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Uchucklesaht’s real estate, seaweed and bottled water
Status with a modern-day treaty is helping Uchucklesaht progress initiatives faster through meetings with feds
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
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Barclay Sound, BC – The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government (UTG) has completed a review of their progress 10 years after the implementation of their treaty and now plan to diversify economic development ventures to better support approximately 300 citizens. UTG Economic Development Manager David McCormick was hired Nov. 15 to help guide the process. He secured funding from Indigenous Services Canada, which was used to leverage funding from the Island Coastal Economic Trust. On April 28 the nation announced it would develop a fi ve-year plan for community sustainability and prosperity with funding support from ICET’s READY program. Most Uchucklesaht citizens live within the City of Port Alberni, with a dozen living full-time in 14 newly constructed homes in the traditional village of Ehthlateese, located about 40 kilometers down the inlet from Port Alberni. Chief Councillor Charlie Cootes said the older homes that were there were all condemned after failing inspection. They were all torn down and replaced. There are plans for more construction, including a longhouse, rental housing and healing centre. Cootes says that since they’ve signed their treaty 10 years ago, things are moving along much easier. Prior to treaty it would take eight months to more than a year to have funding applications approved through INAC. Today, the nation holds economic development meetings every two weeks, and it is not unusual to
Photos submitted by Uchucklesaht Tribe Workers clean gear by a Uchucklesaht kelp farming site in the Alberni Inlet. get funding approval in one or two meetings. “We are no longer a nation with lands held in trust by the feds. Now we have fee-simple lands and that gives us better opportunities for economic development planning,” said Cootes. More citizens would love to return home if there were jobs to sustain them. McCormick says the new economic development plan will explore diversifi cation and sustainability opportunities. In a media release issued by ICET, they stated that Uchucklesaht’s economic assets are based primarily on fi sheries, aquaculture, forestry, residential real estate, and freshwater bottled beverage products. The existing economic development strategy was started 10 years ago, and no longer fully refl ects the nation’s restrictions are lifting. The Nuuci Building property includes an adjacent fi eld that the nation hopes to develop into residential accommodations in the future. Cootes is proud to say that the Nuuci property won an award from the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board this spring. UTG are also the proud owners of Thunderbird Water which provides top-shelf premium water to high-end markets. But the COVID-19 pandemic aff ected the hospitality industry adversely. Cootes said the slow time at the water facility allowed them time to upgrade equipment so that they could fi ll large orders overseas. “We now have the capacity and machinery in place to meet demands and now we have two full-time employees plus a manager at the plant,” said Cootes. Another sustainable economic venture is the recent partnership Uchucklesaht formed with Cascadia Seaweed, which grows kelp at a farm in Alberni Inlet. The harvested kelp is made into food products. As Uchucklesaht leadership look to the future, they have hired a consultant to analyze their existing businesses and to engage with membership about their ideas for sustainable economic development ideas for the nation. According to ICET a comprehensive, community-led planning process will examine opportunities in tourism, value-added wood biomass, seafood processing, craft retailing, and rental housing, as well as explore new product lines for existing food and beverage activities, among other prospective opportunities. “Since the last strategy was developed, a lot has changed: UTG has leveraged its treaty nation status with an economic self-suffi ciency mission, its business interests and opportunities have evolved signifi cantly, and so too has the world
after two years of the global pandemic,” says McCormick. “Throughout, the UTG has demonstrated itself to be extremely resilient, progressive, forward thinking and active in its eff orts to grow its income streams.” ICET was created and funded by the Province of B.C. in 2006. Its mission is to create a more diverse and globally competitive island and coastal economy. Since inception, ICET has approved more than $54 million in funding for over 240 initiatives. “We are always looking for ways to create revenue for our nation,” said Chief Cootes. “We’re doing so much better – the treaty allows us to make our own decisions when it comes to purchasing (real estate) and leaving our footprint in the valley.”
