ned at 859-7759.
=. tats i | ,:* D ris)
— * 4 ‘ -
Burt Williams is a National Sports
Figure. He has been rodeo riding
since the age of 18.
Burt had his ups and downs parti-
cipating in sixty rodeos in 1979 and
would like to double that in 1980 so
he can qualify for the Canadian Na-
tional Finals. He needs a financial
sponsor so he can ride and win the
Championship.
; As a member of the Mount Currie
. Band, Burt teaches social studies,
Indian language, and rodeo.
INDIAN WORLD 18
ROBERTS 60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Bill and Frances Roberts’ 60th wedding
anniversary at the Thunderbird Hall in Campbell
River, B.C. on April 25, 1980 was a memorable
occasion.
There was a wedding cake, decorations, toasts
and about 400 guests attending, half of them
being Bill and Frances’ relatives, children and
grandchildren.
Many respected persons talked on this special
occasion
Archie Pootlass, UBCIC Vice President, pre-
sented to Bill and Frances two airplane tickets to
attend the All Chiefs Conference in Ottawa,
Eddy Paul, 8 years old, of Sechelt
Band, received the ‘‘Most Sports-
manlike Player Trophy’’, the biggest
of three for him that day. He plays
left defenseman for the Elephant
Stone Recreational team.
During the spring break 36 native students, ranging
from fifteen to eighteen years of age from Hazelton and
surrounding villages, travelled to Europe.
We departed from Vancouver to London on March
31st and stayed in London for 2 days. We lost one day
because of time difference. London time is nine hours
ahead of ours. We attended Her Majesty’s Theatre
featuring a Broadway musical. We saw the London
Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey,
Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. After our
stay in London we moved on to Holland, where our
group stayed in a 400-year-old castle in the country. Our
stay in Holland was a rest period for everyone (especially
the chaperones); it was a really nice change being in the
country. The hospitality the people in the small
community showed towards us was wonderful. On April
5th after riding train after train for 7 hours, we arrived in
Paris. Our stay in Paris lasted for 5 days. After getting
used to London, then Holland currency, we had to change
over to French money which was quite confusing. During
our stay in France we went up to the very top of the world
famous Eiffel Tower for a panoramic view of Paris. We
also went on tours of the City of Paris which was really
beautiful. We were all very surprised when we saw a
totem from Hagwilget brought to Paris by French
After spending
Northern Lights College in Dawsonigiiy
Creek, Cliff-C.C. (Crazy Cowboy)-lRaam
Pettis of Seabird Island Band is ready (eiiean
the Seabird Island Farm.
six months at et
explorers hundreds of years ago. After five full days of
fun and sightseeing we returned once again to London
for our last few days in Europe. Once again we went on
tours. Most of our group knew our way around from our
previous visit so we were allowed to go in separate
groups. By this time everyone was getting a little home-
sick and tired of the constant rush in both London and
France.
It was really hard to believe that we were actually in
Europe; it was beautiful, wonderful and terrific. We all
had a lot of fun; it was quite an experience since it was the
. first time in Europe for most of our group. On Saturday
April 12, 36 tired but happy students (plus two exhausted
chaperones, Brigetta Vanheer and Dan Fujino, both
teachers of Hazelton Senior Secondary) all arrived back
home. I’m sure we will all remember our long journey to
France, London and Holland for the rest of our lives.
I’d like to thank all the people responsible for making
our trip possible. Thanks, it was wonderful.
Cindy Joseph, Hagwilget Band (16 years old)
Editor’s Note: Funds for the trip were raised by all
participating students, their parents, relatives and
friends, who organized and supported the bake sales,
raffles and bingos of the ‘‘Paris or Bust’’ funding
campaign.
INDIAN WORLD 19
="
cow ae
oe
|
=
when she was ten years old.
Minnie Alec, 96 years old, is an
Elder from Trout Lake (Buncheck).
Minnie was born in the fall and lost
her mom so she was raised by her
grandparents ‘‘Commuh’’ from Bella
Coola and ‘‘Moywees’’ from
Anaham Lake (Chilcotin). She lived
in Bella Coola till she was 10. Minnie
said when she lived in Bella Coola
they used to all live together in a long
house with a fire in the middle of it.
'She remembers she used to travel by
boat to Namu. And she mentioned
hew she really missed the Coastal sea-
food; sea-weed, herring eggs, ooli-
chans and grease.
Listening to Minnie Alec speaking
Carrier and Dennis Patrick trans-
lating to English, made me very
envious that I could not understand
the stories she was telling, that Dennis
_ could understand her. He had a hard
time to translate into English, but
that usually is what happens with any
Indian language. Dennis Patrick is
one of her many grandchildren and
seeing him and everybody having so
much respect for their grandmother
reminded me of so many other Indian
families. Dennis was saying that he
sometimes listens to her story-telling
INDIAN WORLD 20
‘ ‘
—_ " * = —,
Minnie Alec is in the middle of this old photograph, surrounded
family. She was raised in Bella Coola, and then moved to Anahim Lake
til 2 a.m. and said he could sit for
hours listening.
When she was young she learned
how to hunt instead of going to
school. She was taught how to make
her own clothes, mocassins, blankets
out of beaver and rabbit, and to make
fish traps out of wood. And just
living off the land. One medicine she
talked of was sap of the pine that you
would scrape and dry at a certain time
of the year when the leaves first come.
out. The sap was used for healing
different infections, cuts, sores, and
.$0 On.
Minnie expressed her concern on
Fishing Rights and she said long ago
we were able to fish the Fraser River
anytime we wanted and the fish stock
never depleted. They fished for their
winter stock and what they needed,
and they hunted. ‘‘Now when food
costs are high, how are we going to
live if they take our livelihood away
from us?”’
e
LEFT: Elder Minnie Alec today
with one of her great-grandchildren.
' BELOW: Minnie Alec, on the far
right, learned to hunt, make mocas-
sins, and build fish traps out of
wood when she was young.
INDIAN EDUCATION
__ SUPPLEMENT
We need to develop Indian Education to give back to
each individual, regardless of age or means, the oppor-
tunity to seek out his fullest potential and to contribute a
portion of this success to the general well-being of the
community and the strength of Indian Government.
If we examine what Indian Education for Indian
people was prior to white contact we would find that it
allowed everyone to find a place and to experience con-
tinuous usefulness. The success of our communities,
when they were strong, depended on a communal thrust.
The main thrust of the provincial school system is
towards competition and individualism. This creates
untold problems when our entire community is founded
culturally and basically on a concept of communalism
and co-operation.
We need to examine the three-fold nature of a human
person, which is mind, body and spirit. Indian people
have been suppressed in all these three areas, which ex-
plains the general breakdown that has dumbfounded
a by Philip C. Paul
white experts:
-1, What goes on in the minds of Indian people? Is there
enough Indian content to give Indian people a healthy
feeling about themselves? Are Indian people given the
opportunity to develop a sound healthy mind? In my
opinion many Indian people have been mentally beaten
down to a level of feeling privileged to be tolerated but
hating every minute of it. Indian control, to me, means
correcting this problem in such a way that it is not depen-
dent on outside sources ever.
2. The second vital area that we need to examine is the
body or the physical suppression of Indian people.
Because of the poverty and lack of access to traditional
foods, the state of health of Indian people has reached a
disastrous state and even if the best education was made
available, we would be prevented from succeeding due to
this problem. We have to be re-educated how to eat for
good health. Without this correction, no education sys-
tem can succeed. (continued page 32)
INDIAN WORLD 21
ResidentialSchool © WHEN
ELDERS WERE YOUNG
Eddy {thevarge is a respected Kider of the Lillooet Iribe and lives on the D’Arcy Keserve. He was inter-
viewed by Glen Williams, Co-ordinator of the St. Mary’s Feasibility Study. The study is going on with 47
Bands in the Vancouver District because DIA was trying to close this very beautiful Indian Students’ Resi-
- dence on the bank of the Fraser River at Mission, B.C.
This study makes us find out about our recent history, when our Elders were young and went away from
home to school.
It was about 1915 or 1916 and I was about 12 years old control. I’d do as I pleased for a few months. I got
when I first went to school. It was hard them days and “ punished quite a few times. It was only because I wasn’t
there was no transportation of any kind from D’Arcy to able to understand the English language. After I started
the coast and up to Mission. to learn it a little bit, I started to enjoy my schooling in
We still were struggling for something to eat in them Mission.
days. After I did start going to school, we weren’t getting I was an orphan when I left home, and so I didn’t miss
too much at the table but we still felt better off that we much at home after I went to school. We used to go to
were getting something to eat three times a day anyway. school about 3 hours a day in the morning. At recess time
These were not 3 square meals a day, but more than what we would go up to the dormitory and straighten out our
we got at home. beddings. After lunch the book learning was over and
I left home with oversized clothes and no shoes and ~ then we would do chores for the rest of the day.
was expected to wear shoes daily, When I would play Anyone who could pick up a rock was sent out to work
around the school grounds, I would take off my shoes in the fields picking up rocks, digging up stumps and
and go barefoot. I was punished 3 or 4 times before I getting them pulled out by a stump puller and a team of
learned to keep my shoes on. horses. Other jobs included making wood, ploughing the
fields, putting in a garden and at times harvesting plants
Residential School Days in the fall time. That was quite a training, always working
For the first year, I had problems because I wasn’t able in big groups. It was quite fun, it was more like play than
to understand the English language and every time they work, and the days seemed quite short.
wanted me to do something they would have to get an wal
interpreter to tell me what to do. I was really out of Around 1918, after clearing much of the land from
INDIAN WORLD) 22
stumps of about 4 to 5 feet in diameter, an orchard of
about 300 trees was putin on the hill, which was the
boundary for the school. We worked and improved this
orchard for a long time.
I was quite at home there. In fact the first 2 or 3 years I
was in Mission, I didn’t have any holidays and no home
to go to; I was kept right in school. I was about 18 when FE...
came out, and in about the 3rd grade. I couldn’t hardly #
write my name but I went on working. I stayed away
working about six years before I came back to D‘Arcy.
My uncle caught up to me in Lillooet: He said it’s about
time you came home, so I came home. The education I
got seems to have really stayed with me, because it took
me a long time to get to the third grade, with only 32
hours a day schooling.
Keeping Education a Priority
With the 5 or 6 years out, I learned quite a bit to get
along with our non-Indian friends. I was able to talk with
them and look them in the face when talking. When I
first came out of school, my head was down no matter
who was talking to me. If there was a non-Indian, I
couldn’t raise my head up to say yes or no, I’d shake my
head either sideways or roundways. I worked my way out
of that by staying out and away from home for that
length of time. After I was home, after my Chief asked
me to come home, I got to be secretary. I done that from
1928 to 1936, then I became a Councillor for the Band.
We had a hereditary Chief at that time. iust the
Councillors were put on. I stayed on Council until my
Chief passed away, then I bec>me a Chiet. 1 held the
Chief there for about 20 years. Seeing that a lot more of
our children are getting more education, then I thought I
would step down and let them do the Chief for the
reserve. During my terms as Chieftain, I worked with
organizations and my priority was education. When we
did get the 8 hours education for our children and the
province took over the schoolings, our children were
getting a full education right up to the 12th grade and
better if they have good marks, with finances from the
government.
Indian Control Needed at Mission
It seems now that they are trying to do away with the
boarding schools. I think if our Indian people were to
take over Mission it will be quite a benefit to the Indian
people and to their children’s education. To keep it for
education purposes at all times. Learning the reading,
writing, arithmetic and also the agriculture part of it, I
think a group that could go through the school from that
time on would be able to look after themselves. After
they learn a little bit of arithmetic, reading and things like
that, they will learn about planting their own things down
there, a garden and fieldstuff. It can be used for
recreational grounds for some part of it where they would
learn to get along with one another.
I fully support our leaders trying to get control of the
school grounds at Mission.
We still need a school where an Indian could control it,
an Indian teacher or principal or caretaker who is really
close to their own people. They will have a better control
over the children who go to school, and the children will
have a better feeling by having their own kind of teaching
right there at the school. They could also learn some of
their own traditional ways of life; they are very valuable
to an Indian person.
~
It was the children who could pick up a half a
pound of rock. . .a lot of the work by the students
went into building St. Mary’s. That’s why Iam
encouraging the leaders of today that if we can get
control of the school ground there we can use it
for the purpose it was meant for by the children
that cleared the ground there.
Mission was kind of a central point for the Chiefs
gathering for the Fraser River and Lillooet district. They
used to go over there and gather up and have a big
Potlatch. When the priests saw that it was a good
valuable piece of ground, they approached the chiefs to
see if they could put a school there, and clear the ground
up. The Chiefs said it’s okay if it’s going to be a school
for our children; we don’t mind. That’s how the priests
got a hold of that piece of ground. That was before they
even had engineers surveying the reservations. If the
engineers had come before the priests had applied to the
Chiefs, it would have been a reserve itself for the people
down that way. °
= INDIAN WORLD 23
It has been a long year since the last special education issue was put out by UBCIC. At that time, I was asked
to contribute an article on education. I gave much deep thought as to what I would write at that time. One
thing I realized was that I could not write about something I only had theories about.
Now I can contribute something, something more special than my words or thoughts. The contribution that
is being submitted is about an educational experience that is happening, an experience, the impact of which is
only beginning to be felt and understood and which will have such widespread and far-reaching effects that we
can only guess what they may be at this time.
We have taken control of the education of our children. We have been able to do this only through the help
of our Elders and through the instructions of our Creator as handed down through our legends and the
practice of our medicine ways. That is where our strength is, that is what it was given to us for. If we overlook
that in our educational scope, then all our efforts to help our young people learn skills to survive with, will
continue to fail.
This article contains the words of some of the elders and youth who participate in this educational
experience. We learn from and teach each other through practice of our ways. It is an honour for those of us
who work here to be a part of this and we are humble and grateful every day for being allowed such a privilege.
This article is a sharing of that experience and goes out to you who are all our friends and relations.
ELDERS’ WORDS ABOUT OWL
peek CAMP
Elders and young people Tank together at Owl R Bch oink ay the y’re digging a kitchen, called a pit house.
Us Elders with grandchildren we good words, their discipline and cus- learning so fast they are becoming
are concerned. How I grew up—I was _ toms. What I see is that this camp is better than us. I thank the Creator for
trained in the old ways. I got up with made as a discipline place. The kids making a place like this for our
the dawn and I learned lots. I helped are being brought here to learn all people. This place is clean, pure, and
my parents. I learnéd how to get food _ kinds of things: from making things, strong. The spirits are helping us to
and wood and I know the disciplines. _ to gathering food, to learning the learn and teach each other. All of
And now I can talk on this day. language, and to understanding the these things are worked that way,
I see that our people have lost customs, disciplines, and ways of our from tanning hides, to learning
many things: their language, their people. I see that our kids are respect,
INDIAN WORLD 24
Photo: Penticton Band
_ Our grandchildren—I am so
thankful, our Ancestors’ ways are
back; they speak through and to you.
Selina Timoykin
Lim Lempt
What I think is that when I’m
home I sometimes see that my kids
just think of music and town. I think
of the things like work; making
wood, getting up early, working with
the horses and working with all living
things. I see that these things are all
gone now. I say to the kids, look at
these things. I see now these kids here
at camp; these kids—this grand-
daughter now—it’s the first time for
all my kids and grandkids to like old
ways. She likes to get up and work.
Now their camp here stands up. I tell
them this will be your discipline—
this is where your good fortune is. All
the things that are learned there you |
will need. You can be poor but work
hard, give lots away. That is much to
learn.
What I want is all my kids and
grandkids to come and learn at the
camp. Because soon all us Elders will
be gone. Now those kids learn and
they will carry it to their children and
our ways will always stay here. Even 1
wish I could take other kids from
everywhere and bring them here to
learn. They would all know. Now this
place is made and maybe so near to
being too late. Ten years from now
maybe this place could not be. But
now it is. |
Lim Lempt
Rachei Paul
Penticton, B.C.
My name is Scaten. I put my place
with the Elders, because their ways
are from long ago and I guess my
beliefs are strong that way. I guess
from many I am one of the few who
are lucky; I didn’t get too
brainwashed by non-Indian culture.
What I think of is that when this
place was first talked about, I was not
sure we could make it to come about.
It seemed we might be too late. A
little longer and we would have been
too late.
As we go through here up to this
point in our work, what I have real-
ized is that it is almost like we were
headed to fall off a high cliff and that
we could not see ahead,
We have been fortunate to have
been given this chance. Our Creator is
so kind to us. There are a few of us
left who know some of the ways and I
guess the Creator can see our
suffering and pities us and puts it into
our hearts to do this. We didn’t
ourselves think this place up, because
we are so smart; we have been pitied
and helped before we fell off that
high cliff. This is our way of survival
that he is showing us. Some of us will
survive. That is why now our children
and grandchildren will have it put
into their minds and hearts; and
maybe their children and grand-
children will survive and happiness
will be with them.
It is from here that the kids will
find out many things. There are two
kinds of people here right now and we
have been crowded by the other kind
too much. This has been so for many
years now. Maybe we will now turn
the tide. Nobody will help us, we
must do it ourselves,
I say again, I am not old but my
puURA UOIDNIUag :0104g
place is with the Elders. Now it has
been a while since this camp has
walked with our people and my eyes
are opened. I see the change happen-
ing fast. I don’t think that we are
trying to go back to the past and be
like we once were. We can’t make it.
And at the same time we can’t make it
to be different either like the white
man, so the more we retain of what is
ours, the better we are.
That is what this camp is made of.
For the new generation to know what
must be done and how to live for the
change that is coming. Money will
not always be the leader here. This
camp is not led by money. That is
what we see.
This camp is for every Indian no
matter from where. It is all coming
out how the children are changing.
The children are here to learn many
things. That is what this camp is
about. We are not saying that we wish
to change people, but if our people
notice differences in people who came
here to learn then maybe it is so. If
you try to copy others, you cannot
become like them, but if you look at
yourself you may find out who you
are. These are some of the things the
young ones here are looking at and
right now they are much better people
than we will ever be. That is why I
help here.
I would be pleased if you who read
INDIAN WORED 25
7
SCHOOL
aan.
7
SCHOOL
aan.
this. Know what I say as I speak now.
I guess you did not resent what I said
and you have read this far. If you are
Indian and think and believe that way
then the words I have said, you may
take some meaning and wisdom
from, and you may use it in some
way.
Lim Lempt
Larry Timoykin
Penticton, B.C.
=. co jj
= f.)
* ‘ =
My name is Wanasut, after my
great-grandmother, who is from
around Ellensburg, Washington area.
This place is so alive, it’s a place
you always come back to. There is
such a drawing force here, even when
you are away it is on your mind. The
workers here we believe are directed
to be here. We help each other spiri-
tually, mentally, and physically. It’s a
good place to come to hear our
Elders, and a place for remembrance
of things that have happened. Many
revelations and realizations come out
here. It is a very inspirational place
and we pray that many more spiritual
camps will be resurrected and one of
INDIAN WORLD 28
the most important things is seeing
my children involved and seeing the
transformation and change that is
happening. It is beautiful to see the
young ones taking over and working
to help, and forgetting their self-
centredness and learning to care for
each other and help regardless of age.
A place of great spiritual uplifting. A
place where love will grow powerful
and strong and alleviate the hatreds
that destroy. A place we can learn not
to be judgmental because if we feel
that such things happen that is
something we must pray about. This
is a place for learning to become
harmonious with man, animals and
all nature. _
We are learning from the Elders of
the prophecies that have been laid
down for us and now I see that our
children are preparing for what is in
the future, and how they must help all
people to be prepared. There is great
honor and respect for the spiritual
leaders. We hear their words and we
know that the time is now at hand to
meet the needs of our people. I am
planning to be here as often as I can
Photo: Penticton Band
because I learn some things that are
important, and when I return home I
can share with my relations. It gives
them hope and through their prayers
this camp can be strengthened.
I don’t feel I’m here because I want
to be, I feel I am directed here. I feel
it is through the Great Spirit things
are done. And it is through this legacy
our Indian people have learned and
gone on beyond, that we will follow
through. With this belief and strength
we cannot fail.
Anita Cheer
Colville Reservation
Omak, Washington
Iam Jean Aquash, Ojibway.
These spiritual camps are very
important to our children and our
generations ahead. These are nests
for grandfather to keep us protected
so we can learn the ways of our
people, the right ways for us. In these
camps we learn to build our spirit,
our mind, our body. We learn again
what it is to live. Many of our camps
help our children learn. Children who
have been through the concrete
jungles of the cities where there is no
life, where those live who don’t know
what it is about. They learn about
their abilities both physical and
spiritual. They learn to exercise their
minds because in these camps we have
the sacred sweats where we learn to
purify ourselves and become inno-
cent. We learn the ceremonies from
our Elders. We learn to respect and to
be humble.
We must have many more camps so
we can learn in our family circles
everywhere. So we can hear the inner
voice of what the Great Spirit wants
us to do, the directions He gives to us
as individuals. We learn all these
things through the sweats and cere-
monies. It is the spirit we build up, to
meet our Creator, not just for
ourselves but to share with and help
one another. This is the knowledge
the spiritual camps give for the gener-
ations ahead. I believe that with a lot
of hard work, maybe we can save
some lives.
So we need all our spiritual
medicine people, pipe carriers and
anyone else who walks this road to
feel at home at any one of these
camps. So that we can be together in
spiritual unity when the time comes.
These things I believe and much
more. .
By acknowledging and learning
instructions and ways of our Elders,
we learn to acknowledge the Great
Spirit in many ways and all forms of
his creation.
Regular Visitor from
Anpo Camp
Oregon
YOUNG ONES’ WORD
pueg vo}NUag :0104d
ff
ROCK CAMP
These Indian classes are special to
me because I am an Indian. I’d just
like to write down a few lines about
what’s been happening around here
while I was here learning. When we
arrive up at camp we run up the hill
for a while and come back down, and
then we have a little meeting about
what’s going to be happening in the
next classes. Then we make Indian
baskets,
Jeannette and Teeny are our
teachers who show us how to make
baskets. The boys would be making
bows and arrows. Martin teaches the
boys. Then we have lunch and have
time to walk around and play. Then
we have Indian language lessons and
stories about Indians of the past
taught by Jeannette and Martin. In
the summertime we will be riding
horses, travelling, building, and
much more. So I would like to invite
all Indians: children, teenagers, and
adults. We are learning about our
own culture.
_ Lisa Paul
The Owl Rock Youth Group have a
camp up on the reserve, if you visitors
would like to stop by and visit fora
couple of days. Our camp is similar to
ones in the old days, because we have
a kitchen part that is dug into the
ground, called a pit house. We also
have a long house that is used for
people to sleep and for gatherings.
We have lots of room to put up tents.
We have a lake up there called Eneas
Lake. This lake is sacred, it is nice
and beautiful. It is also quiet up here.
Once you come up you won’t want to
leave. hs
I think the camp is the best place
I’ve been to so far. I like to think in
quiet and learn the Indian ways: how
to make baskets, pick berries and
bitter roots, how to speak my
language. The reason I want to learn
all that is because the older people
will not be here forever. We will be
here surviving on our own and will be
thankful for the things they taught
us, because then we will know how to
make things to carry our food and
things to get food with. If we have
kids we can pass what we know down
to them.
Today we fixed our baskets and the
boys worked on their bows.
I’m really thankful when I come to
the camp. I would like to thank the
S ON OWL
camp workers for taking the time to
teach us.
Florence Captiste
Hi! Well, I’d just like to inform
you on things I have been learning up
at the longhouse. Every morning we
jog up to Charley’s place at the end of
the lake and back to the camp. Then
we have classes and lunch and after
that we go up the hills or sleigh-
riding. We have two more classes and
then exercise and play, then go back
to the Band office.
Carrie Jack
Penticton
This camp means a lot to me
because I learn many different things
and it helps me in many ways. The
things we learn are to speak our own
language and taking sweats; plus we
have respect for the camp and others.
I travel from Vernon once a week
to come to the camp; that’s why it
means a lot to me.
The girls are making shawls and
INDIAN WORLD 29
also we sing many Indian songs.
Joanne Qualtier
Okanagan Reserve
Vernon, B.C.
Hi, I'd like to inform you on what
the whole idea of these cultural
classes means to me.
What we are doing is learning to
respect our Elders, each other, and to
respect each living animal, plant or
tree. We also learn discipline. We try
to avoid small arguments or fights.
We all treat each other equally.
Sometimes it seems really hard for us
to get used to it. I think it’s really a
great experience.
We’ve also learned to do our work
and enjoy it. Usually the girls clean
up, cook lunch, serve the people and
wash dishes. The boys pack water,
chop and pack the wood.
We learn old legends and our
language from our Elders.
The girls are making shawls and we
have just started to put the fringes on
them. Probably in the future we will
make Indian costumes. The boys are
making bows and arrows the
traditional way.
In conclusion, I’d like to say that
these cultural classes are really
something. | hope you understand.
Tracey Bonneau
Penticton Reserve
Penticton, B.C.
Age 12
Hi there. My name is Wholtho-
necha. Or Punky or Larry Kenoras—
sometimes worse, like the saying
goes. I would like to share a few
things with my people about Owl
Rock Camp.
A person or #1 can really straighten
out a lot of things, if you are honest
with #1. By that I mean doing what
you want, feeling good about it now
and tomorrow, too. A place, or
places like this, is a need for our
people, young and old.
After you have learned about you,
then comes life, respect, love, self-
discipline, sharing, honesty, learning
the ways of the North Americans—
the caretakers of the island.
A place, or places like this, is a
need for our people, young and old.
We need you to remember that, so
whenever you are around the south
central Okanagan Valley, come to
your camp, share what you have to
offer yourself!
To all my friends and relatives,
Way 7.
Field Trip to Salmon Arm, B.C.
We went to Salmon Arm to see a
pit house and a sweat house. There
were 35 students that went up to
Salmon Arm. We went in two vans
plus we used Jeannette’s car because
there was too much weight in the
van. Brey
Plus we saw another place that
had a little model made into a pit
puvg uojonUSg :o104g
house, like a little village.
Murray Timoyakin
I think that the camp is here to
teach us how to be ourselves. I have
learned that discipline here has be-
come pretty well self-explanatory, to
me anyway: meaning that we disci-
pline ourselves. I also regained my
strength to be able to talk to the
Elders and learned how to be kind,
thoughtful and courteous. Or, in
shorter terms, to be respectful
towards others.
I also think the main reason for this
camp is for us to increase our living
skills, not just learning skills, so that
we may be able to survive when the
snow comes here to stay.
Holly Baptiste
-
a ad
es
The Penticton Indian Band Education Committee has committed itself to a Cultural Awareness Youth
development program in answer to the social disorientation which is afflicting our young people today. We are
of the opinion that self-awareness, pride and personal motivation stem from a firm understanding of one’s
history and parent culture.
The program of activities is designed to assist each individual develop not only practical skills but also social
and life skills that will help each to cope and survive as an Indian person in today’s society.
The program which has now been in operation about five months involves a one day a week immersion
session with activities centred on cultural awareness through our history and customs, spiritual knowledge and
guidance, physical training and wilderness survival training.
The program is now being expanded to allow for youth from all areas to participate. The camp is open seven
days a week to all Indian visitors.
INDIAN WORLD 30
Penticton Indian Band Education Committee
Thinking for
Ourselves
The main difference between white
educators and Indian educators is
their method of teaching a person.
White educators teach a person to
be dependent. This is done by mind
controlling.
Indian educators teach a person to
use the power of their mind and all of
their senses, and to be responsible
and independent.
White educators teach a person to
read from a book. This way, you are
only making use of just one of your
senses.
White educators do not teach a
person to depend on his/her mind.
The white educators teach a person to
depend on another person. We come
to believe that we cannot do things
for ourselves.
If you want your tire changed on
the car, you don’t do it yourself. You
get somebody else to do it.
If you want your house painted,
you can’t do it right. So you get
somebody else to do it.
If DIA says you cannot teach
Indian people because you are not a
teacher, then you get a white man
from DIA to do it.
If somebody says that you’re a
dumb Indian, you depend on his
mind and believe it and be a dumb
Indian.
Indian Education
Indian educators are basically
everything from Elders, Chiefs,
parents, children, plants, animals and
the Mother Earth. Indian educators
teach you from the time you are born
through all of your life. Indian
educators teach a person to use all of
his mind and to concentrate into
extreme depths and use his senses as a
balance of reality.
When we do something we must
also include the use of all our senses:
our eyes, ears, taste, smell, nerves,
heart (feelings), our mind and spirit
together as one. If we want to defeat
fisheries, DIA or alcohol, then we
must put into our minds that we can.
We are responsible for our own
mind, body and spirit. Indians are
creators of our own Destiny. °
Language:
The Indian language is an
important part of Indian cultural
programs. Through the learning of it,
other areas can be developed such as:
history, social conduct, physical
training, cooking, plant medicine,
etc.
The ‘‘baby’’ method of teaching a
language is based on what a baby
_ goes through to learn a language.
A first phase would be a simple
introduction to the language by
hearing it spoken on a daily basis.
Use Indian words mixed with
English.
The first thing is to learn to Aear
the right sounds.
The second thing, after learning to
hear for a few months, is to try to
pronounce the sounds without trying
to remember the meaning. That is
training the vocal muscle. An impor-
_ tant step is remembering the meaning
of a sound.
The third step after making the
sounds is learning simple every-day
words that are used often. This can be
built up with nouns (person, place or
thing), verbs (action part of sentence
such as go, do), and adjectives (add
meaning to nouns e.g. b/ue shirt).
This leads to knowledge of the
language.
As you would do with a baby, give
praise and encouragement to the
person learning to speak and under-
stand.
INDIAN EDUCATION SCHEDULE
May 1980
May 5-8, 1980
Training Workshop for
Training Co-ordinators.
May 12-15, 1980
National Indian Control of Indian Education Confer-
ence, Winnipeg, Man.
Designed for Band Representatives
May 22-23
Band/District/Tribal
May 23-24: St. Mary’s Student Residence Reunion at
St. Mary’s, Mission.
May 26-27
Cultural Education Youth Meeting
May 29-30
E-12 Meeting, Union Board Room, 440 W. Hastings
Street
June 9-10
Training Meeting
Union Boardroom, 440 W, Hastings
June 11-13
Proposed dates to co-ordinate a meeting of Bands
concerned with residential school buildings—Resource
people from other Provinces. UBCIC Boardroom.
St. Mary’s Survey-Report to 47 Band’s Representa-
tives from the Vancouver District Area of DIA—at St.
Mary’s, Mission e
INDIAN WORLD 31
-
(from page 21)
Another example of physical suppression is the
beautiful land that was left us by our ancestors, which the
white people call reserves. We treat them like reserves
because we are taught to treat them that way. Indian
Governments must teach us to see this land the way our
ancestors saw it.
3. The third vital area of concern is the spirituality of a
person, which is the foundation of the other two areas.
The three fundamental areas of mind, body, and spirit
must be dealt with as one, but the first two cannot
succeed without the third. The main thrust of commun-
alism in Indian communities was based on a strong and
integrated spirituality, which was based on a co-operative
oneness with nature. The Indian mind, body and spirit
and nature were one, and when things were so, the Indian
prospered. Not that he had everything, but what he
received is really all he needed to fulfill his existence with
satisfaction and dignity. i
What do we have now to replace what we had? The
seeking of spiritual fulfillment has created a spiritual
supermarket on many reserves that has divided many
families and communities. This will not satisfy the
Spiritual togetherness we need. The spiritual rebirth of
the Indian people must be the cornerstone of a new
direction in Indian Education.
A study of Indian people before contact will show us
how the Indian Education system, Indian Government
and spirituality were integrated and inseparable.
The choice that we have is clear at this time: do we
want to take control over our survival now? Or let
someone else control our extinction?
We have to develop an approach that borrows sound
unchanging principles from the past and combines them
with the needs of the present in order to create a vision
for the future that is designed to help Indians succeed
today. °
The spiritual rebirth of the Indian people must be the
cornerstone of a new direction in Indian Government
INDEAN WORLD 32
THE INDIAN WAY BACK TO
Indian people from all over British
Columbia and neighbouring
provinces and territories came to
participate in our Indian Health Con-
ference held at the Kamloops Indian
Residential School, March 21-23.
Elders and young people alike came
forward to share their feelings,
concerns and ideas on Indian Health
and our peoples’ responsibility.
A solid foundation was set by the
people who came together; they gave
of themselves to rekindle the positive
attitudes and strengths of our fore-
fathers.
The sacred ceremonies, dancing,
drumming and singing which took
place in the evenings made people feel
strong to share good things. a
Sharing our knowledge makes
us stronger
The need for more people gather-
ings was strongly recommended
' throughout the conference, to
strengthen our people to work to-
wards Indian control of Indian health.
This feeling was expressed by
Peter Bighead, one of the guest
speakers from the Blood Reserve in
Alberta.
‘‘We should start sharing. That is
one of the greatest gifts that is
given to our Indian people, is the
gift of kindness, a gift that no
other nationality is given; it’s being
close to nature—the Elders know.
We start hanging onto this kind of
thing, we’re going to be a lot stron-
ger.”’
*‘Old Indians used to have a great
deal of concern on health so that
they would not get sick, because
their whole existence depended on
health,”’
HEALTH
said George Manuel, guest speaker
and UBCIC President.
‘“‘They had to be healthy so they
really made every effort to make
sure that they were healthy. There
were many things to do to stay
healthy. They had to learn about
herbs, leaves, roots, berries and so
forth. They had to know what to
do to stay healthy. They had to
make it their priority. That was a
value they had.’’ ,
An overall consensus was reached
that Indian health endows more than
physical well-being, but it also has to
mental and
Alberta
emotional,
well-being. As
include
spiritual
Lightning, a medicine man from
Hobbema, Alberta, stated:
“In the beginning of the native
creation everything was created
mentally and spiritually. That was
the only birthright that was
granted.’’
The traditional disciplines which
our people used daily to maintain
good health were shared by our
Flders and guest speakers. These
included sacred sweats, winter
swimming, and fasting. These strong
disciplines made life good for
everyone.
Over the three days of the con-
ference, we discovered and shared the
very basic roots of how we can begin
to deal with the issue of Indian
Health. Through this conference, our
people clearly stated the direction
which must be taken and with whom
the responsibilities lie. The necessity
to find: our way back to our
traditional practices is needed to
LS —— = : —
Our Elders learned about —
herbs and roots to stay |
healthy. Now we have to
teach our children the
traditional way.
follow a path that was given to us by
our Creator.
“If you’re really serious about the
health of your family then you
must redevelop that priority; we
must redevelop that old concern
about our health. We have to
develop again to start mentally
conditioning our people to look
after their health,’’ George Manuel
says. f
Our brief, which we prepared and
presented to Health Services Review
-*79, reflected the feelings of those at
the Indian Health Conference. Our
brief was also submitted to National
Health and Welfare..- asih a)
INDIAN WORLD 33
HEALTH SERVICES REVIEW
The presentation given at the
National Health Services Review ’79
in Edmonton this month was of great
importance to B.C. Indians in gaining
control over the delivery of health
services.
A recent health hearing held in
Vancouver in February, 1980, was
too early for the Union to give its
presentation and more consultation
was needed with the Bands.
Now, it is hoped the Health
Services Review ’79 will be able to
sort through the complexities
surrounding Indian health and
propose changes with the Federal
Goverment to ensure we survive as a
healthy people in control of our live.
George Manuel and five Band
delegates, along with staff members
of the Health Portfolio, presented the _
main points and recommendations
from their submission.
Henry Smith, an Elder of the
Tsartlip Band, opened in prayer for
Special Commissioner, Emmett Hall,
to listen and accept B.C.’s submission
to the hearing. The Commissioner
listened as George Manuel told him
the provincial government in B.C.
denies it has constitutional respon-
sibility to Indian people.
“The provincial government in
B.C. wants to take over the services
of Indian people but they don’t want
us to be involved in them. We don’t
want health services to be turned over
to them.
‘““We would like to see the federal
government turn the block funding
which provides the provincial govern-
ment for services of Indian people,
over to the Indian people in B.C.”’
B.C.’
The Health Review ’79 was held
INIBAN WORLD 34
. Health
out of fear that the medicare system
might collapse as doctors threaten to
pull out of medicare.
‘If doctors are going to insist on
total control of their own profession
and a larger income, then they must
be willing to give adequate medical
care to serve more isolated areas in
the North and become more
accountable to the people they
serve,’’ George Manuel said.
Nonnie Elliot, a Community
Representative for the
Tsartlip Band, said they find
problems when dealing with Medical
Services. ‘‘We still have inadequate
housing, faulty sewer systems which
are always running over because of
septic systems poorly installed on the
reserve, and our suicide rate is high.
Bill Cranmer, top r., Ernie Willie, top. 1.,
Nonnie Elliot, b.r., Evelyn Ignatious,
center, Henry Smith, b. left.
effective until those needs are met.”’
A Band faced with these serious
problems must negotiate with two
separate government departments to
resolve those problems.
George Manuel said Indian people
could develop a lot of self-help
programs if the Department of Indian
Affairs were responsible for
channelling the funds to them. To
deal with one agency would make it
easier for Bands to find solutions to
the problems they face.
The Kwakiutl District Council
presented their submission on the
health situation in Alert Bay.
Commissioner Hall said he couldn’t
do anything about it, but listened as
he was told of the many difficulties
the Band has been experiencing.
Health care is provided by the
Federal Government, but only as a
matter of policy that seems to
change with eéach change in
government. Indian health must
be entrenched in the Constitution
as a right or it will always be
endangered. It was recommended
the Indian Act must be revised to
reflect this right and to reflect the
right of Indian Government to
control the health care delivery
system.
“It all relates to the basic needs of
our people. Once those needs are met,
then we can concentrate on preven-
tative measures and make health our
priority. 1 don’t think our job can be
One of our fifteen recommen-
dations was that the Federal govern-
ment exert force on the Provincial
government to cause the negotiations
of Land Claims and Aboriginal
Rights to begin. The only solution to
better health is settling these claims
and establishing Indian government.
The end of the submission read:
‘Should our recommendations be
rejected by the Federal Government,
we will then take our case to the
United Nations. e
Alert Bay Health Inquiry
REPORT CONFIRMS
BAND’S CLAIMS
Dr. Gary Goldthorpe, Commis-
sioner for the health hearings at Alert
Bay in March, gave his report on the
health and health services of the
Nimpkish people on April 19, 1980.
During his 23 day stay at Alert
Bay, Dr. Goldthorpe found in his
study of 132 death certificates of the
Nimpkish people that many of the
deaths occurred in cases of alcohol-
ism and despair.
He found 56% of the Alert Bay
people died before age 40 and infants
had a 44% chance of reaching age 40.
The death rate for the peoplé on re-
serve is almost three times the rate for
members of the group who live off
reserve.
‘*Alert Bay Indians are less healthy
than other B.C. Indians. One can say
an Alert Bay Indian stands a 25%
greater chance of dying within the
next year than does an Indian else-
where in Canada.”’
Dr. Goldthorpe felt it was ironic
that those who had the most seem to
have lost the most. ‘‘Today the Alert
Bay Indians, among the wealthiest
and most sophisticated in Canada,
suffer higher death rates than other
Canadian Indians who live in remote
villages without running water, elec-
tricity or central heating.”’
He said their health declined with
suppression of their language and cul-
ture, with the anti-potlatch laws,
schooling away from home and
family, with the decline of salmon
stocks and with the influx of welfare
cheques and the disappearance of
their communities.
‘*From countless hours of listening
to residents of Alert Bay and other
communities | find Dr. Jack Pickup
possesses at least the minimum level
of medical skill and knowledge to
practice medicine in B.C. But Dr.
Pickup has been on many occasions
drunk while performing as a doctor,
and in public at Alert Bay. Renee
Smith died in St. George’s Hospital
due to the negligence on the part of
Dr. Jack Pickup to apply adequate
medical care and procedures.”’
Dr. Goldthorpe recommended that
Dr. Pickup move to practise in a lar-
ger community and that he abstain
from alcohol or, if impossible, to
enter a treatment program for alco-
holism. Goldthorpe asked the B.C.
College of Physicians and Surgeons
to review the evidence they received
on Dr. Pickup’s care.
The Nimpkish Band’s final submis-
sion to the Commissioner on March
24, 1980, said they want control of
the health services delivered to them
and establish a Nimpkish health board
to operate a health clinic on reserve.
Dr. Goldthorpe supports the
Band’s wishes to establish a health
board and affirms their desire to take
control of their own health care sys-
tem. He recommended the Medical
Services Branch and the Nimpkish
Band negotiate as soon as possible to
bring about their control of health
services. Ly
Nimpkish Band Manager Pearl
Alfred said she felt it took a lot of
courage on Dr. Goldthorpe’s part to
make the report he presented.
‘*The report confirmed everything
the Band has been saying. We knew
our health here was poor but to see
the statistics in black and white
confirmed it.
Now we have to make sure chan-
ges happen quickly. We are now
planning and are hoping to meet
with the Federal Minister of Health
within ten days to discuss the turn-
over of services to the Band.
Dr. Goldthorpe has given us a lot
of backup for discussions with the
Provincial Government. I think
things can only get better.’’ °
CHILD WELFARE.
STUDY
The Steering Committee for the
Child Welfare Study held a meeting
on March 26, 1980 to determine
what the next step will be. Repre-
sentatives from the Program Evalu-
ation’ Branch in Ottawa, DIA
Regional Office, the North Coast
District Council, the Lakes District
Council, the Union of B.C. Indian
Chiefs, the B.C. Native Women’s
Society, the Alliance, a Native news-
paper, and the co-ordinator of the
study attended.
The co-ordinator submitted a
Preliminary Report to _ the
committee and, after some
discussion, the committee agreed
that more time is needed since many |
of the finer details are not yet inclu-
ded in the terms of reference. The
preliminary stages of the study will
be extended by three more months
so that the co-ordinator will have
ample opportunity to meet with a
wider range of Indian people. Since
the people of the north are unable to
attend any of the assemblies, the
Tribal Councils in the committee
will hold meetings with the co-
ordinator for people in their region |
to keep them informed.
After learning of the extension,
many have sent in their terms of
reference or phoned to make
arrangements to meet with the co-
ordinator. Hopefully this trend will |
continue until the 30th of June 1980
when the preliminary stages of the
study will end.
Indian Home Needed
An Indian family of two brothers
and two sisters needs a home. They
are now staying in a temporary
foster home.
The children’s mother visits them,
but cannot raise them on a daily
basis.
For more information, please call
Annabelle Fung at 438-6101, 01
Muriel Simon at 321-3441, Ministry
of Human Resources.
INDIAN WORLD 35
Mount Currie Band farmer readying the land for spring activities.
It’s the time of year when there is a lot of activity
around everything to do with agriculture: farm supply
stores, fertilizer and machinery dealers, processing com-
panies, dairymen, ranchers, sheep breeders—the list goes
on and on.
Now is the time everybody is planning their crop
program for the growing season. There are many factors
which will affect these plans. Based on past experience or
on future projections, almost everybody will be making
changes to their past year’s operations. Some will just be
alternating fields from one type of production to
another, others will be making major changes, such as in-
creased production to suit forms of expansion like herd
size or shortage of feed in past years. Others may have
overproduced and not been able to market or use last
year’s production, though this doesn’t happen very
often. There may be a need for a different ratio of specific
feed types.
_ Planning Factors
The main factors in determining what crops to grow or
how much of it will be the ability to market and the
economic benefits to be realized. Crop rotation also
affects one’s crop planning. Because different crops use
INDIAN WORLD 36
a
rr
ee
mig
any WW ‘SUIETTIM, sino] AreW :ojoyd
by Chester Douglas
different constituents from the soil, the grounds must be
periodically switched from one type of production to
another, to avoid permanent damage to the soil.
~ Another factor to consider is that certain cultural and
other practices that are necessary for one crop type are
detrimental, and often critical, for another. An example
of this is the use of Atrazine for the control of weeds in
corn, Atrazine is a chemical used to control broadleaf
weeds in corn crops. Although it gives highly effective
control of weeds, it has a residual effect; that is, it remains
in the soil long after the crop year is over, and if used at a
high rate, critical amounts of the chemical remain in the
soil two or three years after.
So when a person is planning his crops for the year, he
should consider his feed requirements, his ability to
market and his soil management before making his final
decision.
Something that shouldn’t be overlooked in crop
planning is the ability to harvest when the crops are
ready. If a person doesn’t plan his production and
harvesting time properly, he might end up with all his
crops ready to harvest all at once. This could result in
losing part of his crop. e
Planning an Irrigation System
An irrigation system should be designed and installed
so that it suits the particular circumstances (soil, crops,
climate, water sources, etc.) of the area to be irrigated. It
is no good to simply copy a neighbour’s system or choose
a method which at first hand seems suitable. By making
sure that all factors are checked out, costly mistakes and
future operating problems can be avoided.
¢ Plan Ahead—have your plans finalized the year before
you wish to irrigate; try to arrange to install your
system in the fall.
¢ Contact your local WIAC fieldworker for information
on available publications on irrigation. Your local Min-
istry of Agriculture Office can also supply you.
* Get a good map of your area and mark out the areas
you wish to irrigate. An air photo is very useful: ask
your WIAC fieldworker to order one for you.
* Contact your local Ministry of Agriculture Office and
get advice on the irrigation methods which will be most
suitable to your particular needs and circumstances.
Arrange to have your soil tested. You may also need to
improve drainage.
® Check out the sources of water—are they reliable?
What are your water rights? How much water is
available? Have the water tested for Quality (it may
have high levels of dissolved salts). Does the water have
a lot of sand in it? (this will clog up sprinklers). If you
are considering having a well drilled, contact Environ-
ment Canada who can advise you on likelihood of
success.
e If you are planning to use electric pumps, you will be
restricted by the availability of hydro service: do you
have single or three phase service? Gas and diesel
A Suitable irrigation
system depends on
each individual's
circumstances like
water supply, soil,
crop, climate and so
on.
Right: setting up irri-
gation for the Seabird
Island Band's bean-
crop last year.
WIAC Workshops
Date Workshop Place Fieldman
May 6 Smail Cranbrook Dan
Animals Cancelled Graveile
To beset Farm Fi.St.John Angus
Machines Dickie
To be set Home Lillooet Mike Y¥.
Gardens _ District Joseph
May Fieldmens WIAC WIAC
12-16 Workshop Boardroom
May 4H Stoney Jimmy
42-13 Creek Quaw
May Land Stoney Jimmy
20&21 Clearing & Creek Quaw
4H
engine powered pumping systems are expensive to buy
and operate. Tractor driver pumps are hard on tractors
and tie up valuable machinery when you may need it.
Estimate how much labour is involved with different.
systems.
Should you decide on a sprinkler or gun system, ap-
proach a reputable irrigation supply company in your
area. They should be willing to design a proper system
and draw plans and give you a definite quotation. The
company should also be willing to have their proposed
plans checked by your local Ministry of Agriculture
Engineer. Do not expect the company to give you any
of their plans before you have made a contract with
them. Arrange to have the proposed plans given in con-
fidence to your Ministry of Agricuture Engineer for
checking before you make a contract.
