August 2015 - NStQ Treaty Group

Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw
Shuswap People of the North
Lexey’em
“to tell a story”
July - August 2015 Peste’mllik (Getting Ripe Moon) Pellt’e’xelcten (Salmon Coming Up Moon)
33rd Annual Shuswap Gathering was well attended despite the weather
By Orenda Gilbert
The 33rd Annual Secwepemc Gathering was held
Friday July 24th until Sunday July 26th, 2015 at the
Whispering Willows campsite in Cmetem’ (Deep
Creek). This is a time for the Shuswap people to get
together to visit, meet relatives, see old friends, and
just come together for a good time. This year’s host
organizing community, the Xat’sull First Nation (Soda
Creek Band) described the theme of the gathering
as“…an opportunity to redefine a renewed vision of
Our Lands, Culture and Traditions. Also to appreciate
the statements made at previous gatherings of the
importance to educate communities and the public
about our lands and who we are as a Peoples.”
There were a variety of activities for people of all
ages. From children’s activities such as a bouncy
castle, crafts and face painting to baseball, Heritage
Village tours, story-telling, a pow wow and a princess
pageant, and of course lehal. Also available were
a number of booths for arts, crafts, clothing, and
foods such as T’exelc member’s, Lisa’s bannock, and
Xat’sull’s Geri-Lynn’s Art.
Chief Mike Archie, Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake Band)
spoke about his experiences “I always enjoy the
gathering and speaking with the Elders and taking
the time to just sit and just be around with the
people and in an environment where we are able
to relax, because our schedules are so backed up
all year long so sometimes if you are able to just sit
with your elders and re-energize and see the children
running around and having fun. You always just look
and just listen to what people are saying. Kind of
what like what their issues are. Then you take that
then form a strategy to address those at our nation
level. So that’s good.”
He particularly enjoyed “the stick games. It’s one of
our oldest traditional games. And I enjoy watching
the pow wow and watching them dance I don’t have
one specific item but I just like to see people enjoy
themselves.”
Chief Archie also pointed out that the lehal means
“Its bragging rights every year for one community
to come out on top. It’s like one of the old traditions
that we have. To hear the old songs and you can
identify which tribe or nation they are from. It just
carries on like that which is good. But I know that
traditional games, style games, lehel games were
generally used to heal a family from losing loved
ones…”
Elder Ralph Sandy from Bonaparte said at the
Gathering “Everyone meets together as a Shuswap
person. Only time I meet one another as a Shuswap
person is when someone passes on, so this gathering
like this every year, I hope it keeps on going so we
See Gathering Page 6 &7
For a story and photos on
‘Walk for all Missing and
Murdered’ see page 11
For a story
on Vern
Michel’s life,
see page 3
Poem by
Vern Michel
in his teens
NStQ Treaty News
Peste’mllik/Pellt’e’xelcten p.2
Your Voice. Your Choice. Your Future
What You Need to Know about the Next Steps in the NStQ Treaty Process
On June 4, 2015, the NStQ Leadship Council,
which includes the Councils of each of the
four NStQ Bands recommended that the NStQ
proceed to Final Agreement negotiations in the
BC Treaty Process. A vote by the members of
all four NStQ communities will take place on
Thursday, February 18, 2016, to find out if you
support this recommendation.
How did we get here?
The four NStQ communities— Canim Lake
(Tsq’escen’), Canoe Creek (Stswecem’c/
Xgat’tem), Soda Creek (Xat’sūll) and Williams
Lake (T’exelc) voted to enter the BC Treaty
Process back in 1993 by filing a Statement of
Intent with the BC Treaty Commission. Since
1997, NStQ has been negotiating an Agreementin-Principle, which will form the foundation for
the Final Agreement (Treaty) itself.
On December 16, 2014, the NStQ Treaty Team
finished the Agreement-in-Principle negotiations.
On February 19, 2015, the Chief Negotiators, Jim
Doswell (NStQ), Mark Lofthouse (BC) and Gavin
Fitch (Canada), signed a letter expressing the
mutual commitment of the 3 parties to pursue a
Final Agreement, pending approval of the NStQ
membership.