The First Nation’s bottling facility for Thunderbird Spirit Water in Port Alberni. current economic state or its business and community interests. Uchucklesaht owns the landmark Thunderbird Building on Argyle Street in Port Alberni. “It set a new standard for residential development in Port Alberni,” said McCormick, adding that its units are fully rented with a waiting list. With rentals in high demand in Port Alberni, UTG is exploring new investments in real estate. Chief Cootes says their Redford development, formerly Redford Elementary School and now called Nuuci, has been renovated and serves as offi ce space for Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Teechuktl staff . With all offi ces occupied, the facility also has the former school gym which will be rented out as a gathering space now that pandemic
Former students speak of how past violence continues to cripple younger generations and aff ect foster system
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Port Alberni, BC – Members of the Alberni Valley United Church (AVUC) delegation have been holding monthly meetings with residential school survivors to discuss reconciliation and what that could look like for the group. Mary Heatherington is a member of AVUC and invited Ha-Shilth-Sa to a meeting called Road to Reconcili-Action that was held April 29 at the United Church in Port Alberni. The group started about 2019, according to Heatherington, when church members went to Tofi no to meet with Tla-o-qui-aht leadership. At one of the early meetings Tla-o-quiaht elder Levi Martin came up with the name ?aps ciik cha chum Hiy Ap, which, he told the group, means ‘making things right’. The meetings had just gotten started but were brought to a halt due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Nora Martin said the fi rst meetings in 2019 focused on healing and allowed the survivors to share their stories with the congregation, including the impacts of the harm that residential schools did - not only on the individuals that attended them, but also the community. “It was diff erent at fi rst, letting people into our lives – it never will be easy,” said Nora, who is a residential school survivor from Tla-o-qui-aht. She went on to say that the group will continue to work on goals and objectives, and they will continue to explore what reconciliation means to everyone. Besides interim Minister Ed Lewis of the United Church, there were a few elder members of the congregation in attendance including a retired family physician joining about a dozen Nuu-chahnulth participants. Heatherington along with Nora Martin were there to welcome the people. The agenda for that morning included a discussion around what reconciliation means. Guests Julia Hunter and Michelle
Photo submitted by the United Church of Canada Girls sit in assembly at the Alberni Indian Residential School, which was formerly run by the United Church. Dick from the NTC’s Usma were there to talk about the foster care program. Minister Lewis told the people that it was hard hearing their stories at fi rst. “As a white person, at fi rst I felt guilty and ashamed,” he said. “But now my heart is healing because of this group, and I thank you for that.” One of the survivors said that she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) late in life, due to her experiences at residential school. “When we’re strangers we make assumptions about each other…people might think I don’t like them because of how quiet I am, but that’s just a symptom of PTSD,” she told the group. The retired doctor recalled seeing many Indigenous patients who had illnesses not commonly found in the non-Aboriginal population. He noted the children had a lot of ear infections, that he attributed to milk allergies. Many, he recalled, suffered from rheumatic fever or psychiatric problems. Wally Samuel, Ahousaht elder, noted that the church operated by the same principals that Nuu-chah-nulth families go by: “…being a good person, helping one another,” he said. He recalled going to Sunday school because he liked it – it was fun. “But residential school was diff erent. Some people were mean. Some can’t talk about what happened. Some are in denial,” he said. Samuel has been involved with the Port Alberni Friendship Center since its inception. “The Friendship Center is overwhelmed with people with social problems and that’s what I’d like to see addressed,” he said, adding that he appreciates the United Church’s willingness to work with survivors. “I’d say the priorities are social services, housing and counselling.” Nora shared stories she heard from others who witnessed violence, beatings and even death during their time at residential schools. The eff ects were crippling and continue to ripple through today’s generation as some families struggle with parenting. “There’s so many children in care and our families struggle to get them back,” said Martin. She pointed out that Indigenous people have the highest number of children in care in proportion to the rest of the population. Children and families, she said, need to be the top priority when it comes to reconciliation. Julia Hunter is a foster parent recruiter for Usma. She said they have 120 families caring for children made up of Nuu-chah-nulth families, kin, and nonIndigenous families. Usma, she said, has developed resources designed to help children in care stay connected to their culture and extended families. She said she’s heard the opinion that the foster care system in Canada has become the new residential school. “We’re trying not to be that,” she said, adding that Usma is also working on prevention. Michelle Dick of Usma brought up intergenerational trauma that stems from the residential school system. She noted that Ahousaht is building their own healing centers, adding that it is a step in the right direction. “We need to live our way, to take care of our own,” said Linda Martin of Tla-oqui-aht. “I think what’s lost is the way we used to raise our children.” Linda suggested Usma host an elders’ group to share their knowledge about family and raising children. Samuel said he would like to be an elder resource person, to take children in care out to events and sports, much like a grandparent would. Monthly ?aps ciik cha chum Hiy Ap meetings have resumed, and the United Church will welcome anyone that wishes to attend, including people who may have gone to Catholic Indian residential schools. “We hope to work on a vision statement sometime in the future, fi guring out what reconciliation is and what we need to do to be a part of that,” Heatherington said. The next meeting is scheduled for June 10th, beginning 9:30 a.m. at the United Church in Port Alberni.