Plan to instruct your workers on safe working habits—
irrigation pipes and power lines can be killers! e
INDIAN WORLD 37
Regulating the Forests
the Indian Way
The Indian Timber Regulations suggests that Indian
Bands are incompetent in the management and develop-
ment of their own timber. Last month we discussed two
ideas for changes in the Regulations: Band authority and
control over Indian timber management and obtaining
timber quotas to supplement the depleted Indian timber.
What is the next step? What are your ideas? It is time for
action rather than just talk. If you have any comments or
views about the following draft proposal for action
contact the Forestry Committee at (604) 684-0231 or
write to 3rd floor, 440 West Hastings Street, Vancouver,
B.C. VOB ILI.
Summary
This proposal will focus on the hearts on the adminis-
trative policies and procedures of Indian timber. Our
goals and objectives are to lead towards Indian Bands
independently directing the development of the forestry
sector. This step will advance the overall progress of the
economic development activities of Indian Bands in B.C.
Goal
To amend the Indian Timber Regulations and include
the following objectives in the process.
Objectives
¢ Draw up alternative plans of action in preparation
for discussion with Indian Bands and District Coun-
cils, in order to form a clear direction for the man-
agement of Indian timber.
e Assess the role and authority of the Departmental
District Foresters pecoraing to the Indian Timber
Regulations.
e Assess the success and failures of the forms of agree-
ments that give rights to cut Indian timber.
Assess the financial management of monies derived
from royalties and stumpage Paes of Indian
timber.
Plan the development and maintenance of an up-to-
date inventory system of Indian timber. (The
present one is about 20 years old).
¢ Draw up plans to develop and establish a central
Indian forestry body to secure financial backing for
the many Indian forestry resource people who could
concentrate in such areas as (a) monitoring the goals
and objectives of Indian Bands to by-pass bureau-
cracy of both federal and provincial government
agencies, (b) monitoring the federal and provincial
agreements to ensure that Indian Bands are not ex-
cluded from important forestry agreements (such as
the case with the federal-provincial agreement on
silviculture or tree planting or stand tending), or (c)
INDIAN WORLD 38
The indian Timber Regulations:
© regulate the harvesting, sale and disposal of timber within Indian
reserves and surrendered lands
© dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (for Indian use) to a
Band for Band purposes, or to a member or a group of members
of a Band to cut timber or fuel wood for his or their individual use
-without the need to pay royalty or stumpage payments
¢ dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (to sell timber) to a |
Band or member or a group of members of a Band for a period of
_one year and stumpage or royalties must be paid unless such pay-
ments are waived as a measure of relief to the permit holder
® dispose of Indian timber through a ‘‘Licence’’ which is available
. to any person other than a member of a Band on whose behalf the
timber is being administered
® specify that Licences are available where timber has been surren-
dered or released to the Crown or without a surrender where the
Assistant Deputy Minister is satisfied that the sale of the timber is
in the interest of the Band and the Band Council consents
® specify that Licences are to be issued after advertising except
where stumpage or royalties payable on the timber will not exceed
$2,500.00 and are for a term of one year and are renewable
® specify that ground rent must be paid each year at a rate of $0.20
per acre with a minimum fee being $40.00 and a security deposit
must be kept in place
® specify that both the Permit (to sell timber) and the Licence
stumpage or royalties are payable and the timber must have been
measured by a licenced scaler or by some other person appointed
for the task and all stumpage or royalties must have been paid
before the timber can be manufactured at a mill unless consent
has been obtained from the Assistant Deputy Minister.
monitoring the Canadian economy in regards to
interest rates that may hurt the overall ceva
of Indian forestry.
¢ Develop a mechanism by which the federal govern-
ment will negotiate a federal-provincial agreement
for a program that can allocate timber quotas for
Indian Bands to supplement the depleted Indian
timber. (This is by no means a part of Indian land
claims). ’
¢ Determine how the Band by-laws can give Indian
Bands more local control over such matters as refor-
estation (re-planting after Indian trees have been cut)
or other matters that will affect the long term devel-
opment of Indian timber. .
This account supports George Manuel’s statement ina
press release on April 11, 1980 regarding the Depart-
ment’s funding policies :
“The funding of the Department must be changed to
emphasize positive socio-economic development pro-
grams for Indian Bands instead of social assistance
dependency. These welfare programs now dangerously
dominate any socio-economic development. In 1980-
81, more than 27 million dollars has been ear-marked
for Bands. Little more than 3 million dollars has been
_ slotted for socio-economic development. Divided
among the 194 Bands of B.C., an average of $140,000
would go to each Band for welfare payments, while
only a miniscule $15,500 would reach each Band for
job creation and economic development. ’’ °
INDIAN CONSULTING GROUP
A new consulting firm has opened its doors for
business in Vancouver recently. NDCS Consultants are
prepared to offer a wide range of development services to
Band Councils, Indian Organizations and individual
business people.
The difference between this consulting group and all
the others in B.C. is that NDCS Consultants is a wholly
Indian-owned business venture. All the partners in the
group are Indian professional people from different parts
_ of the province. They include businessmen, a lawyer,
educators and experienced administrators.
The interim president of the group is Chief Gordon
Antoine, Coldwater Band:
“Our firm has a unique advantage in understanding
and assisting with the aspiration of Bands and indivi-
duals as well as those of other cultural minorities in our
society. We have worked with Band Councils, govern-
ment departments and our own businesses. We know
the problems and we also know the opportunities that
are available.”’
Some of the areas where the group can provide assistance
to Bands are:
community planning
project development (logging, real estate, etc.)
general management services
preparation of funding proposals
staff recruitment
negotiations with government
special Band training courses
environmental and socio-economic impact studies
Gordon Antoine went on to say:
“I would like to emphasize that this is strictly a busi-
ness venture by a group of people with certain skills to
offer. We are not associated with any other provincial
Indian organization or group. We are strictly profes-
sional consultants with a service to offer.’’
NDCS Consultants has an office at 225-744 W. Hastings
Street in Vancouver. The office phone number is
682-7615. The group is presently preparing some litera-
ture which will be sent out to all Band offices later this
month. °
WINDEMERE ELKS
NEW PROVINCIAL INDIAN HOCKEY
CHAMPIONS
by Irvine Harry
During the long Easter Weekend
many fans were treated to excellent
hockey action in Smithers when the
all-native Provincial Hockey Play-
offs took place.
A total of nine teams took part in
all of the action. Two teams came
from each recreational zone in the
province. |
Windermere Elks Zone 3
Merritt Braves Zone 3
Alkali Lake Renegades Zone 4a
Prince George Native Sons Zone 4b
Ft.St. James Chiefs Zone 4b a
Kispiox Warriors Zone 5 »*
Hazelton Wolverines Zone 5
Moricetown Canyon Bears Zone 5
Kitimaat Thunderbirds Zone 5
As zone 5 was hosting the provin- . 7
cial play-offs they had the option of
putting in more than the two-zone »
representatives.
INDIAN WORLD 39
Hockey action got underway with
Fort St. James Chiefs playing against
the Kitimaat Thunderbirds and
winning quite handily.
Other first round action was Win-
dermere Elks beating Kispiox War-
riors, Prince George Native Sons
beating Hazelton, Ft. St. James
Chiefs bettering Merritt Braves and
Moricetown Canyon Bears whipping
Alkali Renegades.
All of the losing teams dropped
into the ‘‘B’’ bracket.
In the ‘‘A’’ events, Windermere
Elks easily handled Prince George
and Ft. St. James Chiefs nipped
Moricetown Canyon Bears. This led
to the quarter finals and had Winde-
mere squaring off against the Fort St.
James Chiefs. The southern team,
Windemere, easily outskated, and
generally outplayed, the Chiefs from
Fort St. James, who incidentally were
the past provincial winner for 2 years
running.
Action on the ‘‘B”’ side:
Kispiox beat Kitimat, Alkali beat
Merritt, Kispiox beat Hazelton, Mor-
icetown beat Kispiox.
Alkali Lake beat Prince George
and Alkali Lake avenged their first
INDIAN WORLD 40
round loss to Moricetown. The two
remaining teams vying for the right to
play against the Windemere Elks
played an excellent game with the
outcome being: Fort St. James finally
beating the fast skating Alkali Lake
Renegades. This set the stage for the
final game between Fort St. James
and Windemere. The result was the
Same as the game for the ‘‘A’’ finals
—Windemere easily -out-classed the
Fort St. James team and thus won the
right to say that they are the Native
Hockey Champions for 1979/80.
Most Valuable Player—Pete Ni-
cholas, Windemere
Most Inspirational Player—Arnie
Ignatius, Alkali
Most Points—Rick Nicholas, Win-
demere.
The final placements for Native
Hockey:
#1 Windemere Elks
32 Fort St. James Chiefs
#3 Alkali Lake Renegades
#4 Moricetown Canyon Bears
#5 Kispiox Warriors
#6 Prince George Native Sons
#7 Hazelton Wolverines
#8 Merritt Braves
#9 Kitimaat Thunderbirds. e
| own area of sports.
ithat the office has to close down, it is
NEED FOR NEW
PROVINCIAL SPORTS
ASSOCIATION
A number of years back the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports and Recre-
ation Federation office was estab-
lished and opened, funded from
Ottawa.
Communications, therefore, was
established and opened doors to
many Indian communities
throughout B.C. who. otherwise
would not have any means of
communicating.
Through this source we were able
to plan better sports activities for our
young people. Tournaments were
established, with the Provincial
Finals determining which community
is the Provincial Champion in their|
Travel was no obstacle for teams
through grants obtained by the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports & Recreation
Federation staff. Young people
struck up friendship among each
Other, learning and becoming aware
of other villages.
Unfortunately, cuts in budget over
the past two years have been felt
throughout B.C., and now the office
is closed. With the closing of the
office communications with other
areas of B.C. are once again broken.
With the cutbacks in budget so severe
like closing the door to the opportu-
nities that are available to our young
people.
If we just accept this to happen it
will be like going back to how we
were in the past....‘‘Isolated once
again’’.
It is up to each community in B.C.
to do something about keeping this|
communication open among Indian
villages, through the B.C. Native
Amateur Sports and _ Recreation
Federation as our head office.
Perhaps each Zone can draft up a
resolution requesting that the B.C.
N.A.S. & R.E. be opened again; there
is a need for this office. Physical
recreation is a preventative program
in regards to alcoholism and drug
abuse. by Mary Green
Fa —_UP-DATE—
WEST COAST OIL PORTS INQUIRY
In August, 1979, the National Energy Board announced
hearings into the matter of application made by Trans
Mountain Pipeline Ltd. and Foothills Oil Pipeline Ltd.
for Certification of Public Convenience and Necessity,
under Part III of the National Energy Board Act.
On October 15th the National Energy Board began its
hearings in Vancouver.
The Foothills Oil Pipeline Company withdrew its
application early in the hearing and consequently the
UBCIC intervention focused on the Trans Mountain
application.
The National Energy Board on February 21, 1980
announced that they were not going to give Trans Moun-
tain Pipeline a permit to construct its Alaskan Oil Pipe-
line until environmental studies have been completed.
Since the National Energy Board decision, Trans
Mountain has announced it will do its environmental
studies and will re-submit its application for a hearing as
early as September, 1980.
URANIUM ENQUIRY
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has completed its
submission to the Bates Inquiry into uranium mining in
British Columbia. Although the Commission of Inquiry
was to terminate when the seven year moratorium on ura-
nium mining and exploration was declared, participants
were asked to prepare submissions on the evidence heard
to date. Some of the highlights of the UBCIC submission
were:
(1) We identified the special concerns that Indian people
have concerning the possibility of uranium mining in
this province and we urged the Commission to make
recommendations to the provincial government which
would recommend and protect our rights and inter-
ests, not only from uranium mining but from all un-
controlled development.
(2) We drafted model legislation which we believe would
ensure that a moratorium on uranium exploration
and mining is observed. The legislation also attempts
to deal with some of the other potential health hazards
identified by the Commission such as uranium in
water and the wastes from all mines.
(3) We provided the Commission with a brief which out-
lines the minimum studies which need to be done
before the initiation of any development which might
interfere with Indian interests.
If Bands or individuals want copies of this material,
please contact the Energy and Resources Portfolio at the
UBCIC.
MUSQUEAM CASE
The Musqueam Band is suing the Department of
Indian Affairs for mismanagement and breach of trust in
leasing their land without the Band’s agreement. The case
re-opened on March 20th and 2lst, 1980, with some
evidence of the lands lease.
Jack Ellis, Crown witness and part share owner of one
of the smaller golf courses on the reserve, told of a con-
versation that took place with Band members around
1961. Ellis had the impression some members of the Band
appeared to know what was in the lease.
All of the Band members denied it. However, the evi-
dence was very vague and the case was closed. The judge :
will be giving his decision on the case in June, 1980.
FISHING CASES»
Leslie Edmonds was found guilty but given a discharge
on part of the Judge’s decision that Fisheries negotiate
with the Indian people.
May 5, 1980: Peter John, 40, a member of the Hope
Band was charged of fishing with a net near Ruby Creek,
seven miles west of Hope on August 6, 1979. His case was
heard April 10, 1980 and has been held over to May 15,
1980.
April 29, 1980: Rene Kelly was charged with unmarked
fish on October 31, 1979 at Mission. Her case was
adjourned. :
HUNTING CASE
April 14, 1980: D‘arcy Simpson of the Tsartlip Band was
charged with possession of a firearm. His case was
dropped on April 14, 1980.
Angus Davis: The Legal Team has since taken action
against the Majestic Wiley Construction Co. for the
damages caused to Angus’s traplines in the Fort St. John
area. There will be an examination for discovery some
time in May, 1980.
Raymond Bob of Anaham was charged for shooting
moose and grouse out of season. The charges against him
were dropped on March 24, 1980 because the hunting
took place on reserve land. The judge told the Indian
delegates present at the court to consider it a victory on
their part. |
April 24, 1980: Fred Shields was charged with hunting for
food in the Lillooet area. His case was adjourned for
another date not set.
INDIAN WORLD 41
“NOT GUILTY”:
getting back our Hunting Rights
For over two years now, Indian
hunters have been going before the
courts and have been pleading not
guilty to hunting charges. In Septem-
ber of 1978, Francis Haines told the
court that he had a right to hunt. He
also told the court that the Provincial
Government was acting . illegally in
the way they applied the Provincial
Wildlife Act because, by denying out
of season hunting sustenance permits,
Indian people were in fact being
denied their rights to hunt.
Now two years have passed. Our
efforts have paid off. Two weeks ago,
the Attorney-General of British Co-
lumbia announced that from this time
onwards, it will be the policy of the
Attorney-General of British Columbia
not to proceed with hunting charges
against Indian people who have been
charged when they are hunting tradi-
tionally for food. The Attorney-Gen-
eral’s office also said that they inten-
ded to negotiate with the Indian peo-
ple to put in law (the Wildlife Act)
our Indian concerns over traditional
food hunting.
The Victory is Far From
Complete
We have learned from the Attorney
-General’s office that the Wildlife
Officers do not agree with the posi-
tion taken by the Attorney-General.
In fact Wildlife Officers continue to
arrest and press charges against
Indian people who are hunting tradi-
tionally for food.
Fred Shields, an Indian hunter
from Seton Lake, was to appear in
Court for a hunting charge in Lillooet
Thursday, April 17th. Fred is a 49
year old Indian who was hunting deer
to feed his wife and four children.
UBCIC lawyers contacted the prose-
cutor and asked that the charges
against him be dropped. We made the
request based upon the announce-
ment of the Attorney-General’s office
several weekks ago. The prosecutor
refused to drop the charges immedi-
ately, saying that he would only drop
the charges against Indian people
who are hunting for sustenance. In
other words, the prosecutor was put-
ting himself in the position which the
Indian Hunters are
Wildlife Officers previously took; so
if the Indian person was hunting for
sustenance, as defined by non-
Indians, out of season hunting may
be permitted. After negotiating with
the prosecutor and lawyers for the
Provincial Government, the
Provincial Government agreed to ad-
journ Fred’s trial so the matter can be
looked into further.
Victory Brought About by
Indians Pleading Not Guilty
All those Indian hunters who pled
not guilty over the last two years and
fought their case have really helped
all Indian people along in having
hunting rights recognized in law.
There is still a great deal of work to
do. Only some people within the Pro-
vincial Government are convinced
that Indian hunters have rights which
should be enforced in law. There is
still a good deal of negotiation and
education to take place among other
members of the Provincial Govern-
ment and the public at large. e
HUNTING AND TRAPPING PORTFOLIO.
At the Northern Regional Confer-
ence in Fort St. John, March 13 and
14, 1980, Hunting. and Trapping
was a major agenda item. The
Chiefs at the conference passed a
resolution to hold a Trappers
Forum in Williams Lake in the 4th
week of June.
The guidelines given at the North-
ern Regional Conference for the
Hunting and Trapping Steering
Committee for the Northern Region
are as follows:
® Breakdown of Wildlife Act.
¢ How to register traplines.
¢ Interference of companies and
farmers.
e Expanding Indian traplines and
Band traplines.
* Trappers’ support programs.
INDIAN WORLD 42
¢ Trappers’ Co-op on Reserve.
e Fur selling.
® Purchase of equipment.
e Fur enhancement programs.
¢ Trapping rights.
® Breakdown of trapline
¢ Breakdown of trapline meaning.
¢ Individual trapper problems.
® Protection of Indian trappers,
cabins, property.
Two or three representatives from
each district will sit on the Steering
Committee, to ensure and assist the
Union in work that has to be done.
On April 8 and 9, the Fort St.
John District Council discussed the
Trapping Forum. The Chiefs passed
a motion that all persons wishing to
attend the Trappers Forum give one
beaver pelt of reasonable size and
quality to cover travel expenses. If
there were any dollars left over, they
will be used to finance another
Trappers Forum next year or cover
costs for meetings dealing with
Hunting and Trapping.
In order to organize for the trap-
pers who will attend the Forum, it
would be much appreciated if a list
could be made and sent or phoned
in to the Union office by May 15,
1980. We will then make the neces-
sary travel arrangements. It would
also be appreciated if people attend-
ing could bring their own bedrolls
and tents.
For more information, call Steven
Basil, Co-ordinator, at 684-0231,
lacal #20. °
DAMNING ‘4. =~
THE LIARD am
(
{
7
My
\
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs passed a resolution at ‘
“
its 11th Annual General Assembly that the UBCIC
should oppose any large scale hydro-electric project
proposed by B.C. Hydro, including those planned for the
Peace, Liard, and Stikine rivers.
On April 1-2, 1980, five people from the community of
Location of Existing & Potential
Hydroelectric Projects in B.C.
& Existing or under construction
‘. Potential Hydroelectric Project
SMORE CREEK
ISKUT B
Lower Post participated in a workshop on the proposed_ , aPEACE
B.C. Hydro Dams on the Liard River. Basically the 5" ante C
workshop was to review B.C. Hydro’s plans for the Liard 3 ee “he E |
fe
River and to do an examination of B.C. Hydro from our ‘
past experiences in dealings with them on other issues and
on Hydro in general. We also discussed Land Use Studies
and the impacts the proposed dams on the Liard river
would have on the community of Lower Post.
Proposed Liard Dam to be one of World’s Largest
In mid-1978, B.C. Hydro announced that possible
hydro-electric projects on two major river basins in nor-
thern B.C. were being intensively studied: the Liard, the
Stikine and Iskut rivers.
The Liard River rises in the Yukon and enters B.C.
near Watson Lake. It flows about 480 kilometres through
B.C., around where the Lower Post community is situ-
ated, and the river flows on a further 368 kilometres
through the Northwest Territories to Ft. Simpson where
it discharges into the Mackenzie River.
In the summer of 1979, B.C. Hydro went into its
second summer of engineering and feasibility studies into
plans for hydro-electric power development at the Liard
River.
To dam the Liard would create the same amount of
power as the Peace, which is one of the largest hydro-
electric power projects in the world. B.C. Hydro’s plans
for the Liard would involve 3-5 dams and a reservoir. The
reservoir would be twice as large as the man-made Willis-
ton Lake.
B.C. Hydro’s studies are supposed to include
hydrology, plant ecology, fisheries biology, wildlife bio-
logy, and forestry, mining and recreation resources.
Hydro Studies Irrelevant to indian Concerns
Although the feasibility studies have been underway
for over two years B.C. Hydro’s first drop-in visit to
Lower Post was in the late fall of 1979. They asked the
Indian people to participate in a questionnaire. The
Indian people would not participate because the ques-
tionnaire was so irrelevant to their way of life and
because there was no prior consultation. They told B.C.
Hydro that they would do their own study on the impacts
of Hvdro’s plans.
Me
GKEMANO ~~ |
i
oe 4 = MeGREGOR
Vy, hit e DIVERSION
Ie Ay rf
a8
{3 ue ae
J
a
jaTarieona | bone > ELAHO or REAL y 3 a
eee ei wcHeKamus a t
foc VER Lowen “ees 9 toe 5
Xs RIVER euNZEHM S j b ”
~, % v WsTave wanvencn ‘
“ Sel GS ar ee KOOTENAY
Jomvan ?., { DIVERSION
Sy eT
Whole Reserves would be Flooded
Hydro’s plans for the Liard River would be devastating
tothe Indian people. Two reserves are situated in the
flood area. Almost all of their traditional and aboriginal
territories would be flooded, therefore destroying their
hunting, trapping and fishing territories including their
year round camps. Archaeological sites, recreational acti-
vities, and a total way of life would be destroyed. People
in this area rely heavily on moose, black bear, grizzly,
caribou, fox, wolves, beaver, coyote, lynx—all these and
different species of fish would be flooded out.
There is also the possibility of homes being flooded,
and whole Indian Reserve lands. The community of
Lower Post and Upper Liard have made it very clear that
their Reserves are not for sale and are not interested in
' any land surrenders so that they can be flooded. The
‘people have also made it clear that they are going to
struggle to save their way of life and to preserve their
environment which provides for their way of life.
The Lower Post community is in the process of devel-
oping a Land Use Study with the Union and are working
on ways and means of protecting their reserve lands and
their traditional and aboriginal territories. e
Koorenay’ i
+ CANAL \ ira {
INDIAN WORLD 43
THESE MOUNTAINS ARE OUR SACRED PLACES
This book was written and researched by Chief John
Snow of the Morley Reserve in Alberta. He is the elected
chief of the Wesley Band of the Stoney Indians. He deals
primarily with the problems his people have encountered
since the signing of Treaty 7, which encompasses his
people.
He begins the book in the tradition of all Indian people
throughout North America, in the oral tradition. It did
not really dawn on me until much later, for it did seem as
his voice were speaking out to me; or was it a voice that I
had heard before, perhaps the voice of one of my Elders.
I believe that it is the universal voice of all Indians
throughout North America, one which speaks of strong,
healthy, proud, and very traditional people.
He then discusses the coming of the white settlers and
the missionaries who were very influential, in conjunc-
tion with the Federal Government, in getting the Indians
to accept the influx of white settlers. An appropriate quo-
tation from the book which I found to sum up the
situation is:
‘*Before the whiteman came we had the land, they had
the Bible. Now we Indians have the Bible, they have
the land.’’
He also speaks of the concept of Christianity, which is
sharing, which was nothing new to Indian people, as the
sharing of all things that were essential was part of the
Indian people’s lives. This is one of the reasons that he
states why Indian people were so easily swayed into
Christianity.
He then goes on to explain the frustrations felt by his
people in the signing of the treaty, where the biggest
problem was the translation, There were times when three
different languages had to be spoken, from Stoney to
Cree then to English. Their interpreter at that time was a
missionary. As a result, during the translation of the lan-
guages between the Chief who signed the treaties and the
government official, the actual meanings were
interpreted improperly. Consequently the Indians at that
time were misled into signing a legal document of which
INDIAN WORLD 44
by Chief John Snow.
their understanding was very different from what was
contained in the treaty. |
Some of the Indians that were present during the sign-
ing of the treaty, had believed that they were signing a
peace treaty. They had heard of some of the rebellions
that were happening in eastern Canada and the
movement of various Indian tribes from the United
States into Canada. One of the chiefs had asked the
Lieutenant Governor the real meaning of the proposal,
and was told, ‘to make peace between us.’
_ There are also very fine examples of how the Depart-
ment of Indian Affairs. consistently gave in to the
demands of public outcry of the white society. One exam-
ple was the grazing rights for cattle and horses: the white
settlers usually were given preference over the Indians in
the selections of their choice of land available for such
purposes.
Indian people were also confined to their reserves
except when they were issued a pass from the department.
I found it very disturbing that they were not allowed to
move freely without fear of imprisonment. The Jews in
Nazi-occupied Europe were also persecuted if they were
apprehended without the Star of David sewn to their
clothes.
I would recommend this book for reading to both
Indian and non-Indians from the age of sixteen and over.
I believe that this book recreates the mood and life-style
of Indians today and the past, although it is focussed
mainly on the Stoney Indians. It reflects what was
happening to most Indians (whether it was treaty or non-
treaty), for we were all dealing with the same enemy: the
envroavhment of the white settlers, the coming of the
missionaries and the infringement of policies from the
government, which were designed to strip us of all human
dignity and to become solely dependent on what is later
termed by the white saciety as government handouts.
This book may be purchased for $12.95 at most book-
stores throughout B.C. °
by Reg Percival
The First Water Lily
by Heather Spence
My people have this story about the first water lily.
Long ago some Indians lived by a lake in the moun-
tains. They fished in the lake and hunted in the forest.
One night a hunter went high up the mountain to talk to
his friend, the Owl. It was dark and the sky was full of
stars. One star was enormous and beautiful and very very
bright. The hunter went home to wake everybody up. He
wanted them to see the strange star. en
The people were frightened of the huge star. They did * ere ell
not know if it meant good luck or bad luck. The Chief 0S 7: i ee
told a man called Red Sky to go up on top of the ae +7 i. ya
mountain to ask the star whv she is there:
‘*Beautiful star, why are you there?’’ he yelled up at
her.
“*T would like to live with you because everyone in your... .2° 30 17 oo
village is so happy, dancing, singing, laughing, playing, a ‘geen
fishing, swimming.”’
When the star heard the good news she went on top of
the mountain to live, but it was too far from the village.
Then she tried on top of a fir tree, but she could not see
through the branches. |
Red Sky went down the mountain to ask the Chief if
that would be okay. The Chief said, ‘‘That would be
terrific.”’
So the beautiful star floated down to the lake and
stayed there forever because she was happy.
The people in the village were very happy the lovely
star had found a place where she could see the children
playing and laughing.
She soon turned into the very first water lily.
This is a simplified re-told legend from “Tales of
Nokomis’’ by Petronella Johnston. e
INDIAN WORLD 45
B.C. INDIANS TOP BOXERS
Story of the Buckskin Gloves Tournament
The first Buckskin Boy was Freddy
Baker from the Totem Athletic Club
in North Vancouver in 1951. Fred
Baker was also acclaimed Canada’s
Greatest Indian Athlete of that year.
‘In 1955 to 1957, a flashy Eddie
Campbell won the honour of being
the Buckskin Boy. This is the longest
period a boxer has been acclaimed
this title. In 1957 Eddie Campbell
also won the coveted Tom Longboat
Trophy which is awarded to Canada’s
outstanding Indian Athlete.
Although the first Buckskin Boy
was in 1951, the Buckskin Gloves
Tournament was first staged in 1949.
The first Tournament was held at St.
Paul’s School in North Vancouver
and was such a success that an annual
tournament was planned. The
tournament was to be all native con-
~ testants and Grand Chief Andy Paull
suggested they be called the ‘‘Buck-
skin Gloves.’’
Prior to the first annual tourna-
ment the boxing shows were very
small and held on various reserves,
with meagre equipment and limited
facilities. From the Reserves, the
exhibitions were held in various halls
Joe Todd (age 14), 1980 Golden Glove
Champ, Kamloops, B.C.
INIHAN WORLD 46
sinoy AIO :0]04Ug
Gerald Peters (age 19), has won two
Buckskin titles 1978, 1980, Vernon,
B.C.
and auditoriums in Vancouver and
throughout the Lower Mainland. The
cards were always an artistic success
but a financial failure. People scoffed
at the idea of an all-Indian boxing
show ever being a big attraction but a
inan by the name of Alex Strain and a
committee held faith in their belief.
VERNON, B.C. In 1978 the
Buckskin Boxing Tournament was
brought into the Interior of British
Columbia for the first time in the
history of this all-Native Tourna-
ment. Since 1978, this tournament
has been bid on by boxing clubs in
B.C. for the right to hold this presti-
gious Native Boxing Tournament and
we have been successful in bidding
for the last three years. This year
Williams Lake was the successful
bidder. Each year that the Buckskin
Gloves have been held in Vernon, the
sIno’y AlsWY :oj0Ud
interest in Native athletics has in- —
creased and improved.
This year for the first time the top
Boxers in B.C, are Native. At major
tournaments this year, at least 8 have
been won by Native Indians. CLIFF
BALENDINE of Victoria won the
most prestigious award, ‘‘Junior
by Emery Louis
Golden Boy Award.’ Other Native
boys to win in major tournaments
were Mark Michel of Astoria, Bronze
Boy; Randy Gallor of Astoria, Jade
Boy; Joe Todd of Kamloops, Jr.
Golden Glove Winner to mention a
few. Most of these boys will be
making a trip East to represent B.C.
in the Canadian Championships. This
team will:comprise of at least 6 Junior
Native Boxers.
The results of the 1980 Buckskin
Boxing Tournament are as follows:
Sr. Buckskin Boy—Allan Deuth,
Williams Lake
Runner-up—Gerald Peters, Okan-
agan Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Junior Buckskin Boy—Cliff Bal-
lendine, Victoria
Runner-up—Curtis Gensaw, Cali-
fornia
Best Prospect—William Napier,
Yakima
Best Bout—Dempsey Gregorie,
Vernon/Cliff Ballendine, Victoria
Most Successful Club—Okanagan
Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Clubs that participated in the
Buckskin Gloves were from Califor-
nia, Oregon, Washington, Alberta
and B.C. °
Don Louis (age 16), Three year Buck-
skin Champion 1978, 1979, 1980,
Vernon, B.C.
FRASER VALLEY NATIVE
BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
On April 18-19 the Fraser Valley Native Boxing Club
sponsored the biggest Invitational Boxing Card held at
the Chilliwack Coliseum.
During the two-day card it is estimated that thirteen
hundred spectators attended the Coliseum. Archie Moore
was the attending celebrity, the former world light
heavyweight Champion. Accompanying Archie was his
Queen Charlotte Islands boxing team.
There were a total of 127 contenders from Saskatch-
ewan, Regina, British Columbia, Oregon, California and
Alaska.
Most Sportsmanlike Boxer: Tom Harris of Nicola
Valley Boxing Club, Merritt, B.C.
Best Club: Regina Boxing Club, Saskatchewan.
Senior Buckskin: Dixon Davis, 18 years, of Warm
Springs, Oregon.
Runner-up: Andrew Mosquito of Regina.
Junior Buckskin: 14-year-old Isaac Taite of the
Astoria boxing club, Burnaby, B.C.
Runner-up: Greg Laboucane of Langley, B.C.
Chilliwack’s Ray Bailie was the highlight as the Best
Senior bout, defeating George Mason. Earlier this year
Mason won a bronze medal at the Canadian nationals.
Best Senior Novice: Both weighing in at 139 pounds
and 17 years old, Lionel Samuels of Sandspit fought
against Dixon Davis.
Best Junior was fought between Greg Laboucane of
Langley and Randy Galler of Astoria Club, Burnaby,
B.C.
Best Junior Novice: Wade Shaffer, Regina Club,
against Isaac Taite, Astoria club, Burnaby, B.C.
Gary Authenieth won the heavyweight junior division
by a knockout in the second round.
The Intermediate class was won by Roy Barrett, 147
pounds, beating Desmond Teewee of Warm Springs,
Oregon. Ron Hurst came second in the Senior 125-pound
class when he lost to Dusty Isbister in the finals.
Brian Skrysnick came second, after losing to Jay
Gallagher, Astoria Club, in their final. 9
Stephen Authenrieth was the uncontested intermediate
heavyweight winner. Stephen fought a special exhibition
and lost to Chester Kelly of Whitehorse. It was Stephen
Authenrieth’s first fight and Kelly’s thirtieth.
Cyril Prescott was second in the 90 pound class. He
lost in the final to Lorne Mike of Nicola Boxing Club.
John Silver placed second in 119 pound class. He lost
to Cliff Balendine of Victoria, present B.C. Golden
Gloves Champion.
Ambrose Silver was the uncontested winner in the
intermediate open class 106 pounds.
_ Pictures and Story by Greg Contois
Moore, a living legend in the boxing world, was born
either 1913 or 1916. He is said to be the oldest boxer to
hold titles of any weight class in boxing history. From
1936 to 1946 Moore recorded 136 knockouts, more than
any other in a boxing career.
On 1956 November 30 in his early 40’s he challenged for
the heavyweight title which was left open after Rocky
Marciano’s retirement. Moore lost in the fifth round to
22 year old Floyd Patterson. Moore retired in his late
40’s, still holding his title up to 1962. e
INDIAN WORLD 47
de HELP WANTED—
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER
Bringing into priority, strong family ties, helping families
to grow in unity, love, and understanding.
Job Description:
Help set up family budgets.
Assessing individual family strengths and weaknesses.
Counselling on a one-to-one basis.
Identify family needs.
Provide referral service for families,
Assisting families or individuals to take advantage of
community services.
Provide supportive services to children in care.
Work to improve family relations, thereby lessening
family breakdown.
Working with broken homes.
Working relationship with Social Worker, Community
Health Representative, Drug & Alcohol Counsellor,
Band Council.
Qualifications:
Minimum Grade 12.
A high degree of maturity.
Demonstrate ability to work effectively with families
and children on the reserve.
Experience in community development.
Preferable with undergraduate training in behavioural
science.
Submit Applications to:
Lower Similkameen Indian Band
P.O. Box 100
Keremeos, B.C., VOX 1NO
Attention: Josephine Terbasket, Social Worker.
Deadline Date for Applications: May 22nd, 1980.
Job Starting: June 2nd, 1980,
Salary: $25,000+ depending upon experience.
Full benefits available.
Please submit in confidence resume to:
Ms. Nancy Plasway
President
Burns Lake Native Development Corporation
Box 1030
Burns Lake, B.C.
VOJ 1E0
ALCOHOL COUNSELLOR
Massett, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.— A vacancy has
occurred at Massett for a qualified and/or experienced
Alcohol Counsellor for the Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Program. The successful candidate would be required to
re-organize the program which has been in existence for
about 3 years. They would work with one part-time assis-
tant.
Within the terms of the project, which is financed by
the National Alcohol Abuse Program, the Counsellor
must be of Native Indian origin.
Applicants should write for further information to:
Dagaanthl Tlaat, P.O. Box 189, Massett, B.C. VOT 1Mo.
Closing date for applications will be May 24th, 1980.
Aa
wv
MANAGER,
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATION
Required to develop and monitor business opportunities
for native people in a small but growing community in
North Central B.C.
Should have experience in finance, economics, and cor-
porate planning.
University education in commerce and economics is an
| asset.
Previous employment experience in a native community
Lor organization.is essential.
INDIAN WORLD 48
NATIONAL ASSOCIA‘LivN
OF FRIENDSHIP CENTRES
requires a
SOCIAL FACILITATOR
Duties:
¢ Develop working relationships between the NAFC
~ and non-native organizations that are concerned with
issues related to urban and migrating native peoples
e Aid non-native organizations to develop and imple-
ment effective policies that facilitate the development
of urban and migrating native peoples on a national
and local level as well as to communicate these pol-
icies to all interested groups
® Respond to local requests for information, resources
and support
e Act as a staff resource to the community interaction -
committee of the NAFC Board of Directors and
work under the direct daily --ipervision of the NAFC
Executive Director.
Qualifications:
e An extensive understanding of the cultures of native
peoples and a special knowledge of the needs and
aspirations of migrating and urban native peoples
® The ability to sensitize non-natives to native values
through public speaking and interpersonal skills
¢ Extensive knowledge of non-government and service
organizations
® Good organizational skills
© Proven ability in the communication arts, both writ-
ten and spoken
e Freedom to travel
e Ability to speak a native language is not a require-
ment, but will be considered an asset.
Salary: Negotiable, please state salary expectation.
Closing Date: May 15, 1980.
Apply in Writing to:
Executive Director
National Association of Friendship Centres
200 Cooper St., Suite 3
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0G1
Telephone: (613) 563-4844
QUESNEL TILLICUM SOCIETY
Native Friendship Centre
319 N. Fraser Dr., Quesnel, B.C. V2J 1Y8
992-8347
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Applicant Should Possess:
e Experience in dealing with the problems and needs of
native people in an urban and rural environment.
e The public relations skills and experience necessary
to deal effectively with government agencies, other
native Indian organizations and groups and the local
native and non-native community.
® The ability to manage a diverse staff engaged primar-
ily in providing social assistance; referrals; and cul-
tural, social and recreational programs to native
people in this community.
e The administrative experience to work effectively
under the direction of and in close consultation with
the Centre’s Board of Directors.
Qualifications:
e A university graduate or high school graduate with
considerable experience in related job areas.
e Administrative, Personnel, and Financial skills to
manage a staff and budget.
® Administrative experience with native organizations
a definite asset.
® Counselling or community development skills and
experience an asset.
* Knowledge of various funding sources.
Salary: Negotiable.
Closing Date: May 19, 1980. Reply in writing curriculum
vitae and copies of references. Specify on reply
: Attention Selection Committee.
~s
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Indian Government Portfolio
Technical Co-ordinator
This portfolio focuses on developing the concept of
Indian Government. An understanding of the |
British North America Act and the Indian Act is a must. |
It is also important that the person be able to develop a
good working relationship with people.
Qualifications:
© Familiarity with Band Council Administration
e Must be able to organize meetings and workshops
related to Indian Government
e Must be able to supervise and direct a team-oriented
office staff, organize and monitor in-coming work }
from the field ;
Duties to Include:
e Providing Bands with resource people and informa-
tion relating to Indian Government
e Assist Bands in Developing policies and by-laws to
meet community needs
e Evaluate government policies and programs
® Assist Bands in developing Strategies in strengthening
their government powers
® Analyze documents in existing legislation with refer-
ence to Indian government authority
Applicants must be willing to travel extensively.
Salary will be negotiated commensurate with experience.
References are necessary.
Deadline for Applications: May 30th, 1980.
Please submit resumes to the attention of:
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
3rd Floor —440 West Hastings
FIELD RESEARCHERS
Twenty students are being hired this summer to work as
field researchers with various Bands. The main objective
of this project is to promote and strengthen the concept
of Indian Government. All information gathered will be
compiled into resource booklets, which will then be made
available to all Bands in B.C.
Duties to include:
® Working with communities and travel to]
neigbouring Bands as well
e Organizing meetings and/or workshops at the
community level
Salary: Salary will be $12U/week.
The project extends from now until August 29th, 1980.
*Please note that as of April 15th, 1980, of the twenty
field research positions, /0 are still available. If you are
interested or have any questions have your Band mana-
ger or Chief contact the Indian Government Portfolio. J
INDIAN WORLD 49
Indian Writers Workshop
An Indian writer has special responsibilities to both herself/himself and to the Indian communities that (s)he visits and
writes about. We need Indian writers to emerge from our Indian community whether they write from their life experi-
ences as Indians or from a broader perspective. And we need to support and encourage each other as Indian writers.
These messages surfaced at the 3rd Annual Indian Writers Workshop held April Ist to the 3rd at the Coqualeetza
Cultural Education Centre. Maria Campbell, author of ‘‘Half Breed’’ and several children’s books, led the workshop,
More than 15 of us attended the workshop, some for the second or third time. We spent a day doing role-playing, in
which each person developed the character of a member of a fictitious reserve, and became that person for a day. Each of
us found that experience a bit disturbing, frustrating—it gave us a lot to ponder. We re-learned an important lesson:
when we go to acommunity we are dealing with people, human beings who continue to exist after we’ve made them part
of words on a page. It is not our duty or even within our ability to judge, but it is our duty to dig for those things, those
facts and feelings, that lie below what is superficial and easy to see.
This is a part of what defines us as Indian writers: knowing who we are, and trying to convey a sense of our people to
others, Indian or non-Indian.
Suggestion
by Gloria Thomas Hiil—Cogqualeetza
This year’s workshop, and those held during the previous
two years, emphasized the importance of personal
responsibility and developing a community of Indian
writers. For three days we shared our feelings of joy, fear
and frustration as Indian writers. For many of us, it was
a painful but very necessary release.
“Tell us the story K’noha,’’
They climb up over the steel rim bed into the two
soft mattresses and under the covers. They never really
‘‘made’’ their beds, that is to pull their sheets back
taut or tight, but rather smoothed and straightened the
. blankets and quilts instead. It was winter.
The little girl had two small brothers who were con-
stant companions and bedtime was the time for stor-
ies, when all three children lay back to dream and
wonder :
‘Well, there was this man and his name was Tadah-
dahoh. He had all snakes in his hair. He was such a
terrible man that he could not look at anyone or no one
could look at him. He used to live amongst the people but
after this happened to him he couldn’t anymore.
It was a terrible thing that happened. He soon went
away to live in a cave. It just had to go that way. Tadah-
dahoh who carried a rattle so that when someone ap-
proached he would shake it fast and hard to let you know
that he was there. When you heard that rattle you knew
that it was his, there was no other sound like that.”’
Her mother swallowed softly and drew the covers
over the children. Since the little girl could remember,
her mother’s hair was white—it never felt like hair—
almost like ashes. Her hands were smooth and shiny,
and dark: they were small hands with long curvy fingers
which always smelled like tobacco.
This other man, the one I can’t mention his name, he
was walking through the land talking to our people. We
were a bad people then, we killed and fought each other,
some even ate another man. In a stone boat he came to
talk to us, and at the same time that Tadahdahoh was
living in the cave. .
When he first reached the land he came to a village and
they would not give him shelter. He had to sleep in the
cold ground outside the village and every day the people
came to test him and to try his strength. He claimed he
was the great law and the great spirit had sent him but
they would not listen. He had to show them the power
that the Creator had given him, then they let him in. The
first people that he came to he called Gonyengie’ea. They
were the Mohawks; the first nation to be gathered and
they lived at the eastern door: Now he went into the
village and chose an evil woman who poisoned people to
be a part of this new way. When she heard him talk, she
changed right away to be right and good. She was the
first grandmother.’’ —
By this time the children were dozing off.
The little girl fixed her body and curled her legs
up close to her chest. Her smallest brother leaned up
against her back and he was breathing evenly and stea-
~ dily now.
_ ‘Well, this man he went to the cave on his way to his
next village. He heard Tadahdahoh’s rattle and he spoke
to him,
‘Don’t be afraid and alone now. Come out from
there and bring your rattle.’
‘‘Tadahdahoh just laid close to the wall of the cave:
that’s how he lived, you know, just laid there in the cave.
Well this Tadahdahoh, he became firekeeper at the Great
Council after this other man got all the nations together.
He still has his rattle. It has lots of power. His name is
Tadahdahoh today, the man who keeps the fire.
The next time the mother told the story it would be
about the following nation to be formed. She would
tell about the people and events that made up each
nation. Eventually the entire story of the peace-making
journey would unfold. How could the children know
then that this was the story of the great peacemaker,
whose name still is not to be mentioned openly, of the
clans and the feats of the longhouse of the Confed-
eracy of the Six Nations that expand between the
eastern and western drawers. How could the children
know then that it was the story about them. . . Iroquois.
j
_ Came into this world
ACT I Ss
>
I’m screaming
Glass
TWO-ACT POEM Shatters and
by Val Dudoward cracks
ACTI Raging, Eagles cry
Sweating blood, clouds weep your stories
My people. I But and
It was so long ago Felt Nobody hears. Happy songs;
That I called you by Myself slip and trip, Family We'll
that collective name. Not wanting to Friends sing
Now I am wiser. Get up Touch me When
You speak the language But Tell me I visit you.
Of those who cut out your tongues; Finding myself what and
’ You wear the clothes On my feet where and why— And
Of those who stripped you naked; each time. What you’ll say,
You go to the churches new kind am I Just
* Of those who raped you; Where Like
You drive into your coffins do we meet you always used to,
the nails that they invented. and Why That
My heart weeps blood is there no My birth was meant
For those flection of me... to be
Who danced for strength, and My time
Whose shadows still dance isnow And...
On this earth.
Where are they now,
Those people?
Sometimes
I catch a glimpse
Of my ancestors
In the eyes of
Bums on Skid Row.
They know,
But
They don’t YZ
GG
Fight anymore.
And from time to time
The eyes of a ‘‘successful”’
Indian
Cry out with the pain
Of what they’ve misplaced.
Oh
They all know...
But it was lost
Dust in the wind,
Long before
They
\
\\\
\
YY
\\
a
\
WN
TNH
Yes,
My heart weeps blood -
For those
Who danced for strength
Whose shadows still dance
On this earth.
= sed
‘ AlEMle
I fell into the cracks
of the sidewalk ees Each time, avoiding mirrors Grandfather,
And Running I Grandfather
Lay there But need a friend, Pll visit you .
With the Still . Let’s share secrets Soon
Fingers of dust. outside in inside out That Under your
But only we
Cold North-Wind can’t get away. can keep; Ta tie hiddenillexe
Blew I
Me back to Earth. Screaming Love
es
FROM: UNION OF B.C. INDIAN CHIEFS
440 WEST HASTINGS ST.
VANCOUVER, B.C. V6B 1L1
is = J)
Pa Cone oe el
Ennombre
troisiéeme
class classe
Vancouver B.C.
4207
Our supplement this month is Education (pages 21 to
32), but it does not include desks and blackboards—
the traditional symbols of ‘‘Learning’’. An experience
called Owl Rock Camp is introduced by Jeannette
Bonneau and Penticton Indian Band Education
Committee. Those who share their feelings about the
camp are: Elders Selina Timoykin, Larry Timoykin, and
Rachel Paul; Young People Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Holly Baptiste, Murray Timoykin, Carrie Jack, Joanna
Qualtier, and Larry Kenoras (Wholthonecha); and
visitors Jean Aquash, Ojibwa, and Anita Cheer of the
Colville Reservation in Washington State. Elder Eddy
Thevarge talks about his early years at St. Mary’s Resi-
\ dential School and his political feelings about it now.
Physical health is a part of our education, too, and we
have a report on The Fraser Valley Boxing Champion-
ships by Greg Contois (pages 46-47). Irvine Harry of the
Caribou Trail Council has the results of the All-Native
Provincial Hockey Finals (pages 39-40), and Emery Louis
of Vernon has a story on the Buckskin Gloves.
Community news comes from Ervin Charleyboy of
Alexis Creek, who has news of their trapping and Indian
agricultural enterprise. Denelle Eugene of Shuswap talks
about the changes spring is bringing to their area. (page
12).