On June 3 and 4, 2015, the Treaty Team
presented Leadership Council with a detailed
summary of the Agreement-in-Principle. At the
end of the presentation, Leadership Council
passed a resolution recommending that NStQ
continue into Final Agreement negotiations, and
put the matter to a vote of the membership on
February 18, 2016.
Chair of the NStQ Tribal Council and Tsq’escen’
Chief, Mike Archie, said, “it has taken a lot of
work to achieve what we have at the Treaty
Table so far, and we want the opportunity to
complete the process through Final Agreement
negotiations.”
the foundation to build our economies in a
manner that is consistent with our Secwepemc
values.
Xat’sull Chief Donna Dixon said, “after years
of negotiations, we believe that NStQ is now
in a much stronger position to be part of the
decision-making in resource development
throughout our territory. We want to drive that
home in the Final Agreement to ensure that our
continuing role on the territory is constitutionally
protected”.
What is the Agreement in Principle (AiP)
vote about?
The question you will be asked in the vote
on February 18 is: “Do you support the
recommendation of Leadership Council to
proceed to Final Agreement negotiations?
So, the February vote is not a vote on the Treaty
itself; it is a vote on whether the Leadership and
Treaty Team have a mandate to continue treaty
negotiations. If you give them that mandate,
you will have a vote on whether or not you
approve the NStQ Treaty once Final Agreement
negotiations are complete.
What happens next?
Over the next few months, the NStQ Treaty
will provide detailed information on the NStQ
Agreement-in-Principle (the “AiP”) to all NStQ
members that we can reach. Our goal is to
ensure that, once the vote takes place, you all
have a good understanding of what the AiP
contains and what we hope to achieve in the
Final Agreement negotiations.
Most of the information the Treaty Team will
provide over the next few months will be based
around these major topic areas:
• Process Issues;
• Treaty Settlement Lands;
• Governance;
Stswecem’c/Xgat’tem Chief Patrick Harry said,
“the Tsilhqot’in decision of the Supreme Court of • Aboriginal Title and Rights;
Canada confirmed that aboriginal title imposes a • Financial Issues; and
• Final Agreement Issues.
very significant burden on the Crown. We want
We will also be describing what we hope to
to use the Final Agreement to ensure that the
principles of the Tsilhqot’in case are incorporated achieve in Final Agreement negotiations if we are
given the mandate to move ahead.
into our treaty. We are looking forward to
getting back to the table in Final Agreement
We will be using different ways of getting the
negotiations to pursue that goal.”
information to you including meetings, home
T’exelc Chief Ann Louie said, “we have seen how visits, Facebook, websites, pamphlets, brochures,
posters, newsletter articles and videos. Please
a strong economic base can have a profound
positive affect on a First Nation and its members. contact your Treaty Team representatives to let
A well-negotiated Final Agreement could provide them know the best way to get information to
you.
Your representatives are:
Canim Lake/Tsq’escen’: Treaty Manager- Elizabeth
Pete; Communications Coordinator- Irene Gilbert
Stswecem’c/Xgat’tem: Treaty Manager- Allan Adams
(acting); Communications Coordinator- Rick Archie
Soda Creek/Xat’sull: Treaty Manager- Gordon
Keener; Communications Coordinator- Sheri Sellars
Williams Lake/T’exelc: Treaty Manager- Chris
Wycotte; Communications Coordinator- Tony Morgan
Northern Shuswap Tribal Council: Treaty Team
Coordinator- Beth Bedard; Communications
Williams Lake Indian Band
July/Aug p.3
He worked hard, played hard and loved big - Vernon Grant Michel - July 22, 1968 to August 11, 2015
Born to Franklin Michel (deceased) and Elsie (Myers) Michel, he immediately
held an important purpose in infancy, that of bringing together two families from
neighbouring Nations; Secwepemc and Tsilhqot’in. Vernon’s paternal grandparents are Prosper Rocky Michel and Cecilia (Wycotte) Michel, and his maternal
grandparents are Donald Myers and Helena (William) Myers. He is survived by
his mother Elsie, 3 children; Justeen (Spouse: Lenard Bandelin), Willie Sellars
(Spouse: Mimi), Shaleen (Spouse: Kerry Chelsea), and their beautiful mother Denise Tait; 8 grandchildren Gabriel, Lelend, Keanna, Cash, Milah, Athena, Lucious,
and Jude; his brother Dustin Elkins, sister Deana Michel and nephew Indi Champagne; and, by countless Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.
