Report Urges Action for B.C.’s First Nations Languages

Posted May 10, 2010 By tansi

Interactive Language Map on the First Peoples' Website

BRENTWOOD BAY – The First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council (the First Peoples’ Council) has published a report that reveals the troubling state of British Columbia’s First Nations languages. The first annual Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages 2010 provides concrete data on the province’s First Nations languages, including the numbers of speakers and resources for each language, as well as community efforts to stem language loss.

The report finds that fluent First Nations language speakers make up a small and shrinking minority of the B.C. First Nations population. It also reveals that most fluent speakers are over 65, the
number of semi-fluent speakers is small and the majority of classroom language teaching is insufficient to create enough new fluent speakers to revitalize a language. “British Columbia is home to 60% of the indigenous languages in Canada as well as distinct language families not found anywhere else in the world,” says Dr. Lorna Williams, Chair of the Board at the First Peoples’ Council and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge and Learning at the University of Victoria. “The cultural and linguistic diversity of B.C. is a priceless treasure for all of humanity and this report shows that more must be done to protect it.”

On the positive side, the report provides several examples of language revitalization work in First Nations communities. It also indicates that many semi-fluent speakers and the majority of language learners are under the age of 25, which points to the growth of community-based language revitalization projects across the province.

KEY FINDINGS
The report recognizes that there are different ways to measure and define language endangerment. Given the diversity of B.C. languages, the report uses three variables to measure language endangerment in B.C.—speakers, usage and language resources.

SPEAKERS (measures the ages, numbers and percentage of speakers of First Nations languages)
 Fluent First Nations language speakers make up 5.1% of the reporting population and most of them are over the age of 65.
 Those that reported as “semi-fluent” make up 8.2% of the reporting population. The level of fluency varies widely in the semi-fluent speaker group.
 Combined, fluent and semi-fluent speakers make up 13.3% of the First Nations population.
 11.1% of the reporting population is learning a First Nations language. The level of education that these learners receive is often insufficient to create new fluent speakers.

USAGE (where and how much the language is being spoken and taught)
 Typically, a student enrolled in a First Nations operated school spends one to four hours learning a First Nations language per week (excluding immersion schools).
 However, 34% of students attending a First Nations operated school or Head Start program reported that they are not learning a First Nations language.
 In the majority of communities, a First Nations language is rarely spoken at home, at work or in the media.

LANGUAGE RESOURCES (the level of documentation, recordings, archives and curriculum materials for a language)
 31% of communities have recordings of their languages available as a community resource.
 Although archiving is necessary for the survival of endangered languages, only 39% of communities reported having access to a FirstVoices.com archive for their language.
 52% have curriculum materials for teaching their language.

“With this report, we now have concrete evidence of what we have known for some time: all First Nations languages in B.C. are in a critical state,” says Williams. “I am encouraged by the many fantastic community-based language programs detailed in the report, but unfortunately, they are not enough to stem the loss. I sincerely hope this report is recognized as a call-to-action to save our languages before it is too late.”

INPUT FROM COMMUNITIES
The report would not have been possible without input from communities. The report’s data was taken from a database of Language Needs Assessments that were filled out by community
organizations when they applied for language funding from the First Peoples’ Council. Through Language Needs Assessments, communities identify language resources and projects in their communities as well as the gaps in these areas. Based on these assessments, communities can set their priorities and goals accordingly.

The First Peoples’ Council urges communities to update their information and report any inaccuracies in the report by filling out a Language Needs Assessment (http://maps.fphlcc.ca/lna)
that will be added to the next version of the report.

Visit www.fphlcc.ca to download a copy of the report.

Categories: Culture, Education, Language
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First Nations is fighting to protect our environment yet again

Posted April 22, 2010 By móniyáw

Aboriginal leaders from across Canada say proposed changes to federal environmental law is setting a course for conflict.

The Aamjiwnaang First Nation of Sarnia, Ont., and about 20 other First Nations have written to Prime Minister Stephen Harper demanding he withdraw the amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Aamjiwnaang spokesman Ron Plain said in the letter that the proposed amendments — part of the Conservatives’ jobs and economic growth act — give the federal environment minister complete discretion on setting the focus for environmental assessments.

“It is through environmental assessment that aboriginal peoples, including ourselves and the communities we live in, learn of proposed projects that may impact our aboriginal interests,” said Plain’s letter.

. . .

Earlier this week, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell announced his province would proceed with the steps necessary to build a third massive hydroelectric dam in northeastern B.C.

Aboriginal groups in the region have said they have not been consulted on the so-called Site C project, which must yet go through an environmental assessment.

