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The Aboriginal Newspaper of British Columbia & Yukon
Published September 14, 1998
 |
A Moment to Reflect Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Phil Fontaine takes a break at the Kamloopa Powwow.
Photo Credit: Terry Lusty |
Clark responds to protests, calls
inquiry
by Malcolm McColl
Amoco, Saulteau people at odds
by Tracey K. Bonneau
Plint takes the stand
by David Wiwchar
World championships call Vancouver
woman
by Paul Barnsley
Let's talk about...D-E-N-I-A-L
by Gil Lerat
Back to school back to work -
Editorial
By Paul Barnsley
News in Brief
Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the September, 1998 issue of Raven's Eye. If you are not receiving your own copy of Raven's Eye, then you have missed all this information.
Click here for Raven's Eye subscription information.
Centre counselling is saving lives
Bill Clinton's confession: A hero's fall from grace?
Kamloopa powwow another success
Nlaka'pamux poet has a powerful message
Gathering fosters unity and strength
Off-reserve housing remains a political challenge
Tough talk from AFN vice-chief
Post-secondary students forced to make do with less
Viola Thomas defeated challenger Ron George to earn another term as president of the United Native Nations this month.
The off-reserve organization's annual meeting was hosted on the Sugar Cane territory near Williams Lake.
Trick or treaty againOne of UNN president Thomas' first major projects in her new term will be the second annual "trick or treaty" rally on Halloween. Last year's inaugural event featured speakers and a march from the federal treaty office in downtown Vancouver to the less posh downtown east side. Thomas said this year's trick or treaty should feature a little political street theatre. Thomas is already searching out ingredients for Jane Stewart and Phil Fontaine costumes.
Westbank elects new chiefRon Derrickson replaced Brian Eli as chief of the Westbank First Nation on Sept. 13. Former chief Robert Louie, who recently was defeated in the First Nations Summit task force election, attempted to return to the chiefs office in Westbank but he was not successful.
Chief Derrickson told reporters promptly after his election that his community will withdraw its application to the province for approval of a resort casino project. He also said he would support the neighboring (and traditionally arch-rival) Penticton Indian Band's casino project which was approved by the province earlier this month.
Feast of Friendship returnsLast year's successful Shuswap Chiefs Feast of Friendship worked out so well they're doing it again.
Last year, Kamloops and surrounding area non-Native businesspeople broke bread with Secwepemc Nation business and political leaders as each community reached out to the other.
This year, the invited guests include National Chief Phil Fontaine, British Columbia Vice-Chief Herb George and former Musqueam chief Wendy Grant-John (now a senior DIAND official).
The event takes place Sept. 18 at the Chief Louie Centre on the Kamloops reserve.
Fara is slated to provide the entertainment. Dinner, as it was last year, will be tradtional Secwepmc food prepared by Elder Laurel Jules and Coast Canadian Inn chef Volker Grady.
Summit member recoveringJennie Jack didn't get much of a chance to enjoy her election victory in the First Nation Summit task force race.
The member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation was the first woman ever elected to the Summit's executive committee. Shortly after her election she was admitted to hospital and is now recovering after having two aneurysms treated.
"There were many rumors and questions about Jennie's condition," said Antonia Jack, Jennie's mother. "We want people to know that although she was very sick, Jennie was never in a coma and is expected to make a full recovery."
The family issued a press release on Sept. 4 to thank the many people who have sent their support and prayers to the ailing political leader. It's not known when she'll be able to take up her duties.
Annual funding conferenceThe British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres is hosting its third annual Funding and Fundraising conference at the Victoria Conference Centre in the provincial capital on Nov. 12 and 13.
Aboriginal Healing Foundation chair Georges Erasmus has been invited to speak but is not yet confirmed. Other speakers include B.C. Vice-Chief Herb George, National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation founder and president, John Kim Bell and others.
Clark responds to protests, calls inquiry
By Malcolm McColl
Raven's Eye Writer
CAMPBELL RIVER
Premier Glen Clark, repsonding to growing protests from the commercial fishermen of Vancouver Island, arrived in Campbell River on Aug. 27 to diffuse the threat of shipping blockades.
