4 - Sunday, November 23, 1986 - North Shore News Bob Hunter ] SUBSCRIBE to a newspap the Native Communications © strictly personal dae Veer. er called Kahtou, put out by Society. It’s my main pipeline into the unfolding drama of the Indians’ struggle for freedom in Canada. A recent issue carried a letter to the editor written by Chief Stanley Dixon of the Sechelt In- dian Band, which, as you may know, not long ago became the first band in Canada to be granted limited self-government. That is, instead of being bound by the edicts of the Indian Act, the Sechelts can now set their own pace according to their own constitution. Their powers are limited in the same ways as municipalities, but it does mean at the grassroots level of democracy, the Sechelts are free at last—no longer wards of the state, any more than you or me. Their pioneering spirit is bound to immensely influence other Indian bands, maybe even set a pattern. I don’t normally do this, but just to give you an idea of the passion and pride—and anger— the modern Indian feels about the issues of land claims and self-government, I’m going to quote Chief Dixon’s letter in Kahtou at length: CHIEF SPEAKS “This is probably the toughest Statement I’ve ever made, but here it is. To the racist white man, the redneck, superior, dominant white man. I want you to understand this: you keep tell- ing us to smarten up and be like you. Get out and get a job, earn a living and look after ourselves. “Yet you won't hire us because, as you say, your income tax keeps Indians alive. And we keep telling you that instead of discriminating against us you should be helping us so-we won't need your income tax dollars to } keep us alive.... : f ~= ** You call us lazy, you call us drunks, you say Indians are un- manageable and they can't take responsibility for anything. Everywhere | go one of you is taking snipes at me or my people. I grin and bear it. It’s no secret there are a lot of your types around ,.. When an Indian shows up you're ready to shoot him down verbally and tell your friends what a burden we are to your nice, clean, white society. “Well, rest assured, my white friends, we have heard enough. We finally have gained equality. And we will start taking care of ourselves, We will be free from the restrictions, the regulatians, the suppressions of the pater- nalistic Indian Act—which, by the way, was a creation of a few redneck white men like yourselves. Now for the first time in 116 years we can breathe and inhale some fresh air and relax without one of you to bother us. “I give you credit, when you were rolten, you were at your best, just calling Indians down. You were king of the mountain. You never thought once that you and your creation, the Indian Act, had us handcuffed and chained on one spot (the reserva- tion). “So far as the old saying goes that ‘Indians are the last hired, first fired,’ that will be a state- ment quite soon forgotten, because we can now get on with economic development projects that will put our people to work, and some of you, I might add. WORK AHEAD “IT know we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us but remember, first things first. Once we have a few economic development pro- jects in full operation and all my people employed, the attitudes will change. People will be hap- pier. Hopefully, your kind will at least cooperate. “Remember this, you people raised hell when you had a reces- sion and a depression just a year and a half ago. We have lived in a depression for 116 years. “Yn a nutshell I can explain it like this for you. You want us to be like you and live like you, but you have our wrists handcuffed behind our backs. Now the handcuffs are off! “Just give us a chance now and we will be responsible and accountable to ourselves. It feels good to be free from the Indian Act and to breathe in and inhale fresh air. I want to relax for a few days and | want the Sechelt people to relax, also, because it’s been a hard mind-boggling fight to get this freedom. “We've had to fight governm- ent, their legal people, their fi- nancial people, their bureaucrats—and in the mean- time take all the crap from peo- ple like you, which was uncalled for, “Watch our smoke—Sechelt Smoke. Get out of our way.” Washington. OC when we chanced upon a gathering of the Society of | Creative Anachronisms and met Philip Shade of Nortotk. VA. His hand- made, Much-Tougher-Than-Tilley chain mail and leather outlit weighs about 100 Ibs. Well done, Philip! KIND WORDS trom Valerie Kruger of the Arctic to Cape Horn Canoe Expedition: “We are delighted to be wearing our Tilley Hats and Pants. The Pants lit better than any I've ever found. They are our staple, and are very attractive for press conterences. CJBN-TV in Keewalin took a video of Verlen and me opening our Tilley box” Thanks, Valerie! My best frend wears her Tiley Pants to her ball- room dancing classes! THE TILLEY BOMBER JACKET. We can accept only about 125 more orders for pre- Xmas delivery. Thank you, CHFI-FM, for the generous praise of the Bomber Jacket on your “Simply The Best” program, We have it made in Canada Alex Tilley Diop in, Phone or Write Mon.-Sat. 10-5 Barbara Tilley 1559 Pemberton Ave, North Van. V7P 2S3 980-2631 Cypress Bow! heusing proposal withdrawn} ANCORE International's applica- tion to go ahead with a multiple housing development below Cypress Bow! Road has been cancelled. It is Ancore’s intention to reapply in January, 1987, however. West Vancouver Council aban- doned the bylaw amendment re- quested by Ancore on the advice of district staff. Planning director Steve Nicholls said that Ancore had indeed brought down the density to accep- table levels through the recent ac- quisition of an extra 17 acres. ‘*But we still require an amend- ment tu the Community Plan, even though the project is in keeping with study guidelines,’’ he added. Nicholls said that these difficulties could be resolved and another public hearing held. Ald. Donald Griffiths made a suc- cessful motion to cancel the current public hearing and abandon bylaw amendment, so that new appropriate bylaw amendments could be made. Qver 200 West Vancouver residents attended the Nov. 3 public hearing regarding the project, which is to include three 25-unit low rise condominiums between Highway ! and Cypress Park Road, above the Westmount area, “WE BELITVE B : tay, il i 3 . biscovea THe, AVICE we DIKERRLNCE PAR We fix surprises ¢ Collision repairs to all makes ¢ Latest equipment ¢ 1.C.B.C. claims + Frame straightening » Alignments * Custom paint 1159 W. 16th ST. 980-5423 980-2601 * Courtesy cars ® Towing on North Shore ° Estimates 16th Street Pemberton Ave,