Treaty marks an en Wednesday, September 23, 1992 - North Shore News - 3 d and a beginning Twenty-nine tribal councils witness historic signing on NV Capilano Reserve THE WALLS of the new Squamish Nation Recre- ation Centre on the Capilano Reserve were barely a week old, but on Monday, on the occasion of the historic B.C. Treaty Commission signing, they seemed to reverberate with spirits of the past. By Paul Hughes Contributing Writer Men like Chief Joe Capilano, who, in 1906, made a trek to ’ England to raise his voice to King Edward in a futile attempt to establish treaties for his people. Eighty-six years later, the inher- itor of that voice, Chief Joe Mathias, great-grandson of _Capilano, would witness the cre- ation of a process to negotiate those treaties. it has been a long and frustrating crusade for the First Nations peoples of B.C. For well over a century, promises of fair treatment for natives have been 46 This is not about land. It’s not about money. It’s about our children’s future. - Burrard Band Chiet Leonard George like whispers in the wind. . “Gur forbears have been bang- ing on Canada’s door for 125 years,” said Miles Richardson, a signatory of the agreement and a citizen of the Haida Nation. ‘But today,” he said, “we as First Na- ~ tions . people are saying *Yes’ to Canada.”” * Native people came from every comer of the province — from the Rockies to the ocea: -swept shores. of the Haida Gwaii — to attend’ Monday’s ceremony. They came in Rent-a-Wreck vans, in cars, in buses — from the very, old, whose faces reflected the pain. of too many battles, to the very® young, for whom yet more B . battles await. They came not only to celebrate the promise of ‘the future, but to salute the past. _. Inca ceremony steeped in tradi- * tion, they paid homage to those ‘who: had gone before by - remembering the.culture that had fuelled their ambitions. AS. the tribes entered the build- NATIVE AFFAIRS ing, each was welcomed in song by their Squamish hosis. Twenty-nine ceremonial blankets — each one representing a tribal council —- were spread over the centre stage where the documents would be signed. The blankets were nieant to honor what would be witnessed there. Blankets were also draped over the shoulders of the signatories — including Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt — honoring what‘ they were about to accomplish. Those present were further priv- ileged to witness a ceremony seen by few non-aborignals. The Skway Skway, or mask dance, is a tradition going back thousands of years. The dance is considered so sacred that no photographs of its performance have ever been per- mitted. A curtain was drawn across the stage where a forest of media cameras was prevented from cap- turing it on film. Tape recordings are aiso forbidden, and those in the room were asked to leave behind what they were seeing. The dance is passed down through the blood lines, and only those direct descendants are able to learn its secrets. That it was performed at all was an indication of the impor- tance of the gathering. The unsigned documents were carried to the table by young children. Dressed in traditional regalia, they held the historic papers aloft, moving in a circle around the signing spot —- a symbolic gesture paying homage to the four sacred directions of the clan of humani- ty. That the bearers of the docu- ments were young was a symbol teo. To the young would go the benefits of all that had come be- fore. : In the words of Burrard Band Chief Leonard George, ‘‘This is not about land. It’s not about money. It’s about our children’s future.’’ The signing ceremony raarked both an end and a beginning. Its purpose, remarked Premier Harcourt, was ‘‘to establish a treaty to negotiate, in a just and honorable way, the end of over 120 years of injustice.’