The premier met with Campbell River Indian Band Chief John Henderson and Campbell River Mayor Jim Lornie. Later that day, the three called a press conference which was attended by hundreds of fishermen and their families.
At the press conference, Clark accused the federal government of ignoring the concerns of West Coast fishermen.
"I am deeply disappointed with (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Minister, David) Anderson," Clark said. "The ferry blockade in Alaska had the same cause. There is a wealth of intimate knowledge being ignored here. Anderson's absence causes deep concerns."
Clark found a receptive audience for his next announcement.
"A full inquiry into the Fraser River fishery crisis is being launched and the loss of millions of fish will be investigated," he said. "What has happened using DFO conservation methods amounts to incompetence. They know test fisheries were high. The federal department made grievous errors in calculations."
Clark was explicit in his criticism.
"The federal government has made a policy mess of the fishery," he said. "Is it designed to drive people into bankruptcy, or are they mistakes? There was $3 billion for the East Coast. Campbell River requires immediate emergency relief."
Clark promised to conduct the inquiry within five weeks and appointed Brian Peckford, the former premier of Newfoundland, to head the investigation.
The premier arrived in time to end local threats of a shipping blockade in the inside passage. He pledged to, "put food on the table, put people back to work and put hope in people's future."
Federal fisheries Minister David Anderson's reply to the inquiry was a promise of non-co-operation, saying the province couldn't force federal officials to participate.
The main spokesman for both Native and non-Native commercial fishermen was Chief John Henderson.
"It's a situation where the writing has been on the wall for three or four years," Henderson explained. "There is a large abundance of fish. The Adams River (summer) run has come through the Georgia Straight in its 20-year cycle."
But the Adams River run was entirely closed to the fishermen of the inside passage.
"This cycle is well known to the Elders of our nations," Henderson said. "The run in 1958 was big and the fish were big. The run in 1978 was big once more. The Elders said another historic run would occur in 1998."
Sure enough, the Adams run was large and the fish were 20 to 40 per cent larger than usual. They were coming back 10, 11, and 12 lb. sockeye salmon," he said, adding that the normal sockeye run contains fish averaging six lb.
Henderson said the Elders know plenty about the fish because their people have observed them since ancient times. He was angry that federal officials ignored the Elders' advice.
"Our ancestors tell us this and no one is listening," he said.
He brandished the DFO reports that were delivered to his office.
"Look at the DFO's numbers. Escapement levels at Mission were 5.9 million sockeye, measured late in July," he said. "They have never had that many fish before. The run size they expected was exceeded by 156 per cent."
Helplessly watching such an opportunity swim past them to be taken by Americans in the Straight of Juan de Fuca, or not taken at all, was too much for the local fishermen to stand, said Henderson, a life-long fisherman himself.
"Not to give us the opportunity to fish, that was the reason for the protest. The allocation process is total mismanagement," he said.
Other runs have not been so plentiful. The hot summer of 1998 was hard on the salmon that depend upon cool waters to live and spawn, and on the First Nations fishermen who depend upon the salmon to feed their families. All around British Columbia, on the rivers and streams, fishery catches are down.
Thomas Crey fishes the Fraser River for his Chawathuil band family who live near Hope, a mere 160 km from the mouth of the Fraser.
"The sports fishermen use a green woolly on a barbed hook," he said. "They just snag them. You find dead sockeye floating in the river. There is never any DFO checking the 200 sports fishermen."
The DFO is swift, however, to mete out justice on Crey, he said.
"I've lost four nets this year and to make those nets is expensive," he added. "They switch the hours, they actually vary the hours without notice."
By David Wiwchar
Raven's Eye Writer
NANAIMO
Plaintiffs in the Alberni Indian Residential School trial prepared to face a monster as they walked up the steps of the Nanaimo courthouse on Aug. 24.
The night before, the plaintiffs had gathered in a healing circle to prepare themselves for the challenge of seeing their abuser again as former dormitory supervisor Arthur Henry Plint was scheduled to be brought down from Mountain Prison to testify.
