Federal Minister gives and ear to Tseshaht

Marc Miller of Indigeous Services Canada had a visit that included a tour of the former residential school site

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Port Alberni, BC - As the Tseshaht work to determine the future of a former residential school site, the First Nation’s representatives and other Nuu-chah-nulth leaders received a visit from Canada’s Indigenous Services minister on July 28. Marc Miller was welcomed by Tseshaht hereditary chiefs, followed by meeting with the First Nation’s elected leaders. Foremost in this talk was Tseshaht’s plans for the site of the Alberni Indian Residential School, where two of the institution’s buildings still remain: Maht Mahs gym and what was formerly known as Caldwell Hall. Miller ventured to the site to step inside Caldwell Hall, which is currently being used by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. “We thought it was important for him to actually set foot in the residential school,” said Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts. “It just has an energy about it. Some really horrifi c things have happened there.” The federal Minister’s visit comes at a time of reckoning for Canada to settle recent painful discoveries at former residential school sites, which began with locating the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in late May. The Tseshaht plan to employ the same ground penetrating radar that has been used to locate remains at other former institutions. They also aim to formally document all of the schools past students - including those who never returned home. But Watts emphasized that the demolition of Caldwell Hall is a necessity, where the First Nation hopes to replace it with a multipurpose health and wellness building. “It really meant a lot to let him set foot on the grounds,” said Watts of Miller’s visit. “He knows this isn’t just a little area that we have to deal with. It’s pretty large in scope.” The future of Maht Mahs, however, may be diff erent. “It’s such a hub still for our membership,” added Watts, noting that although an eventual replacement is inevitable, the First Nation has yet to hold formal discussions on tearing the gym down. “I think we’ve done a good job at doing our best to change the feeling of that facility, we’ve had so many potlatches and amazing events there, but it still is a part of the school.” Other topics discussed include the

Submitted photo Marc Miller receives a gift from Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts in front of the First Nation’s administrative building on July 28. expansion of Haahuupayak elementary to include high school grades, and badly needed on-reserve housing. With no new homes built in over fi ve years, Watts said at least 30 are on a waiting list, although he expects more people who need homes haven’t applied to the First Nation. “We’re really lacking serviceable lots that are connected to city water and sewar like most of our reserve is. There’s not a lot of space left,” he said, noting that some existing homes have concerning utility connections. “They’re all on ailing septic tank systems that are failing as we speak that could be potential health and safety and safety hazards.” The shortage of housing is a widespread issue, across Nuu-chah-nulth territory and Canada. A 2016 report from Statistics Canada found that 18 per cent of Indigenous people live in crowded homes, and a 2019 study by the United Nations stated that one in four on-reserve people in the country live in overcrowded conditions. This issue was stressed to Miller when he sat down with NTC leaders on Wednesday. “ISC is now funding First Nations based on the number of people on reserve,” said NTC President Judith Sayers. “For Hesquiaht, they’re getting funding for 68 people, when their membership is 750… You can’t encourage people to go home if you don’t have homes.” Justice concerns were mentioned, with the desire for remote Nuu-chah-nulth communities to have their own police force. This concept has gained attention over the last year, after the shootings of three Tla-o-qui-aht members in diff erent incidents, including the deaths of Chantel Moore in New Brunswick and Julian Jones in Opitsaht. “We wanted him to make sure that he works with us as First Nations, as we are the only people who know what the needs are in our communities,” said Sayers. “It shouldn’t be just high level working with AFN [Assembly of First Nations] and other organizations.” Watts said his nation’s needs go beyond just money from Ottawa, but the recognition of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “It’s not always just about resources, but it’s about jurisdiction, it’s about authority, it’s about implementation of UNDRIP,” he said. Sayers noted that First Nations’ authority to determine access into their territories was not respected by the provincial government during the pandemic. “We just really felt the lack of jurisdiction of First Nations in health during COVID,” she added. “It was Bonny Henry and Adrian Dix, they were making all of the decisions and we didn’t have a role.” With a federal election on the horizon, Watts refl ected on how much things have changed since his father, George Watts, was a Nuu-chah-nulth leader. Although more work is needed to recognize Indigenous rights, Miller’s visit highlighted improvements over the last 16 years since his father’s passing. “They’ve done some signifi cant contributions that I think need to be acknowledged,” said Watts. “To see the amount of money that’s been invested, he wouldn’t have seen that 16 years ago.”