A community of writers is what prompted Gloria
Thomas Hill, program assistant at Coqualeetza Cultural
Education Centre, to write the story of Tadahdahoh.
(page 50) The community of Kitamaat is shared by Mary
Green, who works in the Land Claims Office of the
Kitamaat Band Council (page 16). The story of the end of
the B.C. Native Sports Federation and its effect on
isolated communities (page 40) is also written by Mary
Green.
The communities of the Hazelton area sent off 36
students to Europe recently: Cindy Joseph of the
Hagwilget Band describes the two-week experience (page
19). And elementary school student Heather Spence of
the Squamish Band tells the story of The First Water Lily
(page 45). Our thanks to everyone who worked to create a
new feeling and look for this April issue of INDIAN
WORLD.
-
INDIAN WORLD
"THE CHOICE IS OURS"
$1.00
A P R I L , 1980
UBCIC NEWS
EDITORIAL
When I am an old woman, my great-grandchildren
will come to me and they will ask me: "Grannie, did
you ever work for an Indian Government when you
were young?" And I hope that I will be able to say:
"Come my children and let me tell you a story....
A long time ago when I was the age of your mother,
Luke, I had the great privilege to be a part of the
movement to put Indian Government in place."
"You mean there were no Indian Governments?"
Steven will ask in shocked surprise and I will reply:
"There were always Indian Governments. The
stories that came down to me from my great
grandfather and my grandfather tell of the way we
used to govern ourselves before the whiteman came,
and of the way we used to live as one with all creation,
and respected our mother the earth."
"What do you mean 'used to'?" Theresa will ask.
''We live as one now!''
"Oh good grandchild," I will reply, "It wasn't
always this way. There was a time in our history when
we went through many trials and many tears. The
whiteman had no respect for us when they first came
to this island. They called us savages, outlawed our
way of worshipping the Creator, took away our ways
of teaching our young ones, of healing ourselves, of
providing for our families.... they brought sickness
for which we had no cures, deaths for which we saw no
end. They wanted us to be like them for they saw no
value in being Indian. They taught us to worship the
Creator in their way, how to sing their way, dance
their way and talk their way. It was not the same. Our
spirits lost much of their strength, living a way of life
that was not meant for us. But there came a time, in
my generation, when many of my good brothers and
many of my good sisters began to talk about Indian
Government. Way back then, Indian Government was
a new idea for us. I worked for the Union of British
Columbia Indian Chiefs and our leader, George
Manuel, was one of the first people to use the term
Indian Government.''
"I know who George Manuel is," Luke will say
excitedly. "We learn about him in school! Did you
know him, Grannie? Did you talk to him?"
"What's 'Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs'?" young
Theresa will ask.
"That was the beginning of the Federation of Sea
and Mountain People's Government," I will say.
"Grannie, are you that old? Were you there in the
beginning?"
"Yes, good grandchildren," I will say, "I was there
in the beginning. I remember when Nunavut was just a
name on a printed page to the whiteman's
government, when the Dene Nation was just being
born, when our plan to build an Indian Government
here was presented to the Canadian government. It
was on April 29, 1980 in Ottawa when George Manuel
presented the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper to a
man who represented the Canadian Government."
"Why did you have to give it to those guys?" Luke
will ask.
"That's the way it was then," I will say. "The
federal government used to rule our lives through the
Indian Act; you learned about that in school, didn't
you? Well, we had to fight real hard for many years to
bring the human world into being. We took back our
rights, little bit by little bit, year after year, and nothing
could stop us. We lost some of our people along the
way."
"What happened to them?" Theresa will ask.
"They thought our road too hard to walk, too
unrealistic and they became as whitemen. Their
descendants live in the whiteman's lands and they no
longer know that they are Indian."
"Those poor people," Steven will say, "Why don't
we go and get them.''
"It's too late, my boy. We are walking this road and
there is no turning back."
The Editor
OUR COVER: Learning to build a sweathouse is part of Indian Education at Owl Rock Camp. The Penticton
Indian Band has taken control of the education of their children (See Special Supplement).
INDIAN
WORLD
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1
INDIAN W O R L D is the official voice of the Union
of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
It is dedicated to building a strong foundation for
Indian Government by providing an awareness of the
political and social issues affecting the Indians of
British Columbia.
Signed articles and opinions are the views of the
individuals concerned and not necessarily those of the
UBCIC.
Table of Contents
B.C. Chiefs go to Ottawa to present Aboriginal Rights
Position Paper
Editor: Beth Cuthand
Assistant Editor: Pauline Douglas
Written Contributions: Jeanette Bonneau, Selina
Timoykin, Rachel Paul, Larry Timoykin, Anita
Cheer, Jean Aquash, Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Carrie Jack, Joanne Qualtier, Tracey Bonneau,
Whothonecha, Murray Timoyakin, Holly Baptiste,
Emery Louis, Ervin Charlieboy, Gloria Thomas Hill,
Denelle Eugene, Heather Spence, Mary Green, Irvine
Harry, Cindy Joseph, George Manuel, Sadie
Wornstaff, Louise Mandell, Greg Contois, John
Rogers, Lilian Basil, Brenda Leon, Norma Pierre,
Willard Martin, Mark Harvey, Chester Douglas,
Steven Basil, Jack Kruger, Maxine Pape, Glen
Williams, Philip Paul, Clifford Hanuse, John Warren,
Loretta Todd, Faye Blaney, Darryl Watts, Judalon
Jeffries, Darrell Ned, Val Dudoward, Angela Matilpi
and Fay Edgar.
Photographs: UBCIC staff except where credited.
Typesetting: Mary Schendlinger and Penny
Goldsmith.
Editorial
2
First A l l Chiefs Conference
4
President's Message
7
Indian Awareness Days
8
News News News
9
DIA Land Mismanagement:
Hope Band Fights Back
10
In the News
12
Negotiating Terms and Conditions of L.S. A
13
Band Training Up-date
13
Indian Institutions:
The Root and the Core of the People
14
Why Volunteer?
14
Kitamaat: Planning for Tomorrow Today
16
Our World
18
Minnie Alec
20
Indian Education Supplement
21-32
When our Elders were Young
22
Elders' Words about Owl Rock Camp
24
Danger: School
26
Young Ones' Words about Owl Rock Camp
29
Thinking for Ourselves.
31
Teaching a Language
31
The Indian Way Back to Health
33
Health Services Review
34
Alert Bay Report Confirms Band's Claims
35
Child Welfare Study
35
Crop Planning
36
Irrigation Planning
37
Regulating the Forest the Indian Way
.38
Indian Consulting Group
39
Windemere Elks:
1980 Provincial Indian Hockey Champions
39
Up-dates
41
"Not Guilty": Indian Hunters Win Back Rights . . . 42
Damning the Liard
43
The First Water Lily
44
Book Review
45
Buckskin Gloves Tournaments
46
Fraser Valley Native Boxing Championships
47
Help Wanted
48
Indian Writers
50
Suggestions
50
Two-Act Poem
51
INDIAN W O R L D 3
CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
MARCH TO DEMAND FULL
PARTICIPATION
To demand real Indian in-put into
the constitutional changes and to reaffirm Indian people's desire to be
part of Canada, about 250 Indian
Chiefs, Elders and young people
marched on Parliament Hill May 1,
1980.
No End Seen to Past
Frustrations
The demonstration arose from past
frustrations at not having a just and
active role in Constitutional change,
and because of a speech made by
Prime Minister Trudeau April 29,
1980 that showed that the Federal
Government was still not committing
itself to such participation. George
Manuel explained to the Assembly
that the B . C . Delegates and Elders
would be marching to Parliament Hill
in a peaceful demonstration and soon
the Yukon Chiefs and the Dene
joined the forces. As the Chiefs left
INDIAN W O R L D 4
the room several urged, "Join us,
we're going to the H i l l " , and some
joined the ranks.
Throughout the entire procession,
the Indian and Canadian flags stood
side by side symbolizing the Indian
people's wish to see both a United
Canada and a stronger Indian Voice
in constitutional reform. The speakers emphasized that real Indian input
into the talks would aid unity by
strengthening the Indian people.
Once up the hill the Indian people
gathered on the steps, leaders from
several provinces and from the Inuit,
and the Dene Nation Singers added
strength to the people by singing traditional songs.
Right to Participate in Constitution Change
During the demonstration George
Manuel, UBCIC President, Noel
Starblanket, NIB President and
several other leaders and Elders voiced
their strong stand that Indian people
have a rightful place as an equal participating party in changing the
constitution. About ten to twelve
MP's from all three major political
parties came out of the Parliament
Buildings to lend their support.
Before leaving for a trip back to the
conference the people formed a circle
on the grass and again the Dene
singers sang, this time, though, it was
a victory song. With pride on their
faces, the Indian people danced.
Pride and Strength
As the people returned to the
conference through the streets of Ottawa the Chiefs seemed to radiate a
feeling of pride and strength. Many
held tears of pride in their eyes. They
had done something to promote the
conference theme: "The future of our
Children."
•
FIRST NATIONS CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
About 380 Chiefs met in Ottawa
April 28 to May 1, 1980. A historic
meeting was called by the National
Indian Brotherhood to discuss revisions to Canada's Constitution.
Ninety-seven Bands of the UBCIC, 5
Alliance Bands and 8 independent
Bands represented B.C. Indians.
Presentation of B.C. Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper
Although the theme of the conference spoke to the needs for constitutional reform involving Canada's
Indians, the majority of Chiefs initially showed more concern for the
bread and butter issues at home, than
with developing a unified national
direction. The first important resolution tabled came on the first day
when UBCIC presented their Aboriginal Rights Position Paper and put
forward a resolution calling for the
adoption of the essential points of
this paper, as a national goal for all
Bands in Canada (see box this page).
After the leaders' debate, which
took up the entire afternoon, the
question was called and the vote
taken. In spite of what appeared to be
overwhelming support from those
Bands present on the floor the motion
was declared defeated by the Chair.
Since Saskatchewan Bands were
conveniently absent when the vote
was taken, it at first appeared that
this led to the defeat of the motion.
The mood of the UBCIC delegation
amounting to more than 150 Chiefs,
Elders and Observers was depressed
and somber. But, the next morning
after hearing arguments from UBCIC
leaders and Legal Advisors, the Chair
ruled the motion passed and admitted
that she had misunderstood the rules
of the vote, the previous afternoon.
Resolution #2 from British Columbia
Moved by: Chief Bob Manuel, Neskainlith Band
Seconded by: Chief Max Gros Louis, Quebec
WHEREAS
The value of Aboriginal Rights and Treaty Rights has no price, and
WHEREAS
The intention of this conference is to develop a cohesive direction from our
Indian Governments at all levels, including Band, Tribal, Provincial, territorial and National, and
WHEREAS
The goals must be established which reflect our inherent Aboriginal and
Treaty rights, and
WHEREAS
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has adopted the Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper at the Eleventh Annual Assembly, which is based on
the fact that we are the original people of this land and have the right to
self-determination and independence, we also recognize that we need an
expansion of our Indian reserve lands, resources, and our authority to
govern;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT
1. This chiefs assembly adopt as our national goal the implementation of
following positions:
a. Recognition that we are the original people of this land
b. Recognition that we have the right to choose and determine the type of
authority we wish to exercise in our Indian Governments
c. The expansion of our Indian Reserve lands
d. The expansion of Indian Resources including finances based on needs
as identified by our people
e. The expansion of the jurisdiction and authority of our Indian Governments (Band Councils)
f. Clarification and ratification of Indian Treaties that are related to
Indian reserves with jurisdiction to govern ourselves within the following areas:
1. Band Constitution
2. Citizenship
3. Land
4. Water
5. Air
6. Forestry
7. Minerals
8. Oil & Gas
9. Migratory Birds
10. Wildlife
11. Fisheries
12. Conservation
Each Band has the choice as to whether
13. Environment
14. Economic Development
15. Education
16. Social development
17. Health & Welfare
18. Marriage
19. Cultural Development
20. Communications
21. Revenues
22. Justice
23. Indian Law Enforcement
24. Local and Private Matters
or not to implement it.
INDIAN W O R L D 5
Prime Minister offers no more
than Observer Status at Constitutional Talks
On the evening of the second day
the Prime Minister spoke to the
Chiefs at a banquet. His speech was
essentially eloquent fluff and soothing rhetoric, designed to offer a few
crumbs, like increased authority of
Band Councils within an amended
Indian Act. And he promised, " Y o u
will continue to be involved in the discussion of constitutional changes
which directly affect you." Which
means that the present inadequate
observer status we have will be
continued in constitutional talks. He
offered no new policy by the Federal
Government to allow Indian meaningful input into the constitutional
renewal.
No Move to Forceful Action on
Constitution Drives B.C. Delegation to March
After the Prime Minister's speech
and in anticipation that DIA Minister
John Munro's speech to the Assembly, scheduled for the morning of the
INDIAN W O R L D 6
fourth day, will contribute no more
to the government position, the
UBCIC decided on Wednesday night
to register a strong protest against the
government's empty rhetoric regarding Constitutional Change. It was
clear to the UBCIC delegation that
the Assembly of Chiefs had been
swayed from their original course of
taking concrete action on the issues of
Constitutional reform. The Chiefs
wanted to act, to do something that
would call attention to this crucial
issue. They voted unanimously to
march the next morning after
Munro's speech to Parliament Hill
(see lead story).
Because the UBCIC left the convention to march to the Hill and were
followed by other delegations, the
remaining chiefs were unable to get a
quorum and so were unable to vote
on resolutions, but the UBCIC Chiefs
resolved to take a strong stand on the
issue of an Indian vote in the renewal
of guiding laws of Canada's confederation and could not be swayed.
On the return from the hill the
Chiefs met to decide what to do with
their remaining time in Ottawa. It
was decided that the Chiefs should
return to the convention and support
the Dene Nation in the resolution calling for support for opposing an Oil
Pipeline in the McKenzie Delta which
would severely impede their life style
and the survival of the Dene Nations.
Full and Equal Participation Becomes Priority
The Chiefs also decided that they
should put forward a resolution that:
"Government funding for consultation and hearings on the Indian Act
be turned over to Indian Organizations
for our work towards
full and equal participation at all
levels on constitutional renewal, and
that this goal is our absolute priority." The motion was passed and the
UBCIC Delegation returned the next
day with a feeling that B.C. had mae
the Indian Nations of Canada aware
of B.C., that they are a force to be
reckoned with at the National level,
and that our goal of Indian Government is backed by many strong Chiefs
from all parts of Canada.
•
PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
The Indian student drop-out rate from schools has
dropped from 94% to 90% in the past five years. This
means that 10% instead of 6% of our Indian students are
reaching grade XII. The national drop-out rate for white
students before they reach grade XII is 11 %.
The question Indian parents and Indian leaders ask is
"Why do our Indian children fail to do as well as white
students in school?" But the Indian student has not failed
by dropping out before he reaches grade XII. The Indian
student drops out of school because he or she realizes that
all of the educational text books and learning from
lectures are controlled and conducted in the whiteman's
ideological and value system; by white school teachers,
principals, school boards and governments.
Long before they reach grade XII the Indian students
learn of the teachings from their parents, grandparents
and other Elders of the community, of the supreme
Indian principles of being truthful and about sharing of
foods and other possessions with other members of the
Band or tribe, especially the weak and old. people. They
learn about respecting the Mother earth, water, air, sun
and the natural environment, because they are the givers
of a healthy life. This is in direct confrontation with the
whiteman's institution for material success for the
individual, company, or multi-national corporations that
benefits only a small number of people.
For instance, there are only 250 multi-national corporations in the world that control industry, production and
most of the non-renewable and renewable resources. The
Indian student sees this massive confrontation with the
values of his people, and rather than abandon his cultural
values and assimilate into this ruthless system, the 90%
of the Indian students drop out of school.
The destructive feature of this school system is that the
drop-out students are classified as failures by the
whiteman's system. The failure concept of the white
system is often mentally accepted by the Indian parents,
grandparents and Indian Elders and the white authority,
because the majority of Indians and whites do not understand the difference between the Indian and the white
values.
It is dangerous to the Indian student not to understand
the differences in the values because it classifies 90% of
our young Indian population as failures. They are often
rejected by the white system, and ignored by the Indian
world: with nowhere to go they continue to wander in no
man's land.
We have been forced to live with the whiteman's
failure classification System for the past 40 years and this
has taken a heavy toll on the lives and life-styles of our
people. The feelings of failure have broken many marriages and homes, and placed hundreds of our Indian
children under the provincial child welfare act and into
white homes, and made alcoholics of many of our
people. It has led many of our Indian women into
prostitution, many of our people are in penal institutions,
and in recent years more and more of our people are
committing suicide.
We are in a state of crisis that can only be resolved by
us at the Indian reserve community level. This is the
reason the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is urging Indian
Governments to act now in taking control of Indian
Education, in your Indian reserve communities. We must
take a more serious interest in the problems and help our
children and students through their many dilemmas. Our
parents, Elders and leaders must bring into existence
active support mechanisms for our Indian students, if our
goal is to strengthen our Indian cultural identity as a
Nation of people. Then we must start teaching our Indian
children at an early age to speak their own language.
Teach them to be proud of their Indian cultural values
and heritage. This is Indian Government in action.
Yours in struggle,
INDIAN W O R L D 7
ASSIMILATION OR
LIBERATION?
by Brenda Leon
I'd like to tell you about my journey to Lethbridge, Alberta where I
attended "Indian Awareness Days"
at the University. First of all I'll tell
you about a couple of brothers I met
down there that spread a bit of their
wisdom and feelings of their day to
day lives as Native people. The first
gentleman I would like to tell about is
from the Mohawk Nation, his name
is Tom Porter. Tom spoke of how
important the Mother Earth is to our
people, and about how we as Indian
People must continue with our ceremonies to her so she will continue to
be good to us. He spoke about how
Indian people always find a time for
laughter no matter how difficult our
lives may become. This man has
really lifted my spirits.
Mr. Porter left a day early
to rush home to his family and to
his people where they are being
held hostage on their own land,
because the Mohawk people choose
to live the old ways. I thank you
Brother for the feelings you have
given me and I will pray for you,
your family and the Mohawk people.
The next Brother I wish to tell you
about changed my view of drinking.
His name is Floyd Westerman, and he
is an entertainer. The way he put it
was he states his case by writing
songs:
"If you really want to do something for your people put down
that colonial trap, that little brown
bottle, then you'll really be doing
something for your people."
The last I saw of this man
was when he was dancing at the Pow
Wow. His uniform was just beautiful. This spring he will be doing the
sacred Sundance. I also thank you
Brother.
by Norma Pierre
There were some special speakers
with us in Lethbridge that week. We
became aware of many things by
INDIAN W O R L D 8
asking ourselves whether we were
assimilated or liberated. Other
questions forced their way into our
minds such as liberated from who or
what, assimilated with what things,
with which people? Each person
received the answer they were looking
for, they became personal.
Thomas Banyaca, a Hopi Elder,
described a Hopi prophecy that is
mapped out on an Oraibi drawing.
Purification Day
"There will be confusion. Out of
this will come revival of our ways.
The new branches, the new sprouts in
the drawing, you people are those
new branches.
Mother Earth is the foundation of
everything. We are all built the same,
up and down and across.
There will be total destruction, few
will survive. The symbol of the circle
is very sacred. There will be no end to
instructions if we follow them.
We are all related. We are all part
of that. They have a root to the
ground. When we pray, sing, the
spirit flows from our bodies to the
ground, to the environment. We can't
see the air but We are not separated,
we are assimilated with everything.
The white brother has all kinds of
inventions, technology. He destroys.
When he came he brought the cross.
He was given a circle too, but he came
back with the cross. We got caught in
a trap.
Take care of the earth in a spiritual
way. Many people are hiding in the
mountains today waiting for the right
person to come. We were once
strong, we wore hardly any clothes,
we could run far. When the white
people came, he was covered. He had
a sweet tongue and we will fall. Now
he is strong, he hardly wears any
clothes. Don't be like an onion, it
wears a lot and it smells.
The rocks are a part of us. Talk to
them, welcome them. They will give
us a message and you will know.
This was the garden of eden. Give
food to the spiritual people in the
ground, people in the earth.
We have been mistreated. With
prayer and ceremony take care of the
earth. We hold the power. We are
near purification day. The great
spirits are waiting for us. The
spiritual leaders have those powers.
They are waiting for the white
brothers to change or they will get
their heads chopped off. Those who
helped us will have to replant trees,
clean the waters.
The third (purification) is past
already and they have pushed us west.
The young are learning, they are
bringing the pipe back to the land.
Get food ready, carry the circle. "
NEWS, NEWS, NEWS
COMMERCIAL FISHING IN TAKU RIVER
On May 15, 1980, the Fisheries Department will issue
commercial fishery permits for the Taku River area. Saul
Terry, Vice-President in charge of fishing, said fisheries
staff are acting with 'cruel injustice' in issuing these
permits.
He sent a letter to Fisheries Minister Romeo Leblanc
on April 18,1980, asking that he immediately resolve the
fishing permit issue for the Atlin Band. The department
set out their guidelines for permit eligibility giving priority to those who held permits and made registered landings in 1979.
Second priority is given to people residing in Northern
B.C. or the Yukon. In 1979, the Atlin Indian people were
given only two permits of thirteen available. One permit
was not used due to a death in the family of the holder.
Now fisheries officers say the individual is not eligible for
a 1980 permit.
The Atlin Band is now demanding that six of their
Band members receive permits. The Indians of Atlin have
traditionally fished the Taku River and feel they are entitled to a full share of the resources.
Nowhere in the policy or the actions of fisheries officials has any consideration been given to the needs and
rights of Indian people and Minister Leblanc has been
asked to meet with Atlin Chief Sylvester Jack to resolve
the issue.
ATLIN BAND DEMANDS SIX PERMITS FOR
During the Royal Commission Inquiry into Uranium
Mining and milling, Atlin was identified as an area where
there was high potential for Uranium mining.
Now although uranium mining has been banned in the
province for the next seven years, Placer Mining Ltd., is
proposing to mine molybdenum in the Atlin area.
The Atlin Band and the UBCIC are concerned that
such a mine might present many of the problems
associated with uranium mining. In order to ensure that
the interests of the Atlin Band are protected the Atlin
Band and the UBCIC are undertaking a land use study
and have asked the government to hold community hearings. Our plan is to present the Atlin Band Land Use
Study at this time.
Very basically the land use study involves one of our
trained mapper/interviewer/researchers to work with the
Band in compiling information on hunting, trapping and
the numerous ways of traditional land use and food
gathering throughout the traditional and aboriginal territory of the Atlin Band. A l l of the relevant material is then
transcribed to the maps, and will be used as the basis for
the study.
NISHGA TRIBAL COUNCIL CONVENTION
The Nishga Tribal Council held its 23rd Annual Convention at Kincolith, B.C. on April 9th, 10th and 11th,
1980. The start of the convention also marked the opening
of the oolichan season.
People from the four communities from Kincolith,
Greenville, Canyon City, and New Aiyansh were present
for the three day meeting.
One of the main topics in the convention was the
effects of the Amax Molybdenum mine on the salmon
fishery at Kitsault, B.C. James Gosnell, President of the
Nishga Tribal Council, had this to say about the mine:
"We are commercial fishermen and we're not convinced
that the mine won't affect the fishery on the Observatory
Inlet. We're not against development but we want to be a
part of it."
The Nishga Tribal Council received authorization at
the convention to use any legal means open to them to
stop the opening of the Molybdenum mine.
Leaders spoke of the provincial government's promise
to the Nishga people to negotiate land claims which have
been going on for 110 years. Attorney General Allan
Williams has promised that the Nishga Land Claim will
be settled before any other claim in B.C. "We want to
hold him to that promise."
CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTER
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service for people who require knowledge and understanding of the trends and developments in Human
Rights across Canada. The Reporter provides a source
for the complete text of all provincial and federal decisions, a calendar of pending decisions, and comment
from experts in the field. The annual $50.00 charge includes nine issues of the regular calendar, comment and
index section; and issues concerned with news and developments will be published as they occur. For more
information please write to: Canadian Human Rights
Reporter, 91 Langley Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
INDIAN W O R L D 9
DIA
MISMANAGEMENT
Hope Band Fights Back
Once again the past and present
tactics of the Department of Indian
Affairs are being challenged by Indian
people. This time it's the Hope Band
that's taking action against the DIA.
DIA Mismanagement Loses 11
A c r e s of Band Land
Hope Band is suing the DIA on two
separate accounts. One concerns the
DIA selling 11.22 acres of their land to
the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
without the consent of the Band. In
1923 the C P R was putting a railway
through the Fraser Valley and
apparently needed gravel as bedding
under the tracks. The company put
forth a position paper to the
government requesting the purchase
of the 11.22 acres of Scham reserve,
which is part of the Hope Band. The
land contained gravel that the C P R
could use for the bedding. The arrangement made between C P R and
DIA was to convey the land "for
gravel pit purposes only." DIA
neglected to put the phrase "for gravel
pit purposes" into the document of
conveyance, so CPR claims to own the
land absolutely. The land is no longer
required for gravel pit purposes.
The Band members at no time either
consented or surrendered the land.
And now, about 57 years later, the
Band is ready to take the whole issue to
court. The Band members are ready to
make their claim to land they never
gave up. The first move they made was
to register a Caveat, a claim to the land
which freezes it from any further
change of hands of exploitation.
Immediately the C P R disputed the
Caveat saying that the company holds
a valid deed on the gravel pit.
However, the Band says that the deed
is invalid because it failed to reflect the
true agreement.
"It (the gravel pit area) was sold,"
said Hope Band's Band Manager, Pat
John. "But the Indian Affairs did
The Hope Band is suing the DIA on two separate accounts, concerning the
loss of their land.
that. They allowed this to happen and
there was really no legitimate right for
them to let it go like that. And that
gives us a claim to it. We would have
had to surrender it and we didn't.''
Another 113 A c r e s of Band Land
Illegally Surrendered by DIA
The second account on which the
Band is suing concerns the surrender
of most of its Scham reserve, near the
town of Hope. This is a much more
complicated case. It is also one which
is more confusing and angering for the
Band members.
In 1976 Earle Bachman, a DIA
official in its land department, called
P.D. Peters, Hope Band's former
chief at that time and told him to get
his people together for a meeting.
When the people came together,
Bachman began talking about a
surrender. Band manager Pat John explained what happened during the
meeting.
"We have two minutes (notes) from
two different ladies that day. As those
minutes look, he, Bachman, had
talked about 12 to 19 acres as being
surrendered. That's what the people in
that group were told. And if they surrendered what he was talking about it
might be at the most 19 acres. As it
turns around, 133 acres were surrendered and 12 acres were retained for
the people. Everyone involved at that
time still doesn't know what happened."
The Hope Band members didn't
hear anything else about what was
discussed that day until about a year
later. During the course of that year or
so there were elections and a new Chief
and council were brought into office—
Jim and Pat John became the Chief
and Band manager respectively. Then,
one day Bachman came into the Band
office with the surrender paper and
said they might want to look at it
before it was forwarded, apparently
INDIAN W O R L D 10
to DIA headquarters.
Surrender Papers Inadequate
Pat told what happened the day
Bachman brought the paper into the
office. " A s a people we didn't know
the surrender had happened. Bachman
showed us that one page (of the
surrender paper). (On the paper) they
kept changing the number of people
who were present at the meeting and
people kept initialling it and pretty
soon it said 'Dorothy Peters—Feb. 19,
1976'. How could she be there voting
when she went and had a baby? Then, I
think as a reserve we had realised what
that guy had done."
De-Surrendering the Land
It was then that the Band decided
that it had to do something, but what
to do was the question. So, they
learned how to go about de-surrender-
NATIONAL FISH FORUM
The UBCIC is hosting a National/International Fish
Conference—May 21-22, 1980 at the Sandman Inn, 180
W. Georgia Street (across from the Bus Depot) in
Vancouver. Attendance will be approximately 150 from
across Canada and a delegation of Brothers and Sisters
from the U.S.
A n agenda has been forwarded to each District
Representative and a letter sent to each Chief.
Delegates and observers will be expected to cover all their
own expenses. There are absolutely no funds for travel,
meals, or accommodation.
a notice was to be hung in clear view of
the Band members and we had to
to the reserve and conducted a
surrender.
"In our way we had to let the insult
of what had happened to us go back to
the people and to talk about it and to
rant and rave a little bit," she said.
"Then we let it mellow off for a while
and let the community pulse with it a
while until finally they were saying,
"you mean I'll never walk on that land
again?" I think we also wanted our
young people to understand what
happened too."
There Isn't an Indian y e t . . . .
Pat said that the Band members are
now ready and together to go ahead
with their de-surrender, through the
courts.
At the end of March there
was a Band member referendum
concerning the de-surrender of the
land. The vote was unanimous, every
member wanted their land returned.
She summed up the feelings of the
people:
P.D. Peters, former chief of the Hope Band, remembers past land
struggles.
understand what they were voting
ing land. "But," Pat said, "we had to
about. Then, before the vote, there
also learn how a legal surrender was
had to be 30 days for the people to
carried out. We found out that for a
think about it." Pat said Bachman
surrender to be legal, under the Indian
gave them a phone call then went down
Act, it was supposed to be announced,
"The major cause is that the land is
all we've got and there isn't any way
we'd surrender our land. There isn't an
Indian yet who's got the blood in him
to say, "yeah, I'll give my land up." I
think that's the first issue. The people
would never give their land up."
The Band is now working with
UBCIC lawyers in preparing the case
for the courts.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 11
IN THE
NEWS...
After a few years of planning and working we finally
got a good crop of hay off our field. Starting last September we cut and put up about 150 tons of mixed oat and
alfalfa hay. The oats was just a cover crop to give the
alfalfa a boost. We want to thank the people and the
school kids that helped with the sprinkler system, also
Jim Roweds and Leslie Hunlin who spent many hours
seeding the field. We are planning on fertilizing the field
this spring. If weather permits and all goes well we will
have two crops of hay this summer.
A l l of the hay that was put up last fall is sold.
Our thanks to Patrick Charleyboy who spent a
considerable amount of time and effort to start up
Redbrush Indian Enterprises.
—Ervin Charleyboy
Photos: Redbrush Indian Enterprises
SPRING BRINGS GOOD NEWS
Well, Spring's finally sprung, we hope. Every time we
think spring's here it snows again.
Some of our Band members are getting excited because
it's almost time to start construction of new homes and a
few renovations. One home to be constructed this year
will be the first Solar home in this area.
Our local Native hockey team, the Windermere Elks,
went to Smithers, B.C. on Easter weekend for the B.C.
finals, and WON!!! The Elks have been doing very well
this year with no games lost. Keep up the good work,
Elks!
Our ladies sewing club is doing well with their project
of quilts, slowly but surely.
Submitted by
Denelle Eugene
Shuswap Band Secretary
TRAPPERS
I think trapping has been excellent
in
the Chezacut area. I heard there
REPORT
were mink, squirrels, beaver, wolf,
and muskrat coming out of there like
crazy. There are quite a number of
trappers up there; Donald Billy, Elmer
Billy, Jack Gilpen, Johnny and Ila
Lulua are all up there trapping in the
Chezacut area. Down here at Redstone a few people have been trapping; Felix and Justine Marianne,
Dominic Baptiste, Tommy Hunlin
and myself.
The Department of Indian Affairs
have approved Economic Development Project for trappers that have
asked for funding. The Band has all
the traps on order and they will be
here in a while. Ron Morrow at the
store has the traps on order.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 12
L.S.A. TERMS AND
CONDITIONS
As the March 31st deadline for reaching agreement on
contribution arrangements (L.S.A.) drew closer,
controversy surrounding the terms and conditions attached to those arrangements was at its most heated. At this
time only about thirty eight percent of the Indian Bands
in the Province had come to some agreement with the
Department.
All the Bands in the provinces of Manitoba, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia had rejected the proposed
agreement. Sixty-two percent of the Bands in B.C. are
prepared to do the same.
Terms and Conditions Cause of
Dissatisfaction
It seems that the Bands are not so concerned with the
agreement itself. Rather, they are dissatisfied with the
terms and conditions which were obviously formulated
by the Department and Treasury Board.
• Indians were not involved or consulted in the formulation of the terms and conditions of the Local Services Agreement as prepared by the Department, and
approved by the Treasury Board.
• The terms and conditions are not suited to Band
Councils' delivery of essential programs to Band
members. These terms and conditions reflect the objectives of the Department only.
• The terms and conditions are presently structured to
the government's efforts to change the Indian Act,
i.e.:
— Charter system involving incorporation of Bands
— white paper policy
• The terms and conditions state that acceptance automatically commits Bands to fit into government
systems and compels them to accept overall government policies, objectives and goals.
• There has been no mention of Federal and constitutional responsibilities for the Indian people. Programs and services are continually referred to as
contribution subsidies. Band Councils are denigrated
in that they are merely referred to as recipients.
• Indian Bands should be full participants in the development of terms and conditions which reflect their
needs.
Minister Gives Ultimatum: Sign or No Funds
The newly appointed Minister of Indian Affairs was
approached with these concerns. While he did agree to
extend the deadline to April 30th, he had not fully
indicated whether there would be further consideration
of the contentious terms and conditions. Instead, he later
found it necessary to issue an ultimatum that, unless satisfactory agreements were in place, funding would be cut
off at the deadline. This resulted in many and much involved submissions from Provincial and Territorial Organizations as well as the National Indian Brotherhood.
Deadline Extended to July 15,1980
The Minister has agreed to meet on the issue on April
21st. It will probably be a primary item on the agenda, as
well, at the All-Chiefs Conference to be held in Ottawa
on April 28th. The main purpose of the meeting is to
determine a process by which alternative terms and
conditions can be developed.
In the meantime, the Minister has agreed to permit a
further extension of the deadline to July 15th. During this
period, a deliberate consultation process is to take
place to ensure mutually acceptable arrangements
between Indian Bands and the Department.
It has also been assured that funding to all Bands
will continue, provided a proper B.C.R. indicating
the purpose and disbursement thereof is submitted
to the Department.
•
BAND TRAINING
Work on the Band training project has virtually come
to a standstill, although response at the remote or outlying areas has been more than encouraging. The importance of this area of Band development has been overshadowed by the disturbing controversy with the Local
Services Agreement.
The course development activities continue at the
Union office. The main thrust is to provide management
and administrative skills demanded by the Local Services
Agreement. As such requirements are identified, it becomes more evident that a very deliberate and well developed process in Band training is essential to a proper
introduction of the Local Services Agreement.
At the moment, the development team is concentrating
on the following key areas: roles of council and the administrative staff, organization, planning, financial
administration, communications and other useful management skills.
The development personnel will resume work in this
area as soon as the problems with the Local Services
Agreement have been satisfactorily resolved.
Participation of Band organizations is undoubtedly
essential to the entire process. Therefore, all contributions are welcome.
Band training seminars will continue as soon as we
receive enough requests from the field.
INDIAN W O R L D 13
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The Root and the Core of the People
There were three memorial dinners just last month in
Neskainlith, for a wife and a husband who died a year
ago and for a father who died a long time ago. They were
part of tradition that the people see as one of the essential
institutions for the well-being of a community. Indian
Government is based on institutions that are traditional,
Neskainlith Band Chief Robert Manuel says, and cannot
be understood or practised until these basic, fundamental
institutions are in place again for the people of the
community.
"We severed the umbilical cord of our connection with
our grandparents and great grandparents and the work
that they have done. But the more I study the Indian
traditional institutions that were here, I find their value
just immense and my respect for our Indian way just
grows and grows. The very fundamental, simple things,
exercises or processes that we have to go through to deal
with different things: they really have deep meaning,
beyond intellectual meaning. That's what we have to
reconnect ourselves with.
Then we can worry about our systems, the administration. There are people we have hired to take care of that
kind of stuff and allow us to organize at this level. The
work continues, the administrative work, while we are
mending the umbilical cord, fixing it with this medicine
that the old people left us and that we have set aside for
so long.
I think we have to deal with these more critical things
first, like the way to deal with death. There are too many
people here that are carrying things from way back that
they should not be carrying any more. I think it inhibits
and restricts our growth. Ever since I've been here, I have
watched this community climb like crazy, then take a
nose dive, then climb like crazy again and then take a
nose dive again and just kind of shatter. These very basic
things have to be dealt with by the individuals. Once they
have dealt with them, I think we have got a chance to stay
at a higher level. So one of the areas that we are hitting at
right now is how we deal with death. Part of it comes
from the fact that I have gone through that experience. I
learned a lot, and I went through the one-year mourning
period, in the traditional spiritual way of our people here.
At the end of the year, I had to put on a feast. It didn't
make a lot of sense to me during that time, only after I
had gone through that process and ended up at that
Why Volunteer?
sufficiency to ourselves, makes our
community strong as long as we work
together. Actually this is all not really
new to us. It has been a part of our
life style. It was not unusual to help
out the community as much as you
can. That's what really made us
strong. Our people cared about their
fellow members, our ties were bonded
strongly together. We had an attitude
in which we cared about ourselves,
both mind and body.
from Neskainlith News
Why volunteer? Why do Neskainlith people put extra hours into their
jobs and into their community? Is it
the individual's dedication, is it the
future of our children or is it the realization of how much work actually
has to be done to keep the Band running? I think we have all come to a
conclusion of our Band.
Community input has helped us to
plan ahead, take action over our lives
and project our possible future.
There is volunteer work done in many
areas in our Band; such areas as Education who is attempting to take hold
of the education of our own young
people, to teach them the essentials of
our life that they would need to survive not only in our immediate community but the outside world as well.
Social Development's plans for the
recreation center, the positive recreation activities and the many other
INDIAN W O R L D 14
photo: R. Manuel
programs. Administration's improvement on the efficiency of the office to
serve the people better, and agriculture's task of plowing, discing, and
planting. The volunteer work is done
in good spirit. The feeling of knowing
we are a few steps closer to our self
Who benefits? I think the people in
the immediate community do, but the
individuals do too. There is personal
achievement, recognition, learning
and sharing, accomplished. The community benefits in such ways as: the
development of the community to
serve people more efficiently, the
direction in the future of our children, develops a sense of belonging, we
share and learn together.
So Neskainlith, you've come a long
way!
year's end-of-mourning with the memorial dinner. The
memorial dinner has a psychological effect. It is a kind of
setting-aside of that mourning period, setting free the
spirit of the one that died, allowing me to go on with life
again. It really did have that strong effect.
Then it just came to my head like a bullet going
through. We have a system and I have gone through that
system, that process of dealing with something that I
could never have understood in any way except through
this experience.
I could see if I had not done what the old people had
told me, then I would probably have suffered for years
and years to come. There are no other people around here
who have done that and they have carried that weight
with them, all of ten, fifteen years.
Another of the things that traditionally happened here,
and was lost for a time, was that the Chief always spoke
at the burial. Maybe other people did, too, but the Chief
definitely always visited the family and always spoke.
That was told to me by the Elders. I remember the first
time I had to do that, I was just scared: I didn't know
what to do. What had happened was that the Priest now
had the whole thing. The external institution had pushed
right in and excluded ours. Now when I go to other communities where the Priest has been allowed to take over
completely, I see people coming to the dinners drinking,
and a lot of disrespect. But since we came back to this
Chieftainship institution talking, it has really cleaned up
here. It is really good.
It is really rebuilding and putting back an institution
that we had. And it works best for us. I would not want
to ever see us deal with death in a different way. I think it
is important that we get it straight on, that we deal with it
as a sacred part of life. Our community institutions are
the cornerstones. We can talk about all the paper and all
the administrative structures, but only when we establish
these institutions as the cornerstones for our Indian
Government, will we have the root and the base in that
foundation and form the foundation on which we can
build our administration, our constitution and our court
system. Our law and order will be based on this.
For the last two years we have also been wanting to
have a feast for all the babies on the reserve. When the
baby is born, we should have a feast and have the people
come in and welcome the new baby into the community.
We are going to be giving them names and going through
a ceremony to establish a community responsibility to
those babies in some way. We have not got that far yet,
but it will work out after we get this other thing cleared
up. I think we have to work on the death first, before we
can rejoice and welcome the children into our community.
After the births, there is another institution that we are
familiar with, but it is not very well established. It is in
the talking stage here. That is the training of our young
First of all we identified where our problems came
from. Then we spent a whole lot of time trying to
figure out why it happened and how we could change
it. But we were always clinging to the colonialism,
hanging on to it, blaming it, blaming the white man,
blaming the schools, blaming the churches, instead of
just letting it go and starting over.
If you look at the ritual of death, you look at the
ritual of the memorial dinner, the whole concept
behind that is: let it go, start again, live your life, go
back to your roots and just carry on. It will always be
there, that person that died or, in this case, colonialism
will always be with us. We will never get rid of its
effects. It'll be a scar that we carry, but scars don't
hurt. Scars don't have to hurt, they're just there. I
guess that's the latest transition that we've made—is
just leaving it alone and going in the direction that we
have to go, strong and happy again."
Michelle Good, Band Administrator,
Neskainlith Band
people. That is the sweathouse, the swimming and the
running and so on. We have to take back some of the
responsibility for the training of our young people.
After that, something else we have talked about is traditional marriages, coming in later on.
Once those things are all in place, then we have finished our work in terms of the foundation and the root
and the core of the people.
I'll tell you about a vision that I had quite a while ago.
It was on the coast. I was sitting by a fire dozing. I came
to this big valley and it was a hill and there was, I guess,
the most magnificent Indian man that I've ever seen in
my life. He was standing on the hill, really strong, physically in good shape; strong eyes, nice long black hair. He
was really powerful. This image radiated a lot of power. I
watched for a few minutes and all of a sudden he started
crumbling. He went down on his knees and he was laying
over on his stomach and he started getting sick. He
started to look ugly. His skin started to turn bad, his hair
started to turn ugly, he lost his vision. I went over closer
to him and what I saw was quite a shocking experience.
What that man was made of was a whole pile of little
Indians; that was his whole being. Some of them were
drinking, fooling around, taking dope, all kinds of stuff
like that. I never understood it for a long time. Later on I
understood. I think I do anyway. That was our Indian
nation at one time and it went down. There's a whole pile
of people that make up that nation. Each one is a part of
it, each one is kind of a cell. Only when we collectively get
strong, will he stand again. Maybe some day before I die
I will see it again, I'll see him standing again. But every
one of us is important in that. There's no one man that
can make that man stand: he's big."
•
INDIAN W O R L D 15
KITAMAAT: PLANNING FOR
TOMORROW TODAY
by Mary Green
Land Claims Office,
Kitamaat Band Council
Kitamaat is a very athletic-minded
community; it is one of our ways of
introducing self-discipline to the very
young in our village. Basketball is a
very major part of our young
people's
recreational
activity.
Basketball season begins in earnest in
the month of October, and normally
runs through to the end of March,
after our Junior teams are finished
with their Basketball tournaments for
the season. Our young people are
encouraged to continue basketball
fitness throughout the year, and this
is done on their own, after the basketball season is over.
After basketball our Soccer season
begins with 5 teams. Our youngest
team's players are from 6-9 years old.
This team seems to be the second
attraction to our many spectators,
mostly moms and dads, next to our
Senior men's team. Enjoyment and
fitness is the key to our recreational
activities.
Cultural-Conscious Community
But outside of sports activities, other
developments in our village are
progressing, such as our Haisla
Choir, our Women's Clubs, and
Indian Dancing, to name a few.
Our community, for instance, has
almost doubled in size in the last 1015 years. Our population growth has
hit its 1000 mark with additions of
probably 5 to 10 more members
before the year is over. Housing areas
are continually being developed to
accomodate
our
increasing
population. We are depleting our
housing lots right on our reserve, and
we will have to begin housing
development in our other reserves in
the next 10 years.
Our
community is cultural
conscious; cultural programs are encouraged and activities in this area
ORDER FORM: T-SHIRT TRANSFERS
Each $1.00
Make Cheque or Money Order Payable to:
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
Send to:
Attention:
Indian Government Portfolio
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
440 West Hastings
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 1L1
Telephone: 684-0231
Name:
Address:
City:
INDIAN W O R L D 16
have gradually been established. Our
Indian Dancing group is taking hold
again as part of our valued heritage.
Land Claims
Land Claims has been established
quite actively this past year. With our
research work done in depth, consultants have been hired on a project-toproject basis.
Phase 1 of our Land Claims was
completed in December 1979 and
from there we're entering into Phase
II. Our first Haisla Land Claims
Convention was held on February 5,
1980. The community participation
was very good. The theme of the
Convention was, " U N C O V E R T H E
PAST—PROTECT T H E F U T U R E "
Our second Land Claims Convention is scheduled for April, 1980, with
invitations that will go to other
communities living on our Haisla
Boundaries. The theme of this
coming Convention will be " P L A N
FOR TOMORROW T O D A Y " .
Land Claims can be the turning
point for Indian people, where
economic independence will be
achieved and progress in Indian
Communities obtained while still retaining our Indian identity, therefore
preserving our heritage.
Sound Community Employment
Employment in our Community is
quite sound and only very few
employable people are jobless. A
survey on our Employment Profile—
1980 has just been completed with the
results very much in favour of our
Band members.
The major employers are Alcan,
Eurocan, the fishing industry,
logging,
garages,....Our
Band
Council is also a source of employment.
We feel the employment figure to
be very good. We have roughly 60%
employable people, with about 7-
10% unemployed. During the
summer months, we should have a
number of Student Employment
Programs going. Student employment is a very important part of the
young people's lives, in the sense that
this instills a desire to work and be
independent on the part of the
student.
We are proud of our athletes, but
we are also proud of our achievements in other areas.
•
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is again conducting a
twenty-week Radio Communications Training Program,
to begin June 2 and end October 17. There are six
positions available, two to be filled by people who plan to
become involved in radio development with their Bands.
The training will take place in Vancouver for approximately twelve weeks, with the practicum to be held outside of the city for the last eight weeks. Newswriting,
newsreading, announcing, researching, and equipment
operation will be featured in the training. Applicants
need no previous experience. Good reading and writing
abilities, enthusiasm, and willingness to work hard are
the qualities required. For more information or to submit
applications please write to: Radio Communications
Training Program, Communications Portfolio, 440 West
Hastings St., 3rd Floor, Vancouver, B . C . V6B 1L1, or
phone Val Dudoward at 684-0231.
INDIAN W O R L D 17
OUR WORLD
The first load of bricks produced by the Sumas Band! Many of the Band members used to work here under a non-Indian
managed and owned company. Now they have taken over the works and things seem to be going just fine. They'll be
going into full production again pretty soon. Wanna buy some Indian bricks? Contact Chief Larry Ned at 859-7759.
Burt Williams is a National Sports
Figure. He has been rodeo riding
since the age of 18.
Burt had his ups and downs participating in sixty rodeos in 1979 and
would like to double that in 1980 so
he can qualify for the Canadian National Finals. He needs a financial
sponsor so he can ride and win the
Championship.
As a member of the Mount Currie
Band, Burt teaches social studies,
Indian language, and rodeo.
