CHIEF TERRY TEEGEE

BUILDING A PATH FOR ECONOMIC RECONCILIATION

We need to move toward productive partnerships that prioritize ownership

REGIONAL CHIEF TERRY TEEGEE

We live in a time of unparalleled opportunity for First Nations peoples and communities in Canada. Through the tireless work of First Nations, we have seen the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) in B.C. and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIPA) federally.

The UN Declaration affirms the need to respect and advance Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights, derived from our political, economic and social structures.

Further, the declaration and several other critical, internationally endorsed agreements recognize the fundamental importance of First Nations’ right to self-determination, including the right to pursue our sovereign economic development freely.

First Nations also fought for the acknowledgement of cumulative impacts from industrial activity on our territories through Yahey v. British Columbia. The combination of case law and legislation in British Columbia has created an environment for First Nations and First Nation-owned enterprises to thrive. These landmark policies and legal precedents build on an ongoing legacy of First Nations excellence, stewardship and activism in British Columbia. This is the beginning of the path we will walk together, with First Nations leading the way, as we have for generations.

Much work is needed to realize First Nations' economic self-determination. Opportunities to advance economic reconciliation include revenue-sharing models between First Nations and governments, industry or other partners, and creating space for First Nations through provincial and federal policy mechanisms. Productive and innovative partnerships require equity and full First Nations ownership of projects as we evolve past contract awards and joint-venture models that only offer limited benefits for our Nations and communities.

The BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) is advancing these economic priorities through several initiatives in partnership with the First Nations Leadership Council, composed of the BCAFN, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and the First Nations Summit. In addition, we develop partnerships with all levels of government and the business community to advance First Nations' interests provincially, nationally and internationally.

In October of this year, the BCAFN announced the launch of the First Nations Economic Development Centre of Excellence, with support from the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. The centre will increase the capacity of First Nations in B.C. to engage in economic priorities and initiatives highlighted in the DRIPA Action Plan. Its work will also include distributing best practices and relevant policy papers to First Nations, and providing business support services.

In November, the BCAFN sent a trade delegation alongside members from the First Nations Summit and the First Nations Forestry Council to Japan to develop opportunities and relationships for the First Nations forestry industry. First Nations-owned forest companies are becoming more prominent around the province and beginning to create new and innovative products for export. Japan is the largest consumer of British Columbia wood products, and we are incredibly excited to start the process of opening trade opportunities between B.C. First Nations and Japanese buyers. ç

Terry Teegee is serving his second term as the elected regional chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations. His ancestry is Dakelh, Gitxsan and Sekani descent, and he is a member of Takla Nation.

THE COMBINATION OF CASE LAW AND LEGISLATION IN BRITISH COLUMBIA HAS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT FOR FIRST NATIONS AND FIRST NATION-OWNED ENTERPRISES TO THRIVE

David Fierro is the lead artist of 400 Drums, which produces handcrafted, one-of-a-kind elk hide drums • TREVOR JANG

POTLATCH ON THE BLOCKCHAIN

Indigenous artists and innovators demonstrate Web3 potential for Indigenous sovereignty

TREVOR JANG

The studio walls of the 400 Drums team in Burnaby are lined with one-of-a-kind elk hide drums, handcrafted by David Fierro of the Okanagan Nation. The 24-inch heads are painted in acrylic, with phosphorescence incorporated into the pigments for stunning effects under black light. The designs are unique and abstract, allowing each individual to see what we need to see.

Fierro (traditional name Xa Xa Smanxwt) began building drums 20 years ago. His work is requested all over the world. However, he’s been asked by Elders not to sell them for a high cost outside of the community as he prepares them with cultural protocols such as hand-rendered bear grease.

Instead, he sells his drums for modest prices based on what people can afford. He wants his community to have access to drumming whether or not they can afford to cover the time, effort and expertise it requires to craft each drum. Such tension exists for many Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers

balancing cultural values with financial realities.

But Fierro has found a way to be fairly compensated for his work and cultural knowledge while protecting the sacredness of his drums and teachings. Fierro and team have created a limited series of digital assets that give buyers access to special giveaways, cultural teachings, images and audio recordings of each drum. “I actually stopped making drums for two years. I had to give some really deep thought to what I was going to do with it. So when this idea came about, I was like that’s perfect. I don’t have to sell the drums. I can gift the drums and show that culture keepers can make a very good living and support their community with the culture,” Fierro shares.