He sustained himself in his youth as a firefighter, a carpenter, a
log home builder, and in later years did contracts with the Sugar
Cane Band, had a jaunt at Spanish Mountain camp, laboured at
Best Personnel, and recently helped Bruce Baba in an auto shop.
He was active well known for his hockey prowess, holding #22
for the Sugar Cane Hurricanes. He enjoyed the game and travelled to All Native Hockey tournaments. For a time he played
baseball, joining the 150 mile league. In recent years Vern could
be found at the golf course. It was his second home and brought
comfort and joy to him. He enjoyed the competition with his
many golf buddies and had lots of stories to tell about his time
on the fairways. Vern also enjoyed winter activities- skidooing and shredding
powder with his snowboard.
Vern held two consecutive terms as a Williams Lake Band councillor. He loved his
community and did his best to support the members. He had a huge heart and
felt leadership’s role took compassion and unconditional love. He worked late
hours, took middle of the night calls and had many heart to heart talks with those
in need. He always felt there was a more human way to handle any situation.
Those who knew Vern knew of his passion for the truth and his need for fairness.
This was apparent in all areas of his life. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was
not afraid to cry, he allowed himself to be vulnerable.
Vern did many good deeds and shared with family, the community and with
strangers alike. He gave fish to Elders, gathered Christmas trees for others,
provided rides, and offered a hand to whomever asked. He volunteered with the
community children, organizing events and chaperoning field trips.
Vern lived his culture and traditions, he enjoyed sweats and learned songs with
his bros. He learned Secwepemc, and often shared a prayer at gatherings or
meetings. In these last few months he taught his nephew Indi Secwepemc.
He was an avid fishermen who spent hours at the river. He would pack his gear
and prepare to spend the entire night fishing and sleeping on the rocks. Vern was
a skilled berry picker making sure his house was filled plenty for his sweet tooth.
Vern lived a full life filled with Love, adventure and a bit of mischief. He nurtured
his relationships with those he loved and enjoyed gatherings and family/community functions where he could reach out and connect. As a child he was often
in the company of his cousins, Wesley, Dion, Don, Earl, and Jeanette. He also
travelled on many family vacations expanding his horizons.
A story of Vern when he was five, our mother got a visit from the Isabel Stobie
who had Vern in tow. She told our mother that she saw Vern riding his bike
towards town. She stopped and asked him where he was going and he said “I’m
going to see my dad.” This sure gave our mother a scare.
Mischief was not far behind young Vern, it could be seen in that twinkle in his
eye. Our mother shared another story of Vern at 13. One day our dad, Frank, was
walking into the kitchen when he thought he glimpsed mom’s blue car roll past
the window. He and my mother jumped in his truck in hot pursuit. They caught
up to him at the little bridge and boy did he get in trouble.
Our parents had a handful with Vern, but he was also a sweet loving boy. Mom
remembers 13 year old Vern cooking them an anniversary breakfast. In his teen
years he discovered a poet inside him. He gifted our mother with a poem for
mother’s day:
Vern supported Tink in raising Justeen, Willie and Shaleen. He loved his role as
‘dad’ and shared his life teachings with them. They were an active family going
on camping and ski trips, concerts and Willie’s sports tournaments. Once they
brought kids to a music festival, giving them the freedom to roam around, keeping
their binoculars so as to keep an eye on them.
Vern shared his love for dipnetting with the family, often taking them to the river.
They took the kids away during Stampede weekend, and he remembers Justeen
saying they were ruining her life. Denise said one year it was really cold at Green
Lake and Vern threw some rocks in the fire until they were scorching hot, placed
them in a bucket and put it in the kids’ tent. This did the trick.
Vern taught his girls how to drive. He took Shaleen out with Sharky (Vern’s Truck)
to do a few laps around the rez, shortly after he said to her
“drop me off at the house, you got this.” Vern and Tink
bought a beater for Justeen to learn on. When she jumped
in the driver’s seat, Vern hopped in back and said “Go for it,
I’m in the back if you need me.” He knew just how to instil
independence, confidence and trust in his children. He was
very close to Mimi, Kerry and Lenard.