Foster children gathered to reconnect with identity
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Port Alberni, BC – A group of Hesquiaht children in foster care arrived at Usma offi ces with their caregivers for an evening of cultural activities, socializing and dinner. The event, called Connections, took place May 16 in Port Alberni. Leisa Hassall, a connections worker with Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, described Connections gatherings as a nation event that will be held for each of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations with children in Usma care. This recent gathering was the fi fth event since April. Previous events were held for children from Ahousaht, Uchucklesaht, Tseshaht and Huu-ay-aht. According to Hassall, Connections is about creating a safe and healthy space for children to connect with their culture and their First Nation. “It is an opportunity for First Nations representatives and communities to connect with their children in care,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa. She went on to say that the event begins with a cultural activity chosen by the nation. On this day, Hesquiaht chose drum making, which was led by Usma elder and cultural teacher Geraldine Tom. Other activities have included family mapping and cedar weaving. Hassall remembered seeing the children’s heads bobbing as Ahousahts sang their dinner song. “It’s familiar to the kids and it is good to see them proud of where they come from,” said Hassall. “It’s all about identity,” stressed Hassall, adding that Usma is trying hard to ensure the child knows who they are and where they come from – that they have an awareness of their cultural identity. Everyone connected to the child in care is allowed to come to the gathering, whether they be the foster parents, biological family, elected and hereditary leaders, grandparents, siblings – anyone connected, said Hassall. Usma plans to make Connections an annual event, according to Hassall. She said that this type of gathering supports the foundation of work they do with the children, to make sure they know where they come from. In addition to Connections gatherings, Usma has employees that do genealogy, building family trees for children in care. Usma will be hosting Connections events with northern region nations next. Hassall said the leaders of northern Nuuchah-nulth nations specifi ed they want their children in urban foster homes to come home for their Connections event. Hesquiaht Councilor Joy Charleson came to the gathering from her home in Victoria. She thanked the caregivers who provide safe homes for Hesquiaht children, adding that she is very appreciative for what they do. Kelly Edgar, Usma’s director, said there are currently 96 Nuu-chah-nulth children in Usma care.
Photo by Denise Titian A group of Hesquiaht children in foster care arrived at Usma offi ces with their caregivers on May 16 for an evening of cultural activities, socializing and dinner. The event, called Connections, was hosted by Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services in Port Alberni.