A hush fell over the courtroom as deputy sheriffs led the 80-year old Plint to the stand. This was the first time many of the plaintiffs had seen him since their student days at AIRS.
Dressed in prison greens, he spoke with a rough voice, his hands nervously tapping, touching and twitching in front of him.
Although tufts of stark white hair now forms a ring around an aging, bald head and he needs the assistance of a hearing aid, a cane and reading glasses, Plint remains sharp, answering lawyers questions before they even had the chance to finish them.
But despite this mental sharpness, Plint claimed to have forgotten ever beating or sexually molesting students. Even though he pled guilty to numerous charges of buggery and sexual assault, Plint now claims he cannot recall any of the events that led to his 11-year prison sentence.
Nor did he admit to remembering children being given squirts of cod liver oil at breakfast or how they were not allowed to speak their Native languages or the frequency of his assaults on students.
Plint said he has "tried to forget what happened at the Alberni Indian Residential School."
His victims, however, say they are unable to forget the pain, torture and humiliation they were forced to endure at his hands.
"I felt like a little kid in there," said plaintiff Melvin Good. "Seeing him made me feel scared and ashamed. When he looked across the courtroom at me I couldn't help but feel like that little kid again; immediately looking for someplace to run and hide from him."
Others echoed this sentiment throughout the day, saying that facing their abuser had sent them back into their childhood, bringing back the painful emotions that they experienced while at AIRS.
Amoco, Saulteau people at odds
By Tracey K Bonneau
Raven's Eye Writer
SAULTEAU FIRST NATION
Pressure is rapidly building in Treaty 8 territory as the numbers swell at a Saulteau protest camp.
BP Amoco Petroleum was granted a provincial government permit to drill a sour gas well in the valley between Twin Sisters Mountains and Mount Montieth. The Twin Sisters Mountains are located about 22 km north of Chetwynd. They hold spiritual value for the Saulteau and Dunne-Za First Nations. The people share a sacred prophecy about the mountains they feel must be protected and honored.
Temperatures rose on Aug. 17 when Amoco equipment and contractors were turned back by peaceful protesters from the area's Saulteau, Dunne-Za and Cree First Nations. Saulteau Chief Stewart Cameron said he was deeply concerned by the tactics the province employed when it approved the Amoco permit. The province claims that neighboring bands Halfway River and West Moberly have approved the project. Chief Cameron said the deal was negotiated on unsettled terms.
"We were negotiating with both parties - Amoco and the province - to conduct a traditional land use study for the area," he said. "The study would have allowed us to prove that the area is sacred to our people."
Cameron claims provincial officials assured his people a permit would not be issued until all discussions were finished. That promise appeared to have been broken when, on July 23, a permit was issued the same week the Saulteau First Nations were meeting with the province, Cameron said, adding that Saulteau First Nations were not formally notified the permit had been issued.
"I found out only by accident," Cameron claimed. "We had to send a formal inquiry before they finally gave us a copy of the permit on Aug. 5. This is outrageous. The province knows full well the depth of our concerns about the Twin Sisters. They deliberately kept the fact secret so we would not have time to challenge them."
Provincial government officials say that claim is false, adding that a special committee which included Saulteau representation was struck to deal with the situation before the permit was issued.
The Saulteau people migrated to the area from Manitoba in the late 1800s. They say they were following a prophecy of a Saulteau prophet. The great trek across Canada lasted more than a decade. The people were instructed to find a place where two mountains sat together with a bottomless lake. They were told this would be a place of sanctuary for them during a time of hardship. The Dunne-Za also share the prophecy of the mountains being a place of sanctuary.
Since they migrated to the area, it was stated in the province's permit decision that Saulteau rights in the area are "subordinate" to those of other Aboriginal groups.
Chief Cameron said that's wrong. He said the Saulteau people signed Treaty 8 in 1899 and have as many rights as anyone else.
"Not only that, but we have as many or more Dunne-Za members in our First Nation as we do Saulteau. Four of our councilors are Dunne-Za," he added.