Tink told about Vern and Willie’s project on the back porch,
to pass the time and to perfect their drives, they built a
fairway out of their backyard. They bonded while hitting
buckets of golf balls into the field. Tink said Vern would get
pissed off because the crows would fly away with the balls
thinking they were eggs.
A highlight in his life came with the arrival of each of his grandchildren: Gabriel,
Lelend, Keanna, Cash, Milah, Athena, Lucious and Jude. They were his pride and
joy, he loved them dearly and enjoyed his duties as a grandparent. He taught,
teased, babysat and thoroughly enjoyed his time with them. He loved his Xpe7e
status, and would relish in the grandchildren’s stories, questions, and humour. A
favourite pet name he had for the children was “Big Boy” or “Big Girl He shared
his culture with them, speaking Secwepemc and picking up the drum and singing
songs to them. One time, he draped a blanket over his back and circled the house
singing a made up song for the kids. It was the funniest thing and had me belly
laughing on the floor. He attended his grandchildren’s graduations from preschool, birthdays, etc., not wanting to miss their special days.
Vern also made long-term friends during his life, he and Tink spent time with
Laurie, Doug, Dena and Bob. They shared the same types of interests and would
go quading, skidooing and golfing.
Another distinctive moment in Vern’s life happened while he was with his family
on the Chilcotin River at Farwell Canyon. He told this story many times and could
never get through it without crying. It was a traumatic event and made him reflect on life in a whole new way. While leaving the river, the cable Tink was holding onto broke and she went flying backwards towards the river. Vern reached
out to grab her, there was no way he was going to lose her to the river, the speed
at which Tink was rolling caused Vern to roll as well and his lower half was thrown
into the ice cold river. He said it felt like hands were gripping his legs and trying
to pull him down. At this point Keenan reached down and pulled him out of the
river. Vern saved a life that day, and was forever changed by this experience; he
realized how fragile life could be and never forgot that teaching.
Vern attended his daughter’s weddings in Vegas, this was his first trip out of the
country. Those who knew him are aware of his love of gambling, making this
a dream vacation for one who had the horseshoe kinda luck. He was proud to
stand up and do the father speech, and to walk his daughters down the aisle. He
attended Willie and Mimi’s wedding recently, and after providing a helping hand,
he danced the night away.
In the last 7 months Vern spent time with his mother, brother, sister and nephew.
Vern and Dustin went to Indi’s baseball practice while mom and I were at school,
and give my mother a day off and get Indi to school. He went out with mom to
keep her company as she took photos for her course. He amazed us with his
patience, never rushing her or complaining. He posed for her and explored Vancouver with her in search of the perfect shot. He did much reflection, growth and
healing while down there, and enjoyed being in the city. He even took in a couple
of Canuck games while there, one being a playoff game. He was so excited, and
couldn’t wait until he could go again.
It is a better place due to his beautiful Spirit. Wwe are all blessed to have
glimpsed such magnificence. Brother Vern may you journey safely with your
relatives and Ancestors, and rest in peace. You will forever be in our hearts and
minds.
Love from your family
CCATEC & NSTC/NStQ
Ja Peste’mllik/ Pellt’e’xelcten p.4
Approval of the Agreement - in Principle (AIP)
An Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) is a list of things, or in Treaty language
“substantive issues”, that all parties agree will be included in negotiations
for a Land Claims Settlement. The instrument used to record a Land Claims
Agreement is called a “Treaty”.
It is important to remember that the Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) is NOT a
Final Agreement. The negotiators for Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw do
not have the authority or the mandate to approve the AIP, it must pass a
community approval process.
CCATEC CALL FOR PROPOSALS DEADLINE
DATES
If the AIP is approved through a community approval process, stage four
of the BC Treaty Commission process will be complete and NStQ will
move into stage five - Final Agreement negotiations. The negotiations
will be based on the content of the AIP. Final Agreement negotiations are
a completely new set of negotiations and are much more intense and
exact, and will require the extensive use of hired experts to make sure the
agreement in fact means what the people intend it to mean.