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Photo by Eric Plummer Ken Watts and other Tseshaht members performed for Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald when she visited their community on July 24. AFN national chief Archibald visits Nuu-chah-nulth

Meetings with Huu-ay-aht, Hupacasath, Ahousaht and Tseshaht builds relationships in fi rst weeks of her term

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Port Alberni, BC - Two weeks into her term as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, RoseAnne Archibald has shown an active interest in Nuu-chahnulth communities with three days of visits July 22-24. Archibald was elected to head the national advocacy organization in July 8, becoming the fi rst woman to hold the high-profi le role. A member of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation from Ontario, Archibald fi rst heard from Nuu-chahnulth leaders as she sought the AFN position. “I was invited by a number of the chiefs during the campaign,” she said, after being treated to a formal cultural welcome by the Tseshaht First Nation on July 24. She also met with the Huu-ay-aht and Hupacasath on Thursday July 22 in Port Alberni, followed by a visit to Ahousaht the following day. “I thought I would try and see as many communities on the Island as possible, so we reached out to Judith Sayers, and she was able to arrange three of the communities.” The national chief was in British Columbia earlier this month for another announcement from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation on an investigation into the remains of 215 children discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. First publicized on May 28, the remains were located through ground-penetrating radar employed by the First Nation, setting off a series of similar discoveries at former residential school sites by the Muskowekwan First Nation and the Cowessess First Nation in saskatchewan, with another collection of remains uncovered on B.C.’s Penelekut Island July 13. “Everyone is concerned,” said Archibald, referring to the many remains yet to be uncovered at other residential schools. “One of the top priorities is to fi nd the resources needed.” During her visit to Tseshaht territory Archibald was taken to the former site of the Alberni Indian Residential School, where the First Nation hopes to build a community centre replacing a building that remains from the institution that operated on the land for nearly a century. “We talked about the deconstruction of the former building, when that will happen,” said Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts of his nation’s plans for the future of the site. “In our case it’s a place where we can come together, a multipurpose area to support our health and wellness.” With the possibility of a federal election looming later this year, Archibald believes that securing adequate support to investigate Canada’s other former residential school sites should be a national priority. “These crimes have to be investigated,” she said. “I don’t like to call them schools,” added Archibald, referring to them as “institutions of assimilation and genocide.” Other issues heard by the national chief included the right of fi ve Nuu-chah-nulth nations to harvest and sell species from their respective territories, the scope of which was recently redefi ned by the B.C. Court of Appeal in a recent decision. The Huu-ay-aht First Nations stepped out of the Ahousaht et al. case in 2009 to proceed with treaty negotiations, but a clause in the Maa-nulth Final Agreement specifi es their commercial right, along with the Uchucklesaht, Toquaht, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and the Ka:›yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations that are part of the treaty. “Maa-nulth nations could negotiate a fi shery comparable to the fi ve nations’ agreements with DFO, and then move those licences into the treaty where the fi shing licences and rights would be constitutionally protected,” stated a Huuay-aht document on the “me too” clause in the treaty. Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor Robert Dennis Sr. hopes that the “me too” clause will enable his fellow citizens to convert existing crab licences to allow of commercial sale, as well as other species. “We tabled a letter with her outlining what we wanted to do,” he said. The Huu-ay-aht also looked for support in continuing with its Social Services Project, an initiative that stemmed from a public health emergency declared by the First Nation in 2018, when 21 per cent of its children were in foster care. This percentage has since decreased, but the First Nation plans to continue with its initiatives to help keep children with their families, including Oomiiqsu, a supportive residential facility for mothers and children set to be constructed in Port Alberni. “We’re coming up to a renewal agreement and we wanted to seek her support to help us with Indigenous Services Canada to renew that agreement for another fi ve years,” noted Dennis. Language revitalization was a priority expressed by the Hupacasath First Nation, who have just three fl uent speakers left, said Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Vice-president Mariah Charleson after participating in the Port Alberni meetings. “They see lots of single grants and single-year programs, but they really want it to be lasting,” she said of government funding for such initiatives, noting that better representation at the Port Alberni Port Authority is also needed by the Hupacasath. “They expressed the need to hold a seat at the port authority.” As hundreds of First Nations in Canada push to have their issues recognized in Ottawa, Nuu-chah-nulth leaders hope that Archibald’s visit is the beginning of a strong relationship with the AFN. “She wanted to go into community, she wanted to meet elders, she wanted to hear what the needs and concerns are of community,” said Charleson. “Right off the bat I know many Nuu-chah-nulth were shocked to see such an early visit.” “Now that we’ve had this introduction, it opens the door for us to have a pathway to the national chief to address some of our issues,” added Dennis. “This is a fi rst for us, to have the national chief come right to the Huu-ay-aht community and say, ‘What are your concerns?’ So she got off to a blazing start here coming out and learning what the issues are.” “Hopefully she’ll always remember us,” said Watts, after the Tseshaht welcomed Archibald with songs and dance in front of the First Nation’s administrative building. “I think it was a pretty special moment to do it outside. We haven’t welcomed someone like that in a long time due to COVID.”

