3 - Sundas, Gctober 22,

1089 — North Shore Sews

Development of Doliarton land
considered by the Burrard Band

THE BURRARD Indian Band (Sleil-waututh First Nation)
is considering the development of a marina on Dollarton
foreshore band land adjacent to the former Matsumoto

shipyard site.

Pending a land-leasing go-ahead
from the federal government, the
band also plans to develop residen-
tial housing on a five-acre parcel
of land located near the Seymour
Golf And Country Club,

The band recently applied to In-
dian and Northern Affairs Canada
for the land designation of five
acres on the northeast corner of
Burrard Reserve No.3.

If a majority of voting band
members supports the scheme in a
referendum scheduled for Dec. 3,
the land parcel would be desig-
nated to the Crown. Designation
allows for the long-term fease of
the land and subsequent develop-
ment.

“Phe future and ditcction we
should be looking at is that it will
be a betterment to our community
and the surrounding comimunit
suid Sleilewaututh Chief ben
George, We'd be looking at
single-family dwellings.
townhouses and some kind of
complement development to the
golf course — maybe another golf
course. My job is to identify
what's going to bring the band the
best land-dollar value. [Eo have to
put together proposal packages
and present them to my people.”

One proposal that is up for band

consideration calls for the devel-
opment of a marina on foreshore
Property just west oof the Mar
sumoto site (the new home of Na-
ble Towing fd.)

it acted upon, it would be the
latest in a series Of mitrina pro-
posals made in the past sear for
Property situated alone the Dolkar-
ton stretch of Burrard Inlet.

The Vancouver Port) Corpora-
tion has identified the development
of a marina on port-owned
Maplewood property as an option.
The failed Ramrod investments
Lud. residential proposal, mace in

1YSS for the development of the
Matsumoto site, also called for a
marina in the area.

Said George of the foreshore
development idea: "ht has the
potential of becoming a mini-
Granville Island with shops.
Noating homes, fishing boats and
pleasure boats. The basic thing is
that we put in the kind of devel-
opment the people are happy
with."

The timing of any development
on the band [and is based on com-
See Band
Page 8

Sieil-waututh leader gives insights

SLEIL-WAUTUTH (Bur-
rard Indian Band) Chief Len
George, son of Chief Dan
George, is presenting an up-
coming series of lectures
sponsored by the Centre For
Native Small Business at the
Ming Court Hotel. The first
of the series, entitled Unity,
Peace, Healing and Pro-

sperity, is scheduled for Oct.

The North Shore News met

recently with George to explore his
vision of how native and non-
native people could benefit by
sharing cultural strengths and
reaffirming their spiritual selves.
NSN: Much is made of the
spiritual linkage between in-
digenous North American people
and their land. Does the land re-
main integral to your culture?
LG: The land is our culture.
Everything fits in and has a pur-
pose. We take air and water for
granted and think it will always be
there for the future of our
children. It's not. [t can very easily
be gone tomorrow.

But our most important resource
is people. We're often led to
believe that the needs of the whiie
people are different than the needs
of the Indian. When the Indians
have their claims, people just think
that’s their problem. Some pcople
even get mad at them for sticking
up for the things they need to sur-
vive. Indian people have
everything given to them, what
more do they want? But al) the
issues and things we are struggling
for are the natural things that we
are born to do — to provide, 1%
enhance.

I don't think that we as hunters
or huntresses have changed very
much over the yveurs. The only
thing that has changed is the type
of hunting that we do. What we
want is better pay for us to provide
our family needs of shelter, educa-
tion, mental, physical and spiritual
peace.

NSN: Is God ia the land?

God is inside of us. Ged is not
out there. I's in the unconscious
and subconscious mind.

I think that the spiritual essence
of people is dormant. [Us gone
asleep right now. § think all of the
ingredients that made us what we
were before, are sill there. People
need to be reaffirmed. Basically.
what [ feelis right is all the natural
things we come into the world
with, When we're ao child. wher
we're ao pabv. wetre all really
bright. We're intelligent, we're
loving, generous, sfaring, caring,
honest. To me those are the re
values in life that make us who we
are.

