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UBCIC News - volume 1, number 9 (February, 1979)
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UBCIC News - volume 1, number 9 (February, 1979)
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1.06-01.03 Nesika: UBCIC News
1.06.-01 Newsletters and bulletins sub-series
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February 1979
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9
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english
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1.06-01.03-03.01
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INDIAN GOVERNMENT AND LAND CLAIMS
REVISIONS TO THE INDIAN ACT
EDNA NED WINS!
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Beth Cuthand
Pauline Douglas
George Manuel. Terry Starr. Val Dudoward
Jeannette Bonneau
Dinah Schooner
Gene Joseph
Sylvia Woods
Linda Jordan
John Warren
Clifford Hanuse.
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UBCIC NEWS NO. 1, VOLUME 9 FEBRUARY, 1979 INDIAN GOVERNMENT AND LAND CLAIMS REVISIONS TO THE INDIAN ACT EDNA NED WINS! ONE DOLLAR EDITORIAL I arrived in Montreal late in the afternoon of November 10, 1975. It was getting to get dark by the time I reached the Holiday Inn where the Inuit and Cree were negotiating the final details of their Land Claims settlement: The James Bay Agreement. Ever since the agreement-in-principle was adopted by all parties on Nov. 15, 1974, the Cree and Inuit negotiators had been heavily criticized, not only from other Indian Inuit and Metis organizations across Canada, but also from their own constituents, who objected strongly. Inuit Communities: Sugluk, Akulivik and Povungnituk refused to be signatories to the surrender of Aboriginal Rights. They had been under extreme pressure ever since Premier Bourrassa announced the James Bay hydro- electric project in April 1971. The giant project would dam or divert all the major rivers of James Bay and build powerhouses which would increase the hydro-electric production of Canada by 30% but would be sold to the Eastern United States. The Inuit and Cree would be heavily impacted by the project, their hunting and trapping lifestyle would be destroyed. The Crees initiated a court action in 1972 requesting a permanent injunction to halt the project. This action which the Inuit later became party to, dragged on for two years, at the same time as the land claims negotiations which moved slowly as the Quebec government refused to take the Inuit and Indians seriously. ‘‘They had suffered enough,’’ I thought, ‘‘all those pressures on them and the pressure of being in the public eye, of being watched all the time by the media, must I, an Indian reporter, question them now? Why doesn’t everybody just leave them alone?”’ But there 1 was, walking into the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Montreal, covering ‘‘an historic landmark.’’ What would I ask them: How does it feel to lose? Why did you give away your aboriginal rights? I stood in the lobby wondering how I would conduct the interviews, when suddenly a door opened down the corridor. I could hear the sounds of a large number of people. The crowd rounded the corner and came into my line of vision. What I saw next will remain imprinted on my mind until I die. I stood rooted to the spot as the Inuit and Crees walked down the corridor toward me. The negotiations had ended. The strain, the grief and an infinite weariness was worn on every face. As they walked around me, I could feel their grief and pain and it touched the core of my soul. ‘‘Thev know what they’re giving up.’’ I thought, ‘“‘They know far better than we do.’’ They fought courageously and with dignity to save their way of life, but the James Bay Inuit and Cree didn’t stand a chance of negotiating a just settlement. Facing the combined might of the Quebec government, multi-national concerns and the Federal government, theCree and Inuit hunters and trappers couldn’t win, had never even stood a ghost of a chance. This realization flashed through my mind as I stood in the corridor, feeling my brothers’ grief. The Cree and Inuit had disappeared when I finally moved. Something had hardened in me, in that short space in time. I turned decisively and walked out of the Holiday Inn. I was a jumble of emotions. | felt grief, anger, resolve, frustration. | got a room at a Hotel nearby and ordered three bottles of white wine from room service. I drank it all. . .every drop. The next morning the James Bay Inuit and Crees signed their land claims agreement, extinguishing their aboriginal rights to 410,000 square miles of land in exchange for a settlement worth according to one estimate: $3.05 per acre, a bargain equivalent to the $24.00 paid for Manhatten Island. And me? I watched the signing on T.V. in my hotel room nursing a hang-over. But a little burning spark smouldered, in my soul, preparing itself for the day when it would flame up and burn powerfully. My committment to our struggle had been born. The Editor OUR COVER: From the Public Archives of Canada, a photo from about 1915, entitled simply ‘‘Tommy and his Grandpa’’. ne __ 2 UBCIC NEWS 2 ; The UBCIC NEWS is the official voice of ne UBCIC - 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. ‘ Editor: Beth Cuthand Assistant Editor: Pauline Douglas Written Contributions: George Manuel. Terry Starr. Val Dudoward, Jeannette Bonneau, Dinah Schooner, Gene Joseph, Sylvia Woods, Linda Jordan, John Warren, and Clifford Hanuse. Typesetting: Pulp Press The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs 440 West Hastings Street Telephone: 684-0231 Vancouver, B.C. Telex: 04-54220 Keb? V6B 1L1 J TABLE OF CONTENTS PACRHIUNT EM es ge Bite, 5. sk prathnin vos NR en GE mond PG in Ae dc hho nw sera aw Pee Revisions to the Indian Act: Going All the Way. .........00daccncccccevesstevcseesres 4 PLOR INCI 5 ROG BOING caicc. a5! oun ote hte ele a oe 6 hia Vek aie Pw Ei 6S ee tigin ane wale a4 Peeuses a ACTOTG CACUL tas areca cs 4. sinc ka a we a ope ah Vn Ech Re Raila» SETA Mae Bee bela 7 Bai Gn ACER) Peels PME APS OPETS 25.5 one ces on WE do wo pc, ache Wines cake santas mechs ace iat 8 No More Cattle to Bring Home.......... AP ie Se OP Pe ee 10 LMSeLIGUG). 2% vc op cents si: 5-0e Uieictse< Ce BA a in ob tsa Rete Ree nae wie aca v0 eh 1] North <oast District ounce a Proie,2o seks. poe ceed oeie dele ace wes Soon tees 12 Mens Bea Bdtig Ned WW WS aca s dw are yds wn oe aval ke mien baie woe knew ea ne ee soe PIOeCtrs fOr Peal o <5 sli ees ic es cas PE ee ah en eR Pee ae 15 Ar Gis tl ek MOEN SS 2s a few reas ce there eb hae be ee eae Reeth alg CE Sere menl 1s Inman Growermnmnent... Fi. eee s wie eee esac se cages ee ee et see e ees 18 _ Pressured to Sell: Three Land Claim Settlements . . 0... 6-1-0205 scepecdeweeencscen’ 20 yy OTT 11 ECM EA) ENO ROIIIOIMEIUL y Gor sch lene Wis Cele Cie vn Ween ee se ewrbgep aes dniee eu 23 Sadanicn indian School Board Taking Control. .2.60 ek ac eae os cee cele eens cee’ 23 Central Inter-Tribal Council: Getting Down to Basics...............0 cece eee ee enone 24 Fer Pre eeeueniiceest EANEU HMBER 5 Soo 05h vie Mipiens dre cae win then ody igie wae « « ogtu tel vale ngeh ts ans Terms and Conditions of the Northern Pipeline Agency ...........0.cceweeeeweneenes 26 PrReUere CARR ct Cs Pen Rete ttrCk ae bt Tee Ee ee de «cw chen a haael’s ak eee PP erie Demet tee. oc ate Ss oe es ois eis s oe yp hace nie Vo oo. a wie D W atgrele hte mies 29 Cannenes: The Wore aa-inere for Us... 62S. Bee Os as ae aa oe on Ciena Seecneas 30 Western Indian Agricultural Corporation. ..+..... i elsiag = griecaie Si d'a 5) kg Ea ay eteaes wy auras 33 Basket Ball Fever...... gaia pPbevad hacen RCtec ukaysdees ie SPRIEA sacguidan coe aS SUNS GA RAEN CleedorR ines 34 Mis ontessins. oF. a Leennpe Cheereager o.oo 55> saan nape tis eo me 0 oe sealed ee aie nes « 34 . UBCIC NEWS 3 GOING ALL THE WAY___ THE INDIAN ACT EXPLAINS THE B.N.A. ACT The Indian Act was written about a hundred years ago to explain Section 91 (24) of the B.N.A. Act which states that the federal government was the only authority to make laws regarding ‘‘Indians and land reserved for Indians.’’ To prove the point, the federal government at that time made up the Indian Act, making up laws for Indians and our land. Our forefathers were only invited to this exercise as token advisors (see January issue of UBCIC NEWS). Control went to the newly created Ministry of Indian Affairs who decided on issues like membership, land tenure, education, local govern- ment and so on. pate 672 Land Claims, Aboriginal Rights, Indian Government, Repatriating the Constitution: revising the Indian Act involves all of these. You can’t deal with it separately. Indian government portfolio head, described the process in B.C. ‘‘The approach that we took here was first to go through the Indian Act. It’s a complex document, really vague and even lawyers had a difficult time understanding it. We couldn’t see ourselves running around the province trying to clarify it and determine what our people felt about the Indian Act as it existed. We decided to go around to the people and determine what were the root problems of our people. What would they like to see under their authority and jurisdiction? That’s how the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper evolved: identifying the three areas that are fundamental to any kind of self-determination—land, resources and Indian Government authority. 13% © Gre Now our leaders are demanding more than a token role in the rewriting of the Indian Act. Over the past few years they’ve been recommending changes through the National Indian Brotherhood Cabinet Committee. While the DIA was drawing: up revisions to the Indian Act on their side, the provincial and territorial Indian organizations were preparing their position papers. Bobby Manuel, UBCIC NEWS 4 ABORIGINAL RIGHTS POSITION 1. We get more land, expand our Indian reserves. ’ 2. Get more resources under our control and in sufficient quantities that we can form an economic foundation for ourselves. 3. The establishment of our Indian Government Institution. We shall involve all other _ essential institutions. The Aboriginal Rights Position Paper as it was adopted at the Assembly is a basic position that the Union had developed. It spells out where we want to go. If we get into a debate about Aboriginal Rights, Land Claims, B.N.A. Act or Revisions to the Indian Act, that Aboriginal Rights Position. Paper will form the basis for all our discussions. The Government is currently trying to keep all these items separate to discuss land claims as a separate issue, to discuss the British North American Act as a separate issue, to discuss the Indian Act as a separate ‘ issue. But all of these are so inter- related that no matter which we are discussing, it all boils down to us pushing for the position contained int the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper. CITIZENSHIP: THE PROPOSED REVISIONS DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH The proposed Indian Act covers questions as - tribal citizenship, education, land surrenders, hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, anachronisms (things that don’t exist anymore) and areas that aren’t clear. At first glance, proposed revisions seem _ quite encouraging, stepping in the right direction at least. But it’s only half a step and the revisions don’t go far enough. One example is citizenship (which they-call membership). If the Government wants to implement their proposal there’ll still be non-status Indians. Though the Bands would still have more say in this matter they would not be able to deal with the matter retroactively, that is, with non-status people from way back. Final control would still rest with the Department of Indian Affairs. They would still retain the criteria and the registry. The Band will have more control, but not to the degree that is necessary to really establish an Indian governing institution. revisions to the such basic government, (continued page 6) | PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The foundation of the Allied tribes of British Columbia as a provincial Indian organization was crushed in 1927 when the Indians of British Columbia refused to surrender their aboriginal rights to lands, water, forestry, fisheries, wildlife (and Indian political authority over these rights) to the Canadian Government, in exchange for beads and blankets. Following the attempt of the Allied Tribes of British Columbia for recognition of Aboriginal Rights, Parliament amended the Indian Act making it an offence for Indians to raise money for the purposes of executing claims for Aboriginal Rights. The law did not stop the Indian people from continuing to organize on the basis of our belief to our birthright for self-determination. The law forced the Indian people to go underground until it was repealed in 1951. Indian people have continued to organize and work in the area of Indian rights since that time. The land claims debate has been in existence in British Columbia since the English established themselves on our land. But to date we have not reached an agreement to settle this dispute. For this we deeply appreciate our forefathers’ strength, vision and wisdom in not allowing themselves to be stampeded into an agreement that would have prohibited the opportunity for us to negotiate for self-determination, within the framework of our own Indian political institution in B.C. I must emphasis that the solution to our claims is not money. If the answer to Indian land claims and Aboriginal Rights was merely money, the conflict would be resolved with little or no haggling. Indians in B.C. would simply pry as much cash out of the Federal Treasury as they could, and the federal government would sigh with relief as it washed its hands of British Columbia’s Original People. I would like to make it clear that the main principle of land claims in B.C. is that Indian title and Aboriginal Rights are not to be sold or extinguished. Negotiations are only to establish treaty agreements between the governments and the Indian people how the principles of Indian title and aboriginal rights will be developed, administered and implemented by the Indian people. The original treaties signed by Indians in Canada were not designed to equip Canada’s Original People with the tools necessary to participate with pride and independence in an ever-expanding European society. The benefits Indians received in the old treaties are a pittance when one considers that half a continent was handed over in exchange. We were never given access to the Nation’s political and economic institutions or allowed to participate meaningfully in Canada’s political and economic affairs. In short, we were denied the right to self- determination. Indians in British Columbia today are determined not to allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated in any negotiations with Governments. Section 91 of the British North America Act deals with the areas that are the responsibility of the federal govern- ment. Article 24 states ‘‘Indians and lands reserved for Indians”’ are the responsibility of the federal government. The BNA Act makes it clear that Indians are a distinct Nation of people in Canada. The authors of Canada’s Constitution were forced to acknowledge the Indian people as a distinct fact of political life in their 1867 deliberations. What we are seeking in our land claims and Aboriginal Rights settlement is the recognition of this sovereignty as a founding nation of people in British Columbia. Canadians are already familiar with the idea that Canada was originated by two founding nations, the English and the French. We are asking for the same recognition as a founding people in British Columbia. We do not want either apartheid or assimilation. We want participation. Participation on terms that will recognize our national identity and will ultimately strengthen Canada. It requires not extinguishment of our Aboriginal Rights, but their preservation. This nonextinguishment requires first the degree of sovereignty and self-determination that will make it possible to control our natural resources and land base. And secondly, the political institutions of this country must be reorganized to make a place for us to sit and bargain with other Canadians, and provincial and federal governments at the highest levels. eogtibeaih UBCIC NEWS 5 (from page 4) THE CHARTER SYSTEM Another questionable area is their charter system which is a legal vehicle allowing Bands to develop their constitution within a limited framework. In the final analysis this is a federally incorp- orated municipality. The federal government is proposing to create a new federal agency: a charter commission which would be semi-independent of the Minister and of the Department of Indian Affairs. This would determine whether a Band was ready to go into this charter system. All this leads to the question, ‘‘Is this step one toward making bands provincial municipalities?”’ They seem to be copying the tribal system in the U.S.A. They’re certainly using the Bureau of Indian Affairs language. . The tribal system though takes away the power of Indian Governments (Band Councils) to control their own affairs. Thirdly, the commission would recommend to the Minister which Bands would be allowed to enter what level within the charter system. This also raises some questions about how much Bands would have to toe the DIA line to get into the charter system. LIMITING OUR RIGHTS TO RESERVE BOUNDARIES Another area we’re having problems with, is that it would appear that the Government is trying to limit Indian rights within the boundaries of our Indian reserves. One example is hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering. They’re talking about Bands having authority to regulate only within the boundaries of the reserve. Most of us know that in B.C. the reserves are often pretty small. We were just talking to one Band who has nine acres. Well, there’s no wildlife there. True economic self- determination will require our rights to extend beyond the existing Indian reserve boundaries. “It’s stepping in the right direction in lots of ways but it’s not giving the real and complete authority to the ’ Band Government (Indian Govern- UBCIC NEWS 6 ments). We need to really examine the proposals, fill in the blanks. Make sure we’ve got all aspects covered so that what we want is incorporated into the new act. There are many areas our people want under our jurisdiction and authority. _‘‘What we’re saying,”’ concludes Bobby ‘“‘Is that we’re pushing to ensure that the DIA make their position very clear. We’re ~ pushing them to go beyond where they want they go. They’re taking half a step and we’re pushing them to go the full step to accept our Aboriginal Rights Position Paper that our people have agreed upon.”’ STARTING THE NEGOTIATIONS So now we’re at the first stage of the negotiation process. We have our position and the Minister’s put his proposals together and put them out for comment. DIA staff are now making themselves available to dis- cuss these proposals. The views of our people, at organization level and at Band level, will be brought back to the Minister. He’ll make the revisions and then he’ll turn it into a legislative form and submit it to the House of Commons on April 1, 1979. From there it will go to a committee who will travel across Canada having Public Hearings, not just for Indian people, interestingly enough, but for non-Indian people as well. After that the Revisions will then be re- introduced into Parliament. On February 16th Bobby Manuel led a delegation from UBCIC to meet Hugh Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs, to discuss some of his more ‘immediate concerns. The main topic of the discussion was the impossibility of dealing with the revisions to the Indian Act in isolation. One of the questions that will also be brought up is about public educa- tion in preparation for the Public Hearings. Indian people have had a bad enough time keeping up with the work to do with the Repatriation of the Constitution, Revisions, MTA, Local Services Agreement, Health Guidelines and the 0-based budget. It Som MUNICIPALITY STATUS It appears, through the federal government’s proposed changes to the Indian Act, that the goavernment is trying to place reserves under “municipality status.’’ Municipality | status would put reserves under the same legal definition as any municipality (Vanouver, Fort St. Joh, Prince George...), and would change the Indian way of life on reserves. Taking on municipality status would result in the enfranchisement of whole bands—everybody would become ‘‘non-status.’’ Another problem that band councils would face under municipality status is taxation. Municipalities receive much of their revenue through taxation of their residents, and this revenue is used to | pay for services such as roads, water, sewage and housing. Reserves under municipality status would be forced to tax the band members for these services; the money would not come from the federal government, as it | does now. Some band councils have already been approached, individually, by the government in an effort to persuade a few band councils to change their status to that of municipalities. It is likely that the government is hoping to convince a few band councils to adopt municipality status, and then will | pass legislation forcing all band councils and reserves to take on municipality status. This possibility is very dangerous and very real, and the U.B.C.I.C. Indian Government Portfolio is investigating every angle ae development in this area. y feels like a bombardment of issues de- signed to weaken our position and | diffuse our working strength. Will the non-Indian public be prepared with enough information to take part in these Public Hearings or will this just be a chance for uninformed groups like B.C. Wildlife Federation to take pot shots at Indian rights? The Go- vernment needs to give some assur- ance about its serious intention with regard to these Public Hearings. CHIEFS COUNCIL onrssmimien The Chiefs’ Council of the UBCIC met for three days early this month. The detailed minutes are in the process of being done and we hope the following will give you an overall view of the Chiefs’ Council meeting. In December, the UBCIC found it necessary to go on a policy of fiscal restraint until the end of March to avoid a deficit. There were some lay- offs in staff and this management decision was challenged by Vice-Pres- ident Ernie Willie in a letter from him dated December 18, 1978. The item was placed on the agenda and . discussed in detail during the first day of the Chiefs’ Council. A ‘‘Statement of Financial Condition’’ was prepared for presentation to the Council, along with the UBCIC Employment Policy Manual. After hearing the issue, Council restated the Employment Policy as written in the Manual and referred the issue to the Personnel Committee. Chiefs’ Council unanimously passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of George Manuel as President and in © the UBCIC staff, and were able to proceed with the Agenda. N.I.B. Taxation:- Louise Mandell and Leslie Pinder, UBCIC lawyers, gave a summary of the NIB Tax case. The NIB $éis appealing on the basis that we are exempt from income tax according to the Indian Act. Council decided to both intervene in the National Indian Brotherhood case and launch our own Appeal at the same time. Health: —- George Manuel recently attended an NIB Executive Council Meeting in Ottawa regarding the National Health and Welfar policy guidelines cutting back on health services to Indian people, and he presented Chiefs’ Council with a _ detailed account. This was regarded as a ‘ priority issue, guaranteed as a Right under the B.N.A. Act. Provincial and Territorial organisations and individual reserves across Canada have demonstrated’ their total rejection of these guidelines. Chiefs discussed the NIB presentation with Health Minister Begin (see page for details). The UBCIC is still receiving many Band Council and individual letters of support. Band input is needed to figure out strategies to persuade the Federal Government to recognize its obligations. Education: The DIA has indicated that it is ready to discuss the re- negotiation of the Master Tuition Agreement and will meet with the . UBCIC to determine the nature of these negotiations. Other areas of concern were the post-secondary issue of Circular 12 and the DIA Band Training Programs. Millie Poplar informed Chiefs Council that due to her family commitments and the more than fulltime nature of the Education Portfolio holder, ‘she would like to offer her services to the Union in another capacity. Maxine Pape, assistant to the President, and Millie have exchanged positions and the Chiefs’ Council wished both every success. Chiefs’ Delegation to the Queen: Linda Jordan reported on the NIB Plans for sending a delegation of Chiefs and Elders to London. The purpose is to inform the Queen and her Ministers that the patriation of the B.N.A. Act Canadian soil should be denied by the British Parliament unless an agreement is made to recognize our Aboriginal Rights in the Constitution. Linda is co- ordinating plans for the B.C. Region. Social Economics: A recommendation was given to the Council that 2 resolution be passed opposing the n ve by the Provincial Government not to hold hearings be- fore the roll-over of Tree-Farm Li- cences under the new. Forest Act which has provision for such hear- ings. There was substantial discussion about the need for bands around the province to hold their own hearings. The motion was passed. Communications: ————————_ Beth Cuthand presented proposals for radio programming which was approved by the Council. Energy and Resources: Land Use and Occupancy: Dinah Schooner has recently been involved in an __ enlightening experience in northeastern B.C. and she shared this with Chiefs’ Council. Dinah described how the study began and how it documents to what extent, hunting and trapping are the foundation of Indian existence in teh northeast. The Chiefs applauded her . presentation. Uranium: - - Debbie Hoggan reported on the B.C. Government’s plans for a public enquiry into uranium mining and the Union’s intention § to participate because some of the uranium sites are close to reserves in the Okanagan. Hat Creek: a Steven Basil presented the slide- show telling of the environmental risks that we would be exposed to if B.C. Hydro is allowed to proceed with the Hat Creek project. Fishing: Lillian Basil reported on the Fish Forum and Fishing cases in the courts. Herman Thomas showed the two films ‘‘We’’ll do Our Fishing,”’ Mount Currie, and ‘‘Sinumuk,’’ Bella Coola. The Fishing Portfolio has acquired funds for Herman to show these films to Bands and other institutions on request. Chiefs’ Council was adjourned so that the chiefs could join the march and demonstration to B.C. Hydro. (see page 8) UBCIC NEWS 7 = More than fifty people marched through the streets of Vancouver to the B.C. Hydro Building to tell Hydro why they object to the proposed Hat Creek Project. B.C. HYDRO HAS NO ANSWERS | It was a dark, rainy February Thursday in Vancouver. The Chiefs’ Council of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs had been meeting for three days. Now they speeded up their business so they could be ready. The time was drawing near for what one Indian leader was to call ‘‘a mission of awareness.”’ By mid-afternoon a company of 60 was assembled on the street outside: Indian leaders from Hat Creek and around the province, joined by others in town for the Council meeting and by members of the UBCIC staff. With leaflets for passers-by in hand, the march began. Film crews ran ahead of the column as it wound its way through the heart of the city: onward to Hydro headquarters! **Burn the place down!’’ yelled a construction worker from a job site across the street. “Love to,’’ shouted back a marcher. **Go ahead!’’ UBCIC NEWS 8 vrwae a Pouring into the Hydro building and piling into elevators, the emissaries finally made __ their destination: the boardroom high atop ° Hydro-central, the seat of electric power in British Columbia. ‘‘We hadn’t expected this many people,”” Thom Thompson of Hydro’s community relations office apologized, as many were left standing. *“‘Now maybe you'll appreciate how many people are interested in this,’ shot back UBCIC president George Manuel. ; The time had come for Indian people to confront Hydro with what they believe to be the risks they face from a coal-fired power plant. Hydro plans to build such a plant in the Hat Creek valley just west of Cache Creek. Some 12 Indian Bands live in the area, drawing on the valley for food and for jobs. But Hydro has discovered more than a billion tons of thermal coal beneath it. And the utility wants to By James Harper reprinted from the Energy File _ build a power plant at Hat Creek that might one day supply nearly a third of B.C.’s electricity. What will the project involve? What will the hazards be for the people and environment of the area? For months the Hat Creek Committee of Indian Bands and the UBCIC had met obstacles in getting any real information from Hydro. But after doing their homework and contacting places where coal- powered plants already exist, Indian people now armed themselves with scientific reports, a slide.show and their own ‘‘Statement of Risk.”’ “We do not mean to frighten anyone unnecessarily with this Statement of Risk,’ the UBCIC writes. ‘‘We have tried to present what we believe to be the true situation.’’ The information is there. Sixteen square miles of a ranching valley appropriated for the power project. An open pit coal mine 600 feet deep (‘‘almost twice as high as the Hotel Vancouver’’). A billion tons of waste, rock and overburden. Hat Creek itself, which runs through the valley providing irrigation to. ranchers and water supply to Indian communities downstream, will be relocated and dammed. Underground water systems in the valley will be changed, with the open pit of the mine acting like ‘‘a giant. drain’’ to “‘dry up the earth for a long way around the pit and make it difficult for anything to grow.”’ But of even deeper concern is what will happen to the air, and what could follow from that. _ 3 ‘Everyone who has worked on preparing this risk statement agrees,”’ the UBCIC states, ‘‘that air pollution will present the most serious danger to the people in the Hat Creek atea, as well as causing problems hundreds of miles around.”’ When Hat Creek coal is burnt in the power plant, elements that make up the coal will be released into the atmosphere in tremendous volumes as by-products. Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ash, particulates, hydrocarbons and ' trace elements (such as arsenic): all will be in the air pollution. Many are already known as harmful to plants, animals and humans. Borrowing a page from the mine operators at Sudbury, Hydro proposes to build a tall stack at Hat Creek to disperse the air pollution from the power plant over the widest possible area. But the results from Sudbury and other areas where this scheme has been tried are devastating. As the air pollution travels over long distances, it can be converted to an ‘‘acid rain.”’ This will fall over a wide area with irreparable damage to lakes, streams and vegetation. The UBCIC has investigated wea- ther patterns around Hat Creek to find out how they might affect dispersal of the air contaminants. In their Statement of Risk, they report that breathing in polluted air from Hat Creek is ‘‘the most serious health hazard for people.’’ Attacking lung tissue and possibly entering the blood stream, the air contaminants put ““most at risk...the children, the elderly and those who may already have a chest disease.’” , These factors together pose a very real danger to Indian people living near the proposed plant site. UBCIC environment consultant Jim Brisebois finds, under certain weather conditions at Hat Creek, “the residents of the Hat Creek valley would have experienced a fumigation similar to the trench warfare gassings of the first great war.”’ Questions, demands and angry E # a P Pa —* Hydro didn at expect the large number of angry people who confronted them Gerald Etienne, acting for the Hat Creek Committee, charged ‘‘it’s on the onus of B.C. Hydro to prove to the people of B.C. and to local people that this project won’t be detrimental | in its effects to people.”’ ““Why should Indian people be forced to come to this building and beg, you for their lives?’’ asked Chief Ray Hance of the Toosey Band (from west of Williams Lake). “It’s always afer the fact that Indian people are finally consulted. And what happens is they’re told what’s going to happen.”’ on questions of risk in the Hat Creek area. declarations were put time and time again to a coterie of Hydro brass in attendance at the February meeting. But they were met by a wall of arrogant (and perhaps fearful) silence. ‘Our health is very bad now,’’ a delegate remarked. ‘‘What will it be then? Your action slowly but surely kills. You can’t get around that!’’ Hydro’s only reply throughout the ' afternoon was that they had ‘‘no answer now’’ and must await further studies. **You’ve got the cream already,’’ said John L. George, whose Burrard Band itself is ‘‘just down the road’’ from a Hooker Chemicals plant. ‘*I don’t see any progress in killing the Indian people off. Sure you’re a big outfit. But I don’t think you're Jesus Christ himself.’’ **You’ve got a responsibility to (Indian) people,’’ one speaker declared, reminding Hydro of its mandate to serve B.C. residents, ‘‘not to American citizens south of the border.” “‘We’re not gonna sit back and let B.C. Hydro destroy the people in the Hat Creek valley.’’ Finally it was George Manuel who. summed it all up—all the anger in the room, the memories of past power projects (like Ingenika), the determination to continue the fight. ‘* We're’ beginning to know what B.C. Hydro is all about,’’ he said. ‘**B.C. Hydro has become the most powerful organization in British Columbia. *“ You've, bulldozed our people before. But we’re not gonna take B.C. Hydro lying down!”’ : UBCIC NEWS 9 (We worked. . . at an early We, with my grandfather who was what is called a ‘range rider.” This job took us miles into the mountains and we found out where the cattle were grazing, and this would happen all summer until fall time when all the cattle had to be brought back to the ranch to be kept and some to be sold. All the men who knew how this was to be done were chosen to bring the cattle home to the ranch. Sometimes it would take maybe ten men to do this round-up and today, because B.C. Hydro has bought out the big ranches, the ranches don’t function as they once did. There’s no cattle to bring home and there’s just no more jobs for the people who depended on ranching to support their families.’’ (Steve Basil, a member of the Bonaparte Band now employed with the U.B.C.I.C. as a fieldworker in the \Hat Creek area) sy Hydro Buying Out Ranches The Hat Creek Project planned by B.C. Hydro involves 11,000 acres. The people on _ the Bonaparte Reserve live closest to the project—one family lives just a mile and a half from the proposed plant site. Cornwall, Pavilion, Deadman’s Creek, Fountain and Bridge River Reserves are also situated within an area which will be affected by the project. And this project—into which B.C. Hydro has already poured more than 25-million-dollars for studies—is al- ready affecting the Indian people living in the area. Indian people of the Hat Creek area depend on ranching as their live- lihood. Ranching has been their way of life and their income source in the past; they want ranching to continue to be a strong force in their lives. However, B.C. Hydro has been buying up land in the Hat Creek area, and the Bonaparte Reserve is now surrounded by Hydro-owned land. UBCIC NEWS 10 PUBYIND “*g ‘010g ‘In the surrounding mountains which are their hunting grounds, where food is to provide their families and where hunting is an aboriginal right, the people want to keep B.C. Hydro from running in and taking it away.’’ This move by Hydro means that they are smothering possible opposition from ranching operations by buying them out. Hydro has also succeeded ‘in robbing an estimated eighty Indians of their ranching jobs by pur- chasing these ranching operations. This serious problem has already forced half of the 350 people on the Bonaparte Band List to leave their home to look for other work. For those who stay, there is virtually no local employment, so Social Assis- tance (Welfare) is, for some, the only way to survive. And the ranches in the Hat Creek area that are not bought by B.C. Hydro will still not be safe from the power plant project: Sulphur dioxide will be polluting the air as it comes out of the plant’s giant smoke stack (to be the highest man- made structure between Sudbury, Ontario and the Pacific Ocean). This sulphur dioxide burns the leaves of plants, slowing and eventually killing the growth of these plants. The land will not have the protection of this vegetation, and the top soil will erode. With this top soil gone, land that was once used for cattle grazing will become useless. And this will rob Indians of the last few ranching jobs left in the area. Another possible threat local people face is their water rights. B.C. Hydro has gained the water rights to many creeks by buying so much local ranch land. A_ huge amount of water will be needed to operate the coal-fired power plant and Hydro plans to divert Hat Creek and to pump water from the Thompson River via pipeline to meet this need for water. If Hydro decides to cut off local water supplies, landowers will be in a rather vulnerable position. But we are talking about a proposed project, and the Indian people in the Hat Creek area, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, are determined that this pro- ject will not go ahead as planned. We are ready and willing to fight. The Indian people of the Hat Creek area do not want their way of life to be destroyed. Ranching is at the centre of their lives, and B.C. Hydro has already caused some destruction to their traditional occupation. UP-DATE FISH LAKE CENTRE TURNED OVER TO TOOSEY BAND On February 16th Hugh Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary to Hugh Faulkner, handed over the Fish Lake complex ownership papers to Chief Ray Hance of the Toosey Band. The DIA built Fish Lake on land that the Department of National Defense considers it owns. According to their | 1975 Land Claim Statement, however, the Toosey Band owns this land and they have been using the Fish Lake buildings for their own cultural and educational purposes. There is no question in the people’s mind about who owns Fish Lake, and about three years ago, the Band started lobbying their MP’s to get the complex turned over to them. All the MP’s approached were sympathetic, but ’ slow to deal with the Department of National Defense. So the Chief requested the UBCIC lawyer to help out with negotiations. Once they got National Defense to agree to turn over the land to the Band on a five year license basis, the Department of Indian Affairs agreed to sign over the Fish Lake cultural centre. This is the paper that was handed over by Hugh Anderson. Now the Band is just awaiting the license from National Defense, giving the Toosey Band sole right of occupancy while there is no war _ going on. GOLDRIVER: BRINGING IN THE FEDS. On February 16th, Chief Mary Johnson and Band member Jack Johnson met with their MP, Hugh Anderson, In a tully documented presentation, she outlined the problems that the Mowachaht Band is having with the Tahsis Co. Pulp Mill: the breaking of lease agreements with regard to air and noise pollution, jobs and taxation of Indians working there though the mill is on reserve land. The Minister accepted the Band’s invitation to come and see the situation for himself and to study plans for the Band’s return to Yuquot and to their traditional economic foundation of fishing. He will also be investigating problems with UIC non-payments. Len Marchand will be invited to visit with Hugh Anderson. The UBCIC is working with the Band preparing legal action should the MP fail to convince the Pulp Mill to live up to its lease agreements. SALE OF CROWN LAND STOPPED On January 30, the Social Credit Government announced ~ plans to sell off 64 million acres of Crown Land in 3-5 acre lots for homes. The Land Commission and Agriculture Commission were not informed in advance and were outraged. George Manuel protested to Premier Bennett: **The lands you are offering for sale belong to my people.”’ He called a Press Conference to make sure people were made aware that the Provincial Government had no right —legally, _morally or politically—to do this. The Provincial Government plan to sell 100,000 square miles of B.C. was regarded as an attempt to remove any possibility of resolving the conflict between the Indian people and the Government of B.C. The Premier was invited to come and explain his actions to the Chiefs Council fo the UBCIC. James Chabot, Minister of Lands and Resources, issued a statement soon after, saying that it was all a mistake and they were only offering a few thousand plots of Crown Land for sale at this stage. The UBCIC took legal action against the Province in August of last year (see UBCIC NEWS September issue) for similar action in auctioning off Crown Land in the Peace River area. The case will be heard sometime next year. _ LATE FLASH!! FRANCIS HAINES’ MOOSE HAS BEEN RETURNED (February 21st) However, the date for the Appeal by the Provincial Government on the hunting rights decision has been announced as April 3, 1979, at Williams Lake. - George Manual urges all Indians to attend court. FISHING CASES: MANDELL REPORT Most of the Lillooet/Lytton cases have been postponed until after the Bradley Bob Aboriginal Rights case has been decided. This will be heard from April 17th to April 20th in Lillooet. Everyone is encouraged to come to court. The case of Edward Thompson of Lytton will still go ahead before then. One of the arguments in that case will be harassment by Federal Fisheries. The other cases not dealing with Aboriginal Rights will be heard in March & Aor. > The whole series of Matsqui cases has been timed to come to court at the same time as the Lillooet case, April 17th to April 20th. Come to Court! THREE COURT VICTORIES: The Crown Prosecutor dropped charges against Brian Joe of Duncan. They gave no reasons. Edna Ned of Sumas Band won her case (see page 14 for story). Herman Thomas’s case came up in court on February 19th. The trial continues but after arguments the Crown has dropped one charge of transporting fish. UBCIC NEWS 11 NORTH COAST DISTRICT District Councils represent a form of -Indian Government. Several bands in a geographical area form a district council, and this district council handles matters like negotiating for and distributing capital funds and other monies from the Department of Indian Affairs, lobbying for needed services, and investigating concerns and complaints expressed by band members. There are 17 District Coun- cils and similar organizations doing the work of District Councils in British Columbia. Val Dudoward re- cently travelled to Prince Rupert, and met with the executive of the North Coast District Council—chairman Frances (Frenchy) Lewis, co-chair- man Willard Wilson, and secretary- treasurer Frank Collison, to discuss the function and concerns of the North Coast District. Here is what she found out: ; Seven bands belong to the North Coast -District Council: Masset and Skidegate from the Queen Charlotte Islands, Kincolith from the Nass, and Metlakatla, Kitkatla and Port Simpson. The District Council handles capital funding for the bands with the Department of Indian Af- fairs, acts as a liason between the band and government agencies, and handles many of the local Indian con- cerns On the north coast. 1 talked to the executive of the North Coast District Council after they had met with Department of Indian Affairs representatives from the Terrace, Prince Rupert and Van- couver offices to complain about the lack of Indian participation in D.I.A. capital funds planning. ‘‘The North Coast does it (distributés capital funds among the bands) on a priority basis: the needs of each band. We sit down each year and revise the priority list,’’ says Frances (Frenchy) Lewis, chairman of the North Coast District Council. This method differs from distribu- tion based on a per capita system UBCIC NEWS 12 Photo: V. Dudoward (population) used by some district councils. The North Coast is able to allot money for projects which the bands collectively feel are priority matters. And negotiating for and then distributing money for capital costs is an important function of the North Coast District, because this money re- presents goods and services needed by the people in each of the seven bands. North Coast District co-chairman Willard Wilson lists the priorities: ‘‘Housing, water and sewer, subdivi- sion development. . . . housing is a big priority. Housing isn’t adequate. It is a priority with the District Coun- - cil so | would imagine it is a priority with each reserve because each re- serve sends a delegate here (to North Coast District Council meetings) and we’re always hammering away at more housing. We need more housing on each reserve.”” Members of the North Coast Dis- trict executive want to be involved in decision-making sessions held by the Department of Indian Affairs and other government agencies. **We (the District Council) should always be involved in any issue that is concerning people at the band level if it’s going to affect their way of life or whatever, and this is difficult at times when it doesn’t work out,’’ says Mr. Lewis, referring to recent decisions made by the D.1.A. at the national level which don’t take into considera- tion Indian participation or consulta- tion. : “I'd like to point out that not all government people are unsympathe- tic to (Indian) participation,’’ says Mr. Wilson., ‘‘When they (D.I.A.) had that zero-base budgeting work- shop for the Department personnel, there was a few Indians there, and they asked. . . they requested of Fred Walchli (Regional Director, D.1.A.) that there be Indian participation through this exercise. As a result of © that there is Indian participation right now. The North West District (of the D.I.A.) has been designated as the pilot project and they’re having full Indian participation in that, so appar- ently back East there (Ottawa), they’re starting to listen a little.’’ An opinion often held about the North Coast area is that it offers better employment opportunities for Indians (and non-Indians), and better general living conditions than other areas of the province. Evidence of this opinion lies in the numbers of people who flock to Prince Rupert (which is the centre of the North Coast area for Indians and_ non- The people of Port Simpson are concentrating on improving the housing, roads and employment on the reserve. COUNCIL: A PROFILE Indians; % of the city’s population of 18,000 is Indian, most of them be- longing to one of the seven bands of the North Coast District Council) during traditional seasonal periods of high employment, to find work E re Council’s Native Outreach Program. during the salmon season, the herring season, and peak periods of logging. However, Frank Collison, secretary- treasurer of the North Coast District, does not believe that Indians, espe- cially those who live on-reserve, are *“better off’’ on the North Coast. *‘| think they are (North Coast Indians) a little more aggressive when they’re going after (government) de- partments or wherever funding is coming from, but saying we’re better off, | don’t think that’s really true. A lot of our problems that we have now have been long-standing ones that should have been resolved, | think, many years ago, and would’ve been if there were different govern- ment structures. The things that we fight for now are things that are taken pretty much for granted by any muni- cipality. We spend hours and hours and years and years fighting for the same things: water systems, basic in- frastructures (houses) of communi- ties. . . . an ongoing fight for most of our bands, and that really isn’t pro- gress. What | would think progress should be is some way of establishing some economic base for the com- Terry Starr and Sandy Miller are among tho munities, rather than fighting for essential services. That was, I believe, the thinking behind taking on the Native Outreach Program (1% years ago). . . to try to establish some assessment of our a bea : se working on the District needs in. the seven villages in the North Coast District. And from there we would have some documented evi- dence of what our needs would be, and what sort of economic base could be established in the villages, and from there going a little bit ahead of the game, instead of hanging on to the tail end of these programs that the Department (DIA) keeps placing on us. I think it’s (the Outreach Pro- gram) been very successful from the standpoint of becoming known and gathering information and just being a good vehicle for us to operate.’’ The Native Outreach Project is run out of an office in Prince Rupert and employes five people: Terry Starr, co- ordinator; Sandy Miller, fieldworker; Bob Collison, fieldworker; Frances Abrahams, receptionist; and Marla Pryce, secretary. The Outreach office has up-to-date duplicates of Canada Employment Centre job listings, as well as training and educational pro- grams available in the area. In addi- tion, the Outreach staff travels to the seven villages belonging to the North Coast District, to keep everyone up- to-date on jobs available, as well as HBS "| ASBWNOD :o}0Ud government-sponsored training, and. vocational and educational programs. The Outreach staff also monitors the (un)employment situa- tion on the reserves. Response to the Project has teen very good so far, with many Indians preferring to drop into the Outreach office first when looking for a job. They look over the job listings, then get a referral slip for the jobs they are interested in and take this slip to the Canada Employment Centre. In this way, they cut down on their time spent at the government office, where many of them feel uncomfortable. “It (the Outreach Project) should establish the need of each village. . . with regard to employment, and should give the District Council a good idea of what the economic base of each band is. One of the reasons the District Council sponsored it is so they could have a profile of each band,’’ says Mr. Lewis. *‘Maybe in our priorities, too, we should’ve included employment, too, because that’s the way the District Council decided to start out in taking over Our Own programs. Employment on our reserves is a high priority, too, says Mr. Wilson, referring to the Out- reach Program. ‘‘Unemployment rate is something high on the reserves. I don’t know the exact figures, but it’s pretty bad in the wintertime.”’ The North Coast District Council is striving for Indian involvement and consultation in programs and deci- sions initiated by government agencies. The District Council is, through the Native Outreach Pro- gram, putting together a picture of - the employment situation on each of the seven reserves and among Indians living in Prince Rupert. The District Council is working at improving the level of basic services such as water and sewer systems and housing on re serves, while keeping an eye to the future: establishing an eco- nomic base for eachof theseven villages. UBCIC NEWS 13 HOLDING OFF FED. FISHERIES: EDNA NED WINS! On February 15th, Edna Ned, an elder from the Sumas reserve, won her fishing case in Matsqui courts. She had been charged with unlawfully disposing of fish. Actually she had been fishing near Matsqui all day, under her food fish permit. She felt sick and went over to a friend’s house for dinner. Because her friends had given her dinner, she wanted to repay them for their kindness. An opportunity to do so came up when her friends’ landlords came to the door. Edna decided to give the landlords some of her fish. But wait: lurking in the bushes was Constable Ross. He had been sitting therefor some time, binoculars in hand waiting for an illegal transfer of fish. Through his binoculars he focused on Edna Ned going to her car with two strong gentlemen, in the dusk of the night, and _ silently removing 5 fish. She wordlessly handed them over. The trunk closed shut. Immediately Constable Ross phoned in for reinforcement back-up in order to make the arrest. Within moments, 2 more officers appeared on the scene and surrounded the house where Edna Ned was eating dinner. Edna says that the officers came to the house twice and demanded that she come out. She told them that she was sick. ‘‘Could they come in?’’ she asked. : *“*No.”’ they snapped. ‘‘Come out of the house.’’ Edna says she was told if she didn’t come out of the house, they would crow-bar her car. All these facts of the arrest came before the court, but the Judge decided that there had been no intimidation in the arrest. Louise argued in court that Indian people should be allowed to give fish away under the present law and regulations. What would have happened if Edna had invited those people to dinner and had cooked the UBCIC NEWS 14 five fish? The judge ruled that, in his opinion, that transaction would be illegal. Edna took the stand and told the court that she was innocent. She said that she had done everything she knew to obey the law: she had a food fish permit; she cut off the nose and dorsal fins; she knew she was not allowed to sell fish, and she had no intention to do so. She did not know it was illegal to give the fish away. As far as she was concerned, she was totally innocent and, she said, she was mad at how she had been treated like a criminal. The judge said that he believed her. Edna won her case. From a legal point of view, the case is an important victory. The principle by which Edna Ned was found not guilty is called ‘‘mens rea’’ (mens ray- a). This principle refers to the intentions of the accused—did (s)he believe (s)he was committing a crime or an offense? Before Edna’s case, the prosecution could prove that an Indian had broken the law simply by proving that the offense had taken place. Now the accused person can come to the courts and say, ‘‘But I am innocent—I didn’t think I did anything wrong,’’ and if the court believes the person, we can win our cases. However, the real victory will not take place in the courts. The real work must continue in_ the communities. People have to defend their fisheries politically as well as legally. In a legal sense, we can keep Indian people out of jails for a while, while we win our cases. We can hold off the Department of Fisheries from busting Indian people by putting Fisheries on trial during our defense presentations; we can embarass them and cost them money while we win our cases. But the Government can keep changing the laws while we win in the courts until, at some point, even our defenses could be made illegal. So, while the cases that go through the courts are important and deserve continued hard work and attention, the battle has to be fought also on the political front, to- guarantee our fishing rights and responsibilities. Photo: S. Basil On January 24 Indian leaders met with Health Minister Begin to protest federal cutbacks to Indian health services. (see January UBCIC NEWS). George Manuel made a dramatic pre- sentation: “When your government first came to our country, you gave us blankets and medicines in return for our land. Our people grew small in numbers from diseases these blankets carried. Yet we have survived. One hundred and twelve years later, . you have now made a decision’ to cut back our medicine benefits.’’ (History has shown how the people of Vancouver Island were nearly wiped out by diseased blankets. Even as far back as 1773 we find documents by one Henry Bouquet, a British officer, writing to the Governor General of so-called British North America about his plans to infect blankets with smallpox germs. Bouquet is quoted as helping to suppress the Pontiac rebellion involving the Ottawa Indians on the upper 232533) Great Lakes.) | Je <_-_— ce ee. . **The Indians of British Columbia that I _ represent hereby give you back your blanket...We await the return of our land and our health.’’ \ The Minister agreed to \suspend the proposed cutbacks for six months, until further re- search and consultation with Bands and organisations had been carried out. However, the presentation of the blanket was mis-interpreted by some members of the Minister’s staff. She was very upset and George had to »reassure her that the Indian ‘people of B.C. had not put a curse on the blanket, nor injected it with any disease: ‘‘It is a terrible lie and should be sought out. If your staff are advising you of such a thing, those individuals should not be ~\ allowed to continue working for <=\you. I wish to assure you that p« no such thing has been done by £5 myself or any other Indian in ‘ this Province. You can rest quite comfortably with it if you so wish.”’ PROJECTORS FoR MEDICINE PLAYING WITH DATES As a result of the united protest by Provincial leaders, Health Minister Begin announced that the guidelines would be suspended for six months. The guidelines were only supposed to go into effect in June, 1979. A six months suspension should take us to January, 1980. But according to National Health and Welfare Regional Director, this suspension still leaves us with a June deadline: June 24th is exactly six months after the Minister’s statement, and 24 days later than the original deadline. Double-talk. CONSULTATIONS BY INDIAN PEOPLE The UBCIC Health Portfolio drew up a proposal for the regional Health and Welfare officials on the consultation process with Bands, suggesting that it should be carried out by the Indian people and that our people should control this process. At a joint meeting with other Indian organisations, delegates told Medical Services of fears that- if Medical Services were to arrange the Consult- ation, they could pressure District Councils and Bands to accept the guidelines. Medical Services could still be accused of not obtaining the real views of the Indian people. Medical Services were indignant at any criticism. They were quoted a remark by Alice Smith to UBCIC Chiefs’ Council meeting ‘‘Whenever we ask Medical Services for medicines, we get a new projector or a chair.”’ SINCERITY OF HEALTH MINISTER IN DOUBT The proposal was forwarded to Ottawa, but funding was refused. The Minister insists that Medical Services conduct their own consult- ations. The cynical play with dates and the insistence that Indian people have no control in the consultation process leaves serious doubt as to the Minister’s sincerity in dealing with the whole issue. Indian leaders will be meeting in Calgary for an emergency meeting of the NIB executive March 12, 13, & 14 to plan further protest and opposition to the Minister’s tactics. UBCIC NEWS 15 és 1763: Royal Proclamation, a state- ment of British Policy clearly recog- nizing Indian lands and rights. It has never been repealed and has the force of law in Canada. 1849; James Douglas of Hudson Bay Company and later governor, secures Indian land for white settlement by Treaties on Vancouver Island. However outrageous these treaties, they do _ represent formal recognition of Aboriginal rights. 1850: the English start flooding in, clearing land for agriculture and threatening the salmon in their rush for gold. Reserves are set up. 1867: Section 109 of the British and ownership of land and natural re- sources to the provinces. 1871: declaring ownership and con- trol of the land, the non-Indians of B.C. join the confederation of Canada. For the next 20 years, there is a great push to destroy the Indian lifestyle. 1880: start of our historical battle for our land claims. Individual tribes and local groups start making repre- sentations, petitions and start sending delegates to the provincial and Federal governments. Chiefs of the Lower Fraser and South Vancouver Island protest encroachment on Indian land. 1887: the Chiefs of Port Simpson and the Nass petition for return of their land and formal treaty guaran- teeing their rights to those lands for- ever. ‘‘What we don't like about this government is their saying this: "We will give you so much land.’ How can they give it to us when it is our own land.”’ eo UBCIC NEWS 16 North America Act gives jurisdiction: 1890: Nisgha land claim committee formally organized by Arthur Calder. 1889: Treaty 8 signed with the Beaver and Slavey Indians in the north east. 1906: Squamish delegation’ go to England with a petition . 1909: 20 tribes from southern B.C. send delegations to London. 1913: the ‘‘Nishga Petition’? de- “ manding a legal judgement on the land claim is formally adopted by Nishga Land commission. 1915/16: Nishga Ottawa to lobby delegations to 1915/16: McKenna/McBride Com- mission and the cut off lands. 1915: Meeting at Spences’ Bridge and 1916: meeting on Mission reserve form the Allied Tribes of B.C. to pre- sent land claims directly to the Im- perial Privy Council. 1919: ‘*Statement of Allied Tribes of B.C. to the Government of B.C.’’, arepared by Peter Kelly, a Haida Minister, and incorporating for the first time all claims for Indian Tribes in the Province. This is also the first demand for action on related social and economic issues. It is also the first petition to both the Provincial and Federal Governments. 1920/24: Allied Tribes fight the Bili to make the McKenna/McBride Com- mission the final setthement for land claims in B.C. They are successful. 1926: the Allied Tribes, through Peter Kelly, Andrew Paull, Chief David Basil and Chief Chillihitza, present land claim positions to Parliament which sets up a Joint LAND CLAIMS IN B.C. | Committee to hold hearings and make recommendations. 1927 Joint Committee judges that land claims are not proven. They also make a recommendation, later to become law, that fund raising by Indian organizations for land claims become a criminal offense. They further recommend an annual Special Vote with $100,000 for improvement for Indian life, to be administered by the Department of Indian Affairs. No leaders have ever accepted the B.C. . Special Vote as payment for land title. 1931: the Native Brotherhood Andrew Paullorganizes protests from groups around fishing land and social issues. 1942: Indian commercial fishermen have to pay federal income tax. Andrew Paullorganizes protests from the south and joins the Native Bro- therhood. 1943: Andrew Paull attends the meeting and is elected President of the Brotherhood of Canadian Tribes This is to become the North American Indian Brotherhood. While the Native Brotherhood and the Northern American Indian Brotherhood share many concerns, one difference keeps them apart. The Native Brotherhood seeks equal rights for Indians; the North American Indian Brotherhood argues that we have special rights for our own ways of life as aboriginal inhabi- tants of this country. -1946 to 1951: Peter Kelly and Andy Paull fight for and succeed in getting revisions to the Indian Act. 1949: B.C. Indians get the vote. Frank Calder elected to Provincial Legislature. A CHRONOLOGY 1950’s: Question of Aboriginal land rights is heard more and more. 1955: Nishga Tribal Council formed by Frank Calder to continue the work of the Nishga Land Committee. 1959: Joint Parliamentary committee convened to hear questions on Indian Affairs. Andy Paull tells committee “*So long as the title question is not dealt with, every Indian in B.C. feels Fs i ae Photo: Nesika Elliot, Eddy and Joe Elliot, Fred Miller, Philip Paul and Mike Underwood and together with the Native Brotherhood they sponsor the case. December 1964: White and Bob decision. Supreme court upholds the treaties but avoids the question of land title. Federal government reim- burses all costs of this court case and promises to open negotiations on You can’t talk about land claims in B.C. without mentioning Peter Kelly, Frank Calder an the front here (left to right) leading a delegation to Ottawa. and protest from Indian people and organizations all over Canada, the | Feds agree to give funds to groups working for land claims settlements. 1969: NDP position paper in B.C. recognizes that Indian title has never been extinguished and has to be nego- tiated. 1972: UBCIC leaders present ‘‘Claim Based on Native Title’’ in Ottawa. d Andy Paull, standing in that he is being tricked and will never be satisfied.“" He died soon after George Manuel and William Walkem of the Native Rights Committee continued to press the question of Indian Land title in B.C. 1960: Land Claims is a major issue for Indians in B.C. 1960: Indians get the vote in Federal elections 1963: Regina vs. White and Bob. Clifford White and David Bob of © Nanaimo are charged for hunting deer out of season and their defense is based on Aboriginal rights, that they were hunting on traditional tribal territory. The White and Bob case be- comes the land claims rallying point. South Vancouver Tribal Federations organized by Wilson Bob, Dave _ claim. Under tremendous B.C. land claims, provided one group represents 75% of the B.C. ‘Indians. Several organizations are formed to meet this requirement but none last. 1969: Nishga Tribal Council decides to press its claim independently in the case of Calder (et al) vs. the Attorney General of B.C. 1969: (2 months later) Liberal go- vernment issues White Paper on Indian Affairs reversing their stand on Indian Land Claims and refusing to recognize aboriginal land title as valid. 1969: formation of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs unites most of the leaders of the previous organizations to fight this stand and to work towards a settlement of the land pressure 1973: Supreme Court of Canada decisions on the Calder Land Case. Three justices rule that the Nishgas have aboriginal rights to 1,000 square miles of the Nass Valley. 3 justices say no and the 7th Justice gives judge- ment on the case and not the issue. 1973: (August 8th) The present go- vernment acknowledges the 1763 Royal Proclamation to be a Declara- tion of Indian lands and that the federal government has lawful obliga- tions to negotiate. The Province of B.C. was expected to have input into these negotiations. 1978: 10th annual general Assembly adopts the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Aboriginal Position Paper outlining the principles of Indian Go- vernment. él UBCIC NEWS 17 OUR SETTLEMENT IS_ INDI In the early 70’s, the Land Claims Movement flowered across’ the country but nowhere was it so large or so vocal as in B.C. And with good reason. With the exception of the vast Arctic region to the north, no other area has had such a clear-cut claim to the land as do the majority of bands in British Columbia. We have never ceded our rights to the land by treaty nor have we been defeated through war. - The Land Claims Movement blossomed in 1972 with the Land Claims Delegation to Ottawa and reached its height with the ’75 rejection of funding. 