RoseAnne Archibald

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Although we would like to be able to cover all stories and events, we will only do so subject to: - Suffi cient advance notice addressed specifi cally to Ha-Shilth-Sa. - Reporter availability at the time of the event. - Editorial space available in the paper. - Editorial deadlines being adhered to by contributors. Ha-Shilth-Sa will include letters received from its readers. Letters MUST be signed by the writer and have the writer’s full name, address and phone number on them. Names can be withheld by request. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted. We reserve the right to edit submitted material for clarity, brevity, grammar and good taste. We will defi nitely not publish letters dealing with tribal or personal disputes or issues that are critical of Nuu-chah-nulth individuals or groups. All opinions expressed in letters to the editor are purely those of the writer and will not necessarily coincide with the views or policies of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council or its member First Nations. Ha-Shilth-Sa includes paid advertising, but this does not imply Ha-Shilth-Sa or Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council recommends or endorses the content of the ads. Report aims to uphold women’s roles

Upholding our Matriarchal Roles examines the wellness journeys of First Nations

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A new report is highlighting the importance of restoring a focus on matriarchal roles for the health and strength of First Nations communities. Published by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) and British Columbia’s Offi ce of the Provincial Health Offi cer, Sacred and Strong: Upholding our Matriarchal Roles examines the health and wellness journeys of First Nations women and girls in British Columbia. It is both a celebration of their strength and resilience, as well as an “urgent” reminder of the need for collective action to eliminate systemic barriers that disproportionately impact First Nations women and girls. Rather than being a technical report fi lled with charts and data, it was a way to honour and respect the lived experiences of women by allowing them to highlight their self-determination and the health inequalities they face, said Dr. Shannon McDonald, First Nations Health Authority acting chief medical offi cer. “I want Indigenous women to open this report and see themselves in it,” she said. The report is intended to provide a new approach to tackle issues around health and wellness by empowering women to be part of the change. It is the fi rst in what McDonald said she hopes will be a series of reports to measure that change over time. “Traditionally, matriarchs taught girls and young women about respecting and caring for their bodies as well as about their nation’s customs with respect to pregnancy, childbirth and mothering,” read the report. The passing of knowledge supported healthy child development within communities, it added. As patriarchal laws were introduced to communities through colonialism, it “undermined and suppressed the active and respected roles of First Nations women,” read the report. “When settlers came to [B.C], they didn’t want to talk to women,” McDonald said. “They came from an extremely patriarchal system, and they placed men above women rather than [as] equal partners or having signifi cant roles in the community. [Women] were really devalued by the settler communities. That’s been refl ected in the Indian Act rules and regulations. And we’ve seen the negative impacts of that over time.” McDonald said that in First Nations communities, there was a specifi c ceremonial, operational and cultural role for matriarchs. The cultural life of the community would centre on the experience, wisdom, and knowledge of the matriarchs, she added. Forced surgical sterilization, the Sixties’ Scoop, the residential school system, and the child welfare system are some of the colonial systems and practices that disrupted teachings surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and mothering, the report suggested. The residential school system “tore children away from their families” and told them it wasn’t okay to be who they are, said Ellen Frood, Alberni Community Women’s Services Society executive director. “Many [children] never saw their parents again, and many died,” she said. “Residential schools are not just a dark chapter in our history, they’re a legacy that continues to plague our Indigenous communities.” In June, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights released a report indicating that until 1973, British Columbia had laws “requiring the forced and coerced sterilization of individuals who were considered ‘mentally defective.’” First Nations, Inuit and Métis people were disproportionately targeted and sterilized, read the report. It was assumed that the practice stopped with the changes to legislation in the 1970s, but the report indicated that cases of forced and coerced sterilization continued to be recorded, some as recently as 2018. “Education is the heart of where we need to be,” said Frood. “The violence against Indigenous women and girls is systemic. It’s a national crisis and it requires urgent, informed and collaborative action.” In First Nations communities, matriarchs are revered as knowledge keepers and storytellers, said Frood. Now, their stories consist of being ripped away from their parents, she said. “The knowledge keeping is of huge trauma,” said Frood. Ann Whonnoock is an elder from the Squamish Nation who was interviewed in FNHA’s new report. “My hope for health care is that my family gets taken care of in a good way – that my grandchildren know they can go into a hospital and be given treatment that everyone else in the province gets and not be stereotyped because of who they are and where they come from,” she said in the report. “That they don’t face the troubles and traumas that my daughter faced by going into an emergency ward and being asked, ‘Do you drink? Do you use drugs?’” Looking forward, McDonald said she hopes the women’s personal stories will engender conversation around topics such as how to approach Indigenous midwifery, steps to take in the event of a marriage dissolution and how to support elders who want to stay in community. “It’s not western experts and academics taking the lead on what information is important and how it’s going to be used,” she said. Instead, McDonald said the report prioritizes the stories of First Nations women and girls by allowing them to identify their own needs. “It’s just a really diff erent way of telling the story than has been done in the past,” she said. “[It] responds to a really strong statement we hear all the time, and we try to honour – ‘nothing about us without us.’”