Qur system was based on what |
call a spiritual value. Alb the lead-
ers of the tribe were holy men, he-
ly women. They were the ones who

I me

wee

‘ ;
NEWS photo Tom Burley

SLELL-WAUTUTH (Burrard Indian Band) Chief Len George has unity, peace, healing and prosperity on his

mind. George will be addressing these issues during a lecture pr

ntation slated for 7 pam. to 10 pom... Ot. 25.

atthe Ming Court Hotel in Vancouver. For ticket information call 683-4230.

guided and directed the people.
They wot their direction from God,
Mobamined, the Great Spirit
whulever sou want to cali bin.

There are four eroups of us —
white. black, sellow and brown,
Everyone of these groups still have
their holy people who are still liv-
ing in the traditional ways.

Before it was structured into
dogma, and the rales and regula.
tions were created to complement
the materialistic value, our rela-
tionship with God was fine. In our
history, the Endian people can
become bad by turning away from
God. But there’s not another God

of esil that makes us turn bad. Se
fous, there was ap introduction of
two Gods. With that introduction,
there came a fear of God. We had
always looked at God as @ resource
that you couid vo to, When seu're
thirsty, you po to the water,

But all of a sudden, soutre told
thar if vou don't ebes the rules of
God, he’s going to punish vou. So
a punishing God was introduced.
NSN: There is a God out there
called hard currency und it: comes
with the Queen's face on it. Where
does this God fit into the picture?

I categorize how our Hlestsle
changed into three major

categories of oppression Cio
ernment, Religion and Hollywood.
AS opposed fe people being gov-
cerned by spiritual svatues, and hie -
ing the leaders looking after their
physical. mental and emotional and
spiritual needs. the ssstem that
we're diving under naw is based on
mhaterialistic vaiag

Hooveu catemortze a ist oof
Priorities in the svsteme thar we live
now, the economic development is
atthe top and. ance in a while,
people will add in cheit spiritual
and sogial salues. Bur more often
than not vou don’t pet there. The
LOVETHINENES priority. is money.

The real need is way down at the
bottom, The type of structure that
we have now is oppressive. Mate-
rialistic value does nothing but
oppress people.

There are some people who
know how to understand and how
to balance. But for the most part
people feel oppressed by the con-
cept of competing and controlling
and buying and lying and stealing
and cheating in order to get the
materialistic value chat they want
to attain. It’s thrown on us aff the
time.

NSN: We've talked about religion
and government. What do you
mean by Hollywood as a category
sion?

simplest way to explain our
Hollywood image is by throwing a
native into a role category. 1 use
the example of the disco group The
Village People. If you remember
all those characters, there was an
Indian, a cowboy, a biker, a con-
struction worker, policeman and
an army man. Not every army man
can be an Indian. Not every con-
struction worker can be an Indian.
Not every cowboy can be an In-
dian.

But an Indian can be every one

of those characters. Why is that?
Because an Indian is a human be-
ing. He is not a role. When you
place a human being into a role
category, you dehumanize him.
We all relate to one and other in
our Hollywood image. | start off
talking about native people,
because that is what Iam. But
what I'm really talking about is us
as human beings. The humanistic
values we bring to our lifetsyles —
that is what we are.
NSN: How do you see your peo-
ple’s relationship within the con-
text of the broader community in
the 1990s?

[ see a combination of the old
values and the new. People can
renew their relationship with God
by coming to the understanding
that he’s nota punishing God. We
van clarify our Hollywood image
by creating honest stories about
ourselves. People thirst for that,
As for our materiatistic value, the
dollar is not evil, its what we do
with it.

We should drop the veils be-
ween us. Right now the reserve
that En sitting on is Crown fand
and is mine as long as Um here. As
soon as f leave, then ifs not. Uma
ward und there's no responsibility
in that. | need toa have responsibili-
ty inorder to thrive.

Wei ous people hase to get
healthy, And then whateser diree-
tion we go in as a band, it will
have a positive effect on the com-
munity as a whole. Po think that
every one of our band members
should be computer Uterate. 1
think that every one of them
should remember how to pray in
the traditional way. Begin with
vourself to enbance the loving and
understanding and the caring. If
you dove yourself and care for

See Natives
Page 8