INDIAN W O R L D 18
ROBERTS 60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Bill and Frances Roberts' 60th wedding
anniversary at the Thunderbird Hall in Campbell
River, B.C. on April 25,1980 was a memorable
occasion.
There was a wedding cake, decorations, toasts
and about 400 guests attending, half of them
being Bill and Frances' relatives, children and
grandchildren.
Many respected persons talked on this special
occasion
Archie Pootlass, UBCIC Vice President, presented to Bill and Frances two airplane tickets to
attend the All Chiefs Conference in Ottawa.
Eddy Paul, 8 years old, of Sechelt
Band, received the "Most Sportsmanlike Player Trophy", the biggest
of three for him that day. He plays
left defenseman for the Elephant
Stone Recreational team.
After spending six months at
Northern Lights College in Dawson
Creek, Cliff-C.C. (Crazy Cowboy)Pettis of Seabird Island Band is ready
to tackle the job of Farm Manager of
the Seabird Island Farm.
During the spring break 36 native students, ranging
from fifteen to eighteen years of age from Hazelton and
surrounding villages, travelled to Europe.
We departed from Vancouver to London on March
31st and stayed in London for 2 days. We lost one day
because of time difference. London time is nine hours
ahead of ours. We attended Her Majesty's Theatre
featuring a Broadway musical. We saw the London
Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey,
Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral. After our
stay in London we moved on to Holland, where our
group stayed in a 400-year-old castle in the country. Our
stay in Holland was a rest period for everyone (especially
the chaperones); it was a really nice change being in the
country. The hospitality the people in the small
community showed towards us was wonderful. On April
5th after riding train after train for 7 hours, we arrived in
Paris. Our stay in Paris lasted for 5 days. After getting
used to London, then Holland currency, we had to change
over to French money which was quite confusing. During
our stay in France we went up to the very top of the world
famous Eiffel Tower for a panoramic view of Paris. We
also went on tours of the City of Paris which was really
beautiful. We were all very surprised when we saw a
totem from Hagwilget brought to Paris by French
explorers hundreds of years ago. After five full days of
fun and sightseeing we returned once again to London
for our last few days in Europe. Once again we went on
tours. Most of our group knew our way around from our
previous visit so we were allowed to go in separate
groups. By this time everyone was getting a little homesick and tired of the constant rush in both London and
France.
It was really hard to believe that we were actually in
Europe; it was beautiful, wonderful and terrific. We all
had a lot of fun; it was quite an experience since it was the
first time in Europe for most of our group. On Saturday
April 12, 36 tired but happy students (plus two exhausted
chaperones, Brigetta Vanheer and Dan Fujino, both
teachers of Hazelton Senior Secondary) all arrived back
home. I'm sure we will all remember our long journey to
France, London and Holland for the rest of our lives.
I'd like to thank all the people responsible for making
our trip possible. Thanks, it was wonderful.
Cindy Joseph, Hagwilget Band (16 years old)
Editor's Note: Funds for the trip were raised by all
participating students, their parents, relatives and
friends, who organized and supported the bake sales,
raffles and bingos of the "Paris or Bust" funding
campaign.
INDIAN W O R L D 19
MINNIE ALEC
til 2 a.m. and said he could sit for
hours listening.
When she was young she learned
how to hunt instead of going to
school. She was taught how to make
her own clothes, mocassins, blankets
out of beaver and rabbit, and to make
fish traps out of wood. And just
living off the land. One medicine she
talked of was sap of the pine that you
would scrape and dry at a certain time
of the year when the leaves first come
out. The sap was used for healing
different infections, cuts, sores, and
so on.
Minnie Alec is in the middle of this old photograph, surrounded by her
family. She was raised in Bella Coola, and then moved to Anahim Lake
when she was ten years old.
Minnie Alec, 96 years old, is an
Elder from Trout Lake (Buncheck).
Minnie was born in the fall and lost
her mom so she was raised by her
grandparents "Commuh" from Bella
Coola
and
"Moywees"
from
Anaham Lake (Chilcotin). She lived
in Bella Coola till she was 10. Minnie
said when she lived in Bella Coola
they used to all live together in a long
house with a fire in the middle of it.
She remembers she used to travel by
boat to Namu. And she mentioned
how she really missed the Coastal seafood; sea-weed, herring eggs, oolichans and grease.
Listening to Minnie Alec speaking
Carrier and Dennis Patrick translating to English, made me very
envious that I could not understand
the stories she was telling, that Dennis
could understand her. He had a hard
time to translate into English, but
that usually is what happens with any
Indian language. Dennis Patrick is
one of her many grandchildren and
seeing him and everybody having so
much respect for their grandmother
reminded me of so many other Indian
families. Dennis was saying that he
sometimes listens to her story-telling
INDIAN W O R L D 20
Minnie expressed her concern on
Fishing Rights and she said long ago
we were able to fish the Fraser River
anytime we wanted and the fish stock
never depleted. They fished for their
winter stock and what they needed,
and they hunted. "Now when food
costs are high, how are we going to
live if they take our livelihood away
from us?"
LEFT: Elder Minnie Alec today
with one of her great-grandchildren.
BELOW: Minnie Alec, on the far
right, learned to hunt, make mocassins, and build fish traps out of
wood when she was young.
Photos: Courtesy Dennis Patrick
INDIAN EDUCATION
SUPPLEMENT
We need to develop Indian Education to give back to
each individual, regardless of age or means, the opportunity to seek out his fullest potential and to contribute a
portion of this success to the general well-being of the
community and the strength of Indian Government.
If we examine what Indian Education for Indian
people was prior to white contact we would find that it
allowed everyone to find a place and to experience continuous usefulness. The success of our communities,
when they were strong, depended on a communal thrust.
The main thrust of the provincial school system is
towards competition and individualism. This creates
untold problems when our entire community is founded
culturally and basically on a concept of communalism
and co-operation.
We need to examine the three-fold nature of a human
person, which is mind, body and spirit. Indian people
have been suppressed in all these three areas, which explains the general breakdown that has dumbfounded
by Philip C. Paul
white experts:
1. What goes on in the minds of Indian people? Is there
enough Indian content to give Indian people a healthy
feeling about themselves? Are Indian people given the
opportunity to develop a sound healthy mind? In my
opinion many Indian people have been mentally beaten
down to a level of feeling privileged to be tolerated but
hating every minute of it. Indian control, to me, means
correcting this problem in such a way that it is not dependent on outside sources ever.
2. The second vital area that we need to examine is the
body or the physical suppression of Indian people.
Because of the poverty and lack of access to traditional
foods, the state of health of Indian people has reached a
disastrous state and even if the best education was made
available, we would be prevented from succeeding due to
this problem. We have to be re-educated how to eat for
good health. Without this correction, no education system can succeed.
(continued page 32)
INDIAN W O R L D 21
Residential School
WHEN
OUR ELDERS WERE YOUNG
Eddy Thevarge is a respected Elder of the Lillooet tribe and lives on the D'Arcy Reserve. He was interviewed by Glen Williams, Co-ordinator of the St. Mary's Feasibility Study. The study is going on with 47
Bands in the Vancouver District because DIA was trying to close this very beautiful Indian Students' Residence on the bank of the Fraser River at Mission, B. C.
This study makes us find out about our recent history, when our Elders were young and went away from
home to school.
It was about 1915 or 1916 and I was about 12 years old
when I first went to school. It was hard them days and
there was no transportation of any kind from D'Arcy to
the coast and up to Mission.
We still were struggling for something to eat in them
days. After I did start going to school, we weren't getting
too much at the table but we still felt better off that we
were getting something to eat three times a day anyway.
These were not 3 square meals a day, but more than what
we got at home.
I left home with oversized clothes and no shoes and
was expected to wear shoes daily. When I would play
around the school grounds, I would take off my shoes
and go barefoot. I was punished 3 or 4 times before I
learned to keep my shoes on.
Residential School Days
For the first year, I had problems because I wasn't able
to understand the English language and every time they
wanted me to do something they would have to get an
interpreter to tell me what to do. I was really out of
INDIAN W O R L D 22
control. I'd do as I pleased for a few months. I got
punished quite a few times. It was only because I wasn't
able to understand the English language. After I started
to learn it a little bit, I started to enjoy my schooling in
Mission.
I was an orphan when I left home, and so I didn't miss
much at home after I went to school. We used to go to
school about 3 hours a day in the morning. At recess time
we would go up to the dormitory and straighten out our
beddings. After lunch the book learning was over and
then we would do chores for the rest of the day.
Anyone who could pick up a rock was sent out to work
in the fields picking up rocks, digging up stumps and
getting them pulled out by a stump puller and a team of
horses. Other jobs included making wood, ploughing the
fields, putting in a garden and at times harvesting plants
in the fall time. That was quite a training, always working
in big groups. It was quite fun, it was more like play than
work, and the days seemed quite short.
Around 1918, after clearing much of the land from
stumps of about 4 to 5 feet in diameter, an orchard of
about 300 trees was put in on the hill, which was the
boundary for the school. We worked and improved this
orchard for a long time.
I was quite at home there. In fact the first 2 or 3 years I
was in Mission, I didn't have any holidays and no home
to go to; I was kept right in school. I was about 18 when I
came out, and in about the 3rd grade. I couldn't hardly
write my name but I went on working. I stayed away
working about six years before I came back to D'Arcy.
My uncle caught up to me in Lillooet. He said it's about
time you came home, so I came home. The education I
got seems to have really stayed with me, because it took
me a long time to get to the third grade, with only 3 1/2
hours a day schooling.
Keeping Education a Priority
With the 5 or 6 years out, I learned quite a bit to get
along with our non-Indian friends. I was able to talk with
them and look them in the face when talking. When I
first came out of school, my head was down no matter
who was talking to me. If there was a non-Indian, I
couldn't raise my head up to say yes or no, I'd shake my
head either sideways or round ways. I worked my way out
of that by staying out and away from home for that
length of time. After I was home, after my Chief asked
me to come home, I got to be secretary. I done that from
1928 to 1936, then I became a Councillor for the Band.
We had a hereditary Chief at that time, just the
Councillors were put on. I stayed on Council until my
Chief passed away, then I became a Chief. 1 held the
Chief there for about 20 years. Seeing that a lot more of
our children are getting more education, then I thought I
would step down and let them do the Chief for the
reserve. During my terms as Chieftain, I worked with
organizations and my priority was education. When we
did get the 8 hours education for our children and the
province took over the schoolings, our children were
getting a full education right up to the 12th grade and
better if they have good marks, with finances from the
government.
Indian Control Needed at Mission
It seems now that they are trying to do away with the
boarding schools. I think if our Indian people were to
take over Mission it will be quite a benefit to the Indian
people and to their children's education. To keep it for
education purposes at all times. Learning the reading,
writing, arithmetic and also the agriculture part of it, I
think a group that could go through the school from that
time on would be able to look after themselves. After
they learn a little bit of arithmetic, reading and things like
that, they will learn about planting their own things down
there, a garden and fieldstuff. It can be used for
recreational grounds for some part of it where they would
learn to get along with one another.
I fully support our leaders trying to get control of the
school grounds at Mission.
We still need a school where an Indian could control it,
an Indian teacher or principal or caretaker who is really
close to their own people. They will have a better control
over the children who go to school, and the children will
have a better feeling by having their own kind of teaching
right there at the school. They could also learn some of
their own traditional ways of life; they are very valuable
to an Indian person.
It was the children who could pick up a half a
pound of rock...a lot of the work by the students
went into building St. Mary's. That's why I am
encouraging the leaders of today that if we can get
control of the school ground there we can use it
for the purpose it was meant for by the children
that cleared the ground there.
Mission was kind of a central point for the Chiefs
gathering for the Fraser River and Lillooet district. They
used to go over there and gather up and have a big
Potlatch. When the priests saw that it was a good
valuable piece of ground, they approached the chiefs to
see if they could put a school there, and clear the ground
up. The Chiefs said it's okay if it's going to be a school
for our children; we don't mind. That's how the priests
got a hold of that piece of ground. That was before they
even had engineers surveying the reservations. If the
engineers had come before the priests had applied to the
Chiefs, it would have been a reserve itself for the people
down that way.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 23
It has been a long year since the last special education issue was put out by UBCIC. At that time, I was asked
to contribute an article on education. I gave much deep thought as to what I would write at that time. One
thing I realized was that I could not write about something I only had theories about.
Now I can contribute something, something more special than my words or thoughts. The contribution that
is being submitted is about an educational experience that is happening, an experience, the impact of which is
only beginning to be felt and understood and which will have such widespread and far-reaching effects that we
can only guess what they may be at this time.
We have taken control of the education of our children. We have been able to do this only through the help
of our Elders and through the instructions of our Creator as handed down through our legends and the
practice of our medicine ways. That is where our strength is, that is what it was given to us for. If we overlook
that in our educational scope, then all our efforts to help our young people learn skills to survive with, will
continue to fail.
This article contains the words of some of the elders and youth who participate in this educational
experience. We learn from and teach each other through practice of our ways. It is an honour for those of us
who work here to be a part of this and we are humble and grateful every day for being allowed such a privilege.
This article is a sharing of that experience and goes out to you who are all our friends and relations.
ELDERS' WORDS ABOUT OWL
ROCK CAMP
Elders and young people work together at Owl Rock Camp; here, they're digging a kitchen, called a pit house.
Us Elders with grandchildren we
are concerned. How I grew up—I was
trained in the old ways. I got up with
the dawn and I learned lots. I helped
my parents. I learned how to get food
and wood and I know the disciplines.
And now I can talk on this day.
I see that our people have lost
many things: their language, their
INDIAN W O R L D 24
good words, their discipline and customs. What I see is that this camp is
made as a discipline place. The kids
are being brought here to learn all
kinds of things: from making things,
to gathering food, to learning the
language, and to understanding the
customs, disciplines, and ways of our
people. I see that our kids are
learning so fast they are becoming
better than us. I thank the Creator for
making a place like this for our
people. This place is clean, pure, and
strong. The spirits are helping us to
learn and teach each other. A l l of
these things are worked that way,
from tanning hides, to learning
respect.
sure we could make it to come about.
It seemed we might be too late. A
little longer and we would have been
too late.
As we go through here up to this
point in our work, what I have realized is that it is almost like we were
headed to fall off a high cliff and that
we could not see ahead.
We have been fortunate to have
been given this chance. Our Creator is
so kind to us. There are a few of us
left who know some of the ways and I
guess the Creator can see our
suffering and pities us and puts it into
our hearts to do this. We didn't
ourselves think this place up, because
we are so smart; we have been pitied
and helped before we fell off that
high cliff. This is our way of survival
that he is showing us. Some of us will
survive. That is why now our children
and grandchildren will have it put
into their minds and hearts; and
maybe their children and grandchildren will survive and happiness
will be with them.
It is from here that the kids will
find out many things. There are two
kinds of people here right now and we
have been crowded by the other kind
too much. This has been so for many
years now. Maybe we will now turn
the tide. Nobody will help us, we
must do it ourselves.
I say again, I am not old but my
Our grandchildren—I am so
thankful, our Ancestors' ways are
back; they speak through and to you.
Selina Timoykin
Lim Lempt
What I think is that when I'm
home I sometimes see that my kids
just think of music and town. I think
of the things like work; making
wood, getting up early, working with
the horses and working with all living
things. I see that these things are all
gone now. I say to the kids, look at
these things. I see now these kids here
at camp; these kids—this granddaughter now—it's the first time for
all my kids and grandkids to like old
ways. She likes to get up and work.
Now their camp here stands up. I tell
them this will be your discipline—
this is where your good fortune is. A l l
the things that are learned there you
will need. You can be poor but work
hard, give lots away. That is much to
learn.
What I want is all my kids and
grandkids to come and learn at the
camp. Because soon all us Elders will
be gone. Now those kids learn and
they will carry it to their children and
our ways will always stay here. Even I
wish I could take other kids from
everywhere and bring them here to
learn. They would all know. Now this
place is made and maybe so near to
being too late. Ten years from now
maybe this place could not be. But
now it is.
place is with the Elders. Now it has
been a while since this camp has
walked with our people and my eyes
are opened. I see the change happening fast. I don't think that we are
trying to go back to the past and be
like we once were. We can't make it.
And at the same time we can't make it
to be different either like the white
man, so the more we retain of what is
ours, the better we are.
That is what this camp is made of.
For the new generation to know what
must be done and how to live for the
change that is coming. Money will
not always be the leader here. This
camp is not led by money. That is
what we see.
This camp is for every Indian no
matter from where. It is all coming
out how the children are changing.
The children are here to learn many
things. That is what this camp is
about. We are not saying that we wish
to change people, but if our people
notice differences in people who came
here to learn then maybe it is so. If
you try to copy others, you cannot .
become like them, but if you look at
yourself you may find out who you
are. These are some of the things the
young ones here are looking at and
right now they are much better people
than we will ever be. That is why I
help here.
I would be pleased if you who read
Lim Lempt
Rachel Paul
Penticton, B.C.
Photo: Penticton Band
My name is Scaten. I put my place
with the Elders, because their ways
are from long ago and I guess my
beliefs are strong that way. I guess
from many I am one of the few who
are lucky; I didn't get too
brainwashed by non-Indian culture.
What I think of is that when this
place was first talked about, I was not
INDIAN W O R L D 25
DANGER:
SCHOOL
DANGER:
SCHOOL
this. Know what I say as I speak now.
I guess you did not resent what I said
and you have read this far. If you are
Indian and think and believe that way
then the words I have said, you may
take some meaning and wisdom
from, and you may use it in some
way.
Lim Lempt
Larry Timoykin
Penticton, B.C.
because I learn some things that are
important, and when I return home I
can share with my relations. It gives
them hope and through their prayers
this camp can be strengthened.
I don't feel I'm here because I want
to be, I feel I am directed here. I feel
it is through the Great Spirit things
are done. And it is through this legacy
our Indian people have learned and
gone on beyond, that we will follow
through. With this belief and strength
we cannot fail.
the most important things is seeing
my children involved and seeing the
transformation and change that is
happening. It is beautiful to see the
young ones taking over and working
to help, and forgetting their selfcentredness and learning to care for
each other and help regardless of age.
A place of great spiritual uplifting. A
place where love will grow powerful
and strong and alleviate the hatreds
that destroy. A place we can learn not
Photo: Penticton Band
Anita Cheer
Colville Reservation
Omak, Washington
My name is Wanasut, after my
great-grandmother, who is from
around Ellensburg, Washington area.
This place is so alive, it's a place
you always come back to. There is
such a drawing force here, even when
you are away it is on your mind. The
workers here we believe are directed
to be here. We help each other spiritually, mentally, and physically. It's a
good place to come to hear our
Elders, and a place for remembrance
of things that have happened. Many
revelations and realizations come out
here. It is a very inspirational place
and we pray that many more spiritual
camps will be resurrected and one of
INDIAN W O R L D 28
to be judgmental because if we feel
that such things happen that is
something we must pray about. This
is a place for learning to become
harmonious with man, animals and
all nature.
We are learning from the Elders of
the prophecies that have been laid
down for us and now I see that our
children are preparing for what is in
the future, and how they must help all
people to be prepared. There is great
honor and respect for the spiritual
leaders. We hear their words and we
know that the time is now at hand to
meet the needs of our people. I am
planning to be here as often as I can
I am Jean Aquash, Ojibway.
These spiritual camps are very
important to our children and our
generations ahead. These are nests
for grandfather to keep us protected
so we can learn the ways of our
people, the right ways for us. In these
camps we learn to build our spirit,
our mind, our body. We learn again
what it is to live. Many of our camps
help our children learn. Children who
have been through the concrete
jungles of the cities where there is no
life, where those live who don't know
what it is about. They learn about
their abilities both physical and
spiritual. They learn to exercise their
minds because in these camps we have
the sacred sweats where we learn to
purify ourselves and become innocent. We learn the ceremonies from
our Elders. We learn to respect and to
be humble.
We must have many more camps so
we can learn in our family circles
everywhere. So we can hear the inner
voice of what the Great Spirit wants
us to do, the directions He gives to us
as individuals. We learn all these
things through the sweats and ceremonies. It is the spirit we build up, to
meet our Creator, not just for
ourselves but to share with and help
one another. This is the knowledge
the spiritual camps give for the generations ahead. I believe that with a lot
of hard work, maybe we can save
some lives.
Regular Visitor from
Anpo Camp
Oregon
Photo: Penticton Band
So we need all our spiritual
medicine people, pipe carriers and
anyone else who walks this road to
feel at home at any one of these
camps. So that we can be together in
spiritual unity when the time comes.
These things I believe and much
more.
By acknowledging and learning
instructions and ways of our Elders,
we learn to acknowledge the Great
Spirit in many ways and all forms of
his creation.
YOUNG ONES' WORDS ON OWL
ROCK CAMP
These Indian classes are special to
me because I am an Indian. I'd just
like to write down a few lines about
what's been happening around here
while I was here learning. When we
arrive up at camp we run up the hill
for a while and come back down, and
then we have a little meeting about
what's going to be happening in the
next classes. Then we make Indian
baskets.
Jeannette and Teeny are our
teachers who show us how to make
baskets. The boys would be making
bows and arrows. Martin teaches the
boys. Then we have lunch and have
time to walk around and play. Then
we have Indian language lessons and
stories about Indians of the past
taught by Jeannette and Martin. In
the summertime we will be riding
horses, travelling, building, and
much more. So I would like to invite
all Indians: children, teenagers, and
adults. We are learning about our
own culture.
Lisa Paul
The Owl Rock Youth Group have a
camp up on the reserve, if you visitors
would like to stop by and visit for a
couple of days. Our camp is similar to
ones in the old days, because we have
a kitchen part that is dug into the
ground, called a pit house. We also
have a long house that is used for
people to sleep and for gatherings.
We have lots of room to put up tents.
We have a lake up there called Eneas
Lake. This lake is sacred, it is nice
and beautiful. It is also quiet up here.
Once you come up you won't want to
leave.
I think the camp is the best place
I've been to so far. I like to think in
quiet and learn the Indian ways: how
to make baskets, pick berries and
bitter roots, how to speak my
language. The reason I want to learn
all that is because the older people
will not be here forever. We will be
here surviving on our own and will be
thankful for the things they taught
us, because then we will know how to
make things to carry our food and
things to get food with. If we have
kids we can pass what we know down
to them.
Today we fixed our baskets and the
boys worked on their bows.
I'm really thankful when I come to
the camp. I would like to thank the
camp workers for taking the time to
teach us.
Florence Captiste
H i ! Well, I'd just like to inform
you on things I have been learning up
at the longhouse. Every morning we
jog up to Charley's place at the end of
the lake and back to the camp. Then
we have classes and lunch and after
that we go up the hills or sleighriding. We have two more classes and
then exercise and play, then go back
to the Band office.
Carrie Jack
Penticton
This camp means a lot to me
because I learn many different things
and it helps me in many ways. The
things we learn are to speak our own
language and taking sweats; plus we
have respect for the camp and others.
I travel from Vernon once a week
to come to the camp; that's why it
means a lot to me.
The girls are making shawls and
INDIAN W O R L D 29
also we sing many Indian songs.
Joanne Qualtier
Okanagan Reserve
Vernon, B.C.
H i , I'd like to inform you on what
the whole idea of these cultural
classes means to me.
What we are doing is learning to
respect our Elders, each other, and to
respect each living animal, plant or
tree. We also learn discipline. We try
to avoid small arguments or fights.
We all treat each other equally.
Sometimes it seems really hard for us
to get used to it. I think it's really a
great experience.
We've also learned to do our work
and enjoy it. Usually the girls clean
up, cook lunch, serve the people and
wash dishes. The boys pack water,
chop and pack the wood.
We learn old legends and our
language from our Elders.
The girls are making shawls and we
have just started to put the fringes on
them. Probably in the future we will
make Indian costumes. The boys are
making bows and arrows the
traditional way.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that
these cultural classes are really
something. I hope you understand.
Murray Timoyakin
I think that the camp is here to
teach us how to be ourselves. I have
learned that discipline here has become pretty well self-explanatory, to
me anyway: meaning that we discipline ourselves. I also regained my
strength to be able to talk to the
Elders and learned how to be kind,
thoughtful and courteous. Or, in
shorter terms, to be respectful
towards others.
I also think the main reason for this
camp is for us to increase our living
skills, not just learning skills, so that
we may be able to survive when the
snow comes here to stay.
Holly Baptiste
Field Trip to Salmon Arm, B. C.
We went to Salmon Arm to see a
pit house and a sweat house. There
were 35 students that went up to
Salmon Arm. We went in two vans
plus we used Jeannette's car because
there was too much weight in the
van.
Plus we saw another place that
had a little model made into a pit
Photo: Penticton Band
Tracey Bonneau
Penticton Reserve
Penticton, B.C.
Age 12
house, like a little village.
H i there. My name is Wholthonecha. Or Punky or Larry Kenoras—
sometimes worse, like the saying
goes. I would like to share a few
things with my people about Owl
Rock Camp.
A person or #1 can really straighten
out a lot of things, if you are honest
with #1. By that I mean doing what
you want, feeling good about it now
and tomorrow, too. A place, or
places like this, is a need for our
people, young and old.
After you have learned about you,
then comes life, respect, love, selfdiscipline, sharing, honesty, learning
the ways of the North Americans—
the caretakers of the island.
A place, or places like this, is a
need for our people, young and old.
We need you to remember that, so
whenever you are around the south
central Okanagan Valley, come to
your camp, share what you have to
offer yourself!
To all my friends and relatives,
Way 7.
The Penticton Indian Band Education Committee has committed itself to a Cultural Awareness Youth
development program in answer to the social disorientation which is afflicting our young people today. We are
of the opinion that self-awareness, pride and personal motivation stem from a firm understanding of one's
history and parent culture.
The program of activities is designed to assist each individual develop not only practical skills but also social
and life skills that will help each to cope and survive as an Indian person in today's society.
The program which has now been in operation about five months involves a one day a week immersion
session with activities centred on cultural awareness through our history and customs, spiritual knowledge and
guidance, physical training and wilderness survival training.
The program is now being expanded to allow for youth from all areas to participate. The camp is open seven
days a week to all Indian visitors.
Penticton Indian Band Education
INDIAN W O R L D 30
Committee
Language:
Thinking for
Ourselves
The main difference between white
educators and Indian educators is
their method of teaching a person.
White educators teach a person to
be dependent. This is done by mind
controlling.
Indian educators teach a person to
use the power of their mind and all of
their senses, and to be responsible
and independent.
White educators teach a person to
read from a book. This way, you are
only making use of just one of your
senses.
White educators do not teach a
person to depend on his/her mind.
The white educators teach a person to
depend on another person. We come
to believe that we cannot do things
for ourselves.
If you want your tire changed on
the car, you don't do it yourself. You
get somebody else to do it.
If you want your house painted,
you can't do it right. So you get
somebody else to do it.
If DIA says you cannot teach
Indian people because you are not a
teacher, then you get a white man
from DIA to do it.
If somebody says that you're a
dumb Indian, you depend on his
mind and believe it and be a dumb
Indian.
Indian Education
Indian educators are basically
everything from Elders, Chiefs,
parents, children, plants, animals and
the Mother Earth. Indian educators
teach you from the time you are born
through all of your life. Indian
educators teach a person to use all of
his mind and to concentrate into
extreme depths and use his senses as a
balance of reality.
When we do something we must
also include the use of all our senses:
our eyes, ears, taste, smell, nerves,
heart (feelings), our mind and spirit
together as one. If we want to defeat
fisheries, DIA or alcohol, then we
must put into our minds that we can.
We are responsible for our own
mind, body and spirit. Indians are
creators of our own Destiny.
•
The Indian language is an
important part of Indian cultural
programs. Through the learning of it,
other areas can be developed such as:
history, social conduct, physical
training, cooking, plant medicine,
etc.
The "baby" method of teaching a
language is based on what a baby
goes through to learn a language.
A first phase would be a simple
introduction to the language by
hearing it spoken on a daily basis.
Use Indian words mixed with
English.
The first thing is to learn to hear
the right sounds.
The second thing, after learning to
hear for a few months, is to try to
pronounce the sounds without trying
to remember the meaning. That is
training the vocal muscle. A n important step is remembering the meaning
of a sound.
The third step after making the
sounds is learning simple every-day
words that are used often. This can be
built up with nouns (person, place or
thing), verbs (action part of sentence
such as go, do), and adjectives (add
meaning to nouns e.g. blue shirt).
This leads to knowledge of the
language.
As you would do with a baby, give
praise and encouragement to the
person learning to speak and understand.
INDIAN EDUCATION SCHEDULE
May 23-24: St. Mary's Student Residence Reunion at
St. Mary's, Mission.
May 26-27
May 1980
May 5-8,1980
Training
Workshop
Training Co-ordinators
Cultural Education Youth Meeting
for
Band/District/Tribal
May 12-15,1980
National Indian Control of Indian Education Conference, Winnipeg, Man.
Designed for Band Representatives
May 22-23
Proposed dates to co-ordinate a meeting of Bands
concerned with residential school buildings—Resource
people from other Provinces. UBCIC Boardroom.
May 29-30
E-12 Meeting, Union Board Room, 440 W. Hastings
Street
June 9-10
Training Meeting
Union Boardroom, 440 W. Hastings
June 11-13
St. Mary's Survey-Report to 47 Band's Representatives from the Vancouver District Area of DIA—at St.
Mary's, Mission
•
INDIAN WORLD 31
(from page 21)
Another example of physical suppression is the
beautiful land that was left us by our ancestors, which the
white people call reserves. We treat them like reserves
because we are taught to treat them that way. Indian
Governments must teach us to see this land the way our
ancestors saw it.
3. The third vital area of concern is the spirituality of a
person, which is the foundation of the other two areas.
The three fundamental areas of mind, body, and spirit
must be dealt with as one, but the first two cannot
succeed without the third. The main thrust of communalism in Indian communities was based on a strong and
integrated spirituality, which was based on a co-operative
oneness with nature. The Indian mind, body and spirit
and nature were one, and when things were so, the Indian
prospered. Not that he had everything, but what he
received is really all he needed to fulfill his existence with
satisfaction and dignity.
What do we have now to replace what we had? The
seeking of spiritual fulfillment has created a spiritual
supermarket on many reserves that has divided many
families and communities. This will not satisfy the
spiritual togetherness we need. The spiritual rebirth of
the Indian people must be the cornerstone of a new
direction in Indian Education.
A study of Indian people before contact will show us
how the Indian Education system, Indian Government
and spirituality were integrated and inseparable.
The choice that we have is clear at this time: do we
want to take control over our survival now? Or let
someone else control our extinction?
We have to develop an approach that borrows sound
unchanging principles from the past and combines them
with the needs of the present in order to create a vision
for the future that is designed to help Indians succeed
today.
•
The spiritual rebirth of the Indian people must be the
cornerstone of a new direction in Indian Government
INDIAN W O R L D 32
THE INDIAN WAY BACK TO
HEALTH
Indian people from all over British
Columbia
and
neighbouring
provinces and territories came to
participate in our Indian Health Conference held at the Kamloops Indian
Residential School, March 21-23.
Elders and young people alike came
forward to share their feelings,
concerns and ideas on Indian Health
and our peoples' responsibility.
A solid foundation was set by the
people who came together; they gave
of themselves to rekindle the positive
attitudes and strengths of our forefathers.
The sacred ceremonies, dancing,
drumming and singing which took
place in the evenings made people feel
strong to share good things.
said George Manuel, guest speaker
and UBCIC President.
"They had to be healthy so they
really made every effort to make
sure that they were healthy. There
were many things to do to stay
healthy. They had to learn about
herbs, leaves, roots, berries and so
forth. They had to know what to
do to stay healthy. They had to
make it their priority. That was a
value they had."
Our Elders learned about
herbs and roots to stay
healthy. Now we have to
teach our children the
traditional way.
Sharing our knowledge makes
us stronger
The need for more people gatherings was strongly recommended
throughout the conference,
to
strengthen our people to work towards Indian control of Indian health.
This feeling was expressed by
Peter Bighead, one of the guest
speakers from the Blood Reserve in
Alberta.
"We should start sharing. That is
one of the greatest gifts that is
given to our Indian people, is the
gift of kindness, a gift that no
other nationality is given; it's being
close to nature—the Elders know.
We start hanging onto this kind of
thing, we're going to be a lot stronger."
"Old Indians used to have a great
deal of concern on health so that
they would not get sick, because
their whole existence depended on
health,"
swimming, and fasting. These strong
disciplines made life good for
everyone.
Over the three days of the conference, we discovered and shared the
very basic roots of how we can begin
to deal with the issue of Indian
Health. Through this conference, our
people clearly stated the direction
which must be taken and with whom
the responsibilities lie. The necessity
to find our way back to our
traditional practices is needed to
A n overall consensus was reached
that Indian health endows more than
physical well-being, but it also has to
include emotional, mental and
spiritual well-being. As Alberta
Lightning, a medicine man from
Hobbema, Alberta, stated:
"In the beginning of the native
creation everything was created
mentally and spiritually. That was
the only birthright that was
granted."
The traditional disciplines which
our people used daily to maintain
good health were shared by our
Elders and guest speakers. These
included sacred sweats, winter
follow a path that was given to us by
our Creator.
"If you're really serious about the
health of your family then you
must redevelop that priority; we
must redevelop that old concern
about our health. We have to
develop again to start mentally
conditioning our people to look
after their health," George Manuel
says.
Our brief, which we prepared and
presented to Health Services Review
'79, reflected the feelings of those at
the Indian Health Conference. Our
brief was also submitted to National
Health and Welfare.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 33
HEALTH SERVICES REVIEW
The presentation given at the
National Health Services Review '79
in Edmonton this month was of great
importance to B.C. Indians in gaining
control over the delivery of health
services.
A recent health hearing held in
Vancouver in February, 1980, was
too early for the Union to give its
presentation and more consultation
was needed with the Bands.
Now, it is hoped the Health
Services Review '79 will be able to
sort
through
the
complexities
surrounding Indian health and
propose changes with the Federal
Goverment to ensure we survive as a
healthy people in control of our live.
George Manuel and five Band
delegates, along with staff members
of the Health Portfolio, presented the
main points and recommendations
from their submission.
Henry Smith, an Elder of the
Tsartlip Band, opened in prayer for
Special Commissioner, Emmett Hall,
to listen and accept B.C.'s submission
to the hearing. The Commissioner
listened as George Manuel told him
the provincial government in B . C .
denies it has constitutional responsibility to Indian people.
out of fear that the medicare system
might collapse as doctors threaten to
pull out of medicare.
"If doctors are going to insist on
total control of their own profession
and a larger income, then they must
be willing to give adequate medical
care to serve more isolated areas in
the North and become more
accountable to the people they
serve," George Manuel said.
Nonnie Elliot, a Community
Health Representative
for
the
Tsartlip Band, said they find
problems when dealing with Medical
Services. "We still have inadequate
housing, faulty sewer systems which
are always running over because of
septic systems poorly installed on the
reserve, and our suicide rate is high.
effective until those needs are met."
A Band faced with these serious
problems must negotiate with two
separate government departments to
resolve those problems.
George Manuel said Indian people
could develop a lot of self-help
programs if the Department of Indian
Affairs
were
responsible
for
channelling the funds to them. To
deal with one agency would make it
easier for Bands to find solutions to
the problems they face.
The Kwakiutl District Council
presented their submission on the
health situation in Alert Bay.
Commissioner Hall said he couldn't
do anything about it, but listened as
he was told of the many difficulties
the Band has been experiencing.
Health care is provided by the
Federal Government, but only as a
matter of policy that seems to
change with each change in
government. Indian health must
be entrenched in the Constitution
as a right or it will always be
endangered. It was recommended
the Indian Act must be revised to
reflect this right and to reflect the
right of Indian Government to
control the health care delivery
system.
"The provincial government in
B.C. wants to take over the services
One of our fifteen recommenof Indian people but they don't want
dations was that the Federal governus to be involved in them. We don't
ment exert force on the Provincial
want health services to be turned over
government to cause the negotiations
to them.
Bill Cranmer, top r., Ernie Willie, top. I., of Land Claims and Aboriginal
Nonnie Elliot, b.r., Evelyn Ignatious, Rights to begin. The only solution to
"We would like to see the federal center, Henry Smith, b. left.
better health is settling these claims
government turn the block funding
and establishing Indian government.
which provides the provincial govern"It all relates to the basic needs of
The end of the submission read:
ment for services of Indian people,
our people. Once those needs are met,
"Should our recommendations be
over to the Indian people in B . C . "
then we can concentrate on prevenrejected by the Federal Government,
B.C."
tative measures and make health our
we will then take our case to the
The Health Review '79 was held
priority. I don't think our job can be
United Nations.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 34
Alert Bay Health Inquiry
REPORT CONFIRMS
BAND'S CLAIMS
Dr. Gary Goldthorpe, Commissioner for the health hearings at Alert
Bay in March, gave his report on the
health and health services of the
Nimpkish people on April 19, 1980.
During his 23 day stay at Alert
Bay, Dr. Goldthorpe found in his
study of 132 death certificates of the
Nimpkish people that many of the
deaths occurred in cases of alcoholism and despair.
He found 56% of the Alert Bay
people died before age 40 and infants
had a 44% chance of reaching age 40.
The death rate for the people on reserve is almost three times the rate for
members of the group who live off
reserve.
"Alert Bay Indians are less healthy
than other B.C. Indians. One can say
an Alert Bay Indian stands a 25%
greater chance of dying within the
next year than does an Indian elsewhere in Canada."
Dr. Goldthorpe felt it was ironic
that those who had the most seem to
have lost the most. "Today the Alert
Bay Indians, among the wealthiest
and most sophisticated in Canada,
suffer higher death rates than other
Canadian Indians who live in remote
villages without running water, electricity or central heating."
He said their health declined with
suppression of their language and culture, with the anti-potlatch laws,
schooling away from home and
family, with the decline of salmon
stocks and with the influx of welfare
cheques and the disappearance of
their communities.
"From countless hours of listening
to residents of Alert Bay and other
communities I find Dr. Jack Pickup
possesses at least the minimum level
of medical skill and knowledge to
practice medicine in B . C . But Dr.
Pickup has been on many occasions
drunk while performing as a doctor,
and in public at Alert Bay. Renee
Smith died in St. George's Hospital
due to the negligence on the part of
Dr. Jack Pickup to apply adequate
medical care and procedures."
Dr. Goldthorpe recommended that
Dr. Pickup move to practise in a larger community and that he abstain
from alcohol or, if impossible, to
enter a treatment program for alcoholism. Goldthorpe asked the B . C .
College of Physicians and Surgeons
to review the evidence they received
on Dr. Pickup's care.
The Nimpkish Band's final submission to the Commissioner on March
24, 1980, said they want control of
the health services delivered to them
and establish a Nimpkish health board
to operate a health clinic on reserve.
Dr. Goldthorpe supports the
Band's wishes to establish a health
board and affirms their desire to take
control of their own health care system. He recommended the Medical
Services Branch and the Nimpkish
Band negotiate as soon as possible to
bring about their control of health
services.
Nimpkish Band Manager Pearl
Alfred said she felt it took a lot of
courage on Dr. Goldthorpe's part to
make the report he presented.
"The report confirmed everything
the Band has been saying. We knew
our health here was poor but to see
the statistics in black and white
confirmed it.
Now we have to make sure changes happen quickly. We are now
planning and are hoping to meet
with the Federal Minister of Health
within ten days to discuss the turnover of services to the Band.
Dr. Goldthorpe has given us a lot
of backup for discussions with the
Provincial Government. I think
things can only get better.''
•
CHILD WELFARE
STUDY
The Steering Committee for the
Child Welfare Study held a meeting
on March 26, 1980 to determine
what the next step will be. Representatives from the Program Evaluation Branch in Ottawa, DIA
Regional Office, the North Coast
District Council, the Lakes District
Council, the Union of B.C. Indian
Chiefs, the B . C . Native Women's
Society, the Alliance, a Native newspaper, and the co-ordinator of the
study attended.
The co-ordinator submitted a
Preliminary
Report
to
the
committee
and,
after
some
discussion, the committee agreed
that more time is needed since many
of the finer details are not yet included in the terms of reference. The
preliminary stages of the study will
be extended by three more months
so that the co-ordinator will have
ample opportunity to meet with a
wider range of Indian people. Since
the people of the north are unable to
attend any of the assemblies, the
Tribal Councils in the committee
will hold meetings with the coordinator for people in their region
to keep them informed.
After learning of the extension,
many have sent in their terms of
reference or phoned to make
arrangements to meet with the coordinator. Hopefully this trend will
continue until the 30th of June 1980
when the preliminary stages of the
study will end.
Indian Home Needed
An Indian family of two brothers
and two sisters needs a home. They
are now staying in a temporary
foster home.
The children's mother visits them,
but cannot raise them on a daily
basis.
For more information, please call
Annabelle Fung at 438-6101, or
Muriel Simon at 321-3441, Ministry
of Human Resources.
INDIAN W O R L D 35
CROP PLANNING
photo: Mary Louise Williams, Mt. Currie
Mount Currie Band farmer readying the land for spring activities.
It's the time of year when there is a lot of activity
around everything to do with agriculture: farm supply
stores, fertilizer and machinery dealers, processing companies, dairymen, ranchers, sheep breeders—the list goes
on and on.
Now is the time everybody is planning their crop
program for the growing season. There are many factors
which will affect these plans. Based on past experience or
on future projections, almost everybody will be making
changes to their past year's operations. Some will just be
alternating fields from one type of production to
another, others will be making major changes, such as increased production to suit forms of expansion like herd
size or shortage of feed in past years. Others may have
overproduced and not been able to market or use last
year's production, though this doesn't happen very
often. There may be a need for a different ratio of specific
feed types.
Planning Factors
The main factors in determining what crops to grow or
how much of it will be the ability to market and the
economic benefits to be realized. Crop rotation also
affects one's crop planning. Because different crops use
INDIAN W O R L D 36
by Chester Douglas
different constituents from the soil, the grounds must be
periodically switched from one type of production to
another, to avoid permanent damage to the soil.
Another factor to consider is that certain cultural and
other practices that are necessary for one crop type are
detrimental, and often critical, for another. A n example
of this is the use of Atrazine for the control of weeds in
corn. Atrazine is a chemical used to control broadleaf
weeds in corn crops. Although it gives highly effective
control of weeds, it has a residual effect; that is, it remains
in the soil long after the crop year is over, and if used at a
high rate, critical amounts of the chemical remain in the
soil two or three years after.
So when a person is planning his crops for the year, he
should consider his feed requirements, his ability to
market and his soil management before making his final
decision.
Something that shouldn't be overlooked in crop
planning is the ability to harvest when the crops are
ready. If a person doesn't plan his production and
harvesting time properly, he might end up with all his
crops ready to harvest all at once. This could result in
losing part of his crop.
•
WIAC Workshops
Planning an Irrigation System
A n irrigation system should be designed and installed
so that it suits the particular circumstances (soil, crops,
climate, water sources, etc.) of the area to be irrigated. It
is no good to simply copy a neighbour's system or choose
a method which at first hand seems suitable. By making
sure that all factors are checked out, costly mistakes and
future operating problems can be avoided.
• Plan Ahead—have your plans finalized the year before
you wish to irrigate; try to arrange to install your
system in the fall.
• Contact your local WIAC fieldworker for information
on available publications on irrigation. Your local Ministry of Agriculture Office can also supply you.
• Get a good map of your area and mark out the areas
you wish to irrigate. A n air photo is very useful: ask
your WIAC fieldworker to order one for you.
• Contact your local Ministry of Agriculture Office and
get advice on the irrigation methods which will be most
suitable to your particular needs and circumstances.
Arrange to have your soil tested. You may also need to
improve drainage.
• Check out the sources of water—are they reliable?
What are your water rights? How much water is
available? Have the water tested for Quality (it may
have high levels of dissolved salts). Does the water have
a lot of sand in it? (this will clog up sprinklers). If you
are considering having a well drilled, contact Environment Canada who can advise you on likelihood of
success.
• If you are planning to use electric pumps, you will be
restricted by the availability of hydro service: do you
have single or three phase service? Gas and diesel
Date
Workshop Place
May 6
Small
Animals
T o be set Farm
Machines
To be set Home
Gardens
Field man
Cranbrook
Cancelled
Dan
Graveile
Ft. St. John
Angus
Dickie
Lillooet
Mike V.
Joseph
District
May
12-16
Fieldmens WIAC
Workshop Boardroom
WIAC
May
12-13
4H
Stoney
Creek
Jimmy
Quaw
May
20&21
Stoney
Land
Clearing & Creek
4H
Jimmy
Quaw
engine powered pumping systems are expensive to buy
and operate. Tractor driver pumps are hard on tractors
and tie up valuable machinery when you may need it.
• Estimate how much labour is involved with different
systems.
• Should you decide on a sprinkler or gun system, approach a reputable irrigation supply company in your
area. They should be willing to design a proper system
and draw plans and give you a definite quotation. The
company should also be willing to have their proposed
plans checked by your local Ministry of Agriculture
Engineer. Do not expect the company to give you any
of their plans before you have made a contract with
them. Arrange to have the proposed plans given in confidence to your Ministry of Agricuture Engineer for
checking before you make a contract.
• Plan to instruct your workers on safe working habits—
irrigation pipes and power lines can be killers!
•
A suitable irrigation
system depends on
each individual's
circumstances like
water supply, soil,
crop, climate and so
on.
Right: setting up irrigation for the Seabird
Island Band's beancrop last year.
INDIAN W O R L D 37
Regulating the Forests
the Indian Way
The Indian Timber Regulations suggests that Indian
Bands are incompetent in the management and development of their own timber. Last month we discussed two
ideas for changes in the Regulations: Band authority and
control over Indian timber management and obtaining
timber quotas to supplement the depleted Indian timber.
What is the next step? What are your ideas? It is time for
action rather than just talk. If you have any comments or
views about the following draft proposal for action
contact the Forestry Committee at (604) 684-0231 or
write to 3rd floor, 440 West Hastings Street, Vancouver,
B.C. V6B1L1.
Summary
This proposal will focus on the hearts on the administrative policies and procedures of Indian timber. Our
goals and objectives are to lead towards Indian Bands
independently directing the development of the forestry
sector. This step will advance the overall progress of the
economic development activities of Indian Bands in B.C.
Goal
To amend the Indian Timber Regulations and include
the following objectives in the process.
Objectives
• Draw up alternative plans of action in preparation
for discussion with Indian Bands and District Councils, in order to form a clear direction for the management of Indian timber.
• Assess the role and authority of the Departmental
District Foresters according to the Indian Timber
Regulations.
• Assess the success and failures of the forms of agreements that give rights to cut Indian timber.
• Assess the financial management of monies derived
from royalties and stumpage payments of Indian
timber.
• Plan the development and maintenance of an up-todate inventory system of Indian timber. (The
present one is about 20 years old).