Following the protest, BP Amoco filed for a court injunction which was granted on Aug. 26. But the oil company was only granted a partial injunction, something the protesters see as a partial victory. The company had asked the court for permission to upgrade a road so they could get equipment to an area where a winter trail could be constructed after freeze-up. The court granted an injunction against interference with the first stage of the project but refused to allow for the construction on the Mount Montieth winter road.
Saulteau has filed for a judicial review, which is expected to commence in mid-September and be completed by Sept. 21.
Cameron said he hopes the judicial review will "prove to the British Columbia government and to Amoco once and for all that they don't have the right to bulldoze our church."
The province's position is that the land in question is provincial Crown land and not part of Treaty 8 territory. Saulteau has filed a request with the federal government to assert its treaty land entitlement (TLE) for the area in question. That question remains outstanding. A few years ago, the West Moberly and Halfway River First Nations were issued a TLE that protected sacred mountains in the area.
On Sept. 2, with their court injunction in hand, Amoco contractors travelled through the protest camp to begin work on the road upgrade.
Saulteau Elders say they will continue to exercise their treaty rights to the sacred area. What would happen if oil was discovered at the Vatican, the Elders involved in the protest ask. Should industry be allowed to drill there? They say the spirit and intent upon signing of Treaty 8 was peaceful co-existence. The conditions and terms of Treaty 8 prove they never sold, ceded or surrendered any land, they insist.
Saulteau people say the rights supposedly guaranteed in the treaty have continually been disregarded to make room for resource extraction which has badly damaged the environment. Moose are frequently found with large tumors. The Elders say they are saddened they have no place to take their grandchildren.
Amoco spokesperson Gay Robinson told Raven's Eye the company has done everything it can to consult with and show respect for the Indigenous people in the area. She said the company's policy about consulting before acting goes beyond the provisions of Delgamuukw, the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision which stated that Aboriginal title exists and First Nations must be consulted and compensated for infringements of their title.
The provincial government says it has taken every reasonable step to deal with the Saulteau objections to the project.
Chief Cameron told Raven's Eye the company and the province still don't get the point of Delgamuukw, which is that First Nations must sit at negotiation tables as equals. He said the company offers community development and employment opportunities as a way to balance the impact its operation has on First Nation land but the company still hasn't got the point that it can't dictate what compensation is enough. He hopes the British Columbia court which looks at the province's actions in granting the permit will also take the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling into account.
World championships call Vancouver woman
By Paul Barnsley
Raven's Eye Writer
VANCOUVER
Christine Boehringer calls herself the fastest chicken on earth.
"That's how I feel," she said, laughing as she described how it feels to plummet down a snowless ski hill on a mountain bike at 40 kph or more.
Actually, what the up-and-coming competitive downhill mountain biker was really talking about was her new line of sportswear and its logo: Scared S**tless.
She gives her customers a choice of two clothing lines.
"There's Scaredwear for those who find the other name less politically correct, but the first name sums up how I feel when I'm racing," she said.
Fear hasn't kept the 32-year-old Skeetchestn Indian Band member from earning a berth in this month's annual World Mountain Bike Racing Championships, hosted this time around on Sept. 18 and 19 in Mount Ste. Anne, Quebec.
This is a young woman with a lot of energy and a lot of ideas. In 1996, a few years after discovering the relatively new sport that has since become her passion, she self-published and self-marketed a guide for other mountain bike enthusiasts in the southern part of British Columbia. That book, Mountain Biking Trails in the Lower Mainland, has already sold enough copies to pay for itself, its author reports.
And the sportswear is also doing OK. Boehringer and her partner, Sandy Reid, sell the shirts, shorts and other items between races at the various meets they attend.
"After three races, it's showing a profit," she said.
The biking gear is also offered for sale in 14 bike shops around the province and in a few shops across the border in the northwest United States.
Author, clothing designer, business-owner, marketer, publisher, world-class athlete: Boehringer is accomplishing all this while she holds down a full-time clerical position at BCHydro and attends Simon Fraser University in pursuit of a baccalaureate in general studies.