British Columbia is not short on electricity, so why the sudden drive by Premier Gordon Campbell to encourage production of electricity? It begs the question if Premier Gordon Campbell will retire from politics to find a consulting position with an independent power producer?

Read the entire news article here.

Categories: Environment, First Nation, Water
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Government Sidesteps Supreme Court Ruling on Environmental Assessment – Budget Bill Ignores Court Instruction to Streamline Process

Posted April 8, 2010 By móniyáw

(Ottawa) Only weeks after the Supreme Court of Canada issued a strong ruling reinforcing the federal role in assessing the environmental impacts of industrial development projects, the plaintiffs in that case say the government is using the budget implementation bill introduced on Tuesday to violate that ruling.

“The government is trying to sneak in previously unannounced measures to severely limit the application of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act,” says MiningWatch Canada spokesperson Jamie Kneen.

On January 21, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously decided a case brought by MiningWatch over the federal government’s handling of the proposed Red Chris copper-gold mine in British Columbia. The Court ruled that the federal government cannot assess only part of a project, or split projects into artificially small parts to avoid rigorous environmental assessments. The ruling guaranteed that the public would be consulted about major industrial projects, including large metal mines and tar sands developments. The Budget bill includes amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act that would effectively reverse the Supreme Court ruling.
“The Supreme Court gave clear direction on how to minimise overlap and duplication, and if the ruling were applied properly it would also go a long way to reduce delays – yet the government has chosen to completely ignore that ruling and pursue a damn-the-torpedoes approach to development,” says Kneen.

MiningWatch is also disturbed by the secrecy surrounding the government initiative, given that the Environmental Assessment Act is required to undergo a Parliamentary review in just a few months. Says Kneen, “I am shocked at this. When the Supreme Court rendered its decision, we assumed that the government would respect the ruling, and pursue legislative change through the parliamentary review. The Government is clearly just as eager to avoid public scrutiny of its policies as it is to avoid public scrutiny of major industrial projects. Most of these changes were not even hinted at in the Throne Speech or even the Budget speech.”

“The irony,” says Kneen, “is that environmental assessment is one of the most important tools we have to balance economic interests, the environment, and the public interest. The government is not destroying that tool completely, but they’re essentially breaking off the handles.”

Categories: Entertainment, Mining
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Wealth beneath the Tsilhqot’in People?

Posted March 19, 2010 By móniyáw

Teztan Biny is More than just a Lake - It's Part of Our Culture

The Chilcotin plateau in mid-western British Columbia, Canada stretches from the mighty Fraser River west to the Coast Range mountains. It is a sparsely populated country with stark beauty. The lakes and rivers are renowned for fishing and wildlife of all kinds wander the forests and ranchlands. It is a rich land shared by ranchers, loggers, hikers, hunters, cowboys & Indians. A great variety of First Nation’s people share this “unceded” land with their neighbours from Bella Coola to William’s Lake. The Tsilhqot’in people of Xeni (also known as the Nemiah Valley Indian Band) live near the pristine Chilko Lake area. They have hunted, gathered and fished there for many generations. But..time’s are changing and a dark shadow may fall across their sunlit lakes. Prosperity looms large in their lives today. (more…)

Categories: Environment, Health, Mining
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Break from economic dependency for First Nation or something else?

Posted February 18, 2010 By móniyáw

Two northwestern British Columbia native groups have made unprecedented moves to change their way of life, with the aim of breaking free from decades of economic dependency.

 The Nisga’a First Nation has passed a historic law allowing its citizens to own their own property, in New Aiyansh, northwest of Terrace, B.C. Meanwhile, the Gitxsan First Nation has proposed a radical alternative to treaty negotiations by shedding its Indian status.

[...]

The Nisga’a Nation is home to about 6,400 citizens. New Aiyansh is the largest of the communities of the Nisga’a First Nation, just north of Terrace, about 550 kilometres northwest of Prince George, B.C. 

Meanwhile, the Gitxsan First Nation, also located in northwestern B.C., is petitioning Ottawa to remove its Indian status. The move would mean the Gitxsan would forgo its reserve system with citizens becoming taxpaying Canadians. 

The Gitxsan’s alternative governance model, which has received much public attention over the last month, proposes abandoning the Gitxsan’s Indian status in exchange for a share of resources from their traditional land.

[...]

This last point confuses me — do the Gitxsan own the land as part of the Nisga’a Nation, and if they do own the land now then why are they unable to own all the resources from that land? This would appear to be a step backwards!? Most landowners under federal/provincial authority do not have total rights to the resources (minerals, etc.) that exists on their land, so what is the change of status the Gitxsan are trying to achieve in broader terms?