• Draw up plans to develop and establish a central
Indian forestry body to secure financial backing for
the many Indian forestry resource people who could
concentrate in such areas as (a) monitoring the goals
and objectives of Indian Bands to by-pass bureaucracy of both federal and provincial government
agencies, (b) monitoring the federal and provincial
agreements to ensure that Indian Bands are not excluded from important forestry agreements (such as
the case with the federal-provincial agreement on
silviculture or tree planting or stand tending), or (c)
INDIAN W O R L D 38
The Indian Timber Regulations:
• regulate the harvesting, sale and disposal of timber within Indian
reserves and surrendered lands
• dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (for Indian use) to a
Band for Band purposes, or to a member or a group of members
of a Band to cut timber or fuel wood for his or their individual use
without the need to pay royalty or stumpage payments
• dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (to sell timber) to a
Band or member or a group of members of a Band for a period of
one year and stumpage or royalties must be paid unless such payments are waived as a measure of relief to the permit holder
• dispose of Indian timber through a "Licence" which is available
to any person other than a member of a Band on whose behalf the
timber is being administered
• specify that Licences are available where timber has been surrendered or released to the Crown or without a surrender where the
Assistant Deputy Minister is satisfied that the sale of the timber is
in the interest of the Band and the Band Council consents
• specify that Licences are to be issued after advertising except
where stumpage or royalties payable on the timber will not exceed
$2,500.00 and are for a term of one year and are renewable
• specify that ground rent must be paid each year at a rate of $0.20
per acre with a minimum fee being $40.00 and a security deposit
must be kept in place
• specify that both the Permit (to sell timber) and the Licence
stumpage or royalties are payable and the timber must have been
measured by a licenced scaler or by some other person appointed
for the task and all stumpage or royalties must have been paid
before the timber can be manufactured at a mill unless consent
has been obtained from the Assistant Deputy Minister.
monitoring the Canadian economy in regards to
interest rates that may hurt the overall development
of Indian forestry.
• Develop a mechanism by which the federal government will negotiate a federal-provincial agreement
for a program that can allocate timber quotas for
Indian Bands to supplement the depleted Indian
timber. (This is by no means a part of Indian land
claims).
• Determine how the Band by-laws can give Indian
Bands more local control over such matters as reforestation (re-planting after Indian trees have been cut)
or other matters that will affect the long term development of Indian timber.
This account supports George Manuel's statement in a
press release on April 11, 1980 regarding the Department's funding policies :
"The funding of the Department must be changed to
emphasize positive socio-economic development programs for Indian Bands instead of social assistance
dependency. These welfare programs now dangerously
dominate any socio-economic development. In 198081, more than 27 million dollars has been ear-marked
for Bands. Little more than 3 million dollars has been
slotted for socio-economic development. Divided
among the 194 Bands of B.C., an average of $140,000
would go to each Band for welfare payments, while
only a miniscule $15,500 would reach each Band for
job creation and economic development.''
•
INDIAN CONSULTING GROUP
A new consulting firm has opened its doors for
business in Vancouver recently. NDCS Consultants are
prepared to offer a wide range of development services to
Band Councils, Indian Organizations and individual
business people.
The difference between this consulting group and all
the others in B.C. is that NDCS Consultants is a wholly
Indian-owned business venture. A l l the partners in the
group are Indian professional people from different parts
of the province. They include businessmen, a lawyer,
educators and experienced administrators.
The interim president of the group is Chief Gordon
Antoine, Coldwater Band:
"Our firm has a unique advantage in understanding
and assisting with the aspiration of Bands and individuals as well as those of other cultural minorities in our
society. We have worked with Band Councils, government departments and our own businesses. We know
the problems and we also know the opportunities that
are available."
Some of the areas where the group can provide assistance
to Bands are:
community planning
project development (logging, real estate, etc.)
general management services
preparation of funding proposals
staff recruitment
negotiations with government
special Band training courses
environmental and socio-economic impact studies
Gordon Antoine went on to say:
"I would like to emphasize that this is strictly a business venture by a group of people with certain skills to
offer. We are not associated with any other provincial
Indian organization or group. We are strictly professional consultants with a service to offer."
NDCS Consultants has an office at 225-744 W. Hastings
Street in Vancouver. The office phone number is
682-7615. The group is presently preparing some literature which will be sent out to all Band offices later this
month.
•
WINDEMERE ELKS
NEW PROVINCIAL INDIAN HOCKEY
CHAMPIONS
by Irvine Harry
During the long Easter Weekend
many fans were treated to excellent
hockey action in Smithers when the
all-native Provincial Hockey Playoffs took place.
A total of nine teams took part in
all of the action. Two teams came
from each recreational zone in the
province.
Windermere Elks
Zone 3
Merritt Braves
Zone 3
Alkali Lake Renegades
Zone 4a
Prince George Native Sons Zone 4b
Ft.St. James Chiefs
Zone 4b
Kispiox Warriors
Zone 5
Hazelton Wolverines
Zone 5
Moricetown Canyon Bears Zone 5
Kitimaat Thunderbirds
Zone 5
As zone 5 was hosting the provincial play-offs they had the option of
putting in more than the two-zone
representatives.
INDIAN W O R L D 39
NEED FOR NEW
PROVINCIAL SPORTS
ASSOCIATION
Hockey action got underway with
Fort St. James Chiefs playing against
the Kitimaat Thunderbirds and
winning quite handily.
Other first round action was Windermere Elks beating Kispiox Warriors, Prince George Native Sons
beating Hazelton, Ft. St. James
Chiefs bettering Merritt Braves and
Moricetown Canyon Bears whipping
Alkali Renegades.
A l l of the losing teams dropped
into the " B " bracket.
In the " A " events, Windermere
Elks easily handled Prince George
and Ft. St. James Chiefs nipped
Moricetown Canyon Bears. This led
to the quarter finals and had Windemere squaring off against the Fort St.
James Chiefs. The southern team,
Windemere, easily outskated, and
generally outplayed, the Chiefs from
Fort St. James, who incidentally were
the past provincial winner for 2 years
running.
Action on the " B " side:
Kispiox beat Kitimat, Alkali beat
Merritt, Kispiox beat Hazelton, Moricetown beat Kispiox.
Alkali Lake beat Prince George
and Alkali Lake avenged their first
INDIAN W O R L D 40
round loss to Moricetown. The two
remaining teams vying for the right to
play against the Windemere Elks
played an excellent game with the
outcome being: Fort St. James finally
beating the fast skating Alkali Lake
Renegades. This set the stage for the
final game between Fort St. James
and Windemere. The result was the
same as the game for the " A " finals
—Windemere easily out-classed the
Fort St. James team and thus won the
right to say that they are the Native
Hockey Champions for 1979/80.
Most Valuable Player—Pete N i cholas, Windemere
Most Inspirational Player—Arnie
Ignatius, Alkali
Most Points—Rick Nicholas, Windemere.
The final placements for Native
Hockey:
#1 Windemere Elks
32 Fort St. James Chiefs
#3 Alkali Lake Renegades
#4 Moricetown Canyon Bears
#5 Kispiox Warriors
#6 Prince George Native Sons
#7 Hazelton Wolverines
#8 Merritt Braves
#9 Kitimaat Thunderbirds.
•
A number of years back the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports and Recreation Federation office was established and opened, funded from
Ottawa.
Communications, therefore, was
established and opened doors to
many
Indian
communities
throughout B . C . who otherwise
would not have any means of
communicating.
Through this source we were able
to plan better sports activities for our
young people. Tournaments were
established, with the Provincial
Finals determining which community
is the Provincial Champion in their
own area of sports.
Travel was no obstacle for teams
through grants obtained by the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports & Recreation
Federation staff. Young people
struck up friendship among each
other, learning and becoming aware
of other villages.
Unfortunately, cuts in budget over
the past two years have been felt
throughout B.C., and now the office
is closed. With the closing of the
office communications with other
areas of B.C. are once again broken.
With the cutbacks in budget so severe
that the office has to close down, it is
like closing the door to the opportunities that are available to our young
people.
If we just accept this to happen it
will be like going back to how we
were in the past...."Isolated once
again".
It is up to each community in B.C.
to do something about keeping this
communication open among Indian
villages, through the B . C . Native
Amateur Sports and Recreation
Federation as our head office.
Perhaps each Zone can draft up a
resolution requesting that the B . C .
N.A.S. & R.E. be opened again; there
is a need for this office. Physical
recreation is a preventative program
in regards to alcoholism and drug
abuse.
by Mary Green
UP-DATE
WEST COAST OIL PORTS INQUIRY
In August, 1979, the National Energy Board announced
hearings into the matter of application made by Trans
Mountain Pipeline Ltd. and Foothills Oil Pipeline Ltd.
for Certification of Public Convenience and Necessity,
under Part III of the National Energy Board Act.
On October 15th the National Energy Board began its
hearings in Vancouver.
The Foothills Oil Pipeline Company withdrew its
application early in the hearing and consequently the
UBCIC intervention focused on the Trans Mountain
application.
The National Energy Board on February 21, 1980
announced that they were not going to give Trans Mountain Pipeline a permit to construct its Alaskan Oil Pipeline until environmental studies have been completed.
Since the National Energy Board decision, Trans
Mountain has announced it will do its environmental
studies and will re-submit its application for a hearing as
early as September, 1980.
URANIUM ENQUIRY
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has completed its
submission to the Bates Inquiry into uranium mining in
British Columbia. Although the Commission of Inquiry
was to terminate when the seven year moratorium on uranium mining and exploration was declared, participants
were asked to prepare submissions on the evidence heard
to date. Some of the highlights of the UBCIC submission
were:
(1) We identified the special concerns that Indian people
have concerning the possibility of uranium mining in
this province and we urged the Commission to make
recommendations to the provincial government which
would recommend and protect our rights and interests, not only from uranium mining but from all uncontrolled development.
(2) We drafted model legislation which we believe would
ensure that a moratorium on uranium exploration
and mining is observed. The legislation also attempts
to deal with some of the other potential health hazards
identified by the Commission such as uranium in
water and the wastes from all mines.
(3) We provided the Commission with a brief which outlines the minimum studies which need to be done
before the initiation of any development which might
interfere with Indian interests.
If Bands or individuals want copies of this material,
please contact the Energy and Resources Portfolio at the
UBCIC.
MUSQUEAM CASE
The Musqueam Band is suing the Department of
Indian Affairs for mismanagement and breach of trust in
leasing their land without the Band's agreement. The case
re-opened on March 20th and 21st, 1980, with some
evidence of the lands lease.
Jack Ellis, Crown witness and part share owner of one
of the smaller golf courses on the reserve, told of a conversation that took place with Band members around
1961. Ellis had the impression some members of the Band
appeared to know what was in the lease.
All of the Band members denied it. However, the evidence was very vague and the case was closed. The judge
will be giving his decision on the case in June, 1980.
FISHING CASES
Leslie Edmonds was found guilty but given a discharge
on part of the Judge's decision that Fisheries negotiate
with the Indian people.
May 5, 1980: Peter John, 40, a member of the Hope
Band was charged of fishing with a net near Ruby Creek,
seven miles west of Hope on August 6, 1979. His case was
heard April 10, 1980 and has been held over to May 15,
1980.
April 29, 1980: Rene Kelly was charged with unmarked
fish on October 31, 1979 at Mission. Her case was
adjourned.
HUNTING CASE
April 14, 1980: D'arcy Simpson of the Tsartlip Band was
charged with possession of a firearm. His case was
dropped on April 14, 1980.
Angus Davis: The Legal Team has since taken action
against the Majestic Wiley Construction Co. for the
damages caused to Angus's traplines in the Fort St. John
area. There will be an examination for discovery some
time in May, 1980.
Raymond Bob of Anaham was charged for shooting
moose and grouse out of season. The charges against him
were dropped on March 24, 1980 because the hunting
took place on reserve land. The judge told the Indian
delegates present at the court to consider it a victory on
their part.
April 24, 1980: Fred Shields was charged with hunting for
food in the Lillooet area. His case was adjourned for
another date not set.
INDIAN W O R L D 41
' 'NOT GUILTY":
Indian Hunters are
getting back our Hunting Rights
For over two years now, Indian
hunters have been going before the
courts and have been pleading not
guilty to hunting charges. In September of 1978, Francis Haines told the
court that he had a right to hunt. He
also told the court that the Provincial
Government was acting illegally in
the way they applied the Provincial
Wildlife Act because, by denying out
of season hunting sustenance permits,
Indian people were in fact being
denied their rights to hunt.
Now two years have passed. Our
efforts have paid off. Two weeks ago,
the Attorney-General of British Columbia announced that from this time
onwards, it will be the policy of the
Attorney-General of British Columbia
not to proceed with hunting charges
against Indian people who have been
charged when they are hunting traditionally for food. The Attorney-General's office also said that they intended to negotiate with the Indian people to put in law (the Wildlife Act)
our Indian concerns over traditional
food hunting.
The Victory is Far From
Complete
We have learned from the Attorney
-General's office that the Wildlife
Officers do not agree with the position taken by the Attorney-General.
In fact Wildlife Officers continue to
arrest and press charges against
Indian people who are hunting traditionally for food.
Fred Shields, an Indian hunter
from Seton Lake, was to appear in
Court for a hunting charge in Lillooet
Thursday, April 17th. Fred is a 49
year old Indian who was hunting deer
to feed his wife and four children.
UBCIC lawyers contacted the prosecutor and asked that the charges
against him be dropped. We made the
request based upon the announcement of the Attorney-General's office
several weekks ago. The prosecutor
refused to drop the charges immediately, saying that he would only drop
the charges against Indian people
who are hunting for sustenance. In
other words, the prosecutor was putting himself in the position which the
Wildlife Officers previously took; so
if the Indian person was hunting for
sustenance, as defined by nonIndians, out of season hunting may
be permitted. After negotiating with
the prosecutor and lawyers for the
Provincial
Government,
the
Provincial Government agreed to adjourn Fred's trial so the matter can be
looked into further.
Victory Brought About by
Indians Pleading Not Guilty
All those Indian hunters who pled
not guilty over the last two years and
fought their case have really helped
all Indian people along in having
hunting rights recognized in law.
There is still a great deal of work to
do. Only some people within the Provincial Government are convinced
that Indian hunters have rights which
should be enforced in law. There is
still a good deal of negotiation and
education to take place among other
members of the Provincial Government and the public at large.
•
HUNTING AND TRAPPING PORTFOLIO.
At the Northern Regional Conference in Fort St. John, March 13 and
14, 1980, Hunting and Trapping
was a major agenda item. The
Chiefs at the conference passed a
resolution to hold a Trappers
Forum in Williams Lake in the 4th
week of June.
The guidelines given at the Northern Regional Conference for the
Hunting and Trapping Steering
Committee for the Northern Region
are as follows:
• Breakdown of Wildlife Act.
• How to register traplines.
• Interference of companies and
farmers.
• Expanding Indian traplines and
Band traplines.
• Trappers' support programs.
INDIAN W O R L D 42
•
•
•
•
•
•
Trappers' Co-op on Reserve.
Fur selling.
Purchase of equipment.
Fur enhancement programs.
Trapping rights.
Breakdown
of
trapline
• Breakdown of trapline meaning.
• Individual trapper problems.
• Protection of Indian trappers,
cabins, property.
Two or three representatives from
each district will sit on the Steering
Committee, to ensure and assist the
Union in work that has to be done.
On April 8 and 9, the Fort St.
John District Council discussed the
Trapping Forum. The Chiefs passed
a motion that all persons wishing to
attend the Trappers Forum give one
beaver pelt of reasonable size and
quality to cover travel expenses. If
there were any dollars left over, they
will be used to finance another
Trappers Forum next year or cover
costs for meetings dealing with
Hunting and Trapping.
In order to organize for the trappers who will attend the Forum, it
would be much appreciated if a list
could be made and sent or phoned
in to the Union office by May 15,
1980. We will then make the necessary travel arrangements. It would
also be appreciated if people attending could bring their own bedrolls
and tents.
For more information, call Steven
Basil, Co-ordinator, at 684-0231,
local #20.
•
DAMNING
THE LIARD
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs passed a resolution at
its 11th Annual General Assembly that the UBCIC
should oppose any large scale hydro-electric project
proposed by B.C. Hydro, including those planned for the
Peace, Liard, and Stikine rivers.
On April 1-2, 1980, five people from the community of
Lower Post participated in a workshop on the proposed
B.C. Hydro Dams on the Liard River. Basically the
workshop was to review B.C. Hydro's plans for the Liard
River and to do an examination of B.C. Hydro from our
past experiences in dealings with them on other issues and
on Hydro in general. We also discussed Land Use Studies
and the impacts the proposed dams on the Liard river
would have on the community of Lower Post.
Proposed Liard Dam to be one of World's Largest
In mid-1978, B . C . Hydro announced that possible
hydro-electric projects on two major river basins in northern B.C. were being intensively studied: the Liard, the
Stikine and Iskut rivers.
The Liard River rises in the Yukon and enters B . C .
near Watson Lake. It flows about 480 kilometres through
B.C., around where the Lower Post community is situated, and the river flows on a further 368 kilometres
through the Northwest Territories to Ft. Simpson where
it discharges into the Mackenzie River.
In the summer of 1979, B . C . Hydro went into its
second summer of engineering and feasibility studies into
plans for hydro-electric power development at the Liard
River.
To dam the Liard would create the same amount of
power as the Peace, which is one of the largest hydroelectric power projects in the world. B.C. Hydro's plans
for the Liard would involve 3-5 dams and a reservoir. The
reservoir would be twice as large as the man-made Williston Lake.
B.C. Hydro's studies are supposed to include
hydrology, plant ecology, fisheries biology, wildlife biology, and forestry, mining and recreation resources.
Hydro Studies Irrelevant to Indian Concerns
Although the feasibility studies have been underway
for over two years B . C . Hydro's first drop-in visit to
Lower Post was in the late fall of 1979. They asked the
Indian people to participate in a questionnaire. The
Indian people would not participate because the questionnaire was so irrelevant to their way of life and
because there was no prior consultation. They told B.C.
Hydro that they would do their own study on the impacts
of Hydro's Plans.
Whole Reserves would be Flooded
Hydro's plans for the Liard River would be devastating
to the Indian people. Two reserves are situated in the
flood area. Almost all of their traditional and aboriginal
territories would be flooded, therefore destroying their
hunting, trapping and fishing territories including their
year round camps. Archaeological sites, recreational activities, and a total way of life would be destroyed. People
in this area rely heavily on moose, black bear, grizzly,
caribou, fox, wolves, beaver, coyote, lynx—all these and
different species of fish would be flooded out.
There is also the possibility of homes being flooded,
and whole Indian Reserve lands. The community of
Lower Post and Upper Liard have made it very clear that
their Reserves are not for sale and are not interested in
any land surrenders so that they can be flooded. The
people have also made it clear that they are going to
struggle to save their way of life and to preserve their
environment which provides for their way of life.
The Lower Post community is in the process of developing a Land Use Study with the Union and are working
on ways and means of protecting their reserve lands and
their traditional and aboriginal territories.
•
INDIAN WORLD 43
This book was written and researched by Chief John
Snow of the Morley Reserve in Alberta. He is the elected
chief of the Wesley Band of the Stoney Indians. He deals
primarily with the problems his people have encountered
since the signing of Treaty 7, which encompasses his
people.
He begins the book in the tradition of all Indian people
throughout North America, in the oral tradition. It did
not really dawn on me until much later, for it did seem as
his voice were speaking out to me; or was it a voice that I
had heard before, perhaps the voice of one of my Elders.
I believe that it is the universal voice of all Indians
throughout North America, one which speaks of strong,
healthy, proud, and very traditional people.
He then discusses the coming of the white settlers and
the missionaries who were very influential, in conjunction with the Federal Government, in getting the Indians
to accept the influx of white settlers. A n appropriate quotation from the book which I found to sum up the
situation is:
"Before the whiteman came we had the land, they had
the Bible. Now we Indians have the Bible, they have
the land."
He also speaks of the concept of Christianity, which is
sharing, which was nothing new to Indian people, as the
sharing of all things that were essential was part of the
Indian people's lives. This is one of the reasons that he
states why Indian people were so easily swayed into
Christianity.
He then goes on to explain the frustrations felt by his
people in the signing of the treaty, where the biggest
problem was the translation. There were times when three
different languages had to be spoken, from Stoney to
Cree then to English. Their interpreter at that time was a
missionary. As a result, during the translation of the languages between the Chief who signed the treaties and the
government official, the actual meanings were
interpreted improperly. Consequently the Indians at that
time were misled into signing a legal document of which
INDIAN WORLD 44
their understanding was very different from what was
contained in the treaty.
Some of the Indians that were present during the signing of the treaty, had believed that they were signing a
peace treaty. They had heard of some of the rebellions
that were happening in eastern Canada and the
movement of various Indian tribes from the United
States into Canada. One of the chiefs had asked the
Lieutenant Governor the real meaning of the proposal,
and was told, 'to make peace between us.'
There are also very fine examples of how the Department of Indian Affairs consistently gave in to the
demands of public outcry of the white society. One example was the grazing rights for cattle and horses: the white
settlers usually were given preference over the Indians in
the selections of their choice of land available for such
purposes.
Indian people were also confined to their reserves
except when they were issued a pass from the department.
I found it very disturbing that they were not allowed to
move freely without fear of imprisonment. The Jews in
Nazi-occupied Europe were also persecuted if they were
apprehended without the Star of David sewn to their
clothes.
I would recommend this book for reading to both
Indian and non-Indians from the age of sixteen and over.
I believe that this book recreates the mood and life-style
of Indians today and the past, although it is focussed
mainly on the Stoney Indians. It reflects what was
happening to most Indians (whether it was treaty or nontreaty), for we were all dealing with the same enemy: the
envroavhment of the white settlers, the coming of the
missionaries and the infringement of policies from the
government, which were designed to strip us of all human
dignity and to become solely dependent on what is later
termed by the white society as government handouts.
This book may be purchased for $12.95 at most bookstores throughout B.C.
•
by Reg Percival
The First Water Lily
by Heather Spence
My people have this story about the first water lily.
Long ago some Indians lived by a lake in the mountains. They fished in the lake and hunted in the forest.
One night a hunter went high up the mountain to talk to
his friend, the Owl. It was dark and the sky was full of
stars. One star was enormous and beautiful and very very
bright. The hunter went home to wake everybody up. He
wanted them to see the strange star.
The people were frightened of the huge star. They did
not know if it meant good luck or bad luck. The Chief
told a man called Red Sky to go up on top of the
mountain to ask the star why she is there:
"Beautiful star, why are you there?" he yelled up at
her.
"I would like to live with you because everyone in your
village is so happy, dancing, singing, laughing, playing,
fishing, swimming."
When the star heard the good news she went on top of
the mountain to live, but it was too far from the village.
Then she tried on top of a fir tree, but she could not see
through the branches.
Red Sky went down the mountain to ask the Chief if
that would be okay. The Chief said, "That would be
terrific."
So the beautiful star floated down to the lake and
stayed there forever because she was happy.
The people in the village were very happy the lovely
star had found a place where she could see the children
playing and laughing.
She soon turned into the very first water lily.
This is a simplified re-told legend from "Tales of
Nokomis'' by Petronella Johnston.
•
INDIAN WORLD 45
B.C. INDIANS TOP BOXERS
Story of the Buckskin Gloves Tournament
Photo: Emery Louis
The first Buckskin Boy was Freddy
Baker from the Totem Athletic Club
in North Vancouver in 1951. Fred
Baker was also acclaimed Canada's
Greatest Indian Athlete of that year.
In 1955 to 1957, a flashy Eddie
Campbell won the honour of being
the Buckskin Boy. This is the longest
period a boxer has been acclaimed
this title. In 1957 Eddie Campbell
also won the coveted Tom Longboat
Trophy which is awarded to Canada's
outstanding Indian Athlete.
Although the first Buckskin Boy
was in 1951, the Buckskin Gloves
Tournament was first staged in 1949.
The first Tournament was held at St.
Paul's School in North Vancouver
and was such a success that an annual
tournament was planned. The
tournament was to be all native contestants and Grand Chief Andy Paull
suggested they be called the "Buckskin Gloves."
Prior to the first annual tournament the boxing shows were very
small and held on various reserves,
with meagre equipment and limited
facilities. From the Reserves, the
exhibitions were held in various halls
Gerald Peters (age 19), has won two
Buckskin titles 1978, 1980, Vernon,
B.C.
Photo: Emery Louis
and auditoriums in Vancouver and
throughout the Lower Mainland. The
cards were always an artistic success
but a financial failure. People scoffed
at the idea of an all-Indian boxing
show ever being a big attraction but a
man by the name of Alex Strain and a
committee held faith in their belief.
VERNON, B . C . In 1978 the
Buckskin Boxing Tournament was
brought into the Interior of British
Columbia for the first time in the
history of this all-Native Tournament. Since 1978, this tournament
has been bid on by boxing clubs in
B.C. for the right to hold this prestigious Native Boxing Tournament and
we have been successful in bidding
for the last three years. This year
Williams Lake was the successful
bidder. Each year that the Buckskin
Gloves have been held in Vernon, the
interest in Native athletics has increased and improved.
This year for the first time the top
Boxers in B.C. are Native. At major
tournaments this year, at least 8 have
Joe Todd (age 14), 1980 Golden Glove been won by Native Indians. CLIFF
B A L E N D I N E of Victoria won the
Champ, Kamloops, B.C.
most prestigious award, "Junior
EmeryNative
Louis
Golden Boy Award."byOther
boys to win in major tournaments
were Mark Michel of Astoria, Bronze
Boy; Randy Gallor of Astoria, Jade
Boy; Joe Todd of Kamloops, Jr.
Golden Glove Winner to mention a
few. Most of these boys will be
making a trip East to represent B . C .
in the Canadian Championships. This
team will comprise of at least 6 Junior
Native Boxers.
The results of the 1980 Buckskin
Boxing Tournament are as follows:
Sr. Buckskin Boy—Allan Deuth,
Williams Lake
Runner-up—Gerald Peters, Okanagan Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Junior Buckskin Boy—Cliff Ballendine, Victoria
Runner-up—Curtis Gensaw, California
Best Prospect—William Napier,
Yakima
Best Bout—Dempsey Gregorie,
Vernon/Cliff Ballendine, Victoria
Most Successful Club—Okanagan
Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Clubs that participated in the
Buckskin Gloves were from California, Oregon, Washington, Alberta
and B.C.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 46
Don Louis (age 16), Three year Buckskin Champion 1978, 1979, 1980,
Vernon. B.C.
FRASER VALLEY NATIVE
BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
On April 18-19 the Fraser Valley Native Boxing Club
sponsored the biggest Invitational Boxing Card held at
the Chilliwack Coliseum.
During the two-day card it is estimated that thirteen
hundred spectators attended the Coliseum. Archie Moore
was the attending celebrity, the former world light
heavyweight Champion. Accompanying Archie was his
Queen Charlotte Islands boxing team.
There were a total of 127 contenders from Saskatchewan, Regina, British Columbia, Oregon, California and
Alaska.
Most Sportsmanlike Boxer: Tom Harris of Nicola
Valley Boxing Club, Merritt, B.C.
Best Club: Regina Boxing Club, Saskatchewan.
Senior Buckskin: Dixon Davis, 18 years, of Warm
Springs, Oregon.
Runner-up: Andrew Mosquito of Regina.
Junior Buckskin: 14-year-old Isaac Taite of the
Astoria boxing club, Burnaby, B.C.
Runner-up: Greg Laboucane of Langley, B.C.
Chilliwack's Ray Bailie was the highlight as the Best
Senior bout, defeating George Mason. Earlier this year
Mason won a bronze medal at the Canadian nationals.
Best Senior Novice: Both weighing in at 139 pounds
and 17 years old, Lionel Samuels of Sandspit fought
against Dixon Davis.
Best Junior was fought between Greg Laboucane of
Langley and Randy Galler of Astoria Club, Burnaby,
B.C.
Best Junior Novice: Wade Shaffer, Regina Club,
against Isaac Taite, Astoria club, Burnaby, B.C.
Gary Authenieth won the heavyweight junior division
by a knockout in the second round.
The Intermediate class was won by Roy Barrett, 147
pounds, beating Desmond Teewee of Warm Springs,
Oregon. Ron Hurst came second in the Senior 125-pound
class when he lost to Dusty Isbister in the finals.
Brian Skrysnick came second, after losing to Jay
Gallagher, Astoria Club, in their final.
Stephen Authenrieth was the uncontested intermediate
heavyweight winner. Stephen fought a special exhibition
and lost to Chester Kelly of Whitehorse. It was Stephen
Authenrieth's first fight and Kelly's thirtieth.
Cyril Prescott was second in the 90 pound class. He
lost in the final to Lome Mike of Nicola Boxing Club.
John Silver placed second in 119 pound class. He lost
to Cliff Balendine of Victoria, present B . C . Golden
Gloves Champion.
Ambrose Silver was the uncontested winner in the
intermediate open class 106 pounds.
Pictures and Story by Greg Contois
Moore, a living legend in the boxing world, was born
either 1913 or 1916. He is said to be the oldest boxer to
hold titles of any weight class in boxing history. From
1936 to 1946 Moore recorded 136 knockouts, more than
any other in a boxing career.
On 1956 November 30 in his early 40's he challenged for
the heavyweight title which was left open after Rocky
Marciano's retirement. Moore lost in the fifth round to
22 year old Floyd Patterson. Moore retired in his late
40's, still holding his title up to 1962.
•
INDIAN W O R L D 47
HELP WANTED
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER
Bringing into priority, strong family ties, helping families
to grow in unity, love, and understanding.
Job Description:
Help set up family budgets.
Assessing individual family strengths and weaknesses.
Counselling on a one-to-one basis.
Identify family needs.
Provide referral service for families.
Assisting families or individuals to take advantage of
community services.
Provide supportive services to children in care.
Work to improve family relations, thereby lessening
family breakdown.
Working with broken homes.
Working relationship with Social Worker, Community
Health Representative, Drug & Alcohol Counsellor,
Band Council.
Qualifications:
Minimum Grade 12.
A high degree of maturity.
Demonstrate ability to work effectively with families
and children on the reserve.
Experience in community development.
Preferable with undergraduate training in behavioural
science.
Submit Applications to:
Lower Similkameen Indian Band
P.O. Box 100
Keremeos, B.C., VOX 1N0
Attention: Josephine Terbasket, Social Worker.
Deadline Date for Applications: May 22nd, 1980.
Job Starting: June 2nd, 1980
MANAGER,
BUSINESS D E V E L O P M E N T & OPERATION
Required to develop and monitor business opportunities
for native people in a small but growing community in
North Central B.C.
Should have experience in finance, economics, and corporate planning.
University education in commerce and economics is an
asset.
Previous employment experience in a native community
or organization is essential.
INDIAN W O R L D 48
Salary: $25,000+ depending upon experience.
Full benefits available.
Please submit in confidence resume to:
Ms. Nancy Plasway
President
Burns Lake Native Development Corporation
Box 1030
Burns Lake, B.C.
V0J 1E0
ALCOHOL COUNSELLOR
Massett, Queen Charlotte Islands, B . C . — A vacancy has
occurred at Massett for a qualified and/or experienced
Alcohol Counsellor for the Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Program. The successful candidate would be required to
re-organize the program which has been in existence for
about 3 years. They would work with one part-time assistant.
Within the terms of the project, which is financed by
the National Alcohol Abuse Program, the Counsellor
must be of Native Indian origin.
Applicants should write for further information to:
Dagaanthl Tlaat, P.O. Box 189, Massett, B.C. V0T 1M0.
Closing date for applications will be May 24th, 1980.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF FRIENDSHIP CENTRES
requires a
SOCIAL FACILITATOR
Duties:
• Develop working relationships between the N A F C
and non-native organizations that are concerned with
issues related to urban and migrating native peoples
• Aid non-native organizations to develop and implement effective policies that facilitate the development
of urban and migrating native peoples on a national
and local level as well as to communicate these policies to all interested groups
• Respond to local requests for information, resources
and support
• Act as a staff resource to the community interaction
committee of the N A F C Board of Directors and
work under the direct daily supervision of the N A F C
Executive Director.
Qualifications:
• A n extensive understanding of the cultures of native
peoples and a special knowledge of the needs and
aspirations of migrating and urban native peoples
• The ability to sensitize non-natives to native values
through public speaking and interpersonal skills
• Extensive knowledge of non-government and service
organizations
• Good organizational skills
• Proven ability in the communication arts, both written and spoken
• Freedom to travel
• Ability to speak a native language is not a requirement, but will be considered an asset.
Salary: Negotiable, please state salary expectation.
Closing Date: May 15,1980.
Apply in Writing to:
Executive Director
National Association of Friendship Centres
200 Cooper St., Suite 3
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0G1
Telephone: (613) 563-4844
QUESNEL TILLICUM SOCIETY
Native Friendship Centre
319 N . Fraser Dr., Quesnel, B.C. V2J 1Y8
992-8347
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Applicant Should Possess:
• Experience in dealing with the problems and needs of
native people in an urban and rural environment.
• The public relations skills and experience necessary
to deal effectively with government agencies, other
native Indian organizations and groups and the local
native and non-native community.
• The ability to manage a diverse staff engaged primarily in providing social assistance; referrals; and cultural, social and recreational programs to native
people in this community.
• The administrative experience to work effectively
under the direction of and in close consultation with
the Centre's Board of Directors.
Qualifications:
• A university graduate or high school graduate with
considerable experience in related job areas.
• Administrative, Personnel, and Financial skills to
manage a staff and budget.
• Administrative experience with native organizations
a definite asset.
• Counselling or community development skills and
experience an asset.
• Knowledge of various funding sources.
Salary: Negotiable.
Closing Date: May 19, 1980. Reply in writing curriculum
vitae and copies of references. Specify on reply
Attention Selection Committee.
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Indian Government Portfolio
Technical Co-ordinator
This portfolio focuses on developing the concept of
Indian Government.
A n understanding of the
British North America Act and the Indian Act is a must
It is also important that the person be able to develop a
good working relationship with people.
Qualifications:
• Familiarity with Band Council Administration
• Must be able to organize meetings and workshops
related to Indian Government
• Must be able to supervise and direct a team-oriented
office staff, organize and monitor in-coming work
from the field
Duties to Include:
• Providing Bands with resource people and information relating to Indian Government
• Assist Bands in Developing policies and by-laws to
meet community needs
• Evaluate government policies and programs
• Assist Bands in developing strategies in strengthening
their government powers
• Analyze documents in existing legislation with reference to Indian government authority
Applicants must be willing to travel extensively.
Salary will be negotiated commensurate with experience.
References are necessary.
Deadline for Applications: May 30th, 1980.
Please submit resumes to the attention of:
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
3rd Floor—440 West Hastings
FIELD RESEARCHERS
Twenty students are being hired this summer to work as
field researchers with various Bands. The main objective
of this project is to promote and strengthen the concept
of Indian Government. A l l information gathered will be
compiled into resource booklets, which will then be made
available to all Bands in B.C.
Duties to include:
• Working with communities and travel to
neigbouring Bands as well
• Organizing meetings and/or workshops at the
community level
Salary: Salary will be $120/week.
The project extends from now until August 29th, 1980.
* Please note that as of April 15th, 1980, of the twenty
field research positions, 10 are still available. If you are
interested or have any questions have your Band manager or Chief contact the Indian Government Portfolio.
INDIAN W O R L D 49
Indian Writers Workshop
An Indian writer has special responsibilities to both herself/himself and to the Indian communities that (s)he visits and
writes about. We need Indian writers to emerge from our Indian community whether they write from their life experiences as Indians or from a broader perspective. And we need to support and encourage each other as Indian writers.
These messages surfaced at the 3rd Annual Indian Writers Workshop held April 1st to the 3rd at the Coqualeetza
Cultural Education Centre. Maria Campbell, author of "Half Breed" and several children's books, led the workshop.
More than 15 of us attended the workshop, some for the second or third time. We spent a day doing role-playing, in
which each person developed the character of a member of a fictitious reserve, and became that person for a day. Each
us found that experience a bit disturbing, frustrating—it gave us a lot to ponder. We re-learned an important lesson:
when we go to a community we are dealing with people, human beings who continue to exist after we've made them pa
of words on a page. It is not our duty or even within our ability to judge, but it is our duty to dig for those things, those
facts and feelings, that lie below what is superficial and easy to see.
This is a part of what defines us as Indian writers: knowing who we are, and trying to convey a sense of our people to
others, Indian or non-Indian.
Suggestion
by Gloria Thomas Hill—Coqualeetza
"Tell us the story K'noha."
They climb up over the steel rim bed into the two
soft mattresses and under the covers. They never really
"made" their beds, that is to pull their sheets back
taut or tight, but rather smoothed and straightened the
blankets and quilts instead. It was winter.
The little girl had two small brothers who were constant companions and bedtime was the time for stories, when all three children lay back to dream and
wonder
"Well, there was this man and his name was Tadahdahoh. He had all snakes in his hair. He was such a
terrible man that he could not look at anyone or no one
could look at him. He used to live amongst the people but
after this happened to him he couldn't anymore.
It was a terrible thing that happened. He soon went
away to live in a cave. It just had to go that way. Tadahdahoh who carried a rattle so that when someone approached he would shake it fast and hard to let you know
that he was there. When you heard that rattle you knew
that it was his, there was no other sound like that."
Her mother swallowed softly and drew the covers
over the children. Since the little girl could remember,
her mother's hair was white—it never felt like hair—
almost like ashes. Her hands were smooth and shiny,
and dark: they were small hands with long curvy fingers
which always smelted like tobacco.
This other man, the one I can't mention his name, he
was walking through the land talking to our people. We
were a bad people then, we killed and fought each other,
some even ate another man. In a stone boat he came to
talk to us, and at the same time that Tadahdahoh was
living in the cave.
When he first reached the land he came to a village and
they would not give him shelter. He had to sleep in the
cold ground outside the village and every day the people
came to test him and to try his strength. He claimed he
This year's workshop, and those held during the previous
two years, emphasized the importance of personal
responsibility and developing a community of Indian
writers. For three days we shared our feelings of joy, fear
and frustration as Indian writers. For many of us, it was
a painful but very necessary release.
was the great law and the great spirit had sent him but
they would not listen. He had to show them the power
that the Creator had given him, then they let him in. The
first people that he came to he called Gonyengie'ea. They
were the Mohawks; the first nation to be gathered and
they lived at the eastern door. Now he went into the
village and chose an evil woman who poisoned people to
be a part of this new way. When she heard him talk, she
changed right away to be right and good. She was the
first grandmother."
By this time the children were dozing off.
The little girl fixed her body and curled her legs
up close to her chest. Her smallest brother leaned up
against her back and he was breathing evenly and steadily now.
"Well, this man he went to the cave on his way to his
next village, He heard Tadahdahoh's rattle and he spoke
to him.
"'Don't be afraid and alone now. Come out from
there and bring your rattle.'
"Tadahdahoh just laid close to the wall of the cave:
that's how he lived, you know, just laid there in the cave.
Well this Tadahdahoh, he became firekeeper at the Great
Council after this other man got all the nations together.
He still has his rattle. It has lots of power. His name is
Tadahdahoh today, the man who keeps the fire.
The next time the mother told the story it would be
about the following nation to be formed. She would
tell about the people and events that made up each
nation. Eventually the entire story of the peace-making
journey would unfold. How could the children know
then that this was the story of the great peacemaker,
whose name still is not to be mentioned openly, of the
clans and the feats of the longhouse of the Confederacy of the Six Nations that expand between the
eastern and western drawers. How could the children
know then that it was the story about them... Iroquois.
TWO-ACT POEM
ACT I
by V a l Dudoward
My people.
It was so long ago
That I called you by
that collective name.
Now I am wiser.
You speak the language
Of those who cut out your tongues;
You wear the clothes
Of those who stripped you naked;
You go to the churches
Of those who raped you;
You drive into your coffins
the nails that they invented.
My heart weeps blood
For those
Who danced for strength,
Whose shadows still dance
On this earth.
Where are they now,
Those people?
Sometimes
I catch a glimpse
Of my ancestors
In the eyes of
Bums on Skid Row.
They know,
But
They don't
Fight anymore.
And from time to time
The eyes of a "successful"
Indian
Cry out with the pain
Of what they've misplaced.
Oh
They all know...
But it was lost
Dust in the wind,
Long before
They
Came into this world
Yes,
My heart weeps blood
For those
Who danced for strength
Whose shadows still dance
On this earth.
Raging,
Sweating blood,
I
Felt
Myself slip and trip,
Not wanting to
Get up
But
Finding myself
On my feet
each time.
I'm screaming
Glass
Shatters and
cracks
Eagles cry
clouds weep
But
Nobody hears.
Family
Friends
Touch me
Tell me
what and
where and why—
What
new kind am I
Where
do we meet
and Why
is there no
reflection of me...
your stories
and
Happy songs;
We'll
sing
When
I visit you.
And
you'll say,
Just
Like
you always used to,
That
My birth was meant
to be
and My time
is now A n d . . .
ACT II
I fell into the cracks
of the sidewalk
And
Lay there
With the
Fingers of dust.
But
Cold North-Wind
Blew
Me back to Earth.
Each time, avoiding mirrors
Running
But
Still
outside in inside out
I
can't get away.
Screaming
Grandfather,
I
need a friend,
Let's share secrets
That
only we
can keep;
I
Love
Grandfather.
I'll visit you
Soon,
Under your
Cool stone house
In the hidden village.
FROM: UNION OF B.C. INDIAN CHIEFS
440 WEST HASTINGS ST.
VANCOUVER, B.C. V6B 1L1
THIS MONTH:
Our supplement this month is Education (pages 21 to
32), but it does not include desks and blackboards—
the traditional symbols of "Learning". A n experience
called Owl Rock Camp is introduced by Jeannette
Bonneau and Penticton Indian Band Education
Committee. Those who share their feelings about the
camp are: Elders Selina Timoykin, Larry Timoykin, and
Rachel Paul; Young People Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Holly Baptiste, Murray Timoykin, Carrie Jack, Joanna
Qualtier, and Larry Kenoras (Wholthonecha); and
visitors Jean Aquash, Ojibwa, and Anita Cheer of the
Colville Reservation in Washington State. Elder Eddy
Thevarge talks about his early years at St. Mary's Residential School and his political feelings about it now.
Physical health is a part of our education, too, and we
have a report on The Fraser Valley Boxing Championships by Greg Contois (pages 46-47). Irvine Harry of the
Caribou Trail Council has the results of the All-Native
Provincial Hockey Finals (pages 39-40), and Emery Louis
of Vernon has a story on the Buckskin Gloves.
Community news comes from Ervin Charleyboy of
Alexis Creek, who has news of their trapping and Indian
agricultural enterprise. Denelle Eugene of Shuswap talks
about the changes spring is bringing to their area. (page
12).
A community of writers is what prompted Gloria
Thomas Hill, program assistant at Coqualeetza Cultural
Education Centre, to write the story of Tadahdahoh.
(page 50) The community of Kitamaat is shared by Mary
Green, who works in the Land Claims Office of the
Kitamaat Band Council (page 16). The story of the end of
the B . C . Native Sports Federation and its effect on
isolated communities (page 40) is also written by Mary
Green.
The communities of the Hazelton area sent off 36
students to Europe recently: Cindy Joseph of the
Hagwilget Band describes the two-week experience (page
19). And elementary school student Heather Spence of
the Squamish Band tells the story of The First Water Lily
(page 45). Our thanks to everyone who worked to create a
new feeling and look for this April issue of INDIAN
WORLD.
i
INDIAN WORLD
is
‘““THE CHOICE IS OURS”
———
APRIL, 1980
EDITORIAL
When I am an old woman, my great-grandchildren
will come to me and they will ask me: ‘‘Grannie, did
you ever work for an Indian Government when you
were young?”’ And I hope that I will be able to say:
‘“*Come my children and let me tell you a story....
A long time ago when I was the age of your mother,
Luke, I had the great privilege to be a part of the
movement to put Indian Government in place.”’
““You mean there were no Indian Governments?’’
Steven will ask in shocked surprise and I will reply:
“There were always Indian Governments. The
stories that came down to me from my great
grandfather and my grandfather tell of the way we
used to govern ourselves before the whiteman came,
and of the way we uSed to live as one with all creation,
and respected our mother the earth.”’
““‘What do you mean ‘used to’?’’ Theresa will ask.
“We live as one now!’’
“Oh good grandchild,’’ I will reply, ‘‘It wasn’t
always this way. There was a time in our history when
we went through many trials and many tears. The
whiteman had no respect for us when they first came
to this island. They called us savages, outlawed our
way of worshipping the Creator, took away our ways
of teaching our young ones, of healing ourselves, of
providing for our families.... they brought sickness
for which we had no cures, deaths for which we saw no
end. They wanted us to be like them for they saw no
value in being Indian. They taught us to worship the
Creator in their way, how to sing their way, dance
their way and talk their way. It was not the same. Our
spirits lost much of their strength, living a way of life
that was not meant for us. But there came a time, in
my generation, when many of my good brothers and
many of my good sisters began to talk about Indian
Government. Way back then, Indian Government was
a new idea for us. I worked for the Union of British
Columbia Indian Chiefs and our leader, George
Manuel, was one of the first people to use the term
Indian Government.”’
‘I know who George Manuel is,’’? Luke will say
excitedly. ‘‘We learn about him in school! Did you
know him, Grannie? Did you talk to him?”’
‘‘What’s ‘Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs’?’’ young
Theresa will ask.
“That was the beginning of the Federation of Sea
and Mountain People’s Government,’’ I will say.
“‘Grannie, are you that old? Were you there in the
beginning?” ,
“Yes, good grandchildren,’’ I will say, ‘‘I was there
in the beginning. I remember when Nunavut was just a
name on a printed page to the whiteman’s
government, when the Dene Nation was just being
born, when our plan to build an Indian Government
here was presented to the Canadian government. It
was on April 29, 1980 in Ottawa when George Manuel
presented the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper to a
man who represented the Canadian Government.”’
‘‘Why did you have to give it to those guys?’’ Luke
will ask.
‘‘That’s the way it was then,’’ I will say. ‘‘The
federal government used to rule our lives through the
Indian Act; you learned about that in school, didn’t
you? Well, we had to fight real hard for many years to
bring the human world into being. We took back our
rights, little bit by little bit, year after year, and nothing
could stop us. We lost some of our people along the
way.”’
‘‘What happened to them?’’ Theresa will ask.
“‘They thought our road too hard to walk, too
unrealistic and they became as whitemen. Their
descendants live in the whiteman’s lands and they no
longer know that they are Indian.’”’
. ‘Those poor people,’’ Steven will say, ‘‘Why don’t
we go and get them.’’
‘It’s too late, my boy. We are walking this road and
there is no turning back.”’
