North Shore Indian bands battle to preserve culture and quality of life WE ARE standing on the sands of Ambleside Beach — three Squamish Indians and a white man — mere yards away from where the first contact between those two races took place almost exactly two centuries ago. By Paul Hughes Contributing Writer Much has happened in the in- tervening years, but one thing has not changed: we stil! don't under- stand one another. Time, often called the Great Heater, is also the Great Wounder, and when it spans decades of forced cultural _ assimilation, it’s difficult to cross the gap of misunderstanding and “: mistrust. The three men are planning the course for the Squamish War -Canoe Races due to start the next day. Two of them are talking on > . cellular phones to other organizers further afield. I .can’t help but note the incongruity of.an ancient tradition being planned with the use of the latest in communica- tions’ breakthroughs. As if sensing my thoughts, Norm ceases his conversation. .-| **We used to do this with smoke -Signals,”’ he jokes. ‘‘The Indians : have arrived,” * “here is much laughter at this . before anothe: comments, ‘We've come out-from the trees ... and “we're not going back.”’ eee ” Wake a drive on the Dollarton “Highway. towards. Deep Cove and at one point you will suddenly feel 8S. ‘if. you've crossed a time zone. *New. houses with million-dollar views-.give. way to largely. ram- . Shackle komes with peeling paint It's as if someone erected a sign long “the: toad reading, “Beyond tne point there is poverty and Burraid ‘Reserve #3, which oc ies the. Dollarton site, is one of _teserves on the North Shore. fy are linked:with a common history, culture: and traditions, but they € separate entities. n- 1923, nearly all the Squamish .tribes ‘sprinkled along Burrard In- “let and Howe Sound amalgamated ‘ to one-unit, forming the pres- . ‘ent-day Squamish Nation. Chief George, leader of the Burrard band at that time, seeing no benefit for his people, chose not to join the amalgamation, and the two bands remain separate to ‘this day. However, because of their “common history and the inevitable ‘intermarriages between the bands, the borders become Jess clear. Also they are linked by one im- portant factor — a struggle to Squamish Nation. Both bands ° preserve their vanishing culture, and improve the quality of their lives. Some progress is being made. The Burrard Band is presently undergoing a development of nearly a third of its 260-acre reserve. The development includes a golf driving rv. ¢., a townhouse complex, 2 gac sud convenience store, a marina and an industrial park. Chief Leonard George sees the development not only as a source of both employment and much- needed cash for his people, but as one facet of a healing process. “We're talking about the de- velopment of a community — a community that has suffered 140 years of oppression.” George is also looking to the future. He hopes the skills his people learn on the project — the band has its own construction company — can be applied to other developments ..in other communities, The Squamish, too, are pro- gressing. New houses constructed on the Capilano reserve rival those of any non-native middle-income community. In addition, they are currently building a much-needed recreation centre on the corner of..Capilano. Road and Welch Street, and plans are in the works for the building of a school on reserve larid where the language and traditions can be taught on a daily basis. But perhaps even more impor- tant than these physical signs of renewal is the revitalization of their culture. As the past two cen- turies have proved, denying a race of people their heritage is to invite upon them a swirling vortex of misery. Among some of the programs now being offered are Squamish language courses, currently avail- able to native children in five local schools. As well, there is the construc- tion of an ocean-going canoe which wiil take part in the Gaatuwas project, a gathering of indigenous peoples from around COMBINING ANCIENT cultures and modern attitudes, the North Shore's native community strives to preserve that culture while improving their quality of life. NEWS photo the Pacific Rim, scheduled to take place in 1993. One of the mast exciting pro- grams now being started is the Squamish Nation Rediscovery. Part of the Rediscovery Inter- national organization, Squamish Rediscovery promotes cross- cultural understanding by inviting elders, youth and community members to 10-day camps where they explore themselves, the en- vironment and other cultures. Based on native