1972-1975 will probably go down in history as the most intense, emotionally charged period in the struggle for Indian Rights in B.C. E ’75 rejection did much to Oliticize the average Indian, but it ultimately failed in its objective, which was to live free from the dictates and controls of a foreign government. The spirit of the rejection was, and still is, the ultimate goal of a large number of Indian people in North America. In fact, there is a growing movement toward political: control and authority by indigenous peoples throughout th world. The ’75 rejection of funding could have succeeded if there had been mechanisms in place to ensure an economic base to provide for our essential needs in the absence of government funding. The hardships that resulted from the B.C. status and non-status Indian stand, took its toll on the enthusiasm and force of the Land Claims Movement in this province. Politically, the movement became fractured as the - leadership broke down under the strain. Many UBCIC NEWS 18 bands who were bitten hard by the ’75 rejection retreated from _ political involvement provincially. The united emotion, the passion for self-determination which led to . the °75 rejection, was spent after its failure to free the Indian people from the dependency on and control by the ‘government. The Movement, which was _ already suffering severe blows in other parts of the country, seemed to die in B.C. But in May, 1977, at Prince George, George Manuel, former President of the National Indian Brotherhood, was elected President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs after constitutional changes were made so that the leadership could be more effective. George Manuel brought a perspective on Land Claims as Aboriginal Rights that had been articulated not only byIndian leaders in B.C. and North America in the past, but also among indigenous peoples throughout the world when faced with the systematic destruction of their governing authorities, their lands and their cultures. The colonialist influence by foreign outside religions and foreign outside governments had and still has an all too powerful effect on our lives. Manuel and leaders like him saw the need to reverse that trend in order to ensure our very survival as Indian people. In retrospect the Land Claims Movement of the early 70’s was manipulated by and was.a reaction to the federal government's policies on Indian Rights. We were not in control of the timeline for ‘‘settlement.’’ We talked the language of the federal government: ‘‘Land Claims’’ became synonomous with ‘Aboriginal Rights’’ That dominating force of colonial rule was taking us down the road to total assimilation into Euro- Canadian culture. Land Claims - . control and corporations to The Federal government’s meaning of ‘‘Land Claims”’ as a final payment for our land as ‘property’ in exchange . for limited rights, became clear by the American settlement. of Alaskan Land Claims and even more clear for us in Canada by the James Bay Settlement, whose agreement-in- principle was signed in 1975. fame Bay Cree and [nuit lost their boriginal rights and with that the authority over their settlement and ultimately, over their lives. By agreeing to set up administer the settlement, they became subject to the laws of the provincial and federal governments. An economic institution rather than an Indian government/political institution rules both the Inuit of Alaska and th Indian and Inuit of James Bay. We talked about ‘‘Aboriginal: Rights’’ as ‘‘Land Claims.’” We talked the federal government’s language of ‘‘settlement’’ ‘when we really meant ‘‘agreement.’’ Even . though we had different definitions for those words, by using the government’s words instead of our own, we subtly weakened our own movement, our own struggle for our rights. Z We believed in the ‘urgency to settle Land Claims.’’ We fell under the colonialist rule of the Federal Government. We were dominated and ruled by their timeline and their language. They wanted to settle land claims quickly so that they could terminate our special status as the aboriginal peoples of this land. The Land Claims Movement was s50 strong in B.C. and reached such a fervent pitch that even today, given the settlement models set by the .N_ GOVERNMENT James Bay Agreement and more recently, the COPE settlement in the Western Arctic, some B.C. Indians still call for an immediate settlement of Land Claims. At an Indian Government workshop in Kamloops last year, George Manuel, President of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, talked about the dangers of this kind ofa settlement and his alternative: “‘What does Indian Government do for you? If you get a settlement, for instance tomorrow, in terms of dollars, if you got $1 million or $10 million, your Band Council hasn’t got the political or legal authority to take that money and administer it. That money would be put in trust; either into Indian Affairs or some _ kind of corporation. So, it is still out of reach, it still wouldn’t do the Indian people any good. It would be still in the institution, either a political or economic institution that you still have no control over as Indian people. But if you had an_ Indian -Government that had sufficient degree of sovereignty then that settle- - ment comes from the governmetn Straight into your government. Your government will administer those resources, and because you elect that from your reserve, that body, every two years or four years or whatever, you decide in your constitution on these reserves: You have a lot of control over that Indian Government. It is your government, not a white government that is committed to the white society. It is committed to you.”’ The direction the U.B.C.I.C. is going toward a land claims settlement can be seen in the Aboriginal Rights Position Paper, adopted in principal by General Assembly in Penticton in April, 1978. . The definition of Aboriginal Rights, adopted by the member bands is: a 7 a vi S 2 .= | by Beth Cuthand _ The goal of the UBCIC for a settlement of Indian land claims is to increase the lands and resources over which our Indian Governments will have political control. “ABORIGINAL RIGHTS means that we collectively, as Indian peo- ple, have the right within the framework of the Canadian Con- stitution, to govern through our own unique form of Indian Go- vernment (Band Councils) an ex- panded version of our Indian re- serve lands that has an adequate amount of associate resources, and is large enough to provide for all the essential needs of all our people, who have been defined as our citizens or members through our Indian Government.”’ The goal of the U.B.C.I.C for a settlement of Indian lands claims is to increase the lands and resources over which our Indian Governments will have political control. This is in direct opposition to the settlements made by the federal government to date. The U.B.C.1.C. position calls for more land, more resources and more governing authority. Those are our aboriginal rights. Manuel has stated, over and over again, during his time as leader: “‘It’s absolutely useless to have a settlement unless we have the governing _authority to control that settlement.’’ I talked with George Manuel recently about Indian Government. He said: “We already have Indian Governments which is the Band Councils. Their governing authority is so limited. If you look at the Indian Act, the Federal government has total authority over what you do, what our Indian Governments do on a daily basis. We must strengthen the Band Councils. I call them _ Indian Governments. You, me, each and every one of us must think Indian ’ Government. Using the words Indian Government to refer to our Chief and Band Councils is the beginning. It is a way of respecting our leadership. You see, I want our leaderhip, our governments, to grow, to have the authority and respect they once had, before the whiteman came. With strong leadership and active band members we can develop. the mechanisms to control our own lives and the means to live. Indian governing authority is the key. We | must reverse the colonialist assimilation of Indian people. We can live with dignity, masters of our own house, but it’s going to take time. We’ve chosen a tough road.”’ UBCIC NEWS 19 PRESSURED TO SELL THREE LAND CLAIM SETTLEMENTS In 1973, the Supreme Court split decision on the Nishga Land Claim forced the Federal Government to recognize the fact that a number of land claim settlements were still outstanding. | Land claims settlements have become more or less timed as outside circumstances in the form of a major resource exploitation in the area, have caused enough pressure to force an agreement. Those people who still have aboriginal land claims to settle—in B.C., in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and in the Arctic—have been offered two settlement models in the last decade, that of James Bay and that of Alaska. Now the Committee of Original People’s Entitlement (COPE) have negotiated an Agreement in Principle with the Federal Government. From these Agreements we know that the federal position on land claims (as in the COPE Agreement) is no more than cash compensation for loss of land. The Government will not yet deal with organisations who are holding out for Indian or Inuit Government, control over our own lives and values, lands and resources. But the results of the concessions that | were forced from our pressured brothers and sisters in James Bay and Alaska have shown that our stand for an Indian| Government Land Claim is our only chance of survival. THE COPE AGREEMENT- ' IN-PRINCIPLE COPE was originally part of the Inuit Tapirisat and represents the people of the Western Arctic. The ITC withdrew their proposal for a land claim settlement, ““NUNAVUT”’ in 1977, to redraft it in terms that were understandable to non-lawyers. (The ITC position is very similar to our Indian Government position.) However, COPE decided to go ahead and negotiate on their own because the people of the Western Arctic felt extremely pressured by all the large- scale exploitation projects planned for the area. They felt they should secure something before it was all gone. However, some of the communities in the area covered by this agreement are strongly opposed to the terms and refuse to be part of the COPE settlement. They have threatened to take COPE to court, should COPE sign such an agreement on their behalf. WHAT THE INUVIALUIT PEOPLE GET: After that, the people will have what they would be eligible to receive as Canadian citizens $7,500,000 for community development projects. Traditional Economy: Rights to harvest fur-bearers, bears and musk- ox, and exclusive right to gave in Inuit territory; rights to the river and sea beds of water that is not navigable. Jurisdiction: to be negotiated. WHAT WILL THEY LOSE? Land: They get less than 3% of the land they claimed in the region, 5000 sq. miles in full title. They receive a further 32,000 sq. miles with no sub- surface or off-shore rights. Cash: $45 million dollars, over between 1981 and 1994, managed through Corporations. Economic programs will be limited to Departmental budgets and will end in year 2000. UBCIC NEWS 20 given to be Inuit Land: The settlement is not one in recognition of aboriginal title, but deals with compensation for loss of land. The recognition of the concept of aboriginal title has been fought long and hard. Will such recognition be lost again by the COPE model? Land Selection Criteria: Only certain lands are available for selection: a. important for traditional pursuits; b. important for tourism or other economic opportunities ¢. culturally significant d. to create more Inuit communities e. chosen from lands that do NOT contain proven oil or gas fields. Off-Shore Rights: While the Inuit will own some river beds, the Government will own the most, plus all the fish and all the water. All off- shore rights are renounced by the Inuvialuit by this Agreement. sub-surface Mineral Rights: All mineral rights are renounced. Mineral development by Inuit people is to be very limited, local and “traditional.”’ The Government maintains complete control and regulatory power over all lands, and will manage all aspects relating to mineral exploitation. The Inuvialuit will be represented in advisory bodies only. Access: Public access to Inuvialuit land is guaranteed for 100 ft. from bodies of water and where associated _ with resource exploitation projects. Control of Wildlife Management: The settlement provides no jurisdiction over land management, advisory input into game management, Government has full control of water and fish regulations. Traditional Pursuits Can Be Limited —But Cannot Limit Other Activities: The Inuvialuit people will have no authority to manage and control the large-scale resource exploiters that threaten to engulf them. Decentralization of Delivery of Ser- vices But Not Control of Services: While the Government promises to decentralise delivery of and adminis- tration of services: it has not decentralised the decision-making and control of the dollars to the Inuvialuit communities. Political Jurisdiction: To be negotiated. What is left to negotiate with? EE > SS Se ee oi . THE TAX MAN IS COMING TO ALASKA sej6nog ‘dg :0104d The 1971 Alaska settlement seemed at first to deal with a lot of land and lot of control over that land for the aboriginal people of Alaska. Negotiations here also took place under considerable pressure. Huge oil fields on the North Slopes had been discovered and the United States was hungry for oil. The Alaska Federation of Natives had secured a Land Freeze .thus holding up the building of the giant Alyeska Pipeline, the biggest ever at that time. THE SETTLEMENT: Land: 40,000,000 acres or 125,000 square miles out of a total of 335 million acres, a little over 8%. This was to be divided up among the villages and Regions, who would establish corporations to manage them. Subsurface mineral rights were included, but belonged only to the Regional Corporations. Land selection was restricted to land not: privately owned already, wildlife refuges, National forests and state-selected lands. The land would be tax free for twenty years, unless leased or developed. Money: $462,000,000 from the Federal Government for the land that it took. + $500,000,000 from the State, which is 2% of the mineral royalties received up to now and for minerals yet to come. ‘Distribution: Everybody enrolled in a Regional Corporation became a stockholder, with a non-negotiable share in the money. Each village Corporation had a share and some of the money went directly to the people, on an individual basis. Modifications to and Promises of Participation in the Alyeska Project. Jurisdiction: Decentralization of delivery of services through non- profit corporations. ' SOME OF THE PROBLEMS: Complexity: The terms of the settlement, the distribution and management process were incredibly complicated, and not altogether clear. It is a bitter joke among Alaskans that the people who benefitted most from the Agreement were the lawyers. New Governing Structure: The bureaucracies that had to be set up to handle the land and the cash, were a totally new governing structure for the people, concentrating — their authority on financial adminis- tration first. The people had to understand a whole new economic Structure and language—stocks and — shares, investments, principals and interest—and taxation. Secondly all - these corporations needed a phenomenal number of highly skilled people to run them. Two hundred and twenty two villages each have a profit and non-profit corporation. The profit corporations look after the money and the non-profit corpora- tions look after social development, education, policing, health and so on. The thirteen Regions also have Corporations to oversee the villages and handle their own land and economic developments, plus handle all the subsurface exploitation. Municipalities: Traditional authorities gave sway to the new financial corporations, Villages are becoming municipalities, under State jurisdiction like any other munici- pality. Matters like jurisdiction over land management, resource manage- ment, wildlife management and traditional governing authority were - low priorities in the settlement. Easements: Written into the settlement were guarantees for the Federal and State government access through all the lands for highways, recreational sites, transportation, pipelines and so on. Compensation is not necessarily made with more land, and people are feeling that the governments are taking advantage of this already. Taxation: The land is in danger. Taxation is a nightmare to most corporations. In just eleven more years, their land will be taxable and land taxes are high. If the tax money is not there each year, the land will be confiscated. So there is a huge pressure on the corporations to make money, a lot of money, to pay the taxes to keep the land. The non-profit corporations become very secondary under this kind of pressure. People are worried that these economic priorities for high-yield investment will be harmful in the long run, and that they are being forced to follow the exploitative practices that their settlement was intended to protect them from. One regional corporation recently felt it had to reject a wildlife sanctuary in favour of exploiting its mineral resources because it needed the money more. UBCIC NEWS 21 The James Bay Agreement was negotiated behind the sounds of machinery digging up the land and waters rushing into new channels. It is an Agreement between the Governments of Canada and Quebec, the James Bay Energy Corporation, the James Bay Development Corporation , Hydro Quebec, the Grand Council of the Crees and the Northern Quebec Inuit Association. It was signed on November 11, 1975, by infinitely weary Indian and Inuit negotiators. Its immediate effect was to permit the development of the hydro-electric power complex, the giant James Bay project. One of the most positive features of the James Bay Settlement is the immediate lump sum _ non-taxable payment for cessation of mineral rights. Modifications to some of the more threatening aspects of the Hydro project. Jurisdiction of Wildlife: The Go- vernment of Quebec undertook to change all laws and regulations that conflict with the hunting, fishing and trapping rights of the people. Only a limited number of provincial regulations now apply, and any changes in these regulations must be negotiated by the Province. Indians and Inuit will be given first chance to rolOUd UIOISUIOM * guaranteed income scheme for hunters and trappers. David Pash relaxes in his winter camp at Pine Mountain Lake. WHAT THEY GOT: Land: Category I: the exclusive use and enjoyment of 2,095 sq. miles for the Crees and 3,250 sq. miles for the Inuit. These lands are divided under Federal and Provincial ownership and jurisdiction, though they may never be taken away from the Cree or Inuit. !Category II: 23,130 sq. miles with exclusive fishing, hunting and trapping rights for Cree Indians. The Inuit will get 35,000 sq. miles with the same rights. Money: $225,000,000 over the next 20 years as compensation for surrender of land claims. This capital payment ic non-taxable. + $75,000,000 as an UBCIC NEWS 22 Start and own outfitting camps for hunting and fishing in the rest of lands, Category III lands, for the next 17 years. Half of the Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Co-ordination Committee will be Indian and Inuit. The other half will be Government. Certain species of game will be reserved for Cree and Inuit hunters throughout the whole territory. Economic and Social Measures: Cor- porations were established to promote economic development, mostly in an advisory capacity, Both ‘Governments pledge themselves to create employment and undertake job training. An agreement to offer guaranteed income and incentives to people wishing to maintain their traditional life-style. WHAT THEY LOST: Land: All land rights in Quebec. Land reserved for thie exclusive use will still belong to the Governments. The Government of Quebec may take back any Category II lands at any time for. resource exploitation; re- placement with other land is not guaranteed. Minerals: All claims to income, benefits or royalties from mining de- velopment were renounced. Minerals and sub-surface rights belong to Quebec. Jurisdiction: Federally owned Category I lands, containing most of the communities, will be run as the reserves in the rest of Canada Provincially owned land in_ this category will be administered by an Indian/Inuit-dominated corporation, with government representation. The Province has access to these lands for small developments at any time. Communities will be regarded by the Province as municipalities. Wildlife Management: Participation will be through advisory bodies only. Final decisions on exploitation, no matter what the effect on any nearby community, rests with the Federal and Provincial Governments. Easements/Servitudes: Public access on existing roads is guaranteed. The Federal and Provincial governments have limited rights to expropriate Category | lands for public purposes as roads, local utilities, pipelines and transmission lines. Land so used must be replaced unless the community benefits. Servitudes on Category II land need no compensation. Exploration, scientific studies and pre-development projects on Category II land should not conflict too much with hunting, fishing and trapping. There are sO many committees created by this agreement that one person claimed that just about every adult Indian or Inuit person will have to serve on a committee. SHALL WE RETURN BACK TO THE HOMELAND? When the Europeans bumped into my land, while being on course to another land called India, where rubies and other riches lured them, my Fore-Fathers were amazed by the in-coming primitive ways. In this modern age, North America is part of a problem: the whole world needs energy for convenience, and the natural resources of the lands is almost artificial. How my Fore-Fathers would love to see the Europeans management ways. So we, The People who never were conquered in war, still remain a people in spite of the immigrant ways. If the thinking within our legends and the white history books were compared, the richness of the land and sea is nO more as abundant as before, and, the richness of the Indian Peoples culture is unique. If the European still maintain their multi-culture culture, their original need for riches from other lands will take them out to space after nature appears stripped. Will they find new horizons? We, the Indian Peoples have the richest thing in the world: a culture. A culture which does not need to continuously absorb the multitude: we, as Indian Peoples can live with nature forever it seems, it has happened through many centuries. when will the Europeans learn that Mother Nature maintains the nature of their existence? by Clifford Hanuse SAANICH INDIAN SCHOOL BOARD TAKING CONTROL Local control of Indian education is the philosophy behind the Saanich Indian School Board, which is now in its fourth year of a five-year Native Curriculum Program. Thirteen Band Council members from the four reserves in the Saanich area sit on the School Board, with the elders playing an important role in the education process. : School Board administrator Marie Discussions continued. In 1972 a Constitution was in place, and in 1976 the five-year Native Curriculum Program was funded and operational. Indian students attending the Tsartlip School, which is totally governed by the Indian School Board, range from _ pre- kindergarten to Grade Seven levels. High school students attending local public schools are still under the <<“ ee Saanich elders have made a major contribution toward the education of their students. Cooper says, “‘Control. We are and have been for the past two years totally controlling the school. Local control of Indian education is the emphasis placed....The depth of that whole school has much to do with the involvement of the elders.”’ The elders act as instructors: in classes dealing with Indian language, beading, printmaking and other areas requiring the knowledge = and experience of elders. In addition, the elders are involved in determining priorities within the curriculum. The origins of the Saanich Indian School Board date back to 1969, when initial discussions were held about Indian education. In 1970, the local Indian Day School was closed by the federal government. jurisdiction of the Indian School Board, and are taught the history of the Saanich people and the current issues facing them, in addition to such ‘‘regular’’ studies as Algebra Marie Cooper is happy with the work which has been done by the Indian School Board, and_ she’s enthusiastic about the local support: *““We’ve picked up support, very definitely and continuously. ...and it’s building. We have more parents coming in all the time,’’ she says. “Helping the young people from seventeen (years old) up to realize the meaning of control, specifically in the areas of education, it is those young parents that we will teach that it is their responsibility to teach their children... .in education.”’ UBCIC NEWS 23 CENTRAL INTER- TRIBAL GETTING DOWN TO BASICS The Kootenay, South Central Tribal Councils and representatives from the Lillooet Tribal Council continue to be entirely dissatisfied with the present delivery of DIA Services. The Central Interior Tribal Council was formed as a joint negotiating and advisory council to — bring those services eventually under Indian Band Government, Since the Rejection of funds at Chilliwack in 1975, the Okanagan and Kootenay Tribal Councils have refused to allow the DIA District Offices to re-open. By closing down these offices, the Bands hoped for sweeping changes in DIA policy, direction and decision- making and for the delivery of technical services to be provided by the Tribal Councils. The Regional office has not agreed to _ this arrangement and has continued to provide these services with the same inadequacies and inefficiencies that led to the closure of the District Offices. At the UBCIC South Central Conference last July, Kootenay. Okanag +n, South Central Councils and some Lillooet Bands formed a Working Committee for the Central Inter Tribal Councii. This committee was to __ investigate alternative methods of providing the necessary services to the Bands. UBCIC NEWS 24 Okanagan and wa = Oe g a oo ° £ a & Photo: S. Woods i r Working out the route to bring delivery of technical services under Tribal Council control. FREE TO PLAN ACCORDING vA) PSPAIML Ameer On February 19/20th, 75 delegates from the Bands in the area met at the Kamloops Indian Residential School to look at the first draft produced by the Working Committee. This is a detailed work plan that looks at the long and short-term goals, designed to free Bands from _ DIA’s stranglehold over administrative and program patterns, in order to plan and manage according to the needs of the Bands. LOOKING AT THE DOLLAR ROUTE Because’ DIA has been able to manipulate so many Bands by controlling the purse-strings, the first priority of the working groups was to study the DIA mandate. Do funds have to come this route? They studied the Treasury Board minutes that are the guidelines to the Department, and found that the DIA has interpreted these to give them more power than they actually do have. Their interpretation of the Treasury Board minute 725973 criticising Band «ad Department auditing, and then trying to impose the Memorandum of Agreement on Bands is just a classic example of this. Studying management guidelines to free Band administration for communi- ty planning. GOOD MANAGEMENT____ Over the two days, we studied alternative routes for these funds, and budgetting. Band Chiefs, Councillors and staff went through budget forecasting, monitoring and reporting: how to use administration and reporting for the good management of the Band rather than make-work accounting to the Department to get the next cheque. TRIBAL COUNCIL REPRESEN- TATION ON AUDIT REVIEW COMMITTEE_- Auditing has always been a hassle, used as a whipping stick by the DIA. Bands studied auditing procedures and management: what really has to be audited and by whom, and the setting up of an Audit Review Committee with Tribal Council representation. | They discussed Band responsibili- ties, what responsibilities are really statutory DIA obligations and what can be taken back by the Band. Pro- posals for Band employee manage- ment, operating and personnel guide- line manuals were discussed. TRAINING TECHNICIANS Long-term training was an important subject: at Band level for Band office administration geared to Band priorities and a central training program, perhaps using the Kamloops school that has been returned to the Kamloops Band. We have to train our technical staff, auditors, economic development experts, forestry and agricultural experts, administrators, education and social workers. SHARING THE WORK______-_ The Tribal Councils’ aim to take over the delivery of the technical services formerly, if inadequately, supplied by the DIA District Offices, entails a lot of work and a lot of lobbyingpower. By dividing the work among the CITC, the Tribal Councils and the Bands, this work can be done, said the Working Committee. The idea of forming a Central IN MEMORY OF TIM SPINKS At the UBCIC November Assembly, the late Tim Spinks gave a moving plea for help in solving the tragedies of suicides on reserves. Chief Tim Spinks of the Lytton Band died February 6, 1979. He will be sorely missed by his family, his people and by all those who worked with him. Don Moses paid tribute to Tim Spinks at the CITC conference: ‘*He was always really dedicated to ‘his people. He worked hard for the Lytton Band. He was very prominent in issues such as Fishing, Education and such as the ty,e of issues we’re discussing here. He’s been Chief of the Lytton Band on two occasions. He also worked in the North Coast area as a Community Development worker in Massett. And I guess we know him probably best as the Chairman of the District Council. He took that job on about five years ago and I think he requested to be relieved of his duties a couple of times but was persuaded to stay. It says a lot for him as an individual that with our confidence he continued on with the kind of tasks that were required of him. ; And I think that if we remember him for one thing: he is the type of person who showed leadership, not only at his Band: level but also at the District level; and for the kind of hard work he exemplified. In his last few days he showed his dedication not only to his Band but also to our cause. It was unfortunate that he passed away in Vancouver while there attending business on behalf of his family, his Band and also on behalf of the Tribal Council.’’ Everyone stood for a Minute of Silence in respect for the late Tim | Spinks. We wish to extend our deep | sympathy to his wife Sharon and to his children. Interior Tribal Council ‘‘is to give Bands protection from ‘back-door politics’ used by the Department.” The Bands, in turn, were asked to monitor the Tribal Council’s technical and advisory staff, and the CITC to ensure that the power is not just shifted from the DIA to non- Indian professional people and that bureaucracy is kept to a minimum. | After each group had gone through _ the study, making changes and recommendations, they met in Plenary session to discuss the main revisions to be incorporated in the final study, which will be available in the next month. The working Committee was given authority to_ ’ negotiate both short and long-term problems and goals. UBCIC NEWS 25 THE PIPELINE: OUR OWN There will be hearings held ‘in the north-east in June when people will be able to express their opinions and concerns of what impact the pipeline will have in their lives. _A committee, the Northern Pipeline Agency, (NPA) was formed by the government to monitor the construction of the pipeline, and their first responsiblity is to see that the i = . #* - rs — ae Our Terms and Conditions aim to protect hunting and trapping as an independent way of life. = pipeline is built; secondly, to minimize the damage that may be caused to Indian people and also to enforce the terms and conditions (guidelines) to companies building the pipeline. The terms and conditions drafted by the Agency has been unsatisfactory and totally inadequate, so the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs -has drafted our own terms and conditions based on all intormation gathered from map-biographies, interviews and research. The mere fact that the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs have been ‘successful in delaying the hearings is very significant indeed, considering that in the past our efforts to cause delay were met with failure and frustration. The people were not prepared for the hearings held in Ft. St. John in November 1977 before the National Energy Board but still testified very strongly against the Grizzly pipeline. Even while the hearings were in progress the bulldozers were also in motion as the construction on the pipeline began. Now, the hearings on the Alaska pipeline were originally scheduled for September 1978, then November 1978, then January 1979, then March 1979, then May 1979, now June 1979, Now even the construction of the pipeline has been moved from one year up to four years, due to gas exploration in Mexico. UBCIC NEWS 26 UIO}SUIOM “WW :0}0Ud _ of Non-Status Photo: P. Douglas The location of the hearings has not yet been determined because the places proposed: by the Agency are unacceptable. Some people have expressed the opinion ‘So What! They’re going to build the pipeline anyway. What can YOU do about it?’ Well, I do know one thing: people in the north-east and the south-east are going to fight it. What people have said at the last hearings is being repeated again, which shows that people have not changed their minds. This was revealed in the testimony given by John Dokkie at another hearing. ‘*Many promises have been made but very few have been kept.” This is an excerpt from John Dokkie’s testimony, W. Moberly, given to the Special Committee on a Northern Gas Pipeline in regards to Bill C-25, Northern Pipeline Act, in Ottawa, March 6, 1978. There were Chiefs, Elders and staff members from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. Other organizations present were Council of Yukon Indians; Yukon Native Brotherhood; Yukon Association Indians and the: Indian ‘Women’s Association. ‘‘When the white people first came they would shake your hand and promise you something, and that was SER = = Promises don’t mean much anymore. TERMS AND CONDITIONS " * € iy cE a te. Photo: M. Weinstein by Dinah Schooner The Indian Terms and Conditions are being drawn up from the results of the mapping research and interviews of the last few months. everything. But now we shake hands with the white person and the next day he denies his promise. But today we still live by that rule, because that was the way we were taught by our elders and that is the way I taught my children. So what will you promise us now? How do you intend to compensate us for the loss of our culture? Our culture has been with us for a long time and you cannot expect us to change so quickly. If we took you into the woods and left you, you would be lost. It would take you a long time to survive in the woods, and that is what I see you trying to do to us now.’”’ Mr. Dokkie further stated: 4 **Why are you in such a rush to build the pipeline? Why were not our people first consulted? It is our lives and our land that is going to be affected. It our culture and it is our lifestyles that is at stake. It is like me selling your house without your permission. The only difference is that you can build another house, but once our land is ruined and the game and berries are gone, then there is nothing we can do to get them back. We could take your jobs and money. and they could all be lost in a day, but our land will be with us forever. If you treat the land right, it will give you life forever.” I have really been impressed by many of the testimonials given at Ottawa and at Ft. ‘St. John, and will from time to time share other testimonials with you. I reflect on those hearings as we approach the date for Terms and Conditions hearings this summer. UBCIC NEWS 27 INDIAN MEDICINE | Recent efforts to cut off health ser- vices to Indians by the Department of National Health and Welfare) have put the spotlight on Indian health. And an important aspect of Indian health is traditional Indian medicine. Louise Dudoward is a long-time resident of Port Simpson (20 miles. north of Prince Rupert) and has been practicing Indian medicine most of her life. ‘“‘Indian medicine is. . . you have to go in the bush to get the medi- cine. Sometimes you have to walk for hours before you find this medicine,’’ Mrs. Dudoward says. “And when you find it’’ she explains, ‘‘we chop them down, bring it down, and then you’ll have to sit there for, oh. . . . maybe an hour or two to clean the medicine and then chop it up with the sticks and put it in a bowl. And you pour warm water, not boiling water—warm, just pour this water over it and let it sit over- night. Put a cover on. The next day you strain it with cheesecloth, and then it’s ready for use, and it will really help you. It cured alot of people from diabetes, this certain medicine. . . Devil’s Club is the name. And this is the medicine I make. I make it,oh. . . twice a week in my own home, and I drink it now and again. And. . . the winter’s almost over now and | haven’t had a cold, so I think it really helps.’’ Mrs. Dudoward says Devil’s Club is the most common and accessible form of Indian medicine. There are, however, other types. ‘*This is kind of hard to make. You’d have to go out and get the bark off the tree. Anybody with lung trouble or throat trouble, this medicine will help you. And this is off a bark on the tree and some roots. We dig it out of the earth, this root; there are little ferns © on top the leaves. You clean them and pound the roots, and then put them in the pot with the bark, put some water in and put it on the stove to boil three to four hours. Then when that’s done, you strain it and you drink it. If UBCIC NEWS: 28 anybody had lung trouble, T.B. (tu- berculosis), this medicine will help you; it will cure your sickness.’’ Mrs. Dudoward makes these two kinds of medicine, and many others, for the people of Port Simpson. ‘“I’ve witnessed so many in the past years that I’ve. . . . I’ve helped alot of people. Some people give me a little money, some don’t, but I still help them. It’s my nature to do this. Es- pecially old people. It’s worth all the effort to go out and get the stuff. It’s not hard.”’ Indian medicine is sometimes used as a substitute for or a supplement to ‘“‘modern’”’” medicine, and Mrs. Photo: Courtesy V.Dudoward su I’ll ask the doctor if the boys can take this Indian medicine’. So she went, she didn’t stay very long, and she said | the doctor told me to bring all the Indian medicine I could get, if it helped the boys. So I made the medi- cine right away. I took it over to her place and she took it to the hospital. - And the boys started taking this medicine, and they’re two healthy men today, from taking that medi- cine. They didn’t have to go to a place where people go, you know, if they have T.B. And they were cured right here. And it proved it right there that the medicine helped.’”’ The cures for sicknesses, from T.B. to rheumatism, can still be found in the woods, among the roots and barks of the trees. Dudoward recalls a time that her medicine received the approval of an “*M.D.”’ doctor. ‘‘Many years ago, I © helped a family here. A woman came to me and she was in tears when she came. Two of her boys landed in the hospital with T.B. and she came in tears and said to me, ‘I want you to make my boys some medicine.’ They (the boys) were so badly run down that they had to be in the hospital. So I said to her, ‘Look,’ I said, ‘I can’t just make the medicine and, uh, ‘I don’t want to interfere with the doc- tor.’ So, she said, ‘I’ll go back right now and I'll go up to the hospital and It makes Mrs. Dudoward sad, though, that no young Indian people that she knows of practice Indian medicine in Port Simpson, and she hopes that they will make an effort to strengthen this link with their ances- tors. ‘*The thing is to go out and get this medicine and try and fix it yourself,’ she advises. ‘‘This is our drawback. We depend on other people to make it. Try and make it yourself, because it’s not that hard.’’ PROTECTING MEDICINE LAKE The Okanagan Tribal Council is ask- ing for the support of all Bands and Tribal Councils in their battle to have the medicine lake, ‘‘Spotted Lake,”’ returned into their caretakership for posterity. Some of the lake area and the land around the lake was sold toa non-Indian and he also owns mineral and sub-surface rights to the bed of the lake. While Ernest Smith was content to leave the lake and the land in their natural state, all was well. Now, however, he wants to sell the land to a Calgary concern who wants to rezone the land for a health spa or tourist development. About thirty Indian people attended the rezoning application hearings at Osoyoos on January 22nd, to give reason why this lake shound not be rezoned for tourist exploitation: Jeannette Bonneau prepared and presented a submission to the hearings on behalf of the Council: “Since the dawn of our history, Spotted Lake or ‘“‘Klilok,’’ as we call it, has been a medicine lake. Indians from all tribes came to visit the lake for the medicine that the lake contained. The ceremonial cairns and tombs that surround the lake testify to that. Some of these are so ancient that they have sunk underground and only the tops are above ground. Some are buried altogether. There are many stories told by our ancestors about the cures this lake has provided, physically and spiritually, through its medicinal powers. Its medicine powers are not to be taken lightly. This lake is a Chief among lakes. Its powers are above the purely physical. It contains 365 circles of various shapes, sizes and depths. Each particular circle contains a particular healing quality that can be used on a particular day of the year. Anyone who goes to this lake will find the right circle he seeks. The medicine in this lake is for everyone, all people alike. When the Creator gave it to us, he asked nothing in return. . . There- fore we hold the lake to be sacred and oa a ee ‘ae ‘ a pr Photo: Province Indians from all nations come to ‘‘Klilok”’ for its spiritual strength and healing powers. we, as well as many from other nations, continue to use the lake to strengthen ourselves spiritually and to heal ourselves physically.’ She spoke of the new culture with new values that took over and used : the land. i “Yet there is not a concensix in this world. Yet there is a growing discontent, characterized by an ever- increasing crime rate, suicide, drug addiction, alcoholism, mental disorder and physical diseases. The people grow sick with the land.”’ She asked the court what could be more valuable than the lake: Can you buy health? Can you pur- chase spiritual strength? Can you purchase contentment? How do spir- itual things weigh against these? You need reverence and respect for this land that is your body. You need to learn to use it without abuse if it is to continue to give life to many generations of your children. This is a new land for you, we recognise that...that you are not yet able to recognise and therefore preserve certain features of the land that are important for the well-being of all. Therefore, we must speak now. That lake is sacred and must be preserved in its natural state. It cannot be disturbed, It is the central point of the Okanagan. All the waters, minerals and salts converge here. It is many many many lakes in one. The heaviness of the water is the physical manifestation. We are therefore opposing the rezoning of the area around the lake and the lake itself, because of the kind of development that will take place. We request that the proposed rezoning of the properties around the lake and the lake itself not take place. Enough land has been taken and _ used, sometimes for developments that were detrimental to the land and its inhabitants. Our great lake, Okanagan, and the Skaha, the Vaseux and Osoyoos Lakes are diseased almost beyond hope because of the quantities of waste emptied into the system. ”’ ‘“‘We are taking further steps to ensure the preservation of this lake for the purpose that was intended. We cannot presume to claim owner- ship over anything that the Creator | has given. However, we are keepers of this land, and for that reason, we are seeking to have the lake and the — lands surrounding it returned to our caretakership. Then the elders spoke. They dominated the hearings. More young people spoke up to support their elders. The City Council agreed to negotiate a tripartite agreement, between the City Council, the owner and the Tribal Council, so that the Indian people can still control the medicine lake. They decided therefore, to put off the rezoning application until this agreement has been reached. Negotiations begin on March Sth. The Tribal Council is assisted by the UBCIC Task Force. UBCIC NEWS 29 CANNERIES: ‘‘The Work is there for Us’’ Hundreds upon hundreds of people—mainly women—are em- ployed in the fish canneries of Prince Rupert during the two busy seasons every year: the herring season, which has just started and will continue for another month, and the salmon sea- son, which starts in early summer and ends in the fall. Many of these cannery workers are Indian women. Historically most cannery workers were Indian, and they did not enjoy a high level of pay or good working conditions. Today, however, wages have risen to a level which many people find tempting and attractive, and now Indian women find themselves com- peting for jobs with women of every nationality and background, although in almost all salmon and herring plants Indian women still out- number other workers. What is it like being an Indian fish plant worker? We talked toa woman who works on flatfish (sole, halibut, etc.) in a plant in Prince Rupert. Her job is year round, as opposed to the seasonal jobs of herring and salmon cannery workers. What work do you do? I’m a filleter—cutting fish, you know. That’s mostly what I do. But when we're finished candle, you know that’s cleaning the fish, and then it goes through to a ~ sizing machine that measures it and then it goes through the freezer and then they put it on a great big thing—we call it ‘‘the tunnel’’—and it comes out and it just goes in boxes. . . . 50-pound boxes. I work every month—right through the year —when there’s fish. How long have you worked at this? Four years. Do you think it’s true that indian cannery and fish plant workers are being pushed out of their traditional work? Canneries have been operated by Indian women since the beginning of the century. Today, better pay and working conditions attract strong compe- tition. cutting we oc lee 2 3 a oS 5 3 io I think so. Quite a bit. Well, we’re more or less pushed aside, you know. They say that we’re Indian, eh, and we’re not more or less good enough _ to do this job and that job, you know. They pick out more or less who they want to. They see an Indian come along, they think, well, she’s not capable of doing the job. That’s the way I look at it really. I see a lot of it going on down there at work my- self. Like if they see this Indian lady come along, you know, and she’s big or something like that, well she’s just good for candling (a job for slower workers). That’s what I think any- way. Do many of your friends feel the same way? I think so, because we sometimes discuss it in the lunchroom and stuff like that, and most of us feel that way. Are there many Indian women working at the fish plant where you work? In our department, not too many, —that’s the fillet department. But in the cannery side it’s. . . . there’s quite a few Native people there. See, we’re on the fillet department, and then there’s the cannery. The cannery’s the salmon, and we don’t work on that side, we got our own department. And the cannery side’s mostly Indian. Most of them have the top seniority there, the Native people. (Seniori- ty—how long a person has worked there—is the system used to deter- mine who is called into work first, who has first chance at overtime, etc). But in the cannery side, maybe 80 out of the 100 are Indian. There’s about 100 people in filleting, and maybe 10 are Native. When I first went to the cannery, I started off on salmon and I lasted two days and I couldn’t stand it. (Chuckles) So I quit, and they called me back to work fulltime (fillet work) down there, and I went back, and I like it better than working just the salmon and the herring, you know. I don’t like shift-work (common to seasonal cannery work). You know, I like working my eight hours a day, and going home. There’s overtime for us sometimes filleting but not that. . . » much. We work our eight hours, then go home. What about the herring season? When the herring season comes along, we go together, (filleters and and salmon landings. cannery workers) like we all work on the herring. Is it noisy where you work? Really noisy. They’re just going through that (hearing tests) now. We just filled out forms yesterday to see about that. Have you noticed a difference in your hearing ability since you started filleting work? I think I have. Like, sometimes somebody’d be talking to me and I'd have to say ‘huh?’ ‘Pardon me?’ or something like that, because I don’t hear. You come out of that... . espe- cially during coffee breaks. . «. you come out of the plant and. . . it’s still ringing in your ears. By the time you Canneries are busy March and April, and June to August with the herring get back down there, it’s only fifteen minutes. . . . it’s back to the same old noise again. We talked it over after we filled out our forms to check our hearing and there is a lot of people who’d say ‘huh?’ when we’re talking to them after coffee, because they don’t hear. Do you wear any protectors? No. Are there any other physical problems you suffer from asa result of your work? Not so much now that I fillet most of the time, but before, I think so, because alot of people have back problems (the work involves standing all the time), and their hands—you know from lifting, and using them for too many hours in one day. Like when we work 13 hours a day for 3 days. When you get home all you want to do is jump in a bathtub and go to bed, whereas alot of us can’t be- cause we got kids at home. And there’s a lot of rheumatism and arthri- tis. Now, though, with ‘‘the tunnel’’ there’s not that much lifting in our filleting department. How about pay? Photo: V. Dudoward UBWMOg'd AseJINOD :oO}OuUd £ = ¥ Noisy machinery can damage the workers’ hearing. When I first started in the cannery -more.than four years ago I think | was getting 1.98. .. . an hour, where- as now we're 7.85 and a filleter’s 8.42, so I think we’ve improved alot. How about cannery work generally for indians? ihe work is there for us, and most of the canneries you go into. .. . for the salmon, they’re mostly all Natives. And a lot of people do come from other villages. . . all over. . . to work here in Rupert. UBCIC NEWS 31 WESTERN INDIAN AGRICULTURAL CORPORATION WIAC LIMITED GET $415,000 FOR EXTENSION AND TRAINING SERVICES TO INDIAN FARMERS The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs, Hugh Anderson, announced approval of funding totalling $415,000 for the first stage of the Agriculture Develop- ment Program in British Columbia. The program will be administered by the Western Indian Agricultural Corporation, which is wholly-owned by the U.B.C.1.C. The program is di- rected towards training Indian farmers so that the unused agricultur- al potential of B.C. reserves can be utilized. The first stage will concentrate on providing farmers and would-be farmers with training and extension services. Already a series of work- shops have been held around the pro- vince and others are being planned. The workshops have covered a variety of topics including small scale community agriculture and planning a cattle operation. Our four fieldworkers and one agrologist are working out of the Vancouver office under the direction of the General Manager, Gordon Antoine. Our staff are available to any band or individual who requests assistance with any phase of agricul- ture. The total 5-year program calls for substantial loan and contribution funding for projects. However, at this stage the tunds are not available. We will have to continue to press govern- ment for adequate funding for de- velopment. In the meantime the corporation will concentrate on lay- ing the foundation for successful pro- jects. We will work to provide farmers with on-going training. We will provide extension services to farmers to improve existing farms and ranches. Work is underway on a 4-H pro- gram to introduce young people to modern agriculture techniques. Photo: P. Doualas Happy at last. It took Bob Pascoe a long time to get hold of those papers promising $415,000 to WIAC. .“DENNIS SAM, Box (1, Fieldmen: George Saddleman—Merritt Area General Delivery Quilchena, B.C. VOG2RO0 Phone: 378-4235 NV; 378-2788 Home Jimmie Quaw—Vanderhoof, Prince George, Fort St. John Area Box 742 Vanderhoof, B.C. VOJ3A0 Phone: 567-9724 Mike Van Joseph—Mount Currie, Is- land, Lower Mainland Area Box 91, Mount Currie, B.C. VON 2K0 Phone: 894-6415 Band Office 894-6394 Home Cecil P. Louis—Okanagan and Kootenays Area R.R. #7, Westsyde Road Site 9, Camp 28, Vernon, B.C. V1T7Z3 Phone: 542-4527 Board of Directors * BOB PASCO, Box 283, Ashcroft, B.C. VOK 1A0 e ERNIE LEZARD, R.R.#2 Green Mountain Road, Penticton, B.C. V2A 6)7 * PHILIP: PAUL... Box’. 250, Brentwood Bay, B.C. VOA 1A0 *GORDON JAMES, Box 938, Lillooet, B.C. VOK 1V0 *MARY LOUISE WILLIAMS, Mount Currie, B.C., VON 2K0 * TOM ELKINS, Alexis Creek, B.C. VOL 1A0 *BARNEY ALLISON, Cawston, B.C. VOX 1C0 Lower Nicola, B.C. VOK 1Y0 HIGH LIGHTS Agriculture News W.L.A.C. Ltd. Feb. 1979 * George Saddleman W.1.A.C. Field- man, Merritt, arranged a three day workshop on beef cattle and manage- ment Jan 30-31, Feb Ist. ® Mount Currie, has a series of work- shops arranged for every second week, working with Provincial Agri- culture, Cloverdale. * Cecil Louis attended the workshop at Merritt and is working on having one in. the Vernon area—dates to be arranged. * Jimmie Quaw, W.I.A.C. repre- sentative, Wanderhoof, has been covering the Northern areas of the Province contacting Bands and ex- plaining the purpose of W.I.A.C. Ltd. * Wayne Bob and Ciff Pettis from Seabird, attended the mainland agri- cultural improvement short course Feb. 6-7-8. ¢ A meeting to co-ordinate the Agri- cultural training in B.C. was held at UBCIC NEW* 32 . RESOURCE CENTRE ORIGINAL PEOPLE’S LIBRARY ASSOCIATION In Vancouver on February 8, 9, 1979 a meeting was held of library _workers of Indian organizations. Asa result of this meeting the Original People’s Library Association was formed. Library workers from Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and B.C. were at the meeting. The aims and objectives of the association are to promote library services and the use of libraries and the preservation and pooling of information for Canadian Indian, Inuit, Metis. Membership is made up of librari- ans, library workers and information officers whose prime function is pro- viding library services to Indians, Inuit and Metis. At the meeting cataloguing and classification were one of the topics discussed. Many Indian libraries have had difficulty with this area of library work as the Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal system do not adapt very well to Indian libraries. The National Indian Brotherhood Library has a classification system developed by Brian Deer, a profes- sional Indian librarian. This system has proven to be very effective and efficient for use in Indian libraries. The UBCIC Resource Centre has adapted the NIB system to meet B.C. Indian libraries’ needs. One of the main topics discussed at the meeting was the status and future of the Canadian Indian Rights Com- mission Library. The CIRC Library contains many important and rare documents on aboriginal rights. Funding was cut off to the library and the library is now tentatively under the National Library in Ottawa. An Indian advisory group ‘has been recommended to the National Libra- ry to protect Indian interests in the li- brary and to ensure continued de- velopment of the library. Anyone interested in the Original People’s Library association, membership or minutes of the meet- ing may contact: Gene Joseph Provisional Secretary 3rd floor - 440 West Hastings Vancouver, B.C. V6B ILI 684-0231 Above: Skeena River Chief and _ Left: Tsawatenok girl: from the Resource Centre copies of Public Archives collection. Tour of Ottawa’s Library Resources The Original People’s Library Association is organizing tours for its members of information resources in Ottawa; such as, The Canadian Indian Rights Commission Library, National IndianBrotherhood Library, Public Archives of Canada, National Library of Canada, _ National Museum Library, Parliamentary Li- brary, and the 5 DIAND resource centres and libraries. The tours shall be held in June 1979. If you are inter- ested please contact Gene Joseph. (continued from page 32) Douglas College Feb. 12th. The pur- pose of the W.I.A.C. Ltd. was ex- plained and the various colleges were -interested in assisting in having Indian students attend. *Cecil” Lous, W.LA:C. Ltd. Fieldman, Vernon, reports workshop arranged for Vernon March 26-30. This will take place in the evening of each day 6:30 to 9. p.m. Head of the Lakes Council Hall. He has also booked one in Cranbrook for March 19-22. Details to be reported by Kootenay area council. © Special A.R.D.A. representative Irvine Harry, has been on steady call to assist in making applications. Anyone wishing this service should try to book several weeks ahead, and do as much of your own home work as possible. eThe new W.I1.A.C. Ltd. Farm Account Book should be ready about the end of February. * In order to obtain loans, grants and contributions, some type of inventory and net worth statement with pro- jected volume of production is usual- ly required. Now is the time to get started on this, Apply to your W.I1.A.C. Ltd. Fieldman. UBCIC NEWS 34 BASKETBALL FEVER February 13th, 1979 marked the beginning of the 20th All-Native Bas- ketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, and a welcome,though temporary, in- crease in the local Native population. Native people from villages in the Prince Rupert area and as far away as Alaska arrived in Prince Rupert with basketball fever. At least 2500 Native people, both fans and _ players, squeezed into the hotels and motels in Prince Rupert, and still there wasn’t enough room—some people had to be billeted into private homes. There are about 18,000 people living in Prince Rupert, and approximately 6,000 of them are Native. With the ‘‘new ar- rivals’’ in town, this meant that dur- ing the week of the Basketball Tournament, half of the people in Prince Rupert were Native! These basketball tournaments have come to mean a lot to Native people, and this year was no exception. It’s not just the basketball games—al- though these games certainly prove how skillful and talented Natives are and can be in sports such as basket- ball. It’s seeing our friends and rela- tives, and exchanging news and GOSSIP (isn’t that what news is?), and just getting a beautiful feeling about being Native. On the weekend, especially as the final games were being played, the basketball fever hit a high, and the socializing that was being done every- where—in restaurants, stores, homes, bars, lounges and cabarets, and of course at the basketball games themselves—was unbelievable. Eighteen basketball teams, and their many, many, many fans trans- formed Prince Rupert from a fairly dead community, between fishing ’ seasons and in the middle of a tradi- tionally quiet month for merchants and businesspeople, into an exciting - motels and booming city. But this wonderful event had its darker side, with Native complaints against at least one of the hotels and in Prince Rupert. These Native people believe they were not given rooms when there were still some available, and that racial dis- crimination was involved. This is be- ing looked into. All in all, though, the tournament was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. In addition to the basketball games, some artists had their arts and crafts on display and for sale, and a few local Native organizations had information booths set up. Because of the success of these displays, an Arts and Cultural Event is being planned. The Native Outreach Project also I was a cheerleader when | was 15 years old. It was very difficult, but was it ever a lot of fun! It was difficult, because we had to | raise our own money and try to keep up our grades in school (we were successful in raising money). Another thing we had to do was make up our own movements to go with our cheers; I guess you can say we were pretty good at that. Altogether, in our cheerleading squad, there were seven of us. We were successful in raising money, because our mothers did all the cooking & baking for us for pot-luck suppers, and they also made our | uniforms, because we didn’t know | how to sew either. After all our money-raising and uniforms were ready, we were all | prepared for that hand clapping, foot stomping, spectacular Zone 5 All- Native Basketball Tournament in CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE CHEERLEADER Prince Rupert. We arrived in Prince Rupert all excited, our hearts pounding fast, butterflies in our stomachs, giggling and telling jokes, and of course flirting with all those gorgeous hunks that play and attend the games. We were all settled in our hotel rooms talking about everything (boys) and all of a sudden it was time to go to the games and do our thing. So five of us jumped in a cab, the other two found rides. We. were all bouncing around asking each other if we had everything and telling each other how scared we were because we would have to cheer in front of thousands of people. Then the cabdriver looks at us and asks us where we want to go. We all looked at each other and realized that none of us knew where the games were to be held. The cabdriver started laughing and we told him we wanted to get to by Sylvia Woods the All-Native games; we were lucky he knew where it was. We arrived at the gym, and we watched the game that was on before our team was scheduled to play. We went to change into our uniforms half an hour before our team played so that we could practise a few of our cheers. People were surprised when we all went running into the gym because they never expected good old Kitamaat to have cheerleaders. We started off with our favourite, which goes:* HOWDY CHIEFS HOWDY HOWDY CHIEFS HOWDY WE’RE HERE TO MEET YOU HOPE TOBEAT YOU © HOWDY CHIEFS HOWDY !! They all gave us a hand for that and all the rest of the cheers that we did. The two years of cheerleading were | the best two years of my life. UBCIC NEWS 34 by ‘Terry Starr conducted a Recreational Costs Sur- vey among the Native people either watching or playing in the games. The survey indicates that each out-of- town Native person attending or playing in the games spent an average of $367.80, which, over a six-day period and for an average of 2400 Natives, amounts to a total of $882,720 being spent by Natives in Prince Rupert as a direct result of the Tournament. That says a lot about the economic contribution Native people make to Prince Rupert, doesn’t it? And who won the Basketball Tournament? In the Senior Division, Kitamaat beat Kitkatla to take the title for another year, and the N.B.A. Beavers defeated Kincolith to take the Intermediate Title for another year. But all the teams were great (and I’m not just saying that because I played for the Co-op Challengers), and... . we’re all looking forward to the 21st All-Native Basketball Tour- nament next year! Photo: V. Dudowaro HELP WANTED Trent University Department of Native Studies Applications are invited for the position of: LECTURER OR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Applicants should have expertise in at least two of the following areas: —History of the Canadian Indian, with emphasis on Metis and non-status people. —Research methodology —Native community development Desirable qualifications: Master’s or Ph.D. degree with demonstrated teaching ability and experience in Native communities. Salary is negotiable within the current university salary schedule. The appointment is for one year commencing July 1, 1979. Applications should be forwarded not later than March 31, 1979, to: Professor M.J. Castellano, Chairman, Department of Native Studies, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario. K9J 7B8 ELECTRICAL WIRING. and REPAIRS residential commercial industrial Frank Bull ‘‘Jr.’’ 524-1280 1337 Kamloops Street New Westminster, B.C. V3M 1V5 UBCIC NEWS 35 ARE $$ THE ONLY CHOICE FOR A LAND CLAIMS SETTLEMENT? THE FUTURE FOR YOUR CHILDREN DEPENDS ON THE CHOICE YOU MAKE TODAY... SUBSCRIBE TO THE UBCIC NEWS, the fastest- growing Indian news magazine in Canada. Dedicated to building a strong foundation for a better choice: INDIAN GOVERNMENT. Keep informed. Know the issues. The right decision today means our childrens survival tomorrow. Subscription Prices: $8.00/year for individuals $12.00/year for institutions Send your cheque or money order to: UBCIC NEWS 440 W. Hastings Vancouver, B.C. VoB 1L1 | THE UBCIC NEWS WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY. DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL? A JOKE, A POEM, PICTURES TO SHARE? THE UBCIC NEWS IS ALWAYS OPEN TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS, OPINIONS, NEWS AND PHOTOS, THIS MONTH TERRY STARR, co-ordinator of the North Coast District Council Native Outreach Project, wrote a_ story about the All-Native Basketball Tournament’s effect on the Indian and non-Indian people of Prince Rupert. JEANNETTE BONNEAU of the Okanagan Tribal Council gave us a recording of the submission she pre- sented to the Osoyoos city council for the return of Spotted Lake to Indian caretakership. FROM THE UBCIC NEWS.... THANKS! to Terry Starr and Jeannette Bonneau for their contribu- tion. They will be receiving a free sub- scription of the UBCIC NEWS as a token of our appreciation. UBCIC NEWS is published monthly by the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. 5 = 2 “LS SONILSVH LSAM OFF ITl €9A ‘O'd ‘YAANOONVA SAaIHO NVIGNI ‘0° JO NOINN ‘WOU
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