The Editor
OUR COVER: Learning to build a sweathouse is part of Indian Education at Owl Rock Camp. The Penticton
Indian Band has taken control of the education of their children (See Special Supplement).
ae
_,
‘INDIAN
WORLD
VOLUME 3, NUMBER I
B. Cc. Chiefs go to Ottawa to present Aborizinal Rights
Position Paper
Contributors
Editor: Beth Cuthand
Assistant Editor: Pauline Douglas
Written Contributions: Jeanette Bonneau, Selina
Timoykin, Rachel Paul, Larry Timoykin, Anita
Cheer, Jean Aquash, Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Carrie Jack, Joanne Qualtier, Tracey Bonneau,
Whothonecha, Murray Timoyakin, Holly Baptiste,
Emery Louis, Ervin Charlieboy, Gloria Thomas Hill,
Denelle Eugene, Heather Spence, Mary Green, Irvine
Harry, Cindy Joseph, George Manuel, Sadie
Wornstaff, Louise Mandell, Greg Contois, John
Rogers, Lilian Basil, Brenda Leon, Norma Pierre,
Willard Martin, Mark Harvey, Chester Douglas,
Steven Basil; Jack Kruger, Maxine Pape, Glen
Williams, Philip Paul, Clifford Hanuse, John Warren,
Loretta Todd, Faye Blaney, Darryl Watts, Judalon
Jeffries, Darrell Ned, Val Dudoward, Angela Matilpi
and Fay Edgar.
Photographs: UBCIC staff except where credited.
Typesetting: Mary Schendlinger and Penny
Goldsmith.
INDIAN WORLD is the official voice of the Union )
of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
It is dedicated to building a strong foundation for
Indian Government by providing an awareness of the
political and social issues affecting the Indians of »
British Columbia.
Signed articles and opinions are the views of the
individuals concerned and not necessarily those of the
UBCIC.
EGitoridh: «wells Gahan + os ek cig a eae < ae
First All Chiefs Conference.............000c0eeee f
Presidents Message... sess hues oh) s sides > eee 7
Indian Awareness Days ..... Bes ¥en yy So 8
News News WEWsS. So) Gu. -ss sein). ga ae 9
DIA Land Mismanagement:
Hope Band Fights Back ..............0 0 ee eees 10
Inte News). oa say? oe ihe eas) Capea, bee be
Negotiating Terms and Conditions of L.S.A....... 13
Band Training Up-date .............. cee eee eee 13
Indian Institutions:
The Root and the Core of the People........... 14
Why Volunteer? 2... 0... bcs ee Mpa ce ee ee 14
Kitamaat: Planning for Tomorrow Today......... 16
Our World.......... Bo dad. dete ae ae ot ae 18
Migtie AleG: a... ..%et-Gu . de. . Se ee 20
Indian Education Supplement ................ 21-32
When our Elders were Young ...............05 ze
Elders’ Words about Owl Rock Camp s.04854,8 0 24
Danger:ehogl +. ahs ac: = a Po se ue 26
‘Young Ones’ Words about Owl Rock Camp..... 29
Thinking for Ourselves. .............2000eeeee 31
Teaching a Language.................. ze 31
The Indian Way Back to Health ................. 33
Health Services Review ........ 000 ce ee ace eenees 34
Alert Bay Report Confirms Band’s Claims ........ 35
CHild Welfare SOUGY cctude G58 20% 1 pies i aecie Beale 35
RT Ee EMR oe mre om serene « iba yo oie ee 36
Irfigation mlanning. |. cece. he... v any eae SIR bed 37
Regulating the Forest the Indian Way ............ 38
Indian Consulting Group..............ee eee eas 39
Windemere Elks:
1980 Provincial Indian Hockey Champions ..... 39
RUD aGs acm.) 5 oma, Yo wath (id eiigie3 aos aa we 41
**Not Guilty’’: Indian Hunters Win Back Rights ... 42
Damning the Liard a. fae5.'.. yd aed. severe bd. US 43
AALS ES CVV AheE WIRY aoe dk imyts Ages bas oT p » hee. ae
Book Review’... 1: sim: gies me oa dos wy ees og 45
Buckskin Gloves Tournaments...............085 46
Fraser Valley Native Boxing Championships ...... 47
Pelp Wameds..... «tedis {ices mantels: <2 loan 48
Indian Writers.................. * tad unease Oe 50
Suggestions .......... a cual 54h on sium Me 50
PWOsACL POM |. / Lngebs ade t-iu pee Sl ao ee 5i
* INDIAN WORLD 3
CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
MARCH TO DEMAND FULL
PARTICIPATION
—
\ f
NX WM ¢
—
— awh
&
To demand real Indian in-put into
the constitutional changes and to re-
affirm Indian people’s desire to be
part of Canada, about 250 Indian
Chiefs, Elders and young people
marched on Parliament Hill May 1,
1980.
No End Seen to Past
Frustrations
The demonstration arose from past
frustrations at not having a just and
active role in Constitutional change,
and because of a speech made by
Prime Minister Trudeau April 29,
1980 that showed that the Federal
Government was still not committing
itself to such participation. George
Manuel explained to the Assembly
that the B.C. Delegates and Elders
would be marching to Parliament Hill
in a peaceful demonstration and soon
the Yukon Chiefs and the Dene
joined the forces. As the Chiefs left
INDIAN WORLD 4
the room several urged, ‘‘Join us,
we’re going to the Hill’’, and some
joined the ranks.
Throughout the entire procession,
the Indian and Canadian flags stood
side by side symbolizing the Indian
people’s wish to see both a United
Canada and a stronger Indian Voice
in constitutional reform. The speak-
ers emphasized that real Indian input
into the talks would aid unity by
strengthening the Indian people.
Once up the hill the Indian people
gathered on the steps, leaders from
several provinces and from the Inuit,
and the Dene Nation Singers added
strength to the people by singing tra-
ditional songs.
Right to Participate in Constitu-
tion Change
During the demonstration George
Manuel, UBCIC President, Noel
Starblanket, NIB President and
several other leaders and Elders voiced
their strong stand that Indian people
have a rightful place as an equal par-
ticipating party in changing the
constitution. About ten to twelve
MP’s from all three major political
parties came out of the Parliament
. Buildings to lend their support.
Before leaving for a trip back to the
conference the people formed a circle
on the grass and again the Dene
singers sang, this time, though, it was
a victory song. With pride on their
faces, the Indian people danced.
Pride and Strength
As the people returned to the
conference through the streets of Ot-
tawa the Chiefs seemed to radiate a
feeling of pride and strength. Many
held tears of pride in their eyes. They
had done something to promote the
conference theme: ‘‘The future of our
Children.’’ e
- FIRST NATIONS CONSTITU-
TIONAL CONFERENCE
About 380 Chiefs met in Ottawa
April 28 to May 1, 1980. A historic
meeting was called by the National
Indian Brotherhood to discuss revi-
sions to Canada’s Constitution.
Ninety-seven Bands of the UBCIC, 5
Alliance Bands and 8 independent
Bands represented B.C. Indians.
Presentation of B.C. Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper
Although the theme of the confer-
ence spoke to the needs for constitu-
tional reform involving Canada’s
Indians, the majority of Chiefs ini-’
tially showed more concern for the
bread and butter issues at home, than
with developing a unified national
direction, The first important resolu-
ticn tabled came on the first day
when UBCIC presented their Abori-
ginal Rights Position Paper and put
forward a resolution calling for the
adoption of the essential points of
this paper, as a national goal for all
Bands in Canada (see box this page).
After the leaders’ debate, which
took up the entire afternoon, the
question was called and the vote
taken. In spite of what appeared to be
overwhelming support from those
Bands present on the floor the motion
was declared defeated by the Chair.
Since Saskatchewan Bands were
conveniently absent when the vote
was taken, it at first appeared that
this led to the defeat of the motion.
The mood of the UBCIC delegation
amounting to more than 150 Chiefs,
Elders and Observers was depressed
and somber. But, the next morning
after hearing arguments from UBCIC
leaders and Legal Advisors, the Chair
ruled the motion passed and admitted
that she had misunderstood the rules
of the vote, the previous afternoon.
Resolution #2 from British Columbia
.Moved by: Chief Bob Manuel, Neskainlith Band
Seconded by: Chief Max Gros Louis, Quebec
WHEREAS ,
The value of Aboriginal Rights and Treaty Rights has no price, and
WHEREAS
The intention of this conference is to develop a cohesive direction from our
Indian Governments at all levels, including Band, Tribal, Provincial, terri-
torial and National, and
WHEREAS
The goals must be established which reflect our inherent Aboriginal and
Treaty rights, and
WHEREAS
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has adopted the Aboriginal
Rights Position Paper at the Eleventh Annual Assembly, which is based on
the fact that we are the original people of this land and have the right to
self-determination and independence, we also recognize that we need an
expansion of our Indian reserve lands, resources, and our authority to
govern; M
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT
1. This chiefs assembly adopt as our national goal the implementation of
following positions:
a. Recognition that we are the original people of this land |
b. Recognition that we have the right to choose and determine the type of
authority we wish to exercise in our Indian Governments
c. The expansion of our Indian Reserve lands
d. The expansion of Indjan Resources including finances based on needs
as identified by our people
e. The expansion of the jurisdiction and authority of our Indian Govern-
ments (Band Councils)
f. Clarification and ratification of Indian Treaties that are related to
Indian reserves with jurisdiction to govern ourselves within the follow-
ing areas:
1. Band Constitution 13. Environment
2. Citizenship 14. Economic Development
3. Land 15. Education
4. Water 16. Social development
5. Air ; 17. Health & Welfare
6. Forestry 18. Marriage
7. Minerals 19. Cultural Development
8. Oil & Gas . 20. Communications
9. Migratory Birds 21. Revenues
10. Wildlife 22. Justice
11. Fisheries 23, Indian Law Enforcement
12. Conservation 24. Local and Private Matters
Each Band has the choice as to whether or not to implement it.
. INDIAN WORLD 5
Prime Minister offers no more
than Observer Status at Consti-
tutional Talks
On the evening of the second day
the Prime Minister spoke to the
Chiefs at a banquet. His speech was
essentially eloquent fluff and sooth- —
ing rhetoric, designed to offer a few
crumbs, like increased authority of
Band Councils within an amended
Indian Act. And he promised, ‘‘You
will continue to be involved in the dis-
cussion of constitutional changes
which directly affect you.’’ Which
means that the present inadequate
observer status we have will be
continued in constitutional talks. He
offered no new policy by the Federal
Government to allow Indian mean-
ingful input into the constitutional
renewal.
No Move to Forceful Action on
Constitution Drives B.C. Delega-
tlon to March
After the Prime Minister’s speech
and in anticipation that DIA Minister
John Munro’s speech to the Assem-
bly, scheduled for the morning of the
INDIAN WORLD 6
fourth day, will contribute no more
to the government position, the
UBCIC decided on Wednesday night
to register a strong protest against the
government’s empty rhetoric regard-
ing Constitutional Change. It was
clear to the UBCIC delegation that
the Assembly of Chiefs had been
swayed from their original course of
taking concrete action on the issues of
Constitutional reform. The Chiefs
wanted to act, to do something that
would call attention to this crucial
issue. They voted unanimously to
march the next morning after
Munro’s speech to Parliament Hill
(see lead story).
Because the UBCIC left the con-
vention to march to the Hill and were
followed by other delegations, the
remaining chiefs were unable to get a
~ quorum and so were unable to vote
on resolutions, but the UBCIC Chiefs
resolved to take a strong stand on the
issue of an Indian vote in the renewal
of guiding laws of Canada’s confed-
eration and could not be swayed.
On the return from the hill the
Chiefs met to decide what to do with
their remaining time in Ottawa. It
was decided that the Chiefs should —
return to the convention and support
the Dene Nation in the resolution cal-
ling for support for opposing an Oil
Pipeline in the McKenzie Delta which
would severely impede their life style
and the survival of the Dene Nations.
Full and Equal Participation Be-
comes Priority
The Chiefs also decided that they
should put forward a resolution that:
‘“‘“Government funding for consulta-
tion and hearings on the Indian Act
be turned over to Indian Organ-
izations for our work towards
full and equal participation at. all
levels on constitutional renewal, and
that this goal is our absolute prior-
ity.’’ The motion was passed and the
UBCIC Delegation returned the next
day with a feeling that B.C. had mae
the Indian Nations of Canada aware
of B.C., that they are a force to be
reckoned with at the National level,
and that our goal of Indian Govern-
ment is backed by many strong Chiefs
from all parts of Canada. °
.
F PRESIDENT’S
| MESSAGE
The Indian student drop-out rate from schools has
dropped from 94% to 90% in the past five years. This
means that 10% instead of 6% of our Indian students are
reaching grade XII. The national drop-out rate for white
students before they reach grade XII is 11%.
The question Indian parents and Indian leaders ask is
“‘Why do our Indian children fail to do as well as white
students in school?’’ But the Indian student has not failed
by dropping out before he reaches grade XII. The Indian
student drops out of school because he or she realizes that
all of the educational text books and learning from
lectures are controlled and conducted in the whiteman’s
ideological and value system; by white school teachers,
principals, school boards and governments.
Long before they reach grade XII the Indian students
learn of the teachings from their parents, grandparents
and other Elders of the community, of the supreme
Indian principles of being truthful and about sharing of
foods and other possessions with other members of the
Band or tribe, especially the weak and old. people. They
learn about respecting the Mother earth, water, air, sun
and the natural environment, because they are the givers
of a healthy life. This is in direct confrontation with the
whiteman’s institution for material success for the
individual, company, or multi-national corporations that
benefits only a small number of people.
For instance, there are only 250 multi-national corpor-
ations in the world that control industry, production and
most of the non-renewable and renewable resources. The
Indian student sees this massive confrontation with the
values of his people, and rather than abandon his cultural
values and assimilate into this ruthless system, the 90%
of the Indian students drop out of school.
The destructive feature of this school system is that the
drop-out students are classified as failures by the
whiteman’s system. The failure concept of the white
system is often mentally accepted by the Indian parents,
grandparents and Indian Elders and the white authority,
because the majority of Indians and whites do not under-
stand the difference between the Indian and the white
values.
It is dangerous to the Indian student not to understand |
the differences in the values because it classifies 90% of.
, ee he ; ~. ;
vr nly 4 Fa
our young Indian population as failures. They are often
rejected by the white system, and ignored by the Indian
world: with nowhere to go they continue to wander in no
man’s land.
We have been forced to live with the whiteman’s
failure classification system for the past 40 years and this
has taken a heavy toll on the lives and life-styles of our
people. The feelings of failure have broken many mar-
riages and homes, and placed hundreds of our Indian
children under the provincial child welfare act and into
white homes, and made alcoholics of many of our
people. It has led many of our Indian women into
prostitution, many of our people are in penal institutions,
_and in recent years more and more of our people are
committing suicide.
We are in a state of crisis that can only be resolved by
us at the Indian reserve community level. This is the
reason the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is urging Indian
Governments to act now in taking control of Indian
Education, in your Indian reserve communities. We must
take a more serious interest in the problems and help our
children and students through their many dilemmas. Our
parents, Elders and leaders must bring into existence
active support mechanisms for our Indian students, if our
goal is to strengthen our Indian cultural identity as a
Nation of people. Then we must start teaching our Indian
children at an early age to speak their own language.
Teach them to be proud of their Indian cultural values
and heritage. This is Indian Government in action.
a
Yours in struggle,
avy Wamu
INDIAN WORLD 7
. to rush home to his family and to
ASSIMILATION OR
LIBERATION?
by Brenda Leon
I'd like to tell you about my jour-
ney to Lethbridge, Alberta where I
attended ‘‘Indian Awareness Days’’
at the University. First of all I'll tell
you about a couple of brothers I met
down there that spread a bit of their
wisdom and feelings of their day to
day lives as Native people. The first
gentleman I would like to tell about is
from the Mohawk Nation, his name
is Tom Porter. Tom spoke of how
important the Mother Earth is to our
people, and about how we as Indian!
People must continue with our cere-
monies to her so she will continue to}
be good to us. He spoke about how
Indian people always find a time for
laughter no matter how difficult our
lives may become. This man _ has
really lifted my spirits.
Mr. Porter left a day early
his people where they are being
held hostage on their own land,
because the Mohawk people choose
to live the old ways. I thank you |
Brother for the feelings. you have
given me and I will pray for you,
your family and the Mohawk peo-
ple. 7
The next Brother I wish to tell you’
about changed my view of drinking.
His name is Floyd Westerman, and he
is an entertainer. The way he put it
was he states his case by writing
songs:
‘If you really want to do some-
thing for your people put down
that colonial trap, that little brown
bottle, then you’ll really be doing
something for your people.”’
The last I saw of this man
was when he was dancing at the Pow
Wow. His uniform was just beauti-
ful. This spring he will be doing the
sacred Sundance. I also thank you
Brother.
by Norma Pierre
There were some special speakers
with us in Lethbridge that week. We
became aware of many things by
INDIAN WORLD 8
asking ourselves whether we were
assimilated or liberated. Other
questions forced their way into our
minds such as liberated from who or
what, assimilated with what things,
with which people? Each person
received the answer they were looking
for, they became personal.
Thomas Banyaca, a Hopi Elder,
described a Hopi prophecy that is
mapped out on an Oraibi drawing.
Purification Day --
‘‘There will be confusion. Out of
this will come revival of our ways.
The new branches, the new sprouts in
the drawing, you people are those
new branches.
Mother Earth is the foundation of
everything. We are all built the same,
up and down and across.
There will be total destruction, few
will survive. The symbol of the circle
is very sacred. There will be no end to
instructions if we follow them.
We are all related. We are all part
of that. They have a root to the.
ground. When we pray, sing, the
spirit flows from our bodies to the
ground, to the environment. We can’t
see the air but we are not separated,
we are assimilated with everything.
The white brother has all kinds of
inventions, technology. He destroys.
When he came he brought the cross.
He was given a circle too, but he came
back with the cross. We got caught in
a trap.
Take care of the earth in a spiritual
way. Many people are hiding in the
mountains today waiting for the right
person to come. We were once
strong, we wore hardly any clothes,
we could run far. When the white
people came, he was covered. He had
a sweet tongue and we will fall. Now
he is strong, he hardly wears any
clothes. Don’t be like an onion, it
wears a lot and it smells.
The rocks are a part of us. Talk to
them, welcome them. They will give
us a Message and you will know.
This was the garden of eden. Give
food to the spiritual people in the
ground, people in the earth.
We have been mistreated. With
prayer and ceremony take care of the
earth. We hold the power. We are
near purification day. The great
spirits are waiting for us. The
spiritual leaders have those powers.
They are waiting for the white
brothers to change or they will get
their heads chopped off. Those who
helped us will have to replant trees,
clean the waters.
The third (purification) is past
already and they have pushed us west.
The young are learning, they are
bringing the pipe back to the land.
Get food ready, carry the circle. ”’
NEWS, NEWS, NEWS
COMMERCIAL FISHING IN TAKU RIVER
On May 15, 1980, the Fisheries Department will issue
commercial fishery permits for the Taku River area. Saul
Terry, Vice-President in charge of fishing, said fisheries
staff are acting with ‘cruel injustice’ in issuing these
permits.
He sent a letter to Fisheries Minister Romeo Leblanc
on April 18, 1980, asking that he immediately resolve the
fishing permit issue for the Atlin Band. The department
set out their guidelines for permit eligibility giving prior-
ity to those who held permits and made registered land-
ings in 1979,
Second priority is given to people residing in Northern
B.C. or the Yukon. In 1979, the Atlin Indian people were
given only two permits of thirteen available. One permit
was not used due to a death in the family of the holder.
Now fisheries officers say the individual is not eligible for
a 1980 permit. |
The Atlin Band is now demanding that six of their
Band members receive permits. The Indians of Atlin have
traditionally fished the Taku River and feel they are en-
titled to a full share of the resources.
Nowhere in the policy or the actions of fisheries offi-
cials has any consideration been given to the needs and
rights of Indian people and Minister Leblanc has been
asked to meet with Atlin Chief Sylvester Jack to resolve
the issue.
ATLIN BAND DEMANDS SIX PERMITS FOR
During the Royal Commission Inquiry into Uranium
Mining and milling, Atlin was identified as an area where
there was high potential for Uranium mining.
Now although uranium mining has been banned in the
province for the next seven years, Placer Mining Ltd., is
proposing to mine molybdenum in the Atlin area.
The Atlin Band and the UBCIC are concerned that
such a mine might present many of the problems
associated with uranium mining. In order to ensure that
the interests of the Atlin Band are protected the Atlin
Band and the UBCIC are undertaking a land use study
and have asked the government to hold community hear-
ings. Our plan is to present the Atlin Band Land Use
Study at this time.
Very basically the land use study involves one of our
trained mapper/interviewer/researchers to work with the
Band in compiling information on hunting, trapping and
the numerous ways of traditional land use and food
gathering throughout the traditional and aboriginal terri-
tory of the Atlin Band. All of the relevant material is then
transcribed to the maps, and will be used as the basis for
the study.
NISHGA TRIBAL COUNCIL CONVENTION
The Nishga Tribal Council held its 23rd Annual Con-
vention at Kincolith, B.C. on April 9th, 10th and 11th,
1980. The start of the convention also marked the opening
of the oolichan season.
People from the four communities from Kincolith,
Greenville, Canyon City, and New Aiyansh were present
for the three day meeting.
One of the main topics in the convention was the
effects of the Amax Molybdenum mine on the salmon
fishery at Kitsault, B.C. James Gosnell, President of the
Nishga Tribal Council, had this to say about the mine:
‘*We are commercial fishermen and we’re not convinced
that the mine won’t affect the fishery on the Observatory
Inlet. We’re not against development but we want to be a
part of it.’’
The Nishga Tribal Council received authorization at
the convention to use any legal means open to them to
stop the opening of the Molybdenum mine.
Leaders spoke of the provincial government’s promise
to the Nishga people to negotiate land claims which have
been going on for 110 years. Attorney General Allan
Williams has promised that the Nishga Land Claim will
be settled before any other claim in B.C. ‘‘We want to
hold him to that promise.”’
CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTER
The Canadian Human Rights Reporter is a new
service for people who require ‘knowledge and under-
standing of the trends and developments in Human
Rights across Canada. The Reporter provides a source
for the complete text of all provincial and federal deci-
sions, a calendar of pending decisions, and comment
from experts in the field. The annual $50.00 charge in-
cludes nine issues of the regular calendar, comment and
index section; and issues concerned with news and de
velopments will be published as they occur. For more
information please write to: Canadian Human Rights
Reporter, 91 Langley Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
INDIAN WORLD 9
DIA MISMANAGEMENT
Hope Band Fights Back
Once again the past and present
tactics of the Department of Indian
Affairs are being challenged by Indian
people. This time it’s the Hope Band
that’s taking action against the DIA.
DIA Mismanagement Loses 11
Acres of Band Land
Hope Band is suing the DIA on two
separate accounts. One concerns the
DIA seliing 11.22 acres of their land to
the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
without the consent of the Band. In
1923 the CPR was putting a railway
through the Fraser Valley and
apparently needed gravel as bedding
under the tracks.. The company put
forth a position paper to the
government requesting the purchase
of the 11.22 acres of Scham reserve,
which is part of the Hope Band. The
land contained gravel that the CPR
could use for the bedding. The ar-
rangement made between CPR and
DIA was to convey the land ‘‘for
gravel pit purposes only.’? DIA
neglected to put the phrase ‘‘for gravel
pit purposes’’ into the document of
conveyance, so CPR claims to own the
land absolutely. The land is no longer
required for gravel pit purposes.
The Band members at no time either
consented or surrendered the land.
And now, about 57 years later, the
Band is ready to take the whole issue to
court. The Band members are ready to
make their claim to land they never
gave up. The first move they made was
to register a Caveat, a claim to the land
which freezes it from any further
change of hands of exploitation.
Immediately the CPR disputed the
Caveat saying that the company holds
a valid deed on the gravel pit.
However, the Band says that the deed
is invalid because it failed to reflect the
true agreement.
“It (the gravel pit area) was sold,’’
said Hope Band’s Band Manager, Pat
John, ‘‘But the Indian Affairs did
The Hope Band is suing the DIA on two separate accounts, concerning the
loss of their land.
INDIAN WORLD 10
that. They allowed this to happen and
there was really no legitimate right for
them to let it go like that. And that
gives us a claim to it. We would have
had to surrender it and we didn’ t.’’
Another 113 Acres of Band Land
Illegally Surrendered by DIA
The second account on which the
Band is suing concerns the surrender
of most of its Scham reserve, near the
town of Hope. This is a much more
complicated case. It is also one which
is more confusing and angering for the
Band members.
In 1976 Earle Bachman, a DIA
official in its land department, called
P.D. Peters, Hope Band’s former
chief at that time and told him to get
his people together for a meeting.
When . the people came together,
Bachman began talking about a
surrender. Band manager Pat John ex-
plained what happened during the
meeting.
‘“We have two minutes (notes) from
two different ladies that day. As those
minutes look, he, Bachman, had
talked about 12 to 19 acres as being
surrendered. That’s what the people in
that group were told. And if they sur-
rendered what he was talking about it
might be at the most 19 acres. As it
turns around, 133 acres were surren-
dered and 12 acres were retained for
the people. Everyone involved at that
_ time still doesn’t know what hap-
pened.’’
The Hope Band members didn’t
hear anything else about what was
discussed that day until about a year
later. During the course of that year or
so there were elections and a new Chief
and council were brought into office—
Jim and Pat John became the Chief
and Band manager respectively. Then,
one day Bachman came into the Band
office with the surrender paper and
said they might want to look at it
before it was forwarded, apparently
toDIA headquarters.
Surrender Papers Inadequate
Pat told what happened the day
Bachman brought the paper into the
office. ‘‘As a people we didn’t know
the surrender had happened. Bachman
showed us that one page (of the
surrender paper). (On the paper) they
kept changing the number of people
who were present at the meeting and
people kept initialling it and pretty
soon it said ‘Dorothy Peters—Feb. 19,
1976’. How could she be there voting
when she went and had a baby? Then, |
think as a reserve we had realised what
that guy had done.”’
De-Surrendering the Land
It was then that the Band decided
that it had to do something, but what
to do was the question. So, they
learned how to go about de-surrender-
L
struggles.
ing land. ‘‘But,’’ Pat said, ‘‘we had to
also learn how a legal surrender was
carried out. We found out that for a
surrender to be legal, under the Indian
Act, it was supposed to be announced,
NATIONAL FISH FORUM
The UBCIC is hosting a National/International Fish
Conference— May 21-22, 1980 at the Sandman Inn, 180
W. Georgia Street (across from the Bus Depot) in
Vancouver. Attendance will be approximately 150 from
across Canada and a delegation of Brothers and Sisters
from the U.S.
An agenda has been forwarded to each District
Representative and a letter sent to each Chief.
meals, or accommodation. -
Delegates and observers will be expected to cover all their |
own expenses. There are absolutely no funds for travel,
4 P.D. Peters, former chief of the Hope Band, remembers past land
a notice was to be hung in clear view of -
the Band members and we had to
= se
* ne eS i * oh
“
understand what they were voting
about. Then, before the vote, there
had to be 30 days for the people to
think about it.’’ Pat said Bachman
gave them a phone call then went down
to the reserve and conducted a
surrender.
“In our way we had to let the insult
of what had happened to us go back to
the people and to talk‘about it and to
rant and rave a little bit,’’ she said.
“‘Then we let it mellow off for a while
and fet the community pulse with it a
while until finally they were saying,
“you mean I’ll never walk on that land
again?’’ I think we also wanted our
young people to understand what
happened too.”’
There Isn’t an Indian yet... .
Pat said that the Band members are
now ready and together to go ahead
with their de-surrender, throvgh the
courts. At the end of March there
was a Band member referendum
concerning the de-surrender of the
land. The vote was unanimous, every
member wanted their land returned.
She summed up the feelings of the
people:
‘‘The major cause is that the land is
all we’ve got and there isn’t any way
we’d surrender our land. Thereisn’tan
Indian yet who’s got the blood in him
to say, “‘yeah, I’! give my land up.”’ I
think that’s the first issue. The people
would never give their land up.’’
The Band is now working with
UBCIC lawyers in preparing the case
for thecourts. e
INDIAN WORLD 11
IN THE
NEWS...
After a few years of planning and working we finally
got a good crop of hay off our field. Starting last Septem-
ber we cut and put up about 150 tons of mixed oat and
alfalfa hay. The oats was just a cover crop to give the
alfalfa a boost. We want to thank the people and the
school kids that helped with the sprinkler system, also
Jim Roweds and Leslie Hunlin who spent many hours
seeding the field. We are planning on fertilizing the field
this spring. If weather permits and all goes well we will
have two crops of hay this summer.
All of the hay that was put up last fall is sold.
Our thanks to Patrick Charleyboy who spent a
considerable amount of time and effort to start up
Redbrush Indian Enterprises. ~
—Ervin Charleyboy
Photos: Redbrush Indian Enterprises
INDIAN WORLD 12
SPRING BRINGS GOOD NEWS
Well, Spring’s finally sprung, we hope. Every time we
think spring’s here it snows again.
Some of our Band members are getting excited because
it’s almost time to start construction of new homes and a
few renovations. One home to be constructed this year
will be the first Solar home in this area.
Our local Native hockey team, the Windermere Elks,
went to Smithers, B.C. on Easter weekend for the B.C.
finals, and WON!!! The Elks have been doing very well
this year with no games lost. Keep up the good work,
Elks!
Our ladies sewing club is doing well with their project
of quilts, slowly but surely.
Submitted by
Denelle Eugene
Shuswap Band Secretary
— 2 = ™ - . re
bat ve Fee am ge a! ll ane setts
TRAPPERS
REPORT
~'_ . r| e
* ie) Sa igs Sw, =
I think trapping has been excellent
in the Chezacut area. I heard there
were mink, squirrels, beaver, wolf,
and muskrat coming out of there like
crazy. There are quite a number of
trappers up there; Donald Billy, Elmer
Billy, Jack Gilpen, Johnny and Ila
Lulua are all up there trapping in the
Chezacut area. Down here at Red-
stone'a few people have been trap-
ping; Felix and Justine Marianne,
Dominic Baptiste, Tommy Hunlin
and myself.
The Department of Indian Affairs
have approved Economic Develop-
ment Project for trappers that have
asked for funding. The Band has all
the traps on order and they will be
here in a while. Ron Morrow at the
store has the traps on order. °
L.S.A. TERMS AND
As the March 31st deadline for reaching agreement on
contribution arrangements (L.S.A.) drew _ closer,
controversy surrounding the terms and conditions attach-
ed to those arrangements was at its most heated. At this
time only about thirty eight percent of the Indian Bands
in the Province had come to some agreement with the
Department.
All the Bands in the provinces of Manitoba, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia had rejected the proposed
agreement. Sixty-two percent of the Bands in B.C. are
prepared to do the same.
Terms and Conditions Cause of
Dissatisfaction
It seems that the Bands are not so concerned with the
agreement itself. Rather, they are dissatisfied with the
terms and conditions, which were obvidusly formulated
by the Department and Treasury Board.
e Indians were not involved or consulted in the formu-
lation of the terms and conditions of the Local Ser-
vices Agreement as prepared by the Department, and
approved by the Treasury Board.
e The terms and conditions are not suited to Band
Councils’ delivery of essential programs to Band
members. These terms and conditions reflect the ob-
jectives of the Department only.
© The terms and conditions are presently structured to
the government’s efforts to change the Indian Act,
Le
— Charter system involving incorporation of Bands
— white paper policy
e The terms and conditions state that acceptance auto-
matically commits Bands to fit into government
systems and compels them to accept overall govern-
ment policies, objectives and goals.
e There has been no mention of Federal and constitu-
tional responsibilities for the Indian people. Pro-
grams and services are continually referred to as
contribution subsidies. Band Councils are denigrated
in that they are merely referred to as recipients.
e Indian Bands should be full participants in the devel-
opment of terms and conditions which reflect their
needs:
Minister Gives Ultimatum: Sign or No Funds
The newly appointed Minister of Indian Affairs was
approached with these concerns. While he did agree to
extend the deadline to April 30th, he had not fully
indicated whether there would be further consideration
of the contentious terms and conditions. Instead, he later
found it necessary to issue an ultimatum that, unless sat-
isfactory agreements were in place, funding would be cut
CONDITIONS
off at the deadline. This resulted in many and much in-
volved submissions from Provincial and Territorial Or-
ganizations as well as the National Indian Brotherhood.
Deadline Extended to July 15, 1980
The Minister has agreed to meet on the issue on April
21st. It will probably be a primary item on the agenda, as
well, at the All-Chiefs Conference to be held in Ottawa
on April 28th. The main purpose of the meeting is to
determine a process by which alternative terms and
conditions can be developed.
In the meantime, the Minister has agreed to permit a
further extension of the deadline to July 15th. During this
period, a deliberate consultation process is to take
‘place to ensure mutually acceptable arrangements
between Indian Bands and the Department.
It has also been assured that funding to all Bands
will continue, provided a proper B.C.R. indicating
the purpose and disbursement thereof is submitted
to the Department. e
BAND TRAINING
Work on the Band training project has virtually come
to'a standstill, although response at the remote or out-
lying areas has been more than encouraging. The import-
ance of this area of Band development has been over-
shadowed by the disturbing controversy with the Local
Services Agreement.
Tke course development activities continue at the
Union office. The main thrust is to provide management
and administrative skills demanded by the Local Services
Agreement. As such requirements are identified, it be-
comes more evident that a very deliberate and well devel-
oped process in Band training is essential to a proper
introduction of the Local Services Agreement.
At the moment, the development team is concentrating
on the following key areas: roles of council and the ad-
ministrative staff, organization, planning, financial
administration, communications and other useful man-
agement skills.
The development personnel will resume work in this
area as soon as the problems with the Local Services
Agreement have been satisfactorily resolved.
Participation of Band organizations is undoubtedly
essential to the entire process. Therefore, all contribu-
tions are welcome.
Band training seminars will continue as soon as we
receive enough requests from the field.
INDIAN WORLD 13
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The Root and the Core of the People
There were three memorial dinners just last month in
Neskainlith, for a wife and a husband who died a year
ago and for a father who died a long time ago. They were
part of tradition that the people see as one of the essential
institutions for the well-being of a community. Indian
Government is based on institutions that are traditional,
Neskainlith Band Chief Robert Manuel says, and cannot
be understood or practised until these basic, fundamental
institutions are in place again for the people of the
community.
**We severed the umbilical cord of our connection with
our grandparents and great grandparents and the work
that they have done. But the more I study the Indian
traditional institutions that were here, I find their value
just immense and my respect for our Indian way just
grows and grows. The very fundamental, simple things,
exercises or processes that we have to go through to deal
with different things: they really have deep meaning,
beyond intellectual meaning. That’s what we have to
reconnect ourselves with.
Then we can worry about our systems, the administra-
tion. There are people we have hired to take care of that
kind of stuff and allow us to organize at this level. The
work continues, the administrative work, while we are
mending the umbilical cord, fixing it with this medicine
that the old people left us and that we have set aside for
so long.
I think we have to deal with these more critical things
first, like the way to deal with death. There are too many
people here that are carrying things from way back that
they should not be carrying any more. I think it inhibits
and restricts our growth. Ever since I’ve been here, I have
watched this community climb like crazy, then take a
nose dive, then climb like crazy again and then take a
nose dive again and just kind of shatter. These very basic
things have to be dealt with by the individuals. Once they
have dealt with them, I think we have got a chance to stay
at a higher level. So one of the areas that we are hitting at
right now is how we deal with death. Part of it comes
from the fact that I have gone through that experience. I
learned a lot, and I went through the one-year mourning
period, in the traditional spiritual way of our people here.
At the end of the year, I had to put on a feast. It didn’t
make a lot of sense to me during that time, only after I
had gone through that process and ended up at that
Why Volunteer?
from Neskainlith News
Why volunteer? Why do Neskain-—
lith people put extra hours into their
jobs and into their community? Is it_#
the individual’s dedication, is it the
future of our children or is it the reali-(}=
zation of how much work actually
has to be done to keep the Band run-'
ning? I think we have all come to aj
conclusion of our Band. ,
Community input has helped us to esitlll
plan ahead, take action over our lives).
and project our possible future.
There is volunteer work done in many
areas in our Band; such areas as Edu-
cation who is attempting to take hold
of the education of our own young
people, to teach them the essentials of programs, Administration’s improve-
our life that they would need to sur- ment on the efficiency of the office to
vive not only in our immediate com- serve the people better, and agricul-
munity but the outside world as well. ture’s task of plowing, discing, and
Social Development’s plans for the planting. The volunteer work is done
recreation center, the positive recre- in good spirit. The feeling of knowing
ation activities and the many other we are a few steps closer to our self way!
sufficiency to ourselves, makes our
community strong as long as we work
together. Actually this is all not really
new to us. It has been a part of our
"life style. It was not unusual to help
fo. , out the community as much as you
} rg) can. That’s what really made us
strong. Our people cared about their
fellow members, our ties were bonded
¥ strongly together. We had an attitude
\ in which we cared about ourselves,
both mind and body.
Who benefits? I think the people in
. the immediate community do, but the
= individuals do too. There is personal
achievement, recognition, learning
oa and sharing, accomplished. The com-
photo: R. Manuel munity benefits in such ways as: the
development of the community to
serve people more efficiently, the
direction in the future of our child-
ren, develops a sense of belonging, we
share and learn together.
So Neskaintith, you've come a long
INDIAN WORLD 14
year’s end-of-mourning with the memorial dinner. The
memorial dinner has a psychological effect. It is a kind of
setting-aside of that mourning period, setting free the
spirit of the one that died, allowing me to go on with life
again. It really did have that strong effect.
Then it just came to my head like a bullet going
through. We have a system and I have gone through that
system, that process of dealing with something that I
could never have understood in any way except through
this experience.
I could see if I had not done what the old people had
told me, then I would probably have suffered for years
and years to come. There are no other people around here
who have done that and they have carried that weight
with them, all of ten, fifteen years.
Another of the things that traditionally happened here,
and was lost for a time, was that the Chief always spoke
at the burial. Maybe other people did, too, but the Chief
definitely always visited the family and always spoke.
That was told to me by the Elders. I remember the first
time I had to do that, I was just scared: I didn’t know
what to do. What had happened was that the Priest now
had the whole thing. The external institution had pushed
right in and excluded ours. Now when I go to other com-
munities where the Priest has been allowed to take over
completely, 1 see people coming to the dinners drinking,
and a lot of disrespect. But since we came back to this
Chieftainship institution talking, it has really cleaned up
here. It is really good.
It is really rebuilding and putting back an institution
that we had. And it works best for us. 1 would not want
to ever see us deal with death in a different way. I think it
is important that we get it straight on, that we deal with it
as a sacred part of life. Our community institutions are
the cornerstones. We can talk about all the paper and all
the administrative structures, but only when we establish
these institutions as the cornerstones for our Indian
Government, will we have the root and the base in that
foundation and form the foundation on which we can
build our administration, our constitution and our court
system. Our law and order will be based on this.
For the last two years we have also been wanting to
have a feast for all the babies on the reserve. When the
baby is born, we should have a feast and have the people ©
come in and welcome the new baby. into the community.
We are going to be giving them names and going through
a ceremony to establish a community responsibility to
those babies in some way. We have not got that far yet,
but it will work out after we get this other thing cleared
up. I think we have fo work on the death first, before we
can rejoice and welcome the children into our commu-
nity. ;
After the births, there is another institution that we are
familiar with, but it is not very well established. It is in
the talking stage here. That is the training of our young
First of all we identified where our problems came
from. Then we spent a whole lot of time trying to
figure out why it happened and how we could change
it. But we were always clinging to the colonialism,
hanging on to it, blaming it, blaming the white man,
blaming the schools, blaming the churches, instead of
just letting it go and starting over.
If you look at the ritual of death, you look at the
ritual of the memorial dinner, the whole concept
behind that is: let it go, start again, live your life, go
back to your roots and just carry on. It will always be
there, that person that died or, in this case, colonialism
will always be with us. We will never get rid of its
effects. It’ll be a scar that we carry, but scars don’t
hurt. Scars don’t have to hurt, they’re just there. I
guess that’s the latest transition that we’ve made—is
just leaving it alone and going in the direction that we
have to go, strong and happy again.”’
Michelle Good, Band Administrator,
Neskainlith Band
people. That is the sweathouse, the swimming and the
running and so on. We have to take back some of the
responsibility for the training of our young people.
After that, something else we have talked about is tra-
ditional marriages, coming in later on,
Once those things are all in place, then we have fin-
ished our work in terms of the foundation and the root
and the core of the people.
I'll tell you about a vision that I had quite a while ago.
It was on the coast. I was sitting by a fire dozing. I came
to this big valley and it was a hill and there was, I guess,
the most magnificent Indian man that I’ve ever seen in
my life. He was standing on the hill, really strong, physi-
cally in good shape; strong eyes, nice long black hair. He
was really powerful. This image radiated a lot of power. I
watched for a few minutes and all of a sudden he started
crumbling. He went down on his knees and he was laying
over on his stomach and he started getting sick. He
started to look ugly. His skin started to turn bad, his hair
started to turn ugly, he lost his vision. I went over closer
to him and what I saw was quite a shocking experience.
What that man was made of was a whole pile of little
Indians; that was his whole being. Some of them were
drinking, fooling around, taking dope, all kinds of stuff
like that. I never understood it for a long time. Later on |
understood. I think I do anyway. That was our Indian
nation at one time and it went down. There’s a whole pile
of people that make up that nation. Each one is a part of
it, each one is kind of a cell. Only when we collectively get
_ strong, will he stand again. Maybe some day before I die
I will see it again, I’ll see him standing again. But every
one of us is important in that. There’s no one man that
can make that man stand: he’s big.” °
INIJAN WORLD 15
by Mary Green
Land Claims Office,
Kitamaat Band Council
Kitamaat is a very athletic-minded
community; it is one of our ways of
introducing self-discipline to the very
young in our village. Basketball is a
very major part of our young
people’s recreational activity.
Basketball season begins in earnest in
the month of October, and normally
runs through to the end of March,
after our Junior teams are finished
with their Basketball tournaments for
the season. Our young people are
encouraged to continue basketball
fitness throughout the year, and this
is done on their own, after the basket-
ball season is Over.
After basketball our Soccer season
begins with 5 teams. Our youngest
team’s players are from 6-9 years old.
This team seems to be the second
attraction to our many spectators,
mostly moms and dads, next to our
Senior men’s team. Enjoyment and
fitness is the key to our recreational
activities.
me
Cultural-Conscious Community
But outside of sports activities, other
developments in our village are
progressing, such as our Haisla
Choir, our Women’s Clubs, and
Indian Dancing, to name a few.
Our community, for instance, has
almost doubled in size in the last 10-
15 years. Our population growth has
hit its 1000 mark with additions of
probably 5 to 10 more members
‘we will
KITAMAAT: PLANNING FOR
TOMORROW TODA
r
before the year is over. Housing areas
are continually being developed to
accomodate our increasing
population. We are depleting our
housing lots right on our reserve, and
have to begin housing
development in our other reserves in
the next 10 years.
Our community is _— cultural
conscious; cultural programs are en-
couraged and activities in this area
Send to:
Attention:
V6B 1L1
INDIAN WORLD 16
Address: ...
ers te ae
ORDER FORM: T-SHIRT TRANSFERS
Each $1.00
Make Cheque or Money Order Payable to:
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs.
Indian Government Portfolio
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
440 West Hastings
Vancouver, B.C.
i
Telephone: 684-0231
Ce ee |
os ee eee he hh hh rl hl hl hl kl hl hl hl hh hhh hl
have gradually been established. Our
Indian Dancing group is taking hold
again as part of our valued heritage.
Land Claims
Land Claims has been established
quite actively this past year. With our
research work done in depth, consul-
tants have been hired on a project-to-
project basis.
Phase 1 of our Land Claims was
completed in December 1979 and —
from there we’re entering into Phase
II. Our first Haisla‘ Land Claims
Convention was held on February 5,
1980. The community participation
was very good. The theme of the
Convention was, ‘‘UNCOVER THE
PAST--PROTECT THE FUTURE’”’
Our second Land Claims Conven-
tion is scheduled for April, 1980, with
invitations that will go to other
communities living on our Haisla
Boundaries. The theme of this
coming Convention will be ‘‘PLAN
FOR TOMORROW TODAY’”’.
Land Claims can be the turning
point for Indian people, where
economic independence will be
achieved and progress in Indian
Communities obtained while still re-
taining our Indian identity, therefore
preserving our heritage.
Sound Community Employment
Employment in our Community is
quite sound and only very few
employable people are jobless. A
survey on our Employment Profile—
1980 has just been completed with the
results very much in favour of our
Band members.
The major employers are Alcan, .
Eurocan, the fishing industry,
logging, garages,....Our Band
Council is also a source of employ-
ment.
We feel the employment figure to
be very good. We have roughly 60%
employable people, with about 7-
student.
10% unemployed. During the
summer months, we should have a
number of Student Employment
Programs going. Student employ-
ment is a very important part of the
young people’s lives, in the sense that
this instills a desire to work and be
independent on the part of the
We are proud of our athletes, but
we are also proud of our achieve-
ments in other areas. e
Hastings St.,
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is again conducting a
twenty-week Radio Communication& Training Program,
to begin June 2 and end October 17. There are six
positions available, two to be filled by people who plan to
become involved in radio development with their Bands.
The training will take place in Vancouver for approxi-
mately twelve weeks, with the practicum to be held out-
side of the city for the last eight weeks. Newswriting,
newsreading, announcing, researching, and equipment
operation will be featured in the training. Applicants
need no previous experierice. Good reading and writing
abilities, enthusiasm, and willingness to work hard are
the qualities required. For more information or to submit
applications please write to: Radio Communications
Training Program, Communications Portfolio, 440 West
3rd Floor, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1L1, or
phone Val Dudoward at 684-0231.
|
INDIAN WORLD 17
a
The first load of bricks produced by the Sumas Band! Many of the Band members used to work here under a non-Indian
managed and owned company. Now they have taken over the works and things seem to be going just fine. They’ll be
going into full production again pretty soon. Wanna buy some Indian bricks? Contact Chief Larry Ned at 859-7759.
=. tats i | ,:* D ris)
— * 4 ‘ -
Burt Williams is a National Sports
Figure. He has been rodeo riding
since the age of 18.
Burt had his ups and downs parti-
cipating in sixty rodeos in 1979 and
would like to double that in 1980 so
he can qualify for the Canadian Na-
tional Finals. He needs a financial
sponsor so he can ride and win the
Championship.
; As a member of the Mount Currie
. Band, Burt teaches social studies,
Indian language, and rodeo.
INDIAN WORLD 18
ROBERTS 60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Bill and Frances Roberts’ 60th wedding
anniversary at the Thunderbird Hall in Campbell
River, B.C. on April 25, 1980 was a memorable
occasion.
There was a wedding cake, decorations, toasts
and about 400 guests attending, half of them
being Bill and Frances’ relatives, children and
grandchildren.