The next Deadline Date for Proposals
$20,000.01 & Over
Is
Friday October 9, 2015
For submission at the December Board meeting
The experience of other groups who have completed Final Agreement
negotiations tell us, because the AIP is not a binding agreement, Final
Agreements tend to include more than what is included in an AIP. There
may be some things not in the AIP that can be negotiated in
NOTE:
Proposals $20,000.00 and under can be
submitted to CCATEC at any time
a Final Agreement. The end of the AIP negotiations is the beginning of
REAL Treaty negotiations.
What do you know about Treaty?
ACROSS
A few fun facts-go to the NStQ website for answers
1
3 Abbreviation for Agreement in Principle
5 Stswecem’c Xgat’tem chief’s last name
6 The treaty chapter that deals with membership
and dispute resolution
8 What will NStQ members have after the final
agreement
11 Seizure of land by the government
12 Secwepemc term for Soda Creek
6
15 The laws that apply to the land
17 The Canadian system of land ownership
18 How many stages does the treaty prcess have?
19 Tsq’escen’ chief’s first name
DOWN
2
3
4
5
7
9
8
10
11
1 early Secwepwemc style osf house
2 Another word for final agreement
3 The Chilcotin court case decided on this
4 The minimum number of people needed for a
committee to make a resolution
7 Another word for Shuswap
9 What are the trearty meetings with government
called?
10 What stage of treaty is NStQ currently in?
13 Soda creek chief’s last name
14 First name of the chair of the NStQ board of
directors
16 Hello in Secwepemc
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First Nations News
3 reasons why First Nations voters are more engaged
New pro-vote push for federal election could represent major shift in
First Nations political values
By Hayden King, for CBC News August 21, 2015 - Just a few weeks into
the federal election, it’s fair to say this campaign will see a dramatic rise in
participation by indigenous voters. Already there are more than 40 First Nation, Métis or Inuit candidates
seeking mainstream party nominations and a handful of ridings where all
of the candidates are indigenous. As well, the main parties are making prominent political promises to
First Nations, and there is much loud encouragement by the Assembly of
First Nations, the Native Women’s Association, and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, among others, to get out the vote.
This represents a paradigm shift. From the earliest days surrounding the introduction of voting, First Nation reaction has generally oscillated between apathy and outright hostility.
The first real attempt to convince First Nations peoples to vote was led
by prime minister John A. Macdonald in 1885 when he spearheaded the
Electoral Franchise Act, which applied to Indians in Ontario, Quebec and
the Maritimes. (Those in the North and West were excluded as unfit.)
At the time, “civilization” was actually a requirement to vote: First Nations people were not forced to renounce status or treaty rights in the
1885 legislation, but they were obligated to hold property in fee simple
and demonstrate that they had “improved” that property. The legislation was repealed in 1898, as was the Indian vote.
First Nation sovereignty
It took another 60 years before the second attempt at the federal level.
In 1960 John Diefenbaker extended the franchise to status Indians, an accompaniment to his Bill of Rights. And like Macdonald, Diefenbaker had an underlying civilizing impulse, in
his case, hoping First Nations peoples would consider themselves individuals within Canada. For the Conservative leader, the franchise was about equality as much as
it was an inducement to eschew the collective rights, land claims and selfgovernment that many were vocally pursuing at the time.
Both of these not-so-subtle efforts at integration were apparent to First
Nations and they reacted in kind. The 1885 legislation was met with fears of imposed Canadian citizenship
and the 1960 law sparked protests across the country to protect First Nation sovereignty.
Later, even national chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations, like Georges
Erasmus and Ovide Mercredi, questioned the utility of voting. By 1996, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples bluntly noted that
First Nations people view Canada’s electoral system as “inherently ineffective” and that First Nations are instead “seeking nation-to-nation political
relations which can’t be achieved by representation in Canadian political
institutions.”
So what changed?
Anyone but Conservative
Throughout Canada’s modern history there have been few government’s
more hostile to Indigenous concerns than the three led by Stephen Harper. Nearly every piece of legislation affecting First Nations, from the Financial Transparency Act to matrimonial real property legislation and even the
Safe Water Act has been passed unilaterally, without serious consultation.
As well, criminal justice laws have led to rising incarceration rates,
environmental policy has eroded treaty rights, funding for everything
from political advocacy to healing foundations and homeless shelters has
been dramatically cut, the Idle No More movement was ignored, and the
response to missing and murdered indigenous women and girls has been
essentially to blame indigenous men.