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are an increasingly popular way to buy, sell and authenticate digital artwork or digital assets representing real-world items. This is especially important in a city like Vancouver, Fierro points out, where Indigenous art is estimated to be a $100 million annual industry, yet very little goes back to the artists or even Indigenous Peoples.

But 400 Drums demonstrates something much more monumental to Indigenous Nations than a new way for artists to authenticate and monetize their work. Fierro and his team hope their success opens the eyes of Indigenous business and political leaders to the technology underpinning all NFTs that could revolutionize Indigenous data sovereignty.

INTRODUCING NATIONS TO BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY “Our research showed us if you’re not following blockchain you’re going to fall behind,” says Tamara Goddard, an Indigenous business and nation building catalyst from the Saulteau First Nation.

NFTs are built, bought and sold securely on a blockchain, a decentralized database or ledger that records transactions. The data is distributed across a network making it nearly impossible to hack. This opens up new possibilities for nations to own, control and benefit from their data on lands and peoples to support sovereignty, and economic and social gain. “Indigenous data is the most valuable data in Canada,” Goddard says.

Goddard is partnered with Fierro in 400 Drums. She’s a colour theorist who contributed to the phosphorescence of the drum designs. The pair also work together through Four Our Future, an Indigenous company that specializes in economic development models and works with nations to explore blockchain use cases. “Data sovereignty, data democratization, data monetization are all of the protocols we need to develop now in order to ensure that in the future that data is ours, it’s encrypted and we choose how and what we share,” Goddard says. “You can digitize your artwork, your language, your stories. You can digitize your tourism experiences. You can digitize these drums. And you can sell the digital copy and the digital copy

BELOW: Tamara Goddard, creative director of 400 Drums • SUBMITTED

LEFT: 400 Drums' pieces are made with special care and Indigenous cultural

protocols • TREVOR JANG

INDIGENOUS DATA IS THE MOST VALUABLE DATA IN CANADA ˆ Tamara Goddard Creative director 400 Drums

400 Drums' 24-inch drum heads are painted in acrylic and incorporate phosphorescence for stunning effects under black light •

TREVOR JANG

I DON’T HAVE TO SELL THE DRUMS. I CAN GIFT THE DRUMS AND SHOW THAT CULTURE KEEPERS CAN MAKE A VERY GOOD LIVING AND SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNITY WITH THE CULTURE ˆ David Fierro Lead artist 400 Drums

FROM LEFT: Writer Trevor Jang, 400 Drums' creative director Tamara Goddard and David Fierro, lead artist at 400 Drums • SUBMITTED

can fund your work. David is our example of how we do this.”

ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE IN MODERN TECH

Prominent blockchain use cases include NFTs, cryptocurrencies and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). DAOs are online communities owned and controlled by their members that often utilize cryptocurrencies and NFTs as part of their overall community access and experience.

This is Web3, the next evolution of the internet: Built on blockchains, where users have autonomy and control over their own data. Fierro and Goddard compare Web3 networks to the potlatch system. I come from a potlatch culture. The Wet'suwet'en word for feast is “denii ne'aas” meaning “people coming together.”

Naturally this intrigues me.

Traditionally, hereditary chiefs displayed their wealth by giving it away to potlatch guests. The next year, another nation would host a potlatch and give away even more. Over time this created more and more wealth amongst the network of neighbouring nations. “Before colonization, we were already a blockchain,” Goddard discerns. “Our communities were already decentralized, providing services and feeding back in circles just like ecosystems in nature.”

I’m taken into the studio that smells of musky bear grease, where Fierro tunes the drums to match our coastal climate and create the perfect sound for recording. The master artist is painstaking, ensuring the vibrational medicine works to help people attune to higher states of emotional well-being, connection and fluid thinking. “With the companies we have now, it’s integrated,” Fierro says. “They’re all working together. They’re all flexible. That’s what should be happening on a large, large scale. So we’re trying to set the precedent. Once that model is set, hopefully it will be taken by all First Nations involved.” “Like bubbles in the ocean.”ç

Trevor Jang is an award-winning writer and co-founder at ChinookX Technologies. He is Wet’suwet’en.