Crowds walk across Port Alberni on the National Day for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Port Alberni, BC - Over a hundred walked through the pouring rain on May 5 in recognition of the many missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, gathering near a spot where an Aboriginal woman died under suspicious circumstances just a month ago in Port Alberni. Long considered a North American crisis that prompted a multi-million-dollar national inquiry in 2016, the issue has been prevalent in Nuu-chah-nulth families for generations, as many mourn the loss of their loved ones due to homicide or suspicious circumstances. Lisa Watts, a support worker with the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council, works with families aff ected by the issue. “In our Nuu-chah-nulth community alone, there are 53 women, girls, LGBTQ+, and we have two women missing, two. We don’t know what happened to them,” she said before the crowd that gathered at the totem pole by Port Alberni’s Victoria Quay. “This walk is to think of those ladies.” According to the national inquiry, between 1980 and 2012 Aboriginal females accounted for 16 per cent of homicide victims, while representing four per cent of Canada’s female population. Between 2001 and 2015 the rate of Indigenous women murdered was nearly six times that of the rest of the country’s female population, according to a Statistics Canada report. May 5 recognizes this phenomenon as national day of awareness. “We know that men and boys have been murdered as well,” said Watts on the rainy morning. “We ask that you remember. Put them in your heart and in your prayers as you walk.” As the rain continued Hesquiaht member Linus Lucas noted the healing benefi ts of the downpour. “Many of us see it as something that hinders our progress, but we see it as a way of our creator telling us we need to use it to wash away all the hurt that we’ve gone through,” he said. “Let us begin today by recognizing all those women that we’ve lost from unfortunate matters. Let us recognise those men who know and have been honest in telling us about how they infl icted pain on our women.” Before the walk began students from Haahuupayak Elementary School performed. Teacher Trevor Little explained why the boys crouched at one point between songs.
Photos by Eric Plummer Students from Haahuupayak Elementary School perform before a walk for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Port Alberni on May 5, close to the location where Nicola-Cree Belcourt was killed under suspicious circumstances just a month before (below). The crowd walked three kilometres in the rain for the cause (bottom photo).
“I like how the boys crouch today because there’s a new wave of learning here – a connection necessary for all men, for I have half of my mother inside me with that, a female spirit unacknowledged at times,” he said, referencing the many non-Nuu-chah-nulth who came for the walk. “It’s a lot easier to be heard when our neighbours, when the human beings here that share mother earth with us, acknowledge what we’ve been through.” Less than a block away a red dress hangs on a tree over Roger Street, the site where Nicola-Cree Belcourt was found in the early morning hours of April 2. According to police, the Lower Nicola Indian Band member appeared to be fatally injured from an incident with a vehicle that was not at the scene when emergency responders arrived. The vehicle was later seized by RCMP, but charges have not yet been laid in connection to the 30-year-old’s death. Belcourt had moved from her home of Merritt to Port Alberni in the last year. “This was over a month ago, Port Alberni, right here, and we have no answers,” said Watts. The three-kilometre walk ended at Char’s Landing Hall, where family members of missing and murdered women spoke. Among the Nuu-chah-nulth females who have been missing are Edith Margaret Claver, who was last seen walking away from the Ukrainian Christian Center in Renton, Washington on Nov. 27, 2009. The next day a church employee found her keys, wallet, union identifi cation card and a small amount of cash stacked neatly near a dumpster alongside the building. On Vancouver Island Lisa Marie Young has been missing since June 30, 2002, when she was out with friends in Nanaimo. Young’s aunt, Carol Frank, spoke at the hall with other family members. “Today is Lisa’s birthday,” she said. “We’ve heard many stories, but still we have not found Lisa.” Grace Frank also spoke for her family, who lost Chantel Moore on June 4, 2020 when the young woman was fatally shot by a police offi cer during a wellness check in Edmunston, New Brunswick. Although the incident sparked Canadawide protests, the offi cer has been cleared of wrongdoing in the tragedy. Agnes Keitlah addressed the loss of her sister, Nadine Marshall, whose body was found outside in Victoria’s Esquimalt area on Aug. 3, 2012. Keitlah encouraged others to be open about encountering violence. “I come from a generation where we don’t talk about sexual abuse, we don’t talk about being beat up,” she said. “I think the more we bring this out, the more it’s to help our younger generation.”