Those who are not familiar with her sport may not be willing to give her the respect she deserves as a competitor at the international level. That's because the sport is so new. But, like many of its winter sports counterparts such as snow-boarding, mountain biking is making a rapid climb to sporting respectability. In fact, it may become an Olympic sport in the not-too-distant future.
"I don't think the Olympics are too far of a stretch," she said, adding that she hopes it will happen while she's still young enough to give it a shot.
Riding a bike the way Boehringer and her competitors do it is no kids' game. It requires intense physical training, courage, toughness and a lot of skill.
The competitions are held on downhill ski hills. Speeds average 40 kph and there's no time for coasting.
"You've got to do a lot of weight-lifting and cardio training because you're pedaling as fast as you can all the way down," she explained.
Some courses take as long as seven or eight minutes to travel. An all-out sprint of that duration is a definite workout and quite worthy of being treated as a serious sport.
Boehringer was preparing for the trip to Quebec when contacted by Raven's Eye. She said she had raised only a fraction of the approximately $3,000 she would need to complete the trip. Aside from talking to bike manufacturers about sponsorships and attempting to solicit funding help from Aboriginal athletic organizations, she had one other ace up her sleeve.
"I'm going no matter what," she said. "My mom will loan me the money if it comes to that. She wants to. She said she didn't want me thinking 10 years from now that I should have gone."
Thirty-seven countries will be represented at this year's world championships. There are two flights of competition for women: amateur and professional. The pros make a living much like pro golfers, by travelling to the various competitions around the world and competing for prize money.
Boehringer will compete as an amateur this year - she's one of the top five in Canada at the moment. Next year may be the year she breaks into the professional ranks.
Just the thought of being that close to the top of her sport is surprising to Boehringer.
"Qualifying this year came as a surprise," she said. "Last year, I broke some ribs and a bone in my hand and I had a leg injury. But this year, I've just progressed through all the levels and here I am."
Let's talk about . . . D-E-N-I-A-L
By Gil Lerat
Raven's Eye Columnist
I had the opportunity to participate in the annual Elders Gathering in Prince George last month. I was asked by the gathering's co-ordinator, Christine Dawson, to hold a workshop called "Abuse and Neglect of Native Elders."
Only eight people showed up!
The workshop was scheduled for the last day of the conference and, granted, its promotion wasn't the greatest, but I still had hoped that more than eight people would have attended, especially since at least 2,000 people attended the three-day affair.
Elder abuse is an issue that needs to be addressed. I could do a whole column on Elder abuse, and I will in the future. I think the reason the workshop was so poorly attended was because the topic is a hard one to deal with.
Nobody wants to face the fact that Elder abuse happens.
Let's address D-E-N-I-A-L. It's a big, big word in the counselling profession.
Denial is a safety mechanism that your mind uses to keep you safe. In its truest form, it's an essential part of the human psyche. The mind uses denial to protect you from going to a place where you're not yet emotionally or mentally capable of going. When an alcoholic or drug addict is in denial, he or she is not yet ready to deal with the thought of being an alcoholic or an addict.
At this stage, addicts are incapable of dealing with the abuse they have suffered in the past. Re-living the trauma and the events of the most painful time of your life is very frightening. This is one reason why so many people get stuck in their addiction or trade one addiction for another.
I've seen many people - not only Native people - quit drugs and alcohol and then latch on to various forms of process addictions like gambling, sex, work, etc. Instead of spending all night in a bar, they sit all night in a bingo hall or spend all night at the office.
They are under the mistaken belief that everything is OK because they quit the dreaded alcohol or drug. Most people don't realize abstinence is the easy part of cleaning up. The real hard part is dealing with themselves, handling their emotions and feelings in a healthy manner on a daily basis.
Please don't get me wrong. Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic; not everyone who gambles has a gambling problem. It's when use becomes abuse.
Step 1 of the 12 step program is: "We admitted that we were powerless over (our addiction), that our lives had become unmanageable."