There is a widely held sentiment that First Nations must do what they
can to oust Harper. The Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Derek Nepinak,
recently said: “We can mitigate the damages by voting for a different government.” So far in this campaign, First Nations seem ready to join a chorus of pre-
July/Aug p.5
viously non-partisan interest
groups – veterans, school teachers, postal workers, scientists
-- lobbying for change. For the first time in the country’s history, it appears (some)
interests may be aligned.
Searching for leadership
There is probably no group in Canada more political than First Nations.
Direct action, legal battles, media activism are all common features of
the average First Nation life. And while there are thousands of “unofficial”
leaders in communities, a perpetual challenge is advocacy at the federal
level. The Indian Act has constricted band council governments to local affairs. Meanwhile the AFN has been struggling with an ongoing renewal
campaign to make the organization representative of grassroots people.
This relative incapacitation, paired with significant outreach by the
Liberal, Green and New Democratic parties, makes Canadian politics now
seem viable, whether people are seeking alternatives to current political
leadership or just a compliment. Changing political values
Historically, there have been two broad First Nation views on the relationship with Canada. First, there is the nationalist perspective, which considers First Nations
sovereign, with self-determination pre-dating Canada, and rejecting Canadian legal and economic orders as fundamentally violent for truncating the
practices of nationhood. The second, more liberal approach considers a place for First Nations
peoples within Canada, a place that would allow them to relate to governments as nations but largely as individuals, with parliamentary and judicial
institutions considered appropriate sites of change.
While the nationalist approach has generally dominated First Nations
history, and reflects the no-vote sentiment of yore, the new pro-vote push
may be indicative of changing political values. For example, the majority of First Nations people now live in cities and
have many reasons to vote that are unrelated to rights and title. Moreover, the demands of previous nationalist generations: jurisdictional concerns, land restitution, treaty federalism, etc., seem to be absent
from the current voting discourse. Finally, the partisan diversity of those First Nations’ champions-of-thevote suggests a trending individualistic (as opposed to collective) political
outlook.
An odd future?
These three broad explanations are not meant to be exclusive. It may be
that shades of each blend into the new pro-vote paradigm. Or, that First
Nations are simply, finally, becoming familiar with the idea of voting (it’s
only been a few decades, after all). But until now, First Nations have never neatly fit into the Canadian political spectrum. If either the Liberals and/or New Democrats do indeed form the next
government and honour their campaign promises, there may be all the
more incentive to participate in Canadian electoral and party politics.
It could represent, at least in part, the previously unimaginable and odd
future that Macdonald and Diefenbaker originally envisioned.
Hayden King is
Anishinaabe from
Beausoleil First Nation
on Gchi’mnissing in
Huronia, Ontario. He
is the director for the
Centre of Indigenous
Governance at Ryerson
University in Toronto.
King is also a published
writer.
2015 Secwepemc Gathering
Pellt’e’mllik/ Pellt’e’xelcten p.6
Xat’sull hosts 33rd Annual Shuswap Gathering
can see all our friends and all our relations.
Shane Gottfriedson, Chief of T’Kemlups Indian Band,
said “For me, I really enjoy coming and feeling the
peace. Just seeing so many people smile, so many
people laugh, so many people visit, and just a sense
of pride that our Nation has when it comes to being
Secwepemc. It’s not about one chief, one leader.
It’s really about our people coming together. That’s
what I get out of coming to the gatherings. It’s really
about our people.” One of his favorite moments of
the gathering was an Elder coming and talking to
him about what the importance our land, culture,
traditions and customs meant to her. “I’ve learned
something today. I learn something every day but
what an Elder shared with me, was my greatest
moment today.
The love of watching dancing and drumming during
the pow wow had brought Laurie Pascal (Wycotte),
from Enderby. She is originally from Esk’etem’c First
Nation and drove with her sister from there. As
she put it, “it’s always good to come and join the
Shuswaps.’
One of the special activities that has come to the
annual gathering is the Secwepemc Gathering
princess pageant. Xat’sull member, Cheryl Chapman
showed off the beautifully hand beaded crown that
had the Xat’sull logo. This was presented to the
winning contestant from this year’s pow wow.