Dr. Shannon McDonald

Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born. A community newspaper cannot exist without community involvement. If you have any great pictures you’ve taken, stories or poems you’ve written, or artwork you have done, please let us know so we can include it in your newspaper. E-mail holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org. This year is Ha-Shilth-Sa’s 47th year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!

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Government-issued ID will not include Nuu-chah-nulth le ers, due to need to follow international standards

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The federal government announced in June that traditional Indigenous names can be used on passports and other travel documents. The move comes in response to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission call to action, which appealed to the government to allow residential school survivors and their families to use their Indigenous names on government documents. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) took it further to include travel documents, citizenship certifi cates and permanent resident cards, for all Indigenous peoples. While it’s a “step in the right direction,” Mariah Charleson, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council vice-president, said the new policy doesn’t go far enough. The Nuu-chah-nulth language uses special characters and letters to help with the pronunciation of words, she said. “If I just tried to anglicize [the words] and write them in English or French text, it wouldn’t be the same,” said Charleson. “It wouldn’t sound the same.” Charleson said that as First Nations reclaim their identity, many people want to reclaim their name. “A lot of our culture and who we are is enshrined in our language,” she said. “Recognizing the special characters is important.” Currently, IRCC can only print in the Roman alphabet, with some French accents. IRCC’s systems are developed in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization, which set the requirements to “help ensure all passports and travel documents are machine-readable,” said Nancy Caron, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. “All systems that handle passenger data, including personal identity information, follow the ICAO standards,” she said. “This makes sure no matter where you travel, your passport or travel document works across computer systems.” For the next fi ve years, any Indigenous person can apply to reclaim their Indigenous names on travel documents, citizenship certifi cates and permanent resident cards free of charge. “Supporting First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in reclaiming and using their Indigenous names is an integral part of the shared journey of reconciliation,” said Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco E. L. Mendicino. “Traditional names are deeply connected to Indigenous languages and cultures, and an individuals’ identity and dignity. This change means that Indigenous peoples can proudly reclaim their name, dismantling the legacy of colonialism and refl ecting their true identity to the world.” Layla Rorick, who prefers to be called by her traditional Hesquiaht name chuutsqa, said she will not be changing her government documents. The Hesquiaht First Nation language teacher said she worries that if all her travel documents don’t match with corresponding names, she might be denied access to cross borders. “I don’t feel that the border service agents will be educated enough to understand why my passport would have my