Many respected persons talked on this special
occasion
Archie Pootlass, UBCIC Vice President, pre-
sented to Bill and Frances two airplane tickets to
attend the All Chiefs Conference in Ottawa,
Eddy Paul, 8 years old, of Sechelt
Band, received the ‘‘Most Sports-
manlike Player Trophy’’, the biggest
of three for him that day. He plays
left defenseman for the Elephant
Stone Recreational team.
During the spring break 36 native students, ranging
from fifteen to eighteen years of age from Hazelton and
surrounding villages, travelled to Europe.
We departed from Vancouver to London on March
31st and stayed in London for 2 days. We lost one day
because of time difference. London time is nine hours
ahead of ours. We attended Her Majesty’s Theatre
featuring a Broadway musical. We saw the London
Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey,
Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. After our
stay in London we moved on to Holland, where our
group stayed in a 400-year-old castle in the country. Our
stay in Holland was a rest period for everyone (especially
the chaperones); it was a really nice change being in the
country. The hospitality the people in the small
community showed towards us was wonderful. On April
5th after riding train after train for 7 hours, we arrived in
Paris. Our stay in Paris lasted for 5 days. After getting
used to London, then Holland currency, we had to change
over to French money which was quite confusing. During
our stay in France we went up to the very top of the world
famous Eiffel Tower for a panoramic view of Paris. We
also went on tours of the City of Paris which was really
beautiful. We were all very surprised when we saw a
totem from Hagwilget brought to Paris by French
After spending
Northern Lights College in Dawsonigiiy
Creek, Cliff-C.C. (Crazy Cowboy)-lRaam
Pettis of Seabird Island Band is ready (eiiean
the Seabird Island Farm.
six months at et
explorers hundreds of years ago. After five full days of
fun and sightseeing we returned once again to London
for our last few days in Europe. Once again we went on
tours. Most of our group knew our way around from our
previous visit so we were allowed to go in separate
groups. By this time everyone was getting a little home-
sick and tired of the constant rush in both London and
France.
It was really hard to believe that we were actually in
Europe; it was beautiful, wonderful and terrific. We all
had a lot of fun; it was quite an experience since it was the
. first time in Europe for most of our group. On Saturday
April 12, 36 tired but happy students (plus two exhausted
chaperones, Brigetta Vanheer and Dan Fujino, both
teachers of Hazelton Senior Secondary) all arrived back
home. I’m sure we will all remember our long journey to
France, London and Holland for the rest of our lives.
I’d like to thank all the people responsible for making
our trip possible. Thanks, it was wonderful.
Cindy Joseph, Hagwilget Band (16 years old)
Editor’s Note: Funds for the trip were raised by all
participating students, their parents, relatives and
friends, who organized and supported the bake sales,
raffles and bingos of the ‘‘Paris or Bust’’ funding
campaign.
INDIAN WORLD 19
="
cow ae
oe
|
=
when she was ten years old.
Minnie Alec, 96 years old, is an
Elder from Trout Lake (Buncheck).
Minnie was born in the fall and lost
her mom so she was raised by her
grandparents ‘‘Commuh’’ from Bella
Coola and ‘‘Moywees’’ from
Anaham Lake (Chilcotin). She lived
in Bella Coola till she was 10. Minnie
said when she lived in Bella Coola
they used to all live together in a long
house with a fire in the middle of it.
'She remembers she used to travel by
boat to Namu. And she mentioned
hew she really missed the Coastal sea-
food; sea-weed, herring eggs, ooli-
chans and grease.
Listening to Minnie Alec speaking
Carrier and Dennis Patrick trans-
lating to English, made me very
envious that I could not understand
the stories she was telling, that Dennis
_ could understand her. He had a hard
time to translate into English, but
that usually is what happens with any
Indian language. Dennis Patrick is
one of her many grandchildren and
seeing him and everybody having so
much respect for their grandmother
reminded me of so many other Indian
families. Dennis was saying that he
sometimes listens to her story-telling
INDIAN WORLD 20
‘ ‘
—_ " * = —,
Minnie Alec is in the middle of this old photograph, surrounded
family. She was raised in Bella Coola, and then moved to Anahim Lake
til 2 a.m. and said he could sit for
hours listening.
When she was young she learned
how to hunt instead of going to
school. She was taught how to make
her own clothes, mocassins, blankets
out of beaver and rabbit, and to make
fish traps out of wood. And just
living off the land. One medicine she
talked of was sap of the pine that you
would scrape and dry at a certain time
of the year when the leaves first come.
out. The sap was used for healing
different infections, cuts, sores, and
.$0 On.
Minnie expressed her concern on
Fishing Rights and she said long ago
we were able to fish the Fraser River
anytime we wanted and the fish stock
never depleted. They fished for their
winter stock and what they needed,
and they hunted. ‘‘Now when food
costs are high, how are we going to
live if they take our livelihood away
from us?”’
e
LEFT: Elder Minnie Alec today
with one of her great-grandchildren.
' BELOW: Minnie Alec, on the far
right, learned to hunt, make mocas-
sins, and build fish traps out of
wood when she was young.
INDIAN EDUCATION
__ SUPPLEMENT
We need to develop Indian Education to give back to
each individual, regardless of age or means, the oppor-
tunity to seek out his fullest potential and to contribute a
portion of this success to the general well-being of the
community and the strength of Indian Government.
If we examine what Indian Education for Indian
people was prior to white contact we would find that it
allowed everyone to find a place and to experience con-
tinuous usefulness. The success of our communities,
when they were strong, depended on a communal thrust.
The main thrust of the provincial school system is
towards competition and individualism. This creates
untold problems when our entire community is founded
culturally and basically on a concept of communalism
and co-operation.
We need to examine the three-fold nature of a human
person, which is mind, body and spirit. Indian people
have been suppressed in all these three areas, which ex-
plains the general breakdown that has dumbfounded
a by Philip C. Paul
white experts:
-1, What goes on in the minds of Indian people? Is there
enough Indian content to give Indian people a healthy
feeling about themselves? Are Indian people given the
opportunity to develop a sound healthy mind? In my
opinion many Indian people have been mentally beaten
down to a level of feeling privileged to be tolerated but
hating every minute of it. Indian control, to me, means
correcting this problem in such a way that it is not depen-
dent on outside sources ever.
2. The second vital area that we need to examine is the
body or the physical suppression of Indian people.
Because of the poverty and lack of access to traditional
foods, the state of health of Indian people has reached a
disastrous state and even if the best education was made
available, we would be prevented from succeeding due to
this problem. We have to be re-educated how to eat for
good health. Without this correction, no education sys-
tem can succeed. (continued page 32)
INDIAN WORLD 21
ResidentialSchool © WHEN
ELDERS WERE YOUNG
Eddy {thevarge is a respected Kider of the Lillooet Iribe and lives on the D’Arcy Keserve. He was inter-
viewed by Glen Williams, Co-ordinator of the St. Mary’s Feasibility Study. The study is going on with 47
Bands in the Vancouver District because DIA was trying to close this very beautiful Indian Students’ Resi-
- dence on the bank of the Fraser River at Mission, B.C.
This study makes us find out about our recent history, when our Elders were young and went away from
home to school.
It was about 1915 or 1916 and I was about 12 years old control. I’d do as I pleased for a few months. I got
when I first went to school. It was hard them days and “ punished quite a few times. It was only because I wasn’t
there was no transportation of any kind from D’Arcy to able to understand the English language. After I started
the coast and up to Mission. to learn it a little bit, I started to enjoy my schooling in
We still were struggling for something to eat in them Mission.
days. After I did start going to school, we weren’t getting I was an orphan when I left home, and so I didn’t miss
too much at the table but we still felt better off that we much at home after I went to school. We used to go to
were getting something to eat three times a day anyway. school about 3 hours a day in the morning. At recess time
These were not 3 square meals a day, but more than what we would go up to the dormitory and straighten out our
we got at home. beddings. After lunch the book learning was over and
I left home with oversized clothes and no shoes and ~ then we would do chores for the rest of the day.
was expected to wear shoes daily, When I would play Anyone who could pick up a rock was sent out to work
around the school grounds, I would take off my shoes in the fields picking up rocks, digging up stumps and
and go barefoot. I was punished 3 or 4 times before I getting them pulled out by a stump puller and a team of
learned to keep my shoes on. horses. Other jobs included making wood, ploughing the
fields, putting in a garden and at times harvesting plants
Residential School Days in the fall time. That was quite a training, always working
For the first year, I had problems because I wasn’t able in big groups. It was quite fun, it was more like play than
to understand the English language and every time they work, and the days seemed quite short.
wanted me to do something they would have to get an wal
interpreter to tell me what to do. I was really out of Around 1918, after clearing much of the land from
INDIAN WORLD) 22
stumps of about 4 to 5 feet in diameter, an orchard of
about 300 trees was putin on the hill, which was the
boundary for the school. We worked and improved this
orchard for a long time.
I was quite at home there. In fact the first 2 or 3 years I
was in Mission, I didn’t have any holidays and no home
to go to; I was kept right in school. I was about 18 when FE...
came out, and in about the 3rd grade. I couldn’t hardly #
write my name but I went on working. I stayed away
working about six years before I came back to D‘Arcy.
My uncle caught up to me in Lillooet: He said it’s about
time you came home, so I came home. The education I
got seems to have really stayed with me, because it took
me a long time to get to the third grade, with only 32
hours a day schooling.
Keeping Education a Priority
With the 5 or 6 years out, I learned quite a bit to get
along with our non-Indian friends. I was able to talk with
them and look them in the face when talking. When I
first came out of school, my head was down no matter
who was talking to me. If there was a non-Indian, I
couldn’t raise my head up to say yes or no, I’d shake my
head either sideways or roundways. I worked my way out
of that by staying out and away from home for that
length of time. After I was home, after my Chief asked
me to come home, I got to be secretary. I done that from
1928 to 1936, then I became a Councillor for the Band.
We had a hereditary Chief at that time. iust the
Councillors were put on. I stayed on Council until my
Chief passed away, then I bec>me a Chiet. 1 held the
Chief there for about 20 years. Seeing that a lot more of
our children are getting more education, then I thought I
would step down and let them do the Chief for the
reserve. During my terms as Chieftain, I worked with
organizations and my priority was education. When we
did get the 8 hours education for our children and the
province took over the schoolings, our children were
getting a full education right up to the 12th grade and
better if they have good marks, with finances from the
government.
Indian Control Needed at Mission
It seems now that they are trying to do away with the
boarding schools. I think if our Indian people were to
take over Mission it will be quite a benefit to the Indian
people and to their children’s education. To keep it for
education purposes at all times. Learning the reading,
writing, arithmetic and also the agriculture part of it, I
think a group that could go through the school from that
time on would be able to look after themselves. After
they learn a little bit of arithmetic, reading and things like
that, they will learn about planting their own things down
there, a garden and fieldstuff. It can be used for
recreational grounds for some part of it where they would
learn to get along with one another.
I fully support our leaders trying to get control of the
school grounds at Mission.
We still need a school where an Indian could control it,
an Indian teacher or principal or caretaker who is really
close to their own people. They will have a better control
over the children who go to school, and the children will
have a better feeling by having their own kind of teaching
right there at the school. They could also learn some of
their own traditional ways of life; they are very valuable
to an Indian person.
~
It was the children who could pick up a half a
pound of rock. . .a lot of the work by the students
went into building St. Mary’s. That’s why Iam
encouraging the leaders of today that if we can get
control of the school ground there we can use it
for the purpose it was meant for by the children
that cleared the ground there.
Mission was kind of a central point for the Chiefs
gathering for the Fraser River and Lillooet district. They
used to go over there and gather up and have a big
Potlatch. When the priests saw that it was a good
valuable piece of ground, they approached the chiefs to
see if they could put a school there, and clear the ground
up. The Chiefs said it’s okay if it’s going to be a school
for our children; we don’t mind. That’s how the priests
got a hold of that piece of ground. That was before they
even had engineers surveying the reservations. If the
engineers had come before the priests had applied to the
Chiefs, it would have been a reserve itself for the people
down that way. °
= INDIAN WORLD 23
It has been a long year since the last special education issue was put out by UBCIC. At that time, I was asked
to contribute an article on education. I gave much deep thought as to what I would write at that time. One
thing I realized was that I could not write about something I only had theories about.
Now I can contribute something, something more special than my words or thoughts. The contribution that
is being submitted is about an educational experience that is happening, an experience, the impact of which is
only beginning to be felt and understood and which will have such widespread and far-reaching effects that we
can only guess what they may be at this time.
We have taken control of the education of our children. We have been able to do this only through the help
of our Elders and through the instructions of our Creator as handed down through our legends and the
practice of our medicine ways. That is where our strength is, that is what it was given to us for. If we overlook
that in our educational scope, then all our efforts to help our young people learn skills to survive with, will
continue to fail.
This article contains the words of some of the elders and youth who participate in this educational
experience. We learn from and teach each other through practice of our ways. It is an honour for those of us
who work here to be a part of this and we are humble and grateful every day for being allowed such a privilege.
This article is a sharing of that experience and goes out to you who are all our friends and relations.
ELDERS’ WORDS ABOUT OWL
peek CAMP
Elders and young people Tank together at Owl R Bch oink ay the y’re digging a kitchen, called a pit house.
Us Elders with grandchildren we good words, their discipline and cus- learning so fast they are becoming
are concerned. How I grew up—I was _ toms. What I see is that this camp is better than us. I thank the Creator for
trained in the old ways. I got up with made as a discipline place. The kids making a place like this for our
the dawn and I learned lots. I helped are being brought here to learn all people. This place is clean, pure, and
my parents. I learnéd how to get food _ kinds of things: from making things, strong. The spirits are helping us to
and wood and I know the disciplines. _ to gathering food, to learning the learn and teach each other. All of
And now I can talk on this day. language, and to understanding the these things are worked that way,
I see that our people have lost customs, disciplines, and ways of our from tanning hides, to learning
many things: their language, their people. I see that our kids are respect,
INDIAN WORLD 24
Photo: Penticton Band
_ Our grandchildren—I am so
thankful, our Ancestors’ ways are
back; they speak through and to you.
Selina Timoykin
Lim Lempt
What I think is that when I’m
home I sometimes see that my kids
just think of music and town. I think
of the things like work; making
wood, getting up early, working with
the horses and working with all living
things. I see that these things are all
gone now. I say to the kids, look at
these things. I see now these kids here
at camp; these kids—this grand-
daughter now—it’s the first time for
all my kids and grandkids to like old
ways. She likes to get up and work.
Now their camp here stands up. I tell
them this will be your discipline—
this is where your good fortune is. All
the things that are learned there you |
will need. You can be poor but work
hard, give lots away. That is much to
learn.
What I want is all my kids and
grandkids to come and learn at the
camp. Because soon all us Elders will
be gone. Now those kids learn and
they will carry it to their children and
our ways will always stay here. Even 1
wish I could take other kids from
everywhere and bring them here to
learn. They would all know. Now this
place is made and maybe so near to
being too late. Ten years from now
maybe this place could not be. But
now it is. |
Lim Lempt
Rachei Paul
Penticton, B.C.
My name is Scaten. I put my place
with the Elders, because their ways
are from long ago and I guess my
beliefs are strong that way. I guess
from many I am one of the few who
are lucky; I didn’t get too
brainwashed by non-Indian culture.
What I think of is that when this
place was first talked about, I was not
sure we could make it to come about.
It seemed we might be too late. A
little longer and we would have been
too late.
As we go through here up to this
point in our work, what I have real-
ized is that it is almost like we were
headed to fall off a high cliff and that
we could not see ahead,
We have been fortunate to have
been given this chance. Our Creator is
so kind to us. There are a few of us
left who know some of the ways and I
guess the Creator can see our
suffering and pities us and puts it into
our hearts to do this. We didn’t
ourselves think this place up, because
we are so smart; we have been pitied
and helped before we fell off that
high cliff. This is our way of survival
that he is showing us. Some of us will
survive. That is why now our children
and grandchildren will have it put
into their minds and hearts; and
maybe their children and grand-
children will survive and happiness
will be with them.
It is from here that the kids will
find out many things. There are two
kinds of people here right now and we
have been crowded by the other kind
too much. This has been so for many
years now. Maybe we will now turn
the tide. Nobody will help us, we
must do it ourselves,
I say again, I am not old but my
puURA UOIDNIUag :0104g
place is with the Elders. Now it has
been a while since this camp has
walked with our people and my eyes
are opened. I see the change happen-
ing fast. I don’t think that we are
trying to go back to the past and be
like we once were. We can’t make it.
And at the same time we can’t make it
to be different either like the white
man, so the more we retain of what is
ours, the better we are.
That is what this camp is made of.
For the new generation to know what
must be done and how to live for the
change that is coming. Money will
not always be the leader here. This
camp is not led by money. That is
what we see.
This camp is for every Indian no
matter from where. It is all coming
out how the children are changing.
The children are here to learn many
things. That is what this camp is
about. We are not saying that we wish
to change people, but if our people
notice differences in people who came
here to learn then maybe it is so. If
you try to copy others, you cannot
become like them, but if you look at
yourself you may find out who you
are. These are some of the things the
young ones here are looking at and
right now they are much better people
than we will ever be. That is why I
help here.
I would be pleased if you who read
INDIAN WORED 25
7
SCHOOL
aan.
7
SCHOOL
aan.
this. Know what I say as I speak now.
I guess you did not resent what I said
and you have read this far. If you are
Indian and think and believe that way
then the words I have said, you may
take some meaning and wisdom
from, and you may use it in some
way.
Lim Lempt
Larry Timoykin
Penticton, B.C.
=. co jj
= f.)
* ‘ =
My name is Wanasut, after my
great-grandmother, who is from
around Ellensburg, Washington area.
This place is so alive, it’s a place
you always come back to. There is
such a drawing force here, even when
you are away it is on your mind. The
workers here we believe are directed
to be here. We help each other spiri-
tually, mentally, and physically. It’s a
good place to come to hear our
Elders, and a place for remembrance
of things that have happened. Many
revelations and realizations come out
here. It is a very inspirational place
and we pray that many more spiritual
camps will be resurrected and one of
INDIAN WORLD 28
the most important things is seeing
my children involved and seeing the
transformation and change that is
happening. It is beautiful to see the
young ones taking over and working
to help, and forgetting their self-
centredness and learning to care for
each other and help regardless of age.
A place of great spiritual uplifting. A
place where love will grow powerful
and strong and alleviate the hatreds
that destroy. A place we can learn not
to be judgmental because if we feel
that such things happen that is
something we must pray about. This
is a place for learning to become
harmonious with man, animals and
all nature. _
We are learning from the Elders of
the prophecies that have been laid
down for us and now I see that our
children are preparing for what is in
the future, and how they must help all
people to be prepared. There is great
honor and respect for the spiritual
leaders. We hear their words and we
know that the time is now at hand to
meet the needs of our people. I am
planning to be here as often as I can
Photo: Penticton Band
because I learn some things that are
important, and when I return home I
can share with my relations. It gives
them hope and through their prayers
this camp can be strengthened.
I don’t feel I’m here because I want
to be, I feel I am directed here. I feel
it is through the Great Spirit things
are done. And it is through this legacy
our Indian people have learned and
gone on beyond, that we will follow
through. With this belief and strength
we cannot fail.
Anita Cheer
Colville Reservation
Omak, Washington
Iam Jean Aquash, Ojibway.
These spiritual camps are very
important to our children and our
generations ahead. These are nests
for grandfather to keep us protected
so we can learn the ways of our
people, the right ways for us. In these
camps we learn to build our spirit,
our mind, our body. We learn again
what it is to live. Many of our camps
help our children learn. Children who
have been through the concrete
jungles of the cities where there is no
life, where those live who don’t know
what it is about. They learn about
their abilities both physical and
spiritual. They learn to exercise their
minds because in these camps we have
the sacred sweats where we learn to
purify ourselves and become inno-
cent. We learn the ceremonies from
our Elders. We learn to respect and to
be humble.
We must have many more camps so
we can learn in our family circles
everywhere. So we can hear the inner
voice of what the Great Spirit wants
us to do, the directions He gives to us
as individuals. We learn all these
things through the sweats and cere-
monies. It is the spirit we build up, to
meet our Creator, not just for
ourselves but to share with and help
one another. This is the knowledge
the spiritual camps give for the gener-
ations ahead. I believe that with a lot
of hard work, maybe we can save
some lives.
So we need all our spiritual
medicine people, pipe carriers and
anyone else who walks this road to
feel at home at any one of these
camps. So that we can be together in
spiritual unity when the time comes.
These things I believe and much
more. .
By acknowledging and learning
instructions and ways of our Elders,
we learn to acknowledge the Great
Spirit in many ways and all forms of
his creation.
Regular Visitor from
Anpo Camp
Oregon
YOUNG ONES’ WORD
pueg vo}NUag :0104d
ff
ROCK CAMP
These Indian classes are special to
me because I am an Indian. I’d just
like to write down a few lines about
what’s been happening around here
while I was here learning. When we
arrive up at camp we run up the hill
for a while and come back down, and
then we have a little meeting about
what’s going to be happening in the
next classes. Then we make Indian
baskets,
Jeannette and Teeny are our
teachers who show us how to make
baskets. The boys would be making
bows and arrows. Martin teaches the
boys. Then we have lunch and have
time to walk around and play. Then
we have Indian language lessons and
stories about Indians of the past
taught by Jeannette and Martin. In
the summertime we will be riding
horses, travelling, building, and
much more. So I would like to invite
all Indians: children, teenagers, and
adults. We are learning about our
own culture.
_ Lisa Paul
The Owl Rock Youth Group have a
camp up on the reserve, if you visitors
would like to stop by and visit fora
couple of days. Our camp is similar to
ones in the old days, because we have
a kitchen part that is dug into the
ground, called a pit house. We also
have a long house that is used for
people to sleep and for gatherings.
We have lots of room to put up tents.
We have a lake up there called Eneas
Lake. This lake is sacred, it is nice
and beautiful. It is also quiet up here.
Once you come up you won’t want to
leave. hs
I think the camp is the best place
I’ve been to so far. I like to think in
quiet and learn the Indian ways: how
to make baskets, pick berries and
bitter roots, how to speak my
language. The reason I want to learn
all that is because the older people
will not be here forever. We will be
here surviving on our own and will be
thankful for the things they taught
us, because then we will know how to
make things to carry our food and
things to get food with. If we have
kids we can pass what we know down
to them.
Today we fixed our baskets and the
boys worked on their bows.
I’m really thankful when I come to
the camp. I would like to thank the
S ON OWL
camp workers for taking the time to
teach us.
Florence Captiste
Hi! Well, I’d just like to inform
you on things I have been learning up
at the longhouse. Every morning we
jog up to Charley’s place at the end of
the lake and back to the camp. Then
we have classes and lunch and after
that we go up the hills or sleigh-
riding. We have two more classes and
then exercise and play, then go back
to the Band office.
Carrie Jack
Penticton
This camp means a lot to me
because I learn many different things
and it helps me in many ways. The
things we learn are to speak our own
language and taking sweats; plus we
have respect for the camp and others.
I travel from Vernon once a week
to come to the camp; that’s why it
means a lot to me.
The girls are making shawls and
INDIAN WORLD 29
also we sing many Indian songs.
Joanne Qualtier
Okanagan Reserve
Vernon, B.C.
Hi, I'd like to inform you on what
the whole idea of these cultural
classes means to me.
What we are doing is learning to
respect our Elders, each other, and to
respect each living animal, plant or
tree. We also learn discipline. We try
to avoid small arguments or fights.
We all treat each other equally.
Sometimes it seems really hard for us
to get used to it. I think it’s really a
great experience.
We’ve also learned to do our work
and enjoy it. Usually the girls clean
up, cook lunch, serve the people and
wash dishes. The boys pack water,
chop and pack the wood.
We learn old legends and our
language from our Elders.
The girls are making shawls and we
have just started to put the fringes on
them. Probably in the future we will
make Indian costumes. The boys are
making bows and arrows the
traditional way.
In conclusion, I’d like to say that
these cultural classes are really
something. | hope you understand.
Tracey Bonneau
Penticton Reserve
Penticton, B.C.
Age 12
Hi there. My name is Wholtho-
necha. Or Punky or Larry Kenoras—
sometimes worse, like the saying
goes. I would like to share a few
things with my people about Owl
Rock Camp.
A person or #1 can really straighten
out a lot of things, if you are honest
with #1. By that I mean doing what
you want, feeling good about it now
and tomorrow, too. A place, or
places like this, is a need for our
people, young and old.
After you have learned about you,
then comes life, respect, love, self-
discipline, sharing, honesty, learning
the ways of the North Americans—
the caretakers of the island.
A place, or places like this, is a
need for our people, young and old.
We need you to remember that, so
whenever you are around the south
central Okanagan Valley, come to
your camp, share what you have to
offer yourself!
To all my friends and relatives,
Way 7.
Field Trip to Salmon Arm, B.C.
We went to Salmon Arm to see a
pit house and a sweat house. There
were 35 students that went up to
Salmon Arm. We went in two vans
plus we used Jeannette’s car because
there was too much weight in the
van. Brey
Plus we saw another place that
had a little model made into a pit
puvg uojonUSg :o104g
house, like a little village.
Murray Timoyakin
I think that the camp is here to
teach us how to be ourselves. I have
learned that discipline here has be-
come pretty well self-explanatory, to
me anyway: meaning that we disci-
pline ourselves. I also regained my
strength to be able to talk to the
Elders and learned how to be kind,
thoughtful and courteous. Or, in
shorter terms, to be respectful
towards others.
I also think the main reason for this
camp is for us to increase our living
skills, not just learning skills, so that
we may be able to survive when the
snow comes here to stay.
Holly Baptiste
-
a ad
es
The Penticton Indian Band Education Committee has committed itself to a Cultural Awareness Youth
development program in answer to the social disorientation which is afflicting our young people today. We are
of the opinion that self-awareness, pride and personal motivation stem from a firm understanding of one’s
history and parent culture.
The program of activities is designed to assist each individual develop not only practical skills but also social
and life skills that will help each to cope and survive as an Indian person in today’s society.
The program which has now been in operation about five months involves a one day a week immersion
session with activities centred on cultural awareness through our history and customs, spiritual knowledge and
guidance, physical training and wilderness survival training.
The program is now being expanded to allow for youth from all areas to participate. The camp is open seven
days a week to all Indian visitors.
INDIAN WORLD 30
Penticton Indian Band Education Committee
Thinking for
Ourselves
The main difference between white
educators and Indian educators is
their method of teaching a person.
White educators teach a person to
be dependent. This is done by mind
controlling.
Indian educators teach a person to
use the power of their mind and all of
their senses, and to be responsible
and independent.
White educators teach a person to
read from a book. This way, you are
only making use of just one of your
senses.
White educators do not teach a
person to depend on his/her mind.
The white educators teach a person to
depend on another person. We come
to believe that we cannot do things
for ourselves.
If you want your tire changed on
the car, you don’t do it yourself. You
get somebody else to do it.
If you want your house painted,
you can’t do it right. So you get
somebody else to do it.
If DIA says you cannot teach
Indian people because you are not a
teacher, then you get a white man
from DIA to do it.
If somebody says that you’re a
dumb Indian, you depend on his
mind and believe it and be a dumb
Indian.
Indian Education
Indian educators are basically
everything from Elders, Chiefs,
parents, children, plants, animals and
the Mother Earth. Indian educators
teach you from the time you are born
through all of your life. Indian
educators teach a person to use all of
his mind and to concentrate into
extreme depths and use his senses as a
balance of reality.
When we do something we must
also include the use of all our senses:
our eyes, ears, taste, smell, nerves,
heart (feelings), our mind and spirit
together as one. If we want to defeat
fisheries, DIA or alcohol, then we
must put into our minds that we can.
We are responsible for our own
mind, body and spirit. Indians are
creators of our own Destiny. °
Language:
The Indian language is an
important part of Indian cultural
programs. Through the learning of it,
other areas can be developed such as:
history, social conduct, physical
training, cooking, plant medicine,
etc.
The ‘‘baby’’ method of teaching a
language is based on what a baby
_ goes through to learn a language.
A first phase would be a simple
introduction to the language by
hearing it spoken on a daily basis.
Use Indian words mixed with
English.
The first thing is to learn to Aear
the right sounds.
The second thing, after learning to
hear for a few months, is to try to
pronounce the sounds without trying
to remember the meaning. That is
training the vocal muscle. An impor-
_ tant step is remembering the meaning
of a sound.
The third step after making the
sounds is learning simple every-day
words that are used often. This can be
built up with nouns (person, place or
thing), verbs (action part of sentence
such as go, do), and adjectives (add
meaning to nouns e.g. b/ue shirt).
This leads to knowledge of the
language.
As you would do with a baby, give
praise and encouragement to the
person learning to speak and under-
stand.
INDIAN EDUCATION SCHEDULE
May 1980
May 5-8, 1980
Training Workshop for
Training Co-ordinators.
May 12-15, 1980
National Indian Control of Indian Education Confer-
ence, Winnipeg, Man.
Designed for Band Representatives
May 22-23
Band/District/Tribal
May 23-24: St. Mary’s Student Residence Reunion at
St. Mary’s, Mission.
May 26-27
Cultural Education Youth Meeting
May 29-30
E-12 Meeting, Union Board Room, 440 W. Hastings
Street
June 9-10
Training Meeting
Union Boardroom, 440 W, Hastings
June 11-13
Proposed dates to co-ordinate a meeting of Bands
concerned with residential school buildings—Resource
people from other Provinces. UBCIC Boardroom.
St. Mary’s Survey-Report to 47 Band’s Representa-
tives from the Vancouver District Area of DIA—at St.
Mary’s, Mission e
INDIAN WORLD 31
-
(from page 21)
Another example of physical suppression is the
beautiful land that was left us by our ancestors, which the
white people call reserves. We treat them like reserves
because we are taught to treat them that way. Indian
Governments must teach us to see this land the way our
ancestors saw it.
3. The third vital area of concern is the spirituality of a
person, which is the foundation of the other two areas.
The three fundamental areas of mind, body, and spirit
must be dealt with as one, but the first two cannot
succeed without the third. The main thrust of commun-
alism in Indian communities was based on a strong and
integrated spirituality, which was based on a co-operative
oneness with nature. The Indian mind, body and spirit
and nature were one, and when things were so, the Indian
prospered. Not that he had everything, but what he
received is really all he needed to fulfill his existence with
satisfaction and dignity. i
What do we have now to replace what we had? The
seeking of spiritual fulfillment has created a spiritual
supermarket on many reserves that has divided many
families and communities. This will not satisfy the
Spiritual togetherness we need. The spiritual rebirth of
the Indian people must be the cornerstone of a new
direction in Indian Education.
A study of Indian people before contact will show us
how the Indian Education system, Indian Government
and spirituality were integrated and inseparable.
The choice that we have is clear at this time: do we
want to take control over our survival now? Or let
someone else control our extinction?
We have to develop an approach that borrows sound
unchanging principles from the past and combines them
with the needs of the present in order to create a vision
for the future that is designed to help Indians succeed
today. °
The spiritual rebirth of the Indian people must be the
cornerstone of a new direction in Indian Government
INDEAN WORLD 32
THE INDIAN WAY BACK TO
Indian people from all over British
Columbia and neighbouring
provinces and territories came to
participate in our Indian Health Con-
ference held at the Kamloops Indian
Residential School, March 21-23.
Elders and young people alike came
forward to share their feelings,
concerns and ideas on Indian Health
and our peoples’ responsibility.
A solid foundation was set by the
people who came together; they gave
of themselves to rekindle the positive
attitudes and strengths of our fore-
fathers.
The sacred ceremonies, dancing,
drumming and singing which took
place in the evenings made people feel
strong to share good things. a
Sharing our knowledge makes
us stronger
The need for more people gather-
ings was strongly recommended
' throughout the conference, to
strengthen our people to work to-
wards Indian control of Indian health.
This feeling was expressed by
Peter Bighead, one of the guest
speakers from the Blood Reserve in
Alberta.
‘‘We should start sharing. That is
one of the greatest gifts that is
given to our Indian people, is the
gift of kindness, a gift that no
other nationality is given; it’s being
close to nature—the Elders know.
We start hanging onto this kind of
thing, we’re going to be a lot stron-
ger.”’
*‘Old Indians used to have a great
deal of concern on health so that
they would not get sick, because
their whole existence depended on
health,”’
HEALTH
said George Manuel, guest speaker
and UBCIC President.
‘“‘They had to be healthy so they
really made every effort to make
sure that they were healthy. There
were many things to do to stay
healthy. They had to learn about
herbs, leaves, roots, berries and so
forth. They had to know what to
do to stay healthy. They had to
make it their priority. That was a
value they had.’’ ,
An overall consensus was reached
that Indian health endows more than
physical well-being, but it also has to
mental and
Alberta
emotional,
well-being. As
include
spiritual
Lightning, a medicine man from
Hobbema, Alberta, stated:
“In the beginning of the native
creation everything was created
mentally and spiritually. That was
the only birthright that was
granted.’’
The traditional disciplines which
our people used daily to maintain
good health were shared by our
Flders and guest speakers. These
included sacred sweats, winter
swimming, and fasting. These strong
disciplines made life good for
everyone.
Over the three days of the con-
ference, we discovered and shared the
very basic roots of how we can begin
to deal with the issue of Indian
Health. Through this conference, our
people clearly stated the direction
which must be taken and with whom
the responsibilities lie. The necessity
to find: our way back to our
traditional practices is needed to
LS —— = : —
Our Elders learned about —
herbs and roots to stay |
healthy. Now we have to
teach our children the
traditional way.
follow a path that was given to us by
our Creator.
“If you’re really serious about the
health of your family then you
must redevelop that priority; we
must redevelop that old concern
about our health. We have to
develop again to start mentally
conditioning our people to look
after their health,’’ George Manuel
says. f
Our brief, which we prepared and
presented to Health Services Review
-*79, reflected the feelings of those at
the Indian Health Conference. Our
brief was also submitted to National
Health and Welfare..- asih a)
INDIAN WORLD 33
HEALTH SERVICES REVIEW
The presentation given at the
National Health Services Review ’79
in Edmonton this month was of great
importance to B.C. Indians in gaining
control over the delivery of health
services.
A recent health hearing held in
Vancouver in February, 1980, was
too early for the Union to give its
presentation and more consultation
was needed with the Bands.
Now, it is hoped the Health
Services Review ’79 will be able to
sort through the complexities
surrounding Indian health and
propose changes with the Federal
Goverment to ensure we survive as a
healthy people in control of our live.
George Manuel and five Band
delegates, along with staff members
of the Health Portfolio, presented the _
main points and recommendations
from their submission.
Henry Smith, an Elder of the
Tsartlip Band, opened in prayer for
Special Commissioner, Emmett Hall,
to listen and accept B.C.’s submission
to the hearing. The Commissioner
listened as George Manuel told him
the provincial government in B.C.
denies it has constitutional respon-
sibility to Indian people.
“The provincial government in
B.C. wants to take over the services
of Indian people but they don’t want
us to be involved in them. We don’t
want health services to be turned over
to them.
‘““We would like to see the federal
government turn the block funding
which provides the provincial govern-
ment for services of Indian people,
over to the Indian people in B.C.”’
B.C.’
The Health Review ’79 was held
INIBAN WORLD 34
. Health
out of fear that the medicare system
might collapse as doctors threaten to
pull out of medicare.
‘If doctors are going to insist on
total control of their own profession
and a larger income, then they must
be willing to give adequate medical
care to serve more isolated areas in
the North and become more
accountable to the people they
serve,’’ George Manuel said.
Nonnie Elliot, a Community
Representative for the
Tsartlip Band, said they find
problems when dealing with Medical
Services. ‘‘We still have inadequate
housing, faulty sewer systems which
are always running over because of
septic systems poorly installed on the
reserve, and our suicide rate is high.
Bill Cranmer, top r., Ernie Willie, top. 1.,
Nonnie Elliot, b.r., Evelyn Ignatious,
center, Henry Smith, b. left.
effective until those needs are met.”’
A Band faced with these serious
problems must negotiate with two
separate government departments to
resolve those problems.
George Manuel said Indian people
could develop a lot of self-help
programs if the Department of Indian
Affairs were responsible for
channelling the funds to them. To
deal with one agency would make it
easier for Bands to find solutions to
the problems they face.
The Kwakiutl District Council
presented their submission on the
health situation in Alert Bay.
Commissioner Hall said he couldn’t
do anything about it, but listened as
he was told of the many difficulties
the Band has been experiencing.
Health care is provided by the
Federal Government, but only as a
matter of policy that seems to
change with eéach change in
government. Indian health must
be entrenched in the Constitution
as a right or it will always be
endangered. It was recommended
the Indian Act must be revised to
reflect this right and to reflect the
right of Indian Government to
control the health care delivery
system.
“It all relates to the basic needs of
our people. Once those needs are met,
then we can concentrate on preven-
tative measures and make health our
priority. 1 don’t think our job can be
One of our fifteen recommen-
dations was that the Federal govern-
ment exert force on the Provincial
government to cause the negotiations
of Land Claims and Aboriginal
Rights to begin. The only solution to
better health is settling these claims
and establishing Indian government.
The end of the submission read:
‘Should our recommendations be
rejected by the Federal Government,
we will then take our case to the
United Nations. e
Alert Bay Health Inquiry
REPORT CONFIRMS
BAND’S CLAIMS
Dr. Gary Goldthorpe, Commis-
sioner for the health hearings at Alert
Bay in March, gave his report on the
health and health services of the
Nimpkish people on April 19, 1980.
During his 23 day stay at Alert
Bay, Dr. Goldthorpe found in his
study of 132 death certificates of the
Nimpkish people that many of the
deaths occurred in cases of alcohol-
ism and despair.
He found 56% of the Alert Bay
people died before age 40 and infants
had a 44% chance of reaching age 40.
The death rate for the peoplé on re-
serve is almost three times the rate for
members of the group who live off
reserve.
‘*Alert Bay Indians are less healthy
than other B.C. Indians. One can say
an Alert Bay Indian stands a 25%
greater chance of dying within the
next year than does an Indian else-
where in Canada.”’
Dr. Goldthorpe felt it was ironic
that those who had the most seem to
have lost the most. ‘‘Today the Alert
Bay Indians, among the wealthiest
and most sophisticated in Canada,
suffer higher death rates than other
Canadian Indians who live in remote
villages without running water, elec-
tricity or central heating.”’
He said their health declined with
suppression of their language and cul-
ture, with the anti-potlatch laws,
schooling away from home and
family, with the decline of salmon
stocks and with the influx of welfare
cheques and the disappearance of
their communities.
‘*From countless hours of listening
to residents of Alert Bay and other
communities | find Dr. Jack Pickup
possesses at least the minimum level
of medical skill and knowledge to
practice medicine in B.C. But Dr.
Pickup has been on many occasions
drunk while performing as a doctor,
and in public at Alert Bay. Renee
Smith died in St. George’s Hospital
due to the negligence on the part of
Dr. Jack Pickup to apply adequate
medical care and procedures.”’
Dr. Goldthorpe recommended that
Dr. Pickup move to practise in a lar-
ger community and that he abstain
from alcohol or, if impossible, to
enter a treatment program for alco-
holism. Goldthorpe asked the B.C.
College of Physicians and Surgeons
to review the evidence they received
on Dr. Pickup’s care.
The Nimpkish Band’s final submis-
sion to the Commissioner on March
24, 1980, said they want control of
the health services delivered to them
and establish a Nimpkish health board
to operate a health clinic on reserve.
Dr. Goldthorpe supports the
Band’s wishes to establish a health
board and affirms their desire to take
control of their own health care sys-
tem. He recommended the Medical
Services Branch and the Nimpkish
Band negotiate as soon as possible to
bring about their control of health
services. Ly
Nimpkish Band Manager Pearl
Alfred said she felt it took a lot of
courage on Dr. Goldthorpe’s part to
make the report he presented.
‘*The report confirmed everything
the Band has been saying. We knew
our health here was poor but to see
the statistics in black and white
confirmed it.
Now we have to make sure chan-
ges happen quickly. We are now
planning and are hoping to meet
with the Federal Minister of Health
within ten days to discuss the turn-
over of services to the Band.
Dr. Goldthorpe has given us a lot
of backup for discussions with the
Provincial Government. I think
things can only get better.’’ °
CHILD WELFARE.
STUDY
The Steering Committee for the
Child Welfare Study held a meeting
on March 26, 1980 to determine
what the next step will be. Repre-
sentatives from the Program Evalu-
ation’ Branch in Ottawa, DIA
Regional Office, the North Coast
District Council, the Lakes District
Council, the Union of B.C. Indian
Chiefs, the B.C. Native Women’s
Society, the Alliance, a Native news-
paper, and the co-ordinator of the
study attended.
The co-ordinator submitted a
Preliminary Report to _ the
committee and, after some
discussion, the committee agreed
that more time is needed since many |
of the finer details are not yet inclu-
ded in the terms of reference. The
preliminary stages of the study will
be extended by three more months
so that the co-ordinator will have
ample opportunity to meet with a
wider range of Indian people. Since
the people of the north are unable to
attend any of the assemblies, the
Tribal Councils in the committee
will hold meetings with the co-
ordinator for people in their region |
to keep them informed.
After learning of the extension,
many have sent in their terms of
reference or phoned to make
arrangements to meet with the co-
ordinator. Hopefully this trend will |
continue until the 30th of June 1980
when the preliminary stages of the
study will end.
Indian Home Needed
An Indian family of two brothers
and two sisters needs a home. They
are now staying in a temporary
foster home.
The children’s mother visits them,
but cannot raise them on a daily
basis.
For more information, please call
Annabelle Fung at 438-6101, 01
Muriel Simon at 321-3441, Ministry
of Human Resources.
INDIAN WORLD 35
Mount Currie Band farmer readying the land for spring activities.
It’s the time of year when there is a lot of activity
around everything to do with agriculture: farm supply
stores, fertilizer and machinery dealers, processing com-
panies, dairymen, ranchers, sheep breeders—the list goes
on and on.
Now is the time everybody is planning their crop
program for the growing season. There are many factors
which will affect these plans. Based on past experience or
on future projections, almost everybody will be making
changes to their past year’s operations. Some will just be
alternating fields from one type of production to
another, others will be making major changes, such as in-
creased production to suit forms of expansion like herd
size or shortage of feed in past years. Others may have
overproduced and not been able to market or use last
year’s production, though this doesn’t happen very
often. There may be a need for a different ratio of specific
feed types.
_ Planning Factors
The main factors in determining what crops to grow or
how much of it will be the ability to market and the
economic benefits to be realized. Crop rotation also
affects one’s crop planning. Because different crops use
INDIAN WORLD 36
a
rr
ee
mig
any WW ‘SUIETTIM, sino] AreW :ojoyd
by Chester Douglas
different constituents from the soil, the grounds must be
periodically switched from one type of production to
another, to avoid permanent damage to the soil.
~ Another factor to consider is that certain cultural and
other practices that are necessary for one crop type are
detrimental, and often critical, for another. An example
of this is the use of Atrazine for the control of weeds in
corn, Atrazine is a chemical used to control broadleaf
weeds in corn crops. Although it gives highly effective
control of weeds, it has a residual effect; that is, it remains
in the soil long after the crop year is over, and if used at a
high rate, critical amounts of the chemical remain in the
soil two or three years after.
So when a person is planning his crops for the year, he
should consider his feed requirements, his ability to
market and his soil management before making his final
decision.
Something that shouldn’t be overlooked in crop
planning is the ability to harvest when the crops are
ready. If a person doesn’t plan his production and
harvesting time properly, he might end up with all his
crops ready to harvest all at once. This could result in
losing part of his crop. e
Planning an Irrigation System
An irrigation system should be designed and installed
so that it suits the particular circumstances (soil, crops,
climate, water sources, etc.) of the area to be irrigated. It
is no good to simply copy a neighbour’s system or choose
a method which at first hand seems suitable. By making
sure that all factors are checked out, costly mistakes and
future operating problems can be avoided.
¢ Plan Ahead—have your plans finalized the year before
you wish to irrigate; try to arrange to install your
system in the fall.
¢ Contact your local WIAC fieldworker for information
on available publications on irrigation. Your local Min-
istry of Agriculture Office can also supply you.
* Get a good map of your area and mark out the areas
you wish to irrigate. An air photo is very useful: ask
your WIAC fieldworker to order one for you.
* Contact your local Ministry of Agriculture Office and
get advice on the irrigation methods which will be most
suitable to your particular needs and circumstances.
Arrange to have your soil tested. You may also need to
improve drainage.
® Check out the sources of water—are they reliable?
What are your water rights? How much water is
available? Have the water tested for Quality (it may
have high levels of dissolved salts). Does the water have
a lot of sand in it? (this will clog up sprinklers). If you
are considering having a well drilled, contact Environ-
ment Canada who can advise you on likelihood of
success.
e If you are planning to use electric pumps, you will be
restricted by the availability of hydro service: do you
have single or three phase service? Gas and diesel
A Suitable irrigation
system depends on
each individual's
circumstances like
water supply, soil,
crop, climate and so
on.
Right: setting up irri-
gation for the Seabird
Island Band's bean-
crop last year.
WIAC Workshops
Date Workshop Place Fieldman
May 6 Smail Cranbrook Dan
Animals Cancelled Graveile
To beset Farm Fi.St.John Angus
Machines Dickie
To be set Home Lillooet Mike Y¥.
Gardens _ District Joseph
May Fieldmens WIAC WIAC
12-16 Workshop Boardroom
May 4H Stoney Jimmy
42-13 Creek Quaw
May Land Stoney Jimmy
20&21 Clearing & Creek Quaw
4H
engine powered pumping systems are expensive to buy
and operate. Tractor driver pumps are hard on tractors
and tie up valuable machinery when you may need it.
Estimate how much labour is involved with different.
systems.
Should you decide on a sprinkler or gun system, ap-
proach a reputable irrigation supply company in your
area. They should be willing to design a proper system
and draw plans and give you a definite quotation. The
company should also be willing to have their proposed
plans checked by your local Ministry of Agriculture
Engineer. Do not expect the company to give you any
of their plans before you have made a contract with
them. Arrange to have the proposed plans given in con-
fidence to your Ministry of Agricuture Engineer for
checking before you make a contract.
Plan to instruct your workers on safe working habits—
irrigation pipes and power lines can be killers! e
INDIAN WORLD 37
Regulating the Forests
the Indian Way
The Indian Timber Regulations suggests that Indian
Bands are incompetent in the management and develop-
ment of their own timber. Last month we discussed two
ideas for changes in the Regulations: Band authority and
control over Indian timber management and obtaining
timber quotas to supplement the depleted Indian timber.
What is the next step? What are your ideas? It is time for
action rather than just talk. If you have any comments or
views about the following draft proposal for action
contact the Forestry Committee at (604) 684-0231 or
write to 3rd floor, 440 West Hastings Street, Vancouver,
B.C. VOB ILI.
Summary
This proposal will focus on the hearts on the adminis-
trative policies and procedures of Indian timber. Our
goals and objectives are to lead towards Indian Bands
independently directing the development of the forestry
sector. This step will advance the overall progress of the
economic development activities of Indian Bands in B.C.