“The situation we find ourselves in is not working. There’s not much employment. The housing conditions are pretty bad. The education situation is not that good and a lot people are on welfare,” Derrick said. “Our young people are telling us that they can’t eat Gitxsan title and they can’t eat Gitxsan rights. So we need to find a way to get out of poverty.”

 When the new governance model became public earlier this month, Marjorie McRae said her phone started ringing off the hook.

[...]

Any attempt to get out of poverty is a good thing, but the dots do not seem to connect clearly from this article. I may be having a “thick-head” day, but could someone spell it out clearly?

Categories: Land Rights, Rights
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Canadian Aboriginals need justice, not tributes

Posted February 16, 2010 By móniyáw

The 2010 winter Olympics kicked off in Vancouver, British Columbia with its opening ceremonies on Friday, February 12, 2010. Being
perhaps one of the least athletically-minded people on the planet, I wasn’t even aware the ceremonies were happening
until comments started flooding my Twitter timeline. I would have ignored the tweets were it not for the praise people were giving
for my country’s tribute to our indigenous peoples, which immediately started to give me the creeps. Let me explain…

The Aboriginal peoples of Canada are comprised of three groups: First Nations, which is actually comprised of hundreds of distinct
nations or bands (such as the Mohawk Nation and the Algonquins, for example); the Inuit, who inhabit the Arctic and subarctic regions
of Canada (no, they are not “Eskimos”); and the Métis, who are of mixed Aboriginal and European (mostly French) ancestry.
According to the 2006 Canadian Census, the Aboriginal population of Canada is 1,172,790, which makes up 3.8% of Canada’s
population of 31,612,897. The Census counted 698,025 First Nations people which is 59.5% of the Aboriginal population and only 2.2%
of the overall Canadian population.

[...]

What will happen after the 2010 winter Olympics is over? In an indirect way, the Olympics has raised my awareness of Aboriginal issues
in Canada. If you read articles like this and become aware of the Highway of Tears and problems around drug and alcohol abuse, I do not
see these problems appear on the “radar” of the general population who are focussed on the Olympic competitions. As a
mechanism of social change, there is very little offered by the Olympics. Look at the article here and judge for yourself.

Categories: First Nation, Health, Inuit, Métis
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Peace Dam Settlement provides closure to Tsay Keh Dene

Posted February 3, 2010 By móniyáw

Four decades after construction of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam created the largest body of water in B.C., the people displaced by the flooding of the Peace River valley have made their own peace with the province.Aboriginal Relations Minister George Abbott joined a delegation of BC Hydro officials Friday at the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation village at the north end of the vast reservoir, to mark the end of a dark chapter in B.C.’s history.

…

BC Hydro and the province have paid $20.9 million to a managed trust fund for the community, and will continue to pay $3 million a year adjusted for inflation as long as the dam produces electricity. The agreement was ratified last year by 80 per cent of Tsay Keh Dene members who voted, settling a lawsuit launched in 1999 and waiving any further legal action for the effects of the dam.

…

Considering that the Tsay Keh Dene’s way of life was almost completely destroyed and they fought over 40 years for justice, I think BC Hydro and British Columbia’s tax payers got pretty lucky. Read the full story here.

Categories: Justice, Land Rights
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Mining near Chetwynd, B.C. threatens Burnt Pine caribou herd

Posted February 1, 2010 By móniyáw

I might argue that there is a potential for enormous wealth that could fuel the economy and help employ a number of people. On the other hand, it seems that with proper stewardship the caribou herd could be protected and still provide wealth in the form of tour and hunting guides. I have yet to see an example of an environmentally friendly mine that will not devastate the surrounding environment. From an economic viewpoint, it seems to me that the long-term sustainable industry will eventually be more profitable than any short-term gain.

A First Nation group from northeast British Columbia has gone to court to fight to protect a tiny, endangered caribou herd from a potential coal mine development.

The West Moberly First Nation of the Chetwynd area wants the B.C. Supreme Court to overturn mining exploration permits to save the habitat of the 11-member Burnt Pine caribou herd.

…

Willson said the area where the exploration is currently permitted to go ahead is within critical core wintering habitat of the Burnt Pine caribou herd.

“It confuses us as to why mining is allowed to go cut a tree down when the Ministry of Forests is not,” he said. “It’s a double standard there. Our big concern is this is going to wipe this herd out.”

Is there collusion among the various government bodies, if the provincial/state government cannot do something without violating the law, then the federal government steps in? Read the full story here.

Categories: Environment
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19th Annual Womens Memorial March in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Posted January 31, 2010 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.

Categories: Events, Justice, Women
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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.

Categories: First Nation
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