* There are complications ahead. Negotiations of land claims will be long and difficult. Even within the native community there are voices _of concern about this agreement. But the process, at least, has begun. With the Oct. 26 referendum looming, and with the ‘‘No’’ forces circling the wagons, the First Nations people gathered Monday in the Squamish Nation Recreation Centre can only hope that the B.C. Treaty Commission is not just another promise written in the wind. index ® Budget Beaters @ Business a Classifi ied Gi Comics sees @ Frugal Gourmet i Lifestyles @ North Shore Now @ TV Listings Whai’s Going On Weather _ Thuzsday, rain. High 17°C, low 119C Canadian Publications Mail Safes Product Agreement Number 0087238 of your historic and fie: a “a . NEWS photo Terry Peters NATIVE PEOPLE came from every corner of the province, from the Rockies to the ocean-swept shores of the Haida Gwall, to attend Monday’s ceremony on the Squamish Nation Capilana Reserve. Squamish intend to once commission Is From page 1 of his peopie and the just future he hoped we would share. “Today, Chief Mathias, we are all sharing in that vision of a jus? future.”” Mulroney took the opportunity of the occasion to sell the ‘‘Yes’’ vote for the Oct. 26 constitutional referendum, Said Mulroney, ‘“‘The Charlot- tetown Agreement is ultimately an expression of respect for the fun- damental role of native peoples in this country’s character, .and one which is all the more significant because it is long overdue.’’ Added Mulroney, ‘““The recog- nition of the inherent right of self-government is a recognition inherited autonomy.”’ The prime minister said that those gathered Monday to sign the B.C. Treaty Commission Agree- ment were following in the footsteps of Squamish Chief Joe Capilano. “‘Eighty-six years ago, Joe Capilano of the Squamish people warked on these same lands to found the Indian Rights Associa- tion. From this very place, he set in motion a process that brought Wilfrid Laurier to British Colum- bia in 1910 to travel and meet with Indian leaders.”’ Mulroney said that Laurier promised in 1910 to establish a B.C. land claims commission. The prime minister said he was fulfill- ing that promise. “The government of Canada has committed itself to providing a fair share of the costs of settle- ments, including the resources, to meet all federal obligations under file claim in place this new, made-in-B. Cc. negotiating process.’ Meanwhile, Squamish Chief Mathias said his peopie intend to — file a land. claim once . the. new commission is in place. : The total land area cf 3B. Cc. is 366,158 square miles. In 1990, the total native popu- lation of B.C. was approximately 8!,000,-or 2.64% of a total pro-.- vincial population of 3,058,000." The total land area‘of native reserves in B.C. is 1,285 square. miles, er 9.35% of total B.C. land. In 1950, about 47% of B.C. natives lived on reserves. : Twenty-one major: claims’: for tribal territories’ covering the pro- vince were subject to comprehen-- sive claims and negotiations as of 1990. . Lo : Traffic 1 increase dramatic 1 in NVD From page 2 Torrey rold the meeting that the district is negotiating on several fronts, including talks with the ownership of the Canadian-Oxy chemical plant on its realignment. Torrey said consultation with” the province on funding and with the public would also have to take place before a definite proposal could be sent for bylaw approval. “It could be a six-month pro- cess, it could be a year,’’ said Torrey. Several questions were asked about traffic in the area. Hyannis Drive residents were concerned about traffic flow and safety when it becomes a through road. : On the other side of the issue some residents wanted to know how long it would take to open some alternate collector routes to ease the congestion on Mount Seymour Parkway. OTHER ISSUES Other questions raised included in-fill housing, tree cutting, air NVD COUNC. Janice Harris... 155 acres for a golf course is not a park. pollution, littering and the grow- ing use of hiking trails by cyclists and even motorbikes and ATVs (all terrain vehicles). Coun. Jim Cuthbert said a community education program could help with litter, while mountain bike ethics were “being examined by a bicycle committee. Cuthbert also said that council no longer just looks at safety issues for tree-cutting permits, but asks how any tree contributes to the forested nature of the North - Shore. Crist told the’meeting that while the ultimate population of the Seymour area was scheduled for 35,000 it had risen by only 3,000 in the last 10 years. - “‘But the car population has in- creased dramatically so traffic makes it seem worse than it is,” said Crist. . Coun. Paul Turner said that signing up for a subsidized com- poster and using it would keep garbage out of the wastestream and reduce ‘“‘horrendous’’ district disposal costs. He also advocated joining the Block Watch program to help reduce the cost of fighting crime. Coun. Joan Gadsby told. the . meeting that the district was under increasing pressure to accept its share of a migrating population. st A — TS