Page 8— Ha-Shilth-Sa— May 19, 2022 The history is in the trees as Nuchatlaht trial unfolds
The Nuchatlaht’s B.C. Supreme Court trial for Aboriginal title examines evidence of pre-contact life throughout northern Nootka Island’s forests
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Vancouver, BC - Unlike the empire that claimed sovereignty over Nuchatlaht territory and other parts of British Columbia in 1846, the Nuu-chah-nulth nation did not document its history with written records. Although the legacy of habitation on Nootka Island was transferred from one generation to the next orally, other evidence of ancient ties to the remote area can be seen in the forest, which archaeologists and Nuchatlaht members look to as proof their land was stolen when the Crown asserted authority 176 years ago. This point is currently being contested in the B.C. Supreme Court, where a trial is underway over the Nuchatlaht’s Aboriginal title claim to the northern half of Nootka Island. Although the 20,000-hectare area is considered part of the First Nation’s traditional territory – with several federally recognized Indian reserves by historical village sites – the provincial government is disputing the Nuchatlaht’s claim of continued historical habitation. The trial hinges on the legal test of proving uninterrupted occupation of the land since 1846, the date that Britain claimed sovereignty of the area, declaring all forest property of the Crown. In a statement fi led to the court, the province disputes the Nuchatlaht continued use of inland areas, stressing the First Nation’s reliance on fi shing. “The Nuchatlaht at the date of sovereignty and at all material times relied mostly on marine resources and used upland areas to a limited extent,” stated the province. “The claim area includes pervasive geographic features, which historically and at the date of sovereignty and at all material times, limited or prevented access, use and occupation by the Nuchatlaht, such as areas of high elevation, steep and densely forested upland areas, and steep, rocky, exposed shorelines.” A surveyor with a archaeological team (above) examines a fallen cedar tree on Nootka Island that had its bark peeled off using a traditional Indigenous method.
fi shing tools as well as surfaces on roofs. Philip Drucker documented the versatility of the material in his book, The Northern
and Central Nootkan Tribes, published in 1951 from excursions he made to Nuuchah-nulth communities in 1935 and 1936. “Products of red cedar bark and yellow cedar bark were used in almost all aspects of Nootkan life. One could almost describe the culture in terms of them,” he wrote. “From the time the newborn infant’s body was dried with wisps of shredded cedar bark, and he was laid in a cradle padded with the same material and his head was fl attened by a roll of it, he used articles of these materials every day of his life, until he was fi nally rolled up in an old cedarbark mat for burial.” At least 8,400 culturally modifi ed cedar trees have been identifi ed throughout the claim area, but archaeologist Jacob Earnshaw believes there are many more that are hidden in the forests of Nootka Island or have been logged since the mid-20th century. In his expert witness report provided for the Nuchatlaht trial Earnshaw notes that, although clearcutting was conducted in the claim area from 1957-2017, archaeological surveys weren’t conducted in cutblocks until 1999. “Of great concern to archaeological visibility, large areas of the Nuchatlaht claim area were industrially logged prior to the existence of provincial protections for CMT sites,” he wrote. “The majority of Nuchatlaht coastline and forested areas have not been systematically inventoried for archaeological sites. In the few areas that were assessed, dense sites of human occupation and utilization were identifi ed.” Another issue facing the identifi cation of the Nuchatlaht’s pre-contact forestry practices is the elusiveness of how the trees were harvested. Unlike the industrial standard of clearcutting large blocks of forest, in the past Nootka Island’s residents only took what they needed from the trees, leaving the stands to continue growing. Cedar trees that had their bark stripped hundreds of years ago have continued by producing multiple layers of healing lobes on either side of the harvested portion. Sometimes these trees grow to the point that the bare strip is covered by the lobes completely, making a cedar’s existence as a CMT unrecognizable to many archaeologists performing impact assessment that are currently required under provincial regulations. Other CMTs had a section of the trunk removed for a plank or canoe. A few found on northern Nootka Island were
~ Philip Drucker
Cedar used from birth to burial
The examination of pre-contact forestry practices has become a central part of the Nuchatlaht’s argument in court. Or particular interest is the prevalence of culturally modifi ed trees – known as CMTs within archaeology circles - which are stands altered by Indigenous people employing pre-industrial harvesting practices. Most CMTs had a long strip of cedar bark peeled off the trunk, showing healing lobes of continued growth on either side of the recessed portion where the piece was peeled generations ago. This pliable, tough material was woven into fabric for clothing, napkins or hats, and the bark also provided rope for