traditions, the camps — one of which is at Evans Lake north of Squamish — en- courage participants to regain their connection to the natural world around them. It is programs like these that can breathe health into both the Native and non-native com- munities. Indeed, the traditional indigenous connection to the Earth and the creatures on it, could do much to prevent the ecological. catastrophes that now face all of us. Driving through a reserve, it is easy to make snap judgments -about the -people who live there. You can’t:ignore the poverty, the drug and alcohol abuse, the seem- ingly inverted unemployment fig- ures, but‘too many of us make assumptions about these cold Statistics without learning anything about “the: warm, living people behind them: We can learn much from each other. Assimilation of native culture into our own, a process that has been going on since the 18th century, and which many people still feel is the answer, would not only obliterate a rich tradition, but possibly eliminate the chance of taking from the past what will ensure our survival. To romanticize all that is native and traditional is, of course, to oversimplify. But, like the cellular phone and the ancient canoe, surely we can use the wisdom of both cultures to learn to live side by side without misunderstanding, without fear, and with a united hope for the future. ESTABLISHED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1956 industrial, Commercial Road Paving ‘Asphalt, Gravel, Grading, Curbs, Soil-Cement GENERAL OFFICE NOATH VANCOUVER, 303 EAST ESPLANADE 985-0617 FAX: 965-0485 929-7971 NORTH VANCOUVER PLANT. 6 RIVERSIDE DA. SECHELT PLANT, PORPOISE BAY AD. 885-5151 Members: Amalgamated Construction Association, BC. Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association Canadian Technicat Asphalt Association THE DICK IRWIN GROUP LTD. A NORTH VANCOUVER FAMILY STORY In February, 1969, R.E. “Dick” irwin founded Dick irwin Chevrolet Oldsmobile . Ltd. at its present location, 845 Marine Drive, North Vancouver. Although Dick + was thirty-seven years old at the time, he had already accumulated clase to * twenty years’ experience in vehicle sales and management positions. Through Dick's experience and dedication to serving the motoring needs of ; the North Shore population, the interests of The Dick Irwin Group of cor- . panies have expanded in the ensuing twenty-three years: . In 1974, Pacific Honda was opened at 725 Marine Drive and is now the oldest.” established Honda Dealership in Metro Vancouver. In-1975;. Timbertine ‘Leas--: 4: ing Utd. commenced operations as an all- make vehicle leasing enterprise. In: the same year, Dick trwin Limited was founded to acquire and d manage the = various properties usec by Gealership operations. : From this strong North Shore base, the Group expanded into Alberta with the : - establishment of Millwoods Honda in Edmonton; ‘Alberta i in. 1976, Westwood g Honda, in Port Moody, was opened in 1978. - o In 1980, the need was identified for additional protection for vehicle owners: = requiring sepairs which were not covered by Manufacturers’ Warranties. The Continuous Service Protection Program was founded and has since provided this vital protection to more than six thousand purchasers of vehicles from The Dick Irwin Group. Group dealerships have supplied more than 42,000 vehicles to valued customers since 1969. Expansion continued in 1989, although in a slightly different direction, with the establishment of Blackfish Marine which offers high quality motor yachts manufactured by Luhrs, Rampage and Cruisers Inc. Since its inception, The Dick Irwin Group of companies has been a familyaf- fair. Dick and Barbara Irwin have collaborated on company matters during their forty-two year marriage and all of their children are involved in the family . "business. Sons Rick, Jack and jim are all senior, hands-on executives of the various Group operations while daughter Pattijean Wachtman is serving in key direc- torship positions while busy raising her family. The traditional “Sunday Din- ners” which are gatherings of the extended family, provide an excellent venue for the communication which is so vital to the administration of the widespread commercial interests, “The automotive business has become fiercely competitive and there is no end in sight,’ says Dick Irwin. “We recognize that our future success, depends on our ability to provide a satisfying experience for our customers. tn order to assure our customers of quality service, our goal is to provide the very best of people with the very best skills in ail of our operations.”