If our life is unmanageable - financially, emotionally or physically neglecting our families, - and becoming more and more chaotic, then it's time to take an inventory.
It's then time to deal with denial.
There is a four-part process for breaking down denial: awareness, acknowledgment, acceptance, action.
Before action, we must fully accept there is a problem. The alcoholic or addict has to fully accept having the "dis-ease" of alcoholism or addiction, accept they cannot be social users.
It is very important to know when and what intervention method is needed for someone struggling with an addiction. You and I may know that a person has an addiction, but the timing and method that we may employ to make him or her aware of the problem may determine how he or she handles it.
In the worst case, a person may attempt or commit suicide if we push too soon. We may think we know someone really well, but we don't know what they may be hiding. When I disclosed to my family that I had been sexually abused, they were all in shock.
We need denial for the protection of our psyche. We need to break down denial to move on to a healthier lifestyle. Denial isn't only a part of addiction. Denial is a normal coping tool that protects us from many possible hurts.
Denial is a big part of what I saw at the Elders Gathering last month, with respect to the abuse that many of our Elders are facing today.
I firmly believe that we are currently struggling with the third "A" in the Native community with respect to alcoholism and drug addiction. We are coming to accept that we as a Nation have an alcohol and drug problem and we have to move toward action.
Back to school and back to work
By Paul Barnsley
Raven's Eye Editor
August is supposed to be a slow news month. But there has never been a slow news month on the Aboriginal affairs beat.
Daily papers in August feature 'nice' back-to-school stories about the newest technological toys for the classroom or the latest fashions in back-to-school wear.
We've got a back-to-school story, too. It's about the lack of post-secondary funding for Aboriginal students. The Yukon chiefs got tired of giving their young people the bad news about funding for their university or college educations and gave the program back to DIAND. As you'll see in the story on page 14, the government's first move upon receiving control of the budget was to cut the funding per student to a starvation level.
So much for "capacity building."
It's easy to take shots at the feds on this one because there are so many goofy stories coming out of Ottawa about government spending.
The Senate is going to spend big money on a Turkish bath (or 'turkey's bath' as one pundit rather inelegantly, but pithily, put it); the Prime Minister is involved in a battle with Alberta Premier Ralph Klein over who should have the right to use Senate appointments as a political plum; etc., etc., etc.
If our elected officials want us to believe they're even a bit in touch with reality, it would be a good start to take the money that is slated to be spent on the Senate perks and divvy it up amongst the Aboriginal post-secondary students.
All we can ask is that our elected officials make an attempt to make sense. It certainly is difficult to discern any kind of 'plan' behind the reports concerning the fishery, this month.
There are as many points of view about why the West Coast fishery is in danger of going the way of the East Coast fishing industry as there are commentators (in the press and out, in government or not). But, no matter who you listen to, it's obvious there is big trouble in the waters for the people who count on the fish for their living.
You've got to wonder what the heck is going on when the federal government, with all its financial, technical and human resources, has apparently screwed up two seemingly indestructible natural resources.
Mother Earth is a pretty hardy old lady. We haven't managed to kill her off, yet, despite some incredibly vicious attacks in the name of profitability and progress. And make no mistake, it would take either a concerted, ingenious, intentional effort or incompetence of legendary proportions to destroy a natural resource like an ocean fishery. But, it appears, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has managed to (or is seen to be on the verge of) accomplishing this improbable anti-achievement for the second time!
I believe that those in the know could tell you the answer if there was anything in it for them. But being the one who actually says such an unpleasant truth out loud for the first time isn't a smart thing for people in government positions to do, so it doesn't get said.
Let me hazard a guess as to what an honest, fearless bureaucrat would say if he or she was ever asked about what's really happening to the fishery.
"We're playing politics too much, trying to please everybody, trying to do what the courts say is the right thing for the Indigenous minority without ticking off the majority who can wash our bosses away like yesterday's tide in the next election. We're trading an irreplaceable resource and risking the entire eco-system of the West Coast in exchange for a little protection for our cushy jobs and some political power."
Is that close? If it isn't, I'd like someone to tell me what is really going on.