Goal
To amend the Indian Timber Regulations and include
the following objectives in the process.
Objectives
¢ Draw up alternative plans of action in preparation
for discussion with Indian Bands and District Coun-
cils, in order to form a clear direction for the man-
agement of Indian timber.
e Assess the role and authority of the Departmental
District Foresters pecoraing to the Indian Timber
Regulations.
e Assess the success and failures of the forms of agree-
ments that give rights to cut Indian timber.
Assess the financial management of monies derived
from royalties and stumpage Paes of Indian
timber.
Plan the development and maintenance of an up-to-
date inventory system of Indian timber. (The
present one is about 20 years old).
¢ Draw up plans to develop and establish a central
Indian forestry body to secure financial backing for
the many Indian forestry resource people who could
concentrate in such areas as (a) monitoring the goals
and objectives of Indian Bands to by-pass bureau-
cracy of both federal and provincial government
agencies, (b) monitoring the federal and provincial
agreements to ensure that Indian Bands are not ex-
cluded from important forestry agreements (such as
the case with the federal-provincial agreement on
silviculture or tree planting or stand tending), or (c)
INDIAN WORLD 38
The indian Timber Regulations:
© regulate the harvesting, sale and disposal of timber within Indian
reserves and surrendered lands
© dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (for Indian use) to a
Band for Band purposes, or to a member or a group of members
of a Band to cut timber or fuel wood for his or their individual use
-without the need to pay royalty or stumpage payments
¢ dispose of Indian timber through a Permit (to sell timber) to a |
Band or member or a group of members of a Band for a period of
_one year and stumpage or royalties must be paid unless such pay-
ments are waived as a measure of relief to the permit holder
® dispose of Indian timber through a ‘‘Licence’’ which is available
. to any person other than a member of a Band on whose behalf the
timber is being administered
® specify that Licences are available where timber has been surren-
dered or released to the Crown or without a surrender where the
Assistant Deputy Minister is satisfied that the sale of the timber is
in the interest of the Band and the Band Council consents
® specify that Licences are to be issued after advertising except
where stumpage or royalties payable on the timber will not exceed
$2,500.00 and are for a term of one year and are renewable
® specify that ground rent must be paid each year at a rate of $0.20
per acre with a minimum fee being $40.00 and a security deposit
must be kept in place
® specify that both the Permit (to sell timber) and the Licence
stumpage or royalties are payable and the timber must have been
measured by a licenced scaler or by some other person appointed
for the task and all stumpage or royalties must have been paid
before the timber can be manufactured at a mill unless consent
has been obtained from the Assistant Deputy Minister.
monitoring the Canadian economy in regards to
interest rates that may hurt the overall ceva
of Indian forestry.
¢ Develop a mechanism by which the federal govern-
ment will negotiate a federal-provincial agreement
for a program that can allocate timber quotas for
Indian Bands to supplement the depleted Indian
timber. (This is by no means a part of Indian land
claims). ’
¢ Determine how the Band by-laws can give Indian
Bands more local control over such matters as refor-
estation (re-planting after Indian trees have been cut)
or other matters that will affect the long term devel-
opment of Indian timber. .
This account supports George Manuel’s statement ina
press release on April 11, 1980 regarding the Depart-
ment’s funding policies :
“The funding of the Department must be changed to
emphasize positive socio-economic development pro-
grams for Indian Bands instead of social assistance
dependency. These welfare programs now dangerously
dominate any socio-economic development. In 1980-
81, more than 27 million dollars has been ear-marked
for Bands. Little more than 3 million dollars has been
_ slotted for socio-economic development. Divided
among the 194 Bands of B.C., an average of $140,000
would go to each Band for welfare payments, while
only a miniscule $15,500 would reach each Band for
job creation and economic development. ’’ °
INDIAN CONSULTING GROUP
A new consulting firm has opened its doors for
business in Vancouver recently. NDCS Consultants are
prepared to offer a wide range of development services to
Band Councils, Indian Organizations and individual
business people.
The difference between this consulting group and all
the others in B.C. is that NDCS Consultants is a wholly
Indian-owned business venture. All the partners in the
group are Indian professional people from different parts
_ of the province. They include businessmen, a lawyer,
educators and experienced administrators.
The interim president of the group is Chief Gordon
Antoine, Coldwater Band:
“Our firm has a unique advantage in understanding
and assisting with the aspiration of Bands and indivi-
duals as well as those of other cultural minorities in our
society. We have worked with Band Councils, govern-
ment departments and our own businesses. We know
the problems and we also know the opportunities that
are available.”’
Some of the areas where the group can provide assistance
to Bands are:
community planning
project development (logging, real estate, etc.)
general management services
preparation of funding proposals
staff recruitment
negotiations with government
special Band training courses
environmental and socio-economic impact studies
Gordon Antoine went on to say:
“I would like to emphasize that this is strictly a busi-
ness venture by a group of people with certain skills to
offer. We are not associated with any other provincial
Indian organization or group. We are strictly profes-
sional consultants with a service to offer.’’
NDCS Consultants has an office at 225-744 W. Hastings
Street in Vancouver. The office phone number is
682-7615. The group is presently preparing some litera-
ture which will be sent out to all Band offices later this
month. °
WINDEMERE ELKS
NEW PROVINCIAL INDIAN HOCKEY
CHAMPIONS
by Irvine Harry
During the long Easter Weekend
many fans were treated to excellent
hockey action in Smithers when the
all-native Provincial Hockey Play-
offs took place.
A total of nine teams took part in
all of the action. Two teams came
from each recreational zone in the
province. |
Windermere Elks Zone 3
Merritt Braves Zone 3
Alkali Lake Renegades Zone 4a
Prince George Native Sons Zone 4b
Ft.St. James Chiefs Zone 4b a
Kispiox Warriors Zone 5 »*
Hazelton Wolverines Zone 5
Moricetown Canyon Bears Zone 5
Kitimaat Thunderbirds Zone 5
As zone 5 was hosting the provin- . 7
cial play-offs they had the option of
putting in more than the two-zone »
representatives.
INDIAN WORLD 39
Hockey action got underway with
Fort St. James Chiefs playing against
the Kitimaat Thunderbirds and
winning quite handily.
Other first round action was Win-
dermere Elks beating Kispiox War-
riors, Prince George Native Sons
beating Hazelton, Ft. St. James
Chiefs bettering Merritt Braves and
Moricetown Canyon Bears whipping
Alkali Renegades.
All of the losing teams dropped
into the ‘‘B’’ bracket.
In the ‘‘A’’ events, Windermere
Elks easily handled Prince George
and Ft. St. James Chiefs nipped
Moricetown Canyon Bears. This led
to the quarter finals and had Winde-
mere squaring off against the Fort St.
James Chiefs. The southern team,
Windemere, easily outskated, and
generally outplayed, the Chiefs from
Fort St. James, who incidentally were
the past provincial winner for 2 years
running.
Action on the ‘‘B”’ side:
Kispiox beat Kitimat, Alkali beat
Merritt, Kispiox beat Hazelton, Mor-
icetown beat Kispiox.
Alkali Lake beat Prince George
and Alkali Lake avenged their first
INDIAN WORLD 40
round loss to Moricetown. The two
remaining teams vying for the right to
play against the Windemere Elks
played an excellent game with the
outcome being: Fort St. James finally
beating the fast skating Alkali Lake
Renegades. This set the stage for the
final game between Fort St. James
and Windemere. The result was the
Same as the game for the ‘‘A’’ finals
—Windemere easily -out-classed the
Fort St. James team and thus won the
right to say that they are the Native
Hockey Champions for 1979/80.
Most Valuable Player—Pete Ni-
cholas, Windemere
Most Inspirational Player—Arnie
Ignatius, Alkali
Most Points—Rick Nicholas, Win-
demere.
The final placements for Native
Hockey:
#1 Windemere Elks
32 Fort St. James Chiefs
#3 Alkali Lake Renegades
#4 Moricetown Canyon Bears
#5 Kispiox Warriors
#6 Prince George Native Sons
#7 Hazelton Wolverines
#8 Merritt Braves
#9 Kitimaat Thunderbirds. e
| own area of sports.
ithat the office has to close down, it is
NEED FOR NEW
PROVINCIAL SPORTS
ASSOCIATION
A number of years back the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports and Recre-
ation Federation office was estab-
lished and opened, funded from
Ottawa.
Communications, therefore, was
established and opened doors to
many Indian communities
throughout B.C. who. otherwise
would not have any means of
communicating.
Through this source we were able
to plan better sports activities for our
young people. Tournaments were
established, with the Provincial
Finals determining which community
is the Provincial Champion in their|
Travel was no obstacle for teams
through grants obtained by the B.C.
Native Amateur Sports & Recreation
Federation staff. Young people
struck up friendship among each
Other, learning and becoming aware
of other villages.
Unfortunately, cuts in budget over
the past two years have been felt
throughout B.C., and now the office
is closed. With the closing of the
office communications with other
areas of B.C. are once again broken.
With the cutbacks in budget so severe
like closing the door to the opportu-
nities that are available to our young
people.
If we just accept this to happen it
will be like going back to how we
were in the past....‘‘Isolated once
again’’.
It is up to each community in B.C.
to do something about keeping this|
communication open among Indian
villages, through the B.C. Native
Amateur Sports and _ Recreation
Federation as our head office.
Perhaps each Zone can draft up a
resolution requesting that the B.C.
N.A.S. & R.E. be opened again; there
is a need for this office. Physical
recreation is a preventative program
in regards to alcoholism and drug
abuse. by Mary Green
Fa —_UP-DATE—
WEST COAST OIL PORTS INQUIRY
In August, 1979, the National Energy Board announced
hearings into the matter of application made by Trans
Mountain Pipeline Ltd. and Foothills Oil Pipeline Ltd.
for Certification of Public Convenience and Necessity,
under Part III of the National Energy Board Act.
On October 15th the National Energy Board began its
hearings in Vancouver.
The Foothills Oil Pipeline Company withdrew its
application early in the hearing and consequently the
UBCIC intervention focused on the Trans Mountain
application.
The National Energy Board on February 21, 1980
announced that they were not going to give Trans Moun-
tain Pipeline a permit to construct its Alaskan Oil Pipe-
line until environmental studies have been completed.
Since the National Energy Board decision, Trans
Mountain has announced it will do its environmental
studies and will re-submit its application for a hearing as
early as September, 1980.
URANIUM ENQUIRY
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has completed its
submission to the Bates Inquiry into uranium mining in
British Columbia. Although the Commission of Inquiry
was to terminate when the seven year moratorium on ura-
nium mining and exploration was declared, participants
were asked to prepare submissions on the evidence heard
to date. Some of the highlights of the UBCIC submission
were:
(1) We identified the special concerns that Indian people
have concerning the possibility of uranium mining in
this province and we urged the Commission to make
recommendations to the provincial government which
would recommend and protect our rights and inter-
ests, not only from uranium mining but from all un-
controlled development.
(2) We drafted model legislation which we believe would
ensure that a moratorium on uranium exploration
and mining is observed. The legislation also attempts
to deal with some of the other potential health hazards
identified by the Commission such as uranium in
water and the wastes from all mines.
(3) We provided the Commission with a brief which out-
lines the minimum studies which need to be done
before the initiation of any development which might
interfere with Indian interests.
If Bands or individuals want copies of this material,
please contact the Energy and Resources Portfolio at the
UBCIC.
MUSQUEAM CASE
The Musqueam Band is suing the Department of
Indian Affairs for mismanagement and breach of trust in
leasing their land without the Band’s agreement. The case
re-opened on March 20th and 2lst, 1980, with some
evidence of the lands lease.
Jack Ellis, Crown witness and part share owner of one
of the smaller golf courses on the reserve, told of a con-
versation that took place with Band members around
1961. Ellis had the impression some members of the Band
appeared to know what was in the lease.
All of the Band members denied it. However, the evi-
dence was very vague and the case was closed. The judge :
will be giving his decision on the case in June, 1980.
FISHING CASES»
Leslie Edmonds was found guilty but given a discharge
on part of the Judge’s decision that Fisheries negotiate
with the Indian people.
May 5, 1980: Peter John, 40, a member of the Hope
Band was charged of fishing with a net near Ruby Creek,
seven miles west of Hope on August 6, 1979. His case was
heard April 10, 1980 and has been held over to May 15,
1980.
April 29, 1980: Rene Kelly was charged with unmarked
fish on October 31, 1979 at Mission. Her case was
adjourned. :
HUNTING CASE
April 14, 1980: D‘arcy Simpson of the Tsartlip Band was
charged with possession of a firearm. His case was
dropped on April 14, 1980.
Angus Davis: The Legal Team has since taken action
against the Majestic Wiley Construction Co. for the
damages caused to Angus’s traplines in the Fort St. John
area. There will be an examination for discovery some
time in May, 1980.
Raymond Bob of Anaham was charged for shooting
moose and grouse out of season. The charges against him
were dropped on March 24, 1980 because the hunting
took place on reserve land. The judge told the Indian
delegates present at the court to consider it a victory on
their part. |
April 24, 1980: Fred Shields was charged with hunting for
food in the Lillooet area. His case was adjourned for
another date not set.
INDIAN WORLD 41
“NOT GUILTY”:
getting back our Hunting Rights
For over two years now, Indian
hunters have been going before the
courts and have been pleading not
guilty to hunting charges. In Septem-
ber of 1978, Francis Haines told the
court that he had a right to hunt. He
also told the court that the Provincial
Government was acting . illegally in
the way they applied the Provincial
Wildlife Act because, by denying out
of season hunting sustenance permits,
Indian people were in fact being
denied their rights to hunt.
Now two years have passed. Our
efforts have paid off. Two weeks ago,
the Attorney-General of British Co-
lumbia announced that from this time
onwards, it will be the policy of the
Attorney-General of British Columbia
not to proceed with hunting charges
against Indian people who have been
charged when they are hunting tradi-
tionally for food. The Attorney-Gen-
eral’s office also said that they inten-
ded to negotiate with the Indian peo-
ple to put in law (the Wildlife Act)
our Indian concerns over traditional
food hunting.
The Victory is Far From
Complete
We have learned from the Attorney
-General’s office that the Wildlife
Officers do not agree with the posi-
tion taken by the Attorney-General.
In fact Wildlife Officers continue to
arrest and press charges against
Indian people who are hunting tradi-
tionally for food.
Fred Shields, an Indian hunter
from Seton Lake, was to appear in
Court for a hunting charge in Lillooet
Thursday, April 17th. Fred is a 49
year old Indian who was hunting deer
to feed his wife and four children.
UBCIC lawyers contacted the prose-
cutor and asked that the charges
against him be dropped. We made the
request based upon the announce-
ment of the Attorney-General’s office
several weekks ago. The prosecutor
refused to drop the charges immedi-
ately, saying that he would only drop
the charges against Indian people
who are hunting for sustenance. In
other words, the prosecutor was put-
ting himself in the position which the
Indian Hunters are
Wildlife Officers previously took; so
if the Indian person was hunting for
sustenance, as defined by non-
Indians, out of season hunting may
be permitted. After negotiating with
the prosecutor and lawyers for the
Provincial Government, the
Provincial Government agreed to ad-
journ Fred’s trial so the matter can be
looked into further.
Victory Brought About by
Indians Pleading Not Guilty
All those Indian hunters who pled
not guilty over the last two years and
fought their case have really helped
all Indian people along in having
hunting rights recognized in law.
There is still a great deal of work to
do. Only some people within the Pro-
vincial Government are convinced
that Indian hunters have rights which
should be enforced in law. There is
still a good deal of negotiation and
education to take place among other
members of the Provincial Govern-
ment and the public at large. e
HUNTING AND TRAPPING PORTFOLIO.
At the Northern Regional Confer-
ence in Fort St. John, March 13 and
14, 1980, Hunting. and Trapping
was a major agenda item. The
Chiefs at the conference passed a
resolution to hold a Trappers
Forum in Williams Lake in the 4th
week of June.
The guidelines given at the North-
ern Regional Conference for the
Hunting and Trapping Steering
Committee for the Northern Region
are as follows:
® Breakdown of Wildlife Act.
¢ How to register traplines.
¢ Interference of companies and
farmers.
e Expanding Indian traplines and
Band traplines.
* Trappers’ support programs.
INDIAN WORLD 42
¢ Trappers’ Co-op on Reserve.
e Fur selling.
® Purchase of equipment.
e Fur enhancement programs.
¢ Trapping rights.
® Breakdown of trapline
¢ Breakdown of trapline meaning.
¢ Individual trapper problems.
® Protection of Indian trappers,
cabins, property.
Two or three representatives from
each district will sit on the Steering
Committee, to ensure and assist the
Union in work that has to be done.
On April 8 and 9, the Fort St.
John District Council discussed the
Trapping Forum. The Chiefs passed
a motion that all persons wishing to
attend the Trappers Forum give one
beaver pelt of reasonable size and
quality to cover travel expenses. If
there were any dollars left over, they
will be used to finance another
Trappers Forum next year or cover
costs for meetings dealing with
Hunting and Trapping.
In order to organize for the trap-
pers who will attend the Forum, it
would be much appreciated if a list
could be made and sent or phoned
in to the Union office by May 15,
1980. We will then make the neces-
sary travel arrangements. It would
also be appreciated if people attend-
ing could bring their own bedrolls
and tents.
For more information, call Steven
Basil, Co-ordinator, at 684-0231,
lacal #20. °
DAMNING ‘4. =~
THE LIARD am
(
{
7
My
\
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs passed a resolution at ‘
“
its 11th Annual General Assembly that the UBCIC
should oppose any large scale hydro-electric project
proposed by B.C. Hydro, including those planned for the
Peace, Liard, and Stikine rivers.
On April 1-2, 1980, five people from the community of
Location of Existing & Potential
Hydroelectric Projects in B.C.
& Existing or under construction
‘. Potential Hydroelectric Project
SMORE CREEK
ISKUT B
Lower Post participated in a workshop on the proposed_ , aPEACE
B.C. Hydro Dams on the Liard River. Basically the 5" ante C
workshop was to review B.C. Hydro’s plans for the Liard 3 ee “he E |
fe
River and to do an examination of B.C. Hydro from our ‘
past experiences in dealings with them on other issues and
on Hydro in general. We also discussed Land Use Studies
and the impacts the proposed dams on the Liard river
would have on the community of Lower Post.
Proposed Liard Dam to be one of World’s Largest
In mid-1978, B.C. Hydro announced that possible
hydro-electric projects on two major river basins in nor-
thern B.C. were being intensively studied: the Liard, the
Stikine and Iskut rivers.
The Liard River rises in the Yukon and enters B.C.
near Watson Lake. It flows about 480 kilometres through
B.C., around where the Lower Post community is situ-
ated, and the river flows on a further 368 kilometres
through the Northwest Territories to Ft. Simpson where
it discharges into the Mackenzie River.
In the summer of 1979, B.C. Hydro went into its
second summer of engineering and feasibility studies into
plans for hydro-electric power development at the Liard
River.
To dam the Liard would create the same amount of
power as the Peace, which is one of the largest hydro-
electric power projects in the world. B.C. Hydro’s plans
for the Liard would involve 3-5 dams and a reservoir. The
reservoir would be twice as large as the man-made Willis-
ton Lake.
B.C. Hydro’s studies are supposed to include
hydrology, plant ecology, fisheries biology, wildlife bio-
logy, and forestry, mining and recreation resources.
Hydro Studies Irrelevant to indian Concerns
Although the feasibility studies have been underway
for over two years B.C. Hydro’s first drop-in visit to
Lower Post was in the late fall of 1979. They asked the
Indian people to participate in a questionnaire. The
Indian people would not participate because the ques-
tionnaire was so irrelevant to their way of life and
because there was no prior consultation. They told B.C.
Hydro that they would do their own study on the impacts
of Hvdro’s plans.
Me
GKEMANO ~~ |
i
oe 4 = MeGREGOR
Vy, hit e DIVERSION
Ie Ay rf
a8
{3 ue ae
J
a
jaTarieona | bone > ELAHO or REAL y 3 a
eee ei wcHeKamus a t
foc VER Lowen “ees 9 toe 5
Xs RIVER euNZEHM S j b ”
~, % v WsTave wanvencn ‘
“ Sel GS ar ee KOOTENAY
Jomvan ?., { DIVERSION
Sy eT
Whole Reserves would be Flooded
Hydro’s plans for the Liard River would be devastating
tothe Indian people. Two reserves are situated in the
flood area. Almost all of their traditional and aboriginal
territories would be flooded, therefore destroying their
hunting, trapping and fishing territories including their
year round camps. Archaeological sites, recreational acti-
vities, and a total way of life would be destroyed. People
in this area rely heavily on moose, black bear, grizzly,
caribou, fox, wolves, beaver, coyote, lynx—all these and
different species of fish would be flooded out.
There is also the possibility of homes being flooded,
and whole Indian Reserve lands. The community of
Lower Post and Upper Liard have made it very clear that
their Reserves are not for sale and are not interested in
' any land surrenders so that they can be flooded. The
‘people have also made it clear that they are going to
struggle to save their way of life and to preserve their
environment which provides for their way of life.
The Lower Post community is in the process of devel-
oping a Land Use Study with the Union and are working
on ways and means of protecting their reserve lands and
their traditional and aboriginal territories. e
Koorenay’ i
+ CANAL \ ira {
INDIAN WORLD 43
THESE MOUNTAINS ARE OUR SACRED PLACES
This book was written and researched by Chief John
Snow of the Morley Reserve in Alberta. He is the elected
chief of the Wesley Band of the Stoney Indians. He deals
primarily with the problems his people have encountered
since the signing of Treaty 7, which encompasses his
people.
He begins the book in the tradition of all Indian people
throughout North America, in the oral tradition. It did
not really dawn on me until much later, for it did seem as
his voice were speaking out to me; or was it a voice that I
had heard before, perhaps the voice of one of my Elders.
I believe that it is the universal voice of all Indians
throughout North America, one which speaks of strong,
healthy, proud, and very traditional people.
He then discusses the coming of the white settlers and
the missionaries who were very influential, in conjunc-
tion with the Federal Government, in getting the Indians
to accept the influx of white settlers. An appropriate quo-
tation from the book which I found to sum up the
situation is:
‘*Before the whiteman came we had the land, they had
the Bible. Now we Indians have the Bible, they have
the land.’’
He also speaks of the concept of Christianity, which is
sharing, which was nothing new to Indian people, as the
sharing of all things that were essential was part of the
Indian people’s lives. This is one of the reasons that he
states why Indian people were so easily swayed into
Christianity.
He then goes on to explain the frustrations felt by his
people in the signing of the treaty, where the biggest
problem was the translation, There were times when three
different languages had to be spoken, from Stoney to
Cree then to English. Their interpreter at that time was a
missionary. As a result, during the translation of the lan-
guages between the Chief who signed the treaties and the
government official, the actual meanings were
interpreted improperly. Consequently the Indians at that
time were misled into signing a legal document of which
INDIAN WORLD 44
by Chief John Snow.
their understanding was very different from what was
contained in the treaty. |
Some of the Indians that were present during the sign-
ing of the treaty, had believed that they were signing a
peace treaty. They had heard of some of the rebellions
that were happening in eastern Canada and the
movement of various Indian tribes from the United
States into Canada. One of the chiefs had asked the
Lieutenant Governor the real meaning of the proposal,
and was told, ‘to make peace between us.’
_ There are also very fine examples of how the Depart-
ment of Indian Affairs. consistently gave in to the
demands of public outcry of the white society. One exam-
ple was the grazing rights for cattle and horses: the white
settlers usually were given preference over the Indians in
the selections of their choice of land available for such
purposes.
Indian people were also confined to their reserves
except when they were issued a pass from the department.
I found it very disturbing that they were not allowed to
move freely without fear of imprisonment. The Jews in
Nazi-occupied Europe were also persecuted if they were
apprehended without the Star of David sewn to their
clothes.
I would recommend this book for reading to both
Indian and non-Indians from the age of sixteen and over.
I believe that this book recreates the mood and life-style
of Indians today and the past, although it is focussed
mainly on the Stoney Indians. It reflects what was
happening to most Indians (whether it was treaty or non-
treaty), for we were all dealing with the same enemy: the
envroavhment of the white settlers, the coming of the
missionaries and the infringement of policies from the
government, which were designed to strip us of all human
dignity and to become solely dependent on what is later
termed by the white saciety as government handouts.
This book may be purchased for $12.95 at most book-
stores throughout B.C. °
by Reg Percival
The First Water Lily
by Heather Spence
My people have this story about the first water lily.
Long ago some Indians lived by a lake in the moun-
tains. They fished in the lake and hunted in the forest.
One night a hunter went high up the mountain to talk to
his friend, the Owl. It was dark and the sky was full of
stars. One star was enormous and beautiful and very very
bright. The hunter went home to wake everybody up. He
wanted them to see the strange star. en
The people were frightened of the huge star. They did * ere ell
not know if it meant good luck or bad luck. The Chief 0S 7: i ee
told a man called Red Sky to go up on top of the ae +7 i. ya
mountain to ask the star whv she is there:
‘*Beautiful star, why are you there?’’ he yelled up at
her.
“*T would like to live with you because everyone in your... .2° 30 17 oo
village is so happy, dancing, singing, laughing, playing, a ‘geen
fishing, swimming.”’
When the star heard the good news she went on top of
the mountain to live, but it was too far from the village.
Then she tried on top of a fir tree, but she could not see
through the branches. |
Red Sky went down the mountain to ask the Chief if
that would be okay. The Chief said, ‘‘That would be
terrific.”’
So the beautiful star floated down to the lake and
stayed there forever because she was happy.
The people in the village were very happy the lovely
star had found a place where she could see the children
playing and laughing.
She soon turned into the very first water lily.
This is a simplified re-told legend from “Tales of
Nokomis’’ by Petronella Johnston. e
INDIAN WORLD 45
B.C. INDIANS TOP BOXERS
Story of the Buckskin Gloves Tournament
The first Buckskin Boy was Freddy
Baker from the Totem Athletic Club
in North Vancouver in 1951. Fred
Baker was also acclaimed Canada’s
Greatest Indian Athlete of that year.
‘In 1955 to 1957, a flashy Eddie
Campbell won the honour of being
the Buckskin Boy. This is the longest
period a boxer has been acclaimed
this title. In 1957 Eddie Campbell
also won the coveted Tom Longboat
Trophy which is awarded to Canada’s
outstanding Indian Athlete.
Although the first Buckskin Boy
was in 1951, the Buckskin Gloves
Tournament was first staged in 1949.
The first Tournament was held at St.
Paul’s School in North Vancouver
and was such a success that an annual
tournament was planned. The
tournament was to be all native con-
~ testants and Grand Chief Andy Paull
suggested they be called the ‘‘Buck-
skin Gloves.’’
Prior to the first annual tourna-
ment the boxing shows were very
small and held on various reserves,
with meagre equipment and limited
facilities. From the Reserves, the
exhibitions were held in various halls
Joe Todd (age 14), 1980 Golden Glove
Champ, Kamloops, B.C.
INIHAN WORLD 46
sinoy AIO :0]04Ug
Gerald Peters (age 19), has won two
Buckskin titles 1978, 1980, Vernon,
B.C.
and auditoriums in Vancouver and
throughout the Lower Mainland. The
cards were always an artistic success
but a financial failure. People scoffed
at the idea of an all-Indian boxing
show ever being a big attraction but a
inan by the name of Alex Strain and a
committee held faith in their belief.
VERNON, B.C. In 1978 the
Buckskin Boxing Tournament was
brought into the Interior of British
Columbia for the first time in the
history of this all-Native Tourna-
ment. Since 1978, this tournament
has been bid on by boxing clubs in
B.C. for the right to hold this presti-
gious Native Boxing Tournament and
we have been successful in bidding
for the last three years. This year
Williams Lake was the successful
bidder. Each year that the Buckskin
Gloves have been held in Vernon, the
sIno’y AlsWY :oj0Ud
interest in Native athletics has in- —
creased and improved.
This year for the first time the top
Boxers in B.C, are Native. At major
tournaments this year, at least 8 have
been won by Native Indians. CLIFF
BALENDINE of Victoria won the
most prestigious award, ‘‘Junior
by Emery Louis
Golden Boy Award.’ Other Native
boys to win in major tournaments
were Mark Michel of Astoria, Bronze
Boy; Randy Gallor of Astoria, Jade
Boy; Joe Todd of Kamloops, Jr.
Golden Glove Winner to mention a
few. Most of these boys will be
making a trip East to represent B.C.
in the Canadian Championships. This
team will:comprise of at least 6 Junior
Native Boxers.
The results of the 1980 Buckskin
Boxing Tournament are as follows:
Sr. Buckskin Boy—Allan Deuth,
Williams Lake
Runner-up—Gerald Peters, Okan-
agan Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Junior Buckskin Boy—Cliff Bal-
lendine, Victoria
Runner-up—Curtis Gensaw, Cali-
fornia
Best Prospect—William Napier,
Yakima
Best Bout—Dempsey Gregorie,
Vernon/Cliff Ballendine, Victoria
Most Successful Club—Okanagan
Native Athletic Club, Vernon
Clubs that participated in the
Buckskin Gloves were from Califor-
nia, Oregon, Washington, Alberta
and B.C. °
Don Louis (age 16), Three year Buck-
skin Champion 1978, 1979, 1980,
Vernon, B.C.
FRASER VALLEY NATIVE
BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
On April 18-19 the Fraser Valley Native Boxing Club
sponsored the biggest Invitational Boxing Card held at
the Chilliwack Coliseum.
During the two-day card it is estimated that thirteen
hundred spectators attended the Coliseum. Archie Moore
was the attending celebrity, the former world light
heavyweight Champion. Accompanying Archie was his
Queen Charlotte Islands boxing team.
There were a total of 127 contenders from Saskatch-
ewan, Regina, British Columbia, Oregon, California and
Alaska.
Most Sportsmanlike Boxer: Tom Harris of Nicola
Valley Boxing Club, Merritt, B.C.
Best Club: Regina Boxing Club, Saskatchewan.
Senior Buckskin: Dixon Davis, 18 years, of Warm
Springs, Oregon.
Runner-up: Andrew Mosquito of Regina.
Junior Buckskin: 14-year-old Isaac Taite of the
Astoria boxing club, Burnaby, B.C.
Runner-up: Greg Laboucane of Langley, B.C.
Chilliwack’s Ray Bailie was the highlight as the Best
Senior bout, defeating George Mason. Earlier this year
Mason won a bronze medal at the Canadian nationals.
Best Senior Novice: Both weighing in at 139 pounds
and 17 years old, Lionel Samuels of Sandspit fought
against Dixon Davis.
Best Junior was fought between Greg Laboucane of
Langley and Randy Galler of Astoria Club, Burnaby,
B.C.
Best Junior Novice: Wade Shaffer, Regina Club,
against Isaac Taite, Astoria club, Burnaby, B.C.
Gary Authenieth won the heavyweight junior division
by a knockout in the second round.
The Intermediate class was won by Roy Barrett, 147
pounds, beating Desmond Teewee of Warm Springs,
Oregon. Ron Hurst came second in the Senior 125-pound
class when he lost to Dusty Isbister in the finals.
Brian Skrysnick came second, after losing to Jay
Gallagher, Astoria Club, in their final. 9
Stephen Authenrieth was the uncontested intermediate
heavyweight winner. Stephen fought a special exhibition
and lost to Chester Kelly of Whitehorse. It was Stephen
Authenrieth’s first fight and Kelly’s thirtieth.
Cyril Prescott was second in the 90 pound class. He
lost in the final to Lorne Mike of Nicola Boxing Club.
John Silver placed second in 119 pound class. He lost
to Cliff Balendine of Victoria, present B.C. Golden
Gloves Champion.
Ambrose Silver was the uncontested winner in the
intermediate open class 106 pounds.
_ Pictures and Story by Greg Contois
Moore, a living legend in the boxing world, was born
either 1913 or 1916. He is said to be the oldest boxer to
hold titles of any weight class in boxing history. From
1936 to 1946 Moore recorded 136 knockouts, more than
any other in a boxing career.
On 1956 November 30 in his early 40’s he challenged for
the heavyweight title which was left open after Rocky
Marciano’s retirement. Moore lost in the fifth round to
22 year old Floyd Patterson. Moore retired in his late
40’s, still holding his title up to 1962. e
INDIAN WORLD 47
de HELP WANTED—
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER
Bringing into priority, strong family ties, helping families
to grow in unity, love, and understanding.
Job Description:
Help set up family budgets.
Assessing individual family strengths and weaknesses.
Counselling on a one-to-one basis.
Identify family needs.
Provide referral service for families,
Assisting families or individuals to take advantage of
community services.
Provide supportive services to children in care.
Work to improve family relations, thereby lessening
family breakdown.
Working with broken homes.
Working relationship with Social Worker, Community
Health Representative, Drug & Alcohol Counsellor,
Band Council.
Qualifications:
Minimum Grade 12.
A high degree of maturity.
Demonstrate ability to work effectively with families
and children on the reserve.
Experience in community development.
Preferable with undergraduate training in behavioural
science.
Submit Applications to:
Lower Similkameen Indian Band
P.O. Box 100
Keremeos, B.C., VOX 1NO
Attention: Josephine Terbasket, Social Worker.
Deadline Date for Applications: May 22nd, 1980.
Job Starting: June 2nd, 1980,
Salary: $25,000+ depending upon experience.
Full benefits available.
Please submit in confidence resume to:
Ms. Nancy Plasway
President
Burns Lake Native Development Corporation
Box 1030
Burns Lake, B.C.
VOJ 1E0
ALCOHOL COUNSELLOR
Massett, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.— A vacancy has
occurred at Massett for a qualified and/or experienced
Alcohol Counsellor for the Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Program. The successful candidate would be required to
re-organize the program which has been in existence for
about 3 years. They would work with one part-time assis-
tant.
Within the terms of the project, which is financed by
the National Alcohol Abuse Program, the Counsellor
must be of Native Indian origin.
Applicants should write for further information to:
Dagaanthl Tlaat, P.O. Box 189, Massett, B.C. VOT 1Mo.
Closing date for applications will be May 24th, 1980.
Aa
wv
MANAGER,
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATION
Required to develop and monitor business opportunities
for native people in a small but growing community in
North Central B.C.
Should have experience in finance, economics, and cor-
porate planning.
University education in commerce and economics is an
| asset.
Previous employment experience in a native community
Lor organization.is essential.
INDIAN WORLD 48
NATIONAL ASSOCIA‘LivN
OF FRIENDSHIP CENTRES
requires a
SOCIAL FACILITATOR
Duties:
¢ Develop working relationships between the NAFC
~ and non-native organizations that are concerned with
issues related to urban and migrating native peoples
e Aid non-native organizations to develop and imple-
ment effective policies that facilitate the development
of urban and migrating native peoples on a national
and local level as well as to communicate these pol-
icies to all interested groups
® Respond to local requests for information, resources
and support
e Act as a staff resource to the community interaction -
committee of the NAFC Board of Directors and
work under the direct daily --ipervision of the NAFC
Executive Director.
Qualifications:
e An extensive understanding of the cultures of native
peoples and a special knowledge of the needs and
aspirations of migrating and urban native peoples
® The ability to sensitize non-natives to native values
through public speaking and interpersonal skills
¢ Extensive knowledge of non-government and service
organizations
® Good organizational skills
© Proven ability in the communication arts, both writ-
ten and spoken
e Freedom to travel
e Ability to speak a native language is not a require-
ment, but will be considered an asset.
Salary: Negotiable, please state salary expectation.
Closing Date: May 15, 1980.
Apply in Writing to:
Executive Director
National Association of Friendship Centres
200 Cooper St., Suite 3
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0G1
Telephone: (613) 563-4844
QUESNEL TILLICUM SOCIETY
Native Friendship Centre
319 N. Fraser Dr., Quesnel, B.C. V2J 1Y8
992-8347
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Applicant Should Possess:
e Experience in dealing with the problems and needs of
native people in an urban and rural environment.
e The public relations skills and experience necessary
to deal effectively with government agencies, other
native Indian organizations and groups and the local
native and non-native community.
® The ability to manage a diverse staff engaged primar-
ily in providing social assistance; referrals; and cul-
tural, social and recreational programs to native
people in this community.
e The administrative experience to work effectively
under the direction of and in close consultation with
the Centre’s Board of Directors.
Qualifications:
e A university graduate or high school graduate with
considerable experience in related job areas.
e Administrative, Personnel, and Financial skills to
manage a staff and budget.
® Administrative experience with native organizations
a definite asset.
® Counselling or community development skills and
experience an asset.
* Knowledge of various funding sources.
Salary: Negotiable.
Closing Date: May 19, 1980. Reply in writing curriculum
vitae and copies of references. Specify on reply
: Attention Selection Committee.
~s
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Indian Government Portfolio
Technical Co-ordinator
This portfolio focuses on developing the concept of
Indian Government. An understanding of the |
British North America Act and the Indian Act is a must. |
It is also important that the person be able to develop a
good working relationship with people.
Qualifications:
© Familiarity with Band Council Administration
e Must be able to organize meetings and workshops
related to Indian Government
e Must be able to supervise and direct a team-oriented
office staff, organize and monitor in-coming work }
from the field ;
Duties to Include:
e Providing Bands with resource people and informa-
tion relating to Indian Government
e Assist Bands in Developing policies and by-laws to
meet community needs
e Evaluate government policies and programs
® Assist Bands in developing Strategies in strengthening
their government powers
® Analyze documents in existing legislation with refer-
ence to Indian government authority
Applicants must be willing to travel extensively.
Salary will be negotiated commensurate with experience.
References are necessary.
Deadline for Applications: May 30th, 1980.
Please submit resumes to the attention of:
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs
3rd Floor —440 West Hastings
FIELD RESEARCHERS
Twenty students are being hired this summer to work as
field researchers with various Bands. The main objective
of this project is to promote and strengthen the concept
of Indian Government. All information gathered will be
compiled into resource booklets, which will then be made
available to all Bands in B.C.
Duties to include:
® Working with communities and travel to]
neigbouring Bands as well
e Organizing meetings and/or workshops at the
community level
Salary: Salary will be $12U/week.
The project extends from now until August 29th, 1980.
*Please note that as of April 15th, 1980, of the twenty
field research positions, /0 are still available. If you are
interested or have any questions have your Band mana-
ger or Chief contact the Indian Government Portfolio. J
INDIAN WORLD 49
Indian Writers Workshop
An Indian writer has special responsibilities to both herself/himself and to the Indian communities that (s)he visits and
writes about. We need Indian writers to emerge from our Indian community whether they write from their life experi-
ences as Indians or from a broader perspective. And we need to support and encourage each other as Indian writers.
These messages surfaced at the 3rd Annual Indian Writers Workshop held April Ist to the 3rd at the Coqualeetza
Cultural Education Centre. Maria Campbell, author of ‘‘Half Breed’’ and several children’s books, led the workshop,
More than 15 of us attended the workshop, some for the second or third time. We spent a day doing role-playing, in
which each person developed the character of a member of a fictitious reserve, and became that person for a day. Each of
us found that experience a bit disturbing, frustrating—it gave us a lot to ponder. We re-learned an important lesson:
when we go to acommunity we are dealing with people, human beings who continue to exist after we’ve made them part
of words on a page. It is not our duty or even within our ability to judge, but it is our duty to dig for those things, those
facts and feelings, that lie below what is superficial and easy to see.
This is a part of what defines us as Indian writers: knowing who we are, and trying to convey a sense of our people to
others, Indian or non-Indian.
Suggestion
by Gloria Thomas Hiil—Cogqualeetza
This year’s workshop, and those held during the previous
two years, emphasized the importance of personal
responsibility and developing a community of Indian
writers. For three days we shared our feelings of joy, fear
and frustration as Indian writers. For many of us, it was
a painful but very necessary release.
“Tell us the story K’noha,’’
They climb up over the steel rim bed into the two
soft mattresses and under the covers. They never really
‘‘made’’ their beds, that is to pull their sheets back
taut or tight, but rather smoothed and straightened the
. blankets and quilts instead. It was winter.
The little girl had two small brothers who were con-
stant companions and bedtime was the time for stor-
ies, when all three children lay back to dream and
wonder :
‘Well, there was this man and his name was Tadah-
dahoh. He had all snakes in his hair. He was such a
terrible man that he could not look at anyone or no one
could look at him. He used to live amongst the people but
after this happened to him he couldn’t anymore.
It was a terrible thing that happened. He soon went
away to live in a cave. It just had to go that way. Tadah-
dahoh who carried a rattle so that when someone ap-
proached he would shake it fast and hard to let you know
that he was there. When you heard that rattle you knew
that it was his, there was no other sound like that.”’
Her mother swallowed softly and drew the covers
over the children. Since the little girl could remember,
her mother’s hair was white—it never felt like hair—
almost like ashes. Her hands were smooth and shiny,
and dark: they were small hands with long curvy fingers
which always smelled like tobacco.
This other man, the one I can’t mention his name, he
was walking through the land talking to our people. We
were a bad people then, we killed and fought each other,
some even ate another man. In a stone boat he came to
talk to us, and at the same time that Tadahdahoh was
living in the cave. .
When he first reached the land he came to a village and
they would not give him shelter. He had to sleep in the
cold ground outside the village and every day the people
came to test him and to try his strength. He claimed he
was the great law and the great spirit had sent him but
they would not listen. He had to show them the power
that the Creator had given him, then they let him in. The
first people that he came to he called Gonyengie’ea. They
were the Mohawks; the first nation to be gathered and
they lived at the eastern door: Now he went into the
village and chose an evil woman who poisoned people to
be a part of this new way. When she heard him talk, she
changed right away to be right and good. She was the
first grandmother.’’ —
By this time the children were dozing off.
The little girl fixed her body and curled her legs
up close to her chest. Her smallest brother leaned up
against her back and he was breathing evenly and stea-
~ dily now.
_ ‘Well, this man he went to the cave on his way to his
next village. He heard Tadahdahoh’s rattle and he spoke
to him,
‘Don’t be afraid and alone now. Come out from
there and bring your rattle.’
‘‘Tadahdahoh just laid close to the wall of the cave:
that’s how he lived, you know, just laid there in the cave.
Well this Tadahdahoh, he became firekeeper at the Great
Council after this other man got all the nations together.
He still has his rattle. It has lots of power. His name is
Tadahdahoh today, the man who keeps the fire.
The next time the mother told the story it would be
about the following nation to be formed. She would
tell about the people and events that made up each
nation. Eventually the entire story of the peace-making
journey would unfold. How could the children know
then that this was the story of the great peacemaker,
whose name still is not to be mentioned openly, of the
clans and the feats of the longhouse of the Confed-
eracy of the Six Nations that expand between the
eastern and western drawers. How could the children
know then that it was the story about them. . . Iroquois.
j
_ Came into this world
ACT I Ss
>
I’m screaming
Glass
TWO-ACT POEM Shatters and
by Val Dudoward cracks
ACTI Raging, Eagles cry
Sweating blood, clouds weep your stories
My people. I But and
It was so long ago Felt Nobody hears. Happy songs;
That I called you by Myself slip and trip, Family We'll
that collective name. Not wanting to Friends sing
Now I am wiser. Get up Touch me When
You speak the language But Tell me I visit you.
Of those who cut out your tongues; Finding myself what and
’ You wear the clothes On my feet where and why— And
Of those who stripped you naked; each time. What you’ll say,
You go to the churches new kind am I Just
* Of those who raped you; Where Like
You drive into your coffins do we meet you always used to,
the nails that they invented. and Why That
My heart weeps blood is there no My birth was meant
For those flection of me... to be
Who danced for strength, and My time
Whose shadows still dance isnow And...
On this earth.
Where are they now,
Those people?
Sometimes
I catch a glimpse
Of my ancestors
In the eyes of
Bums on Skid Row.
They know,
But
They don’t YZ
GG
Fight anymore.
And from time to time
The eyes of a ‘‘successful”’
Indian
Cry out with the pain
Of what they’ve misplaced.
Oh
They all know...
But it was lost
Dust in the wind,
Long before
They
\
\\\
\
YY
\\
a
\
WN
TNH
Yes,
My heart weeps blood -
For those
Who danced for strength
Whose shadows still dance
On this earth.
= sed
‘ AlEMle
I fell into the cracks
of the sidewalk ees Each time, avoiding mirrors Grandfather,
And Running I Grandfather
Lay there But need a friend, Pll visit you .
With the Still . Let’s share secrets Soon
Fingers of dust. outside in inside out That Under your
But only we
Cold North-Wind can’t get away. can keep; Ta tie hiddenillexe
Blew I
Me back to Earth. Screaming Love
es
FROM: UNION OF B.C. INDIAN CHIEFS
440 WEST HASTINGS ST.
VANCOUVER, B.C. V6B 1L1
is = J)
Pa Cone oe el
Ennombre
troisiéeme
class classe
Vancouver B.C.
4207
Our supplement this month is Education (pages 21 to
32), but it does not include desks and blackboards—
the traditional symbols of ‘‘Learning’’. An experience
called Owl Rock Camp is introduced by Jeannette
Bonneau and Penticton Indian Band Education
Committee. Those who share their feelings about the
camp are: Elders Selina Timoykin, Larry Timoykin, and
Rachel Paul; Young People Lisa Paul, Florence Baptiste,
Holly Baptiste, Murray Timoykin, Carrie Jack, Joanna
Qualtier, and Larry Kenoras (Wholthonecha); and
visitors Jean Aquash, Ojibwa, and Anita Cheer of the
Colville Reservation in Washington State. Elder Eddy
Thevarge talks about his early years at St. Mary’s Resi-
\ dential School and his political feelings about it now.
Physical health is a part of our education, too, and we
have a report on The Fraser Valley Boxing Champion-
ships by Greg Contois (pages 46-47). Irvine Harry of the
Caribou Trail Council has the results of the All-Native
Provincial Hockey Finals (pages 39-40), and Emery Louis
of Vernon has a story on the Buckskin Gloves.
Community news comes from Ervin Charleyboy of
Alexis Creek, who has news of their trapping and Indian
agricultural enterprise. Denelle Eugene of Shuswap talks
about the changes spring is bringing to their area. (page
12).
A community of writers is what prompted Gloria
Thomas Hill, program assistant at Coqualeetza Cultural
Education Centre, to write the story of Tadahdahoh.
(page 50) The community of Kitamaat is shared by Mary
Green, who works in the Land Claims Office of the
Kitamaat Band Council (page 16). The story of the end of
the B.C. Native Sports Federation and its effect on
isolated communities (page 40) is also written by Mary
Green.
The communities of the Hazelton area sent off 36
students to Europe recently: Cindy Joseph of the
Hagwilget Band describes the two-week experience (page
19). And elementary school student Heather Spence of
the Squamish Band tells the story of The First Water Lily
(page 45). Our thanks to everyone who worked to create a
new feeling and look for this April issue of INDIAN
WORLD.
Part of Indian World - volume 3, number 1 (April, 1980)