Images of First Nations
Posted January 31, 2010
By tansi
19th Annual Womens Memorial March in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
By tansi
The 19th Annual Feb 14th Womens Memorial March takes place on Sunday, February 14 2010 and begins at 12pm.
At noon, we gather at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) where family members speak in remembrance. At 1 pm, the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the police station; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall….
This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women, especially Indigenous women, face physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual violence on a daily basis. This is a memorial not a protest; it is a deeply emotional time for family members and women affected especially in Vancouver’s DTES…
Read more here.
A new way for First Nations?
By móniyáw
“Where there is no vision the people perish,” notes the author in Proverbs, an aphorism quite evident for ill or good with Canada’s First Nation peoples.Recently, Canadians were shocked to discover how bad things had become on many Native reserves with recent events on Shamattawa First Nation in Manitoba. There, an 11-year-old boy died in a house fire treated by police as an arson-related homicide. The boy was under the care of Child and Family Services and left unattended in the home as the owners had left when the home ran out of fuel. It took three days for officials with the agency to discover the boy was dead.…Evidently, some indigenous communities won’t wait for Ottawa to provide another vision. Late last year, the Gitxsan people of northwest British Columbia asked federal Indian Affairs minister Chuck Strahl to revoke its Indian status, including its claim to tax exemption and guaranteed benefits that other Canadians do not enjoy.
Read the full article here.
Environmental panel’s demands could kill Mackenzie project: Imperial
By móniyáw
An environmental review panel’s recommendation to impose noise limits on any Mackenzie Valley pipeline facilities built inside a bird sanctuary could scuttle the $16.2-billion project, its backers have told the National Energy Board.
Calgary-based Imperial Oil — the leader of the consortium that wants to build the natural gas pipeline — said it and its partners might not be able to conform to the noise restrictions recommended by the panel for facilities built within the Kendall Island Bird Sanctuary.
via CBC News – Edmonton – Environmental panel’s demands could kill Mackenzie project: Imperial.
Tsay Keh Dene First Nation agree to Compensation for Land Taken over 40 years ago
By móniyáw
Tsay Kay Dene First Nation had their community and much of their hunting territory taken when the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and Williston Reservoir was created. In exchange for their traditional way of life, the Tsay Kay Dene received $35,000.
Tsay Keh Dene First Nation in northern B.C. has voted yes to a final agreement with the Province and BC Hydro over the development of the Williston Reservoir and W.A.C. Bennett Dam, Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister George Abbott announced today.
“The ratification allows the Province to right a historic wrong done to the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation,” said Abbott. “It will allow them to move forward and build for a positive future, and I applaud the leadership and vision of the Chief and Council for their commitment to delivering this agreement for the benefit of the whole community.”
Eighty per cent of the Tsay Keh Dene members who voted were in favour of accepting the terms of the agreement. The ratification vote triggers settlement of the litigation against BC Hydro and the Province for the creation and operation of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and the Williston Reservoir over 40 years ago.
You can view the entire news release here.
UPDATE: The $35,000 was compensation to the band when the dam was originally built. See the Wikipedia article and the section Impact on aboriginal people for more information.
Access to Fishing Rights
Posted January 30, 2010
By móniyáw
Archie Charles has been fishing in the Fraser Canyon since the 1920s. As a boy, he journeyed 50 kilometres from Seabird Island up the Fraser River in a cedar dugout canoe. Last year, the 87-year-old grand chief of the Sto:lo travelled by car to his family’s fishing camp. The old dip nets have been upgraded, but every July he still wind-dries his catch on the riverbank.
Unsettled land claims never stopped him, but as the Yale First Nation prepares to initial a treaty, the future of his favourite fishing hole is in doubt.
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For Mr. Hope, it is a chance for his community of 145 people to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Mr. Strahl, who has been involved in these treaty talks in his own riding since his days as an opposition MP, can claim a personal victory. And Mr. Abbott is delighted to have an upbeat announcement on the eve of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
But for Mr. Charles, a respected native elder, veteran of the Second World War, and a member of the Order of Canada, it means having to ask permission of the Yale to fish where he has always fished, where he has taught his grandchildren to fish, and where his father fished before him. The Sto:lo Tribal Council is preparing to defend the band’s fishing rights against the Yale – which, at the very least, will result in a legal challenge that will continue to sow uncertainty.
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Very interesting article, you can ready the full article here. If all parties concerned, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Yale First Nation, and Sto:lo Tribal Tribal Council work in cooperation then there should be lots of fish to go around. The Yale First Nation and Sto:lo Tribal Council have significantly more interest in settling any differences and protecting the fish than the DFO; I suspect this story is painting a picture that is different than the reality of the relationship between the Yale First Nation and Sto:lo Tribal Council.
Deh Cho First Nations defies North Slave caribou hunt ban
Posted January 29, 2010
By móniyáw
The Dehcho First Nations has joined other Denedeh aboriginal groups in opposition of the territorial government’s ban on caribou hunting in the North Slave region.The ban, which came into effect on Jan. 1, created a no-hunting zone twice the size of New Brunswick, encompassing part of the Bathurst caribou herd’s wintering grounds. Discussions about the ban dominated the Dene Nation leadership meeting in Fort Simpson from Jan. 19 to 21.
After two days of talks the leadership delegates, including those from the Deh Cho, voted unanimously to pass a resolution stating the ban on hunting barren-ground caribou should not apply to Akaitcho First Nations’ members because.
During the meeting, delegates said their opposition to the ban is based on the fact it infringes on treaty rights.
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Who is in the right? Protect rights at the cost of the livestock, or is there more to this story that is not reported here? Every hunter I have met is also an environmentalist, just as every fisherman wants to protect his fishing grounds so he can pass it to his children. You can read the full article here.
First Nation wants better service from RCMP
Posted January 28, 2010
By móniyáw
The Moosomin First Nation was mentioned in another article, but that story had very different content. There seems to be a lot happening in this tiny community.
Upset with how the search for an attempted murder suspect was handled, leaders on a First Nation near North Battleford, Sask., say they need better service from the RCMP.
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The band council wants the RCMP to contact them directly when issuing news releases, so they can ensure the right information gets out to band members, Kahpeaysewat said.
The band also says it wants an increased police presence on the reserve, saying members are struggling with drugs, alcohol and violence.
Responding to the issues raised by the band, RCMP Sgt. Carole Raymond said the force is still working out the practical details of the 2001 policing agreement.
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Struggling with the details of an agreement from 2001? It sounds like the RCMP, First Nation, or both parties are not really trying to help the community. Read the full article here.
Banning alcohol in First Nation community
By móniyáw
Officials with a First Nation in Saskatchewan say they’re getting tough on crime, with plans to ban alcohol and to cut financial and housing support for anyone involved in drug dealing or other serious illegal activities. Following a rash of violence, the Moosomin First Nation band council agreed this month to establish a “no alcohol bylaw,” says a joint news release issued on Tuesday by the band and local RCMP.
It is about time. See the full article here.
Partnership between West Cost Aquatic and Uu-a-thluk and Nuu-chah-nulth Nations shows promise
By móniyáw
A new partnership between West Coast Aquatic (WCA), Uu-a-thluk and Nuu-chah-nulth Nations has resulted in the hiring of 14 people from the Nuu-chah-nulth communities.
The partnership, known as the “Na-a-qu-us” Project (literally “where you are listening in a place”), has been created to assist in coastal planning and fisheries goals on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
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Read the entire article here, learn more about the Uu-a-thluk here, and see a pdf release here from the Uu-a-thluk web site. This looks like a model solution for other communities and businesses to consider.