Photo by Eric Plummer Traditional Indigenous names can now be used on Canada’s government issued identifi cation, such as passports. traditional name on it,” she said. In order to avoid any possible issues, Caron said the IRCC recommends travellers have other identifi cation documents that match their reclaimed names. chuutsqa received her traditional name from the late-Simon Lucas when she got married in 2005. It is short for čuucqiłamuʔuqʷa, which was the name of her great-great-grandmother who lived in the Hesquiaht Harbour, where her parents continue to live today. By using it, chuutsqa said she is helping to normalize the use of traditional names. “It’s important to honour and remember the names that you’re given in your language,” she said. While chuutsqa said she thinks it’s important for First Nations people to use their traditional names every day with their families and in their communities, “using it to cross borders” isn’t a priority for her. “I really appreciate that [the government is] addressing a call to action,” she said. “It’s one more step towards reconciliation … it’s just not something that holds a lot of value for me.” The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s fi nal report was published in December 2015. It outlined 94 calls to action to address the legacy of residential schools and to promote reconciliation in Canada. According to IRCC, name change requests were being considered on a caseby-case basis until the formal process was established. “A person’s name is fundamental to who they are,” said IRCC, in a release. “Indigenous names are endowed with deep cultural meaning and speak to Indigenous peoples’ presence on this land since time immemorial. Yet the impact of colonialism means that many Indigenous people’s names have not been recognized.” Although chuutsqa said she doesn’t intend to change her government documents, she will continue to use her traditional name every day. “It’s a way to reconnect to what our ancestors would have called us,” she said. “And to help others feel comfortable in knowing that using our language is safe, it’s fun, it’s part of living a good life.”

Photo by Eric Marks Solar panels have been installed on the Kyuquot school, which serves as a community muster location in the event of a tsunami. Kyuquot upgrades its tsunami warning system

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Kyuquot, BC – The people of Houpsitas, the home of Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’, can sleep well now that a new tsunami warning system has been installed. According to Elizabeth Jack, the First Nation’s emergency coordinator, Kyuquot did not have a proper tsunami warning system until October 2020. Residents of the low-lying ocean-front community relied on a donated fi re siren that was attached to the KCFN administration offi ce. “But it was pointed outward toward Walter’s Island so people behind it or even next door to it couldn’t hear it,” Jack told Ha-Shilth-Sa. It would be up to those who heard the alarm to go door-to-door to warn people to get to higher ground. Jack says the new system is very eff ective. In a test run, everyone in the village heard it along with people living on nearby islands. The system is activated by remote control or handset radios. Jack and the KCFN’s director of community services are the only two people with codes to activate the alarm. Evacuees know to go up the hill to the school, which has been set up as an emergency muster location. There are two large containers with emergency supplies, including blankets and food. In addition, the school itself has 151 newly installed solar panels that are capable of supplying power to the facility in the event of a power failure. This is particularly important for a remote community at the end of a power grid.

Ancestral remains found on beach near Kyuquot

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ancestral remains were discovered during a beach cleanup led by Rugged Coast and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nation, in Kyuquot. A newly identifi ed burial site was reported to the Port McNeill RCMP and BC Coroners Service on July 21, after a Kyuquot First Nations member found a skull and other remains around 30 metres inland from the high tide line, according to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. The RCMP is working with the archaeological department at the ministry, the BC Coroner Service and the nation to further investigate, according to Port McNeill Sgt. Curtis Davis. While Davis said there are several missing persons fi les from the area dating back to 1973, BC Coroner Service identifi cation experts have determined that the remains are “archaeological in nature,” said Ryan Panton, BC Coroners Service communications manager. “We don’t do a coroner’s investigation in those circumstances,” he said. According to the BC Coroners Service’s identifi cation expert, the remains are archaeological based on the description of the scene, which is consistent with “ancient Indigenous coastal burial practices,” said Panton. The remains revealed a tooth with wear that is consistent with pre-contact Indigenous remains, he added. “There was no evidence located, such as clothing or artefacts, that would suggest the remains were modern,” said Panton. The remains have been left undisturbed and have been recorded with the province as an archeological site, said the ministry. The RCMP and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nation will continue to monitor the site.