Even the rain couldn’t dampen people’s spirits,
Virginia Gilbert, Elder from T’exelc was enjoying
her time at the gathering. “I came in last night.
I’m camping. And we went and bought our tent. It
fell apart this morning, so, lucky I had a niece who
loaned me one. We went to lehal last night. And we
won! The Williams Lake team won. It was 4:00 this
morning. We had to wait until the other teams won,
then we had to play them. I’d say there were around
8 teams. It was open games. We play around 7
tonight. I think that’s for money.” One of her favorite
parts of the gathering was the breakfast. “They
had packaged stuff in a bag for our breakfast. Like a
muffin and juice, banana, apple. Then later on they
brought hash browns and scrambled eggs, bacon,
sausages. The whole bit, pancakes. So that was
awesome.”
And speaking of the lehal games, Rod Anthony from
Adams Lake, the son of Peter and Rita Anthony who
was the coordinator of lehal, 2015 Battle of the Bands
and the Jackpot tournament told us his thoughts
and filled us in on the games. One of the things that
impressed him was “…the safety aspect with the
signs on the highway. Because I know the traffic can
go pretty fast. That was one of the first things that I
noticed when we came up.”
He was happy with the lehal, “Last night was really
good. We are looking forward to tonight. We had 10
out of 17 bands show up. I consider that a success
because that’s quite a bit of bands considering how
far they have to travel. There was lots of laughter.
Lots of people were able to visit. Yea seemed like
everybody had fun.”
2015 Secwepemc Gathering
July/Aug p.7
33rd Annual Shuswap Gathering was held at Whispering Willows Campsite
Coordinating the lehal took a lot of work beforehand. He
informed us “I made a 17 team bracket for each band.
And after I made the bracket, I made myself a Facebook
account so I could put that on Facebook to try and get
the Battle of the Bands advertised as much as I could. I
also relied on word of mouth just from lehel player to
lehel player, everybody talks to each other. I wasn’t able
to talk to very many chiefs. They are of course very busy.
I was able to talk to Neskonlith Chief Judy Wilson. She
had done a lot with her community to be able to bring
them up here, to make sure that they were able to get
here. I saw her playing last night in Battle of the Bands,
and I think a lot of their council members. A lot of the
planning was just the advertising to get as many people
to attend as possible.”
“Tonight it’s not going to be community against
community; it’s basically every team against every team.
I noticed last night that there were a lot of our Chilcotin
friends who came over and wanted to play, but they’re
not one of the 17 bands, so they stepped back with
respect to the tournament, but they’ll be here. There’s
a few of them here already waiting for the tournament
to start tonight with their own team. Everybody brings
their own team or finds a team to jump on.”
Another big activity was baseball. This was coordinated
by Joanne Phillips, from Soda Creek who told us about
the baseball tournament that took place in Wildwood.
“The games started Friday night and we are wrapping
up today (Sunday at 5:30-6:00. There were 5 teams
involved. We had the Flat-liners from Canim Lake, and
the Natives from Soda Creek, we have Alkali Lake Mixed
Munchkins, S&H Camille from Dog Creek, and Twan’s
Clan from Dog Creek.”
It was 1982 when Chief Ron Ignace, of Skeetchestn, was
involved in organizing the first gathering in Williams
Lake, and again the second one in Kamloops. “It’s always
good to be here. I really like our gatherings. I appreciate
it because it’s a way for our people to get together. We
don’t have an opportunity to meet with each other. And
hopefully it’s a way to keep us in cohesion amongst our
Nation and strengthen and rebuild our youth and unity.”
He also mentioned it was good to see the grand entry
with the chiefs who were here. They all got involved
along with the council, all of the dancers, drummers and
singers, and the RCMP members who were present.
On the final day, Chief Donna Dixon, of Xat’sull, spoke
and was happy to see the people here although some
left a bit early for long travels and wished them well
on their travels. “I’m so proud to have everyone here
today. I’d just like to acknowledge all of the people who
have come together to help us put this event together.
We’ve had cooks and volunteers in the kitchen and on
the grounds. We’ve had people here early this morning
cleaning up. It’s just been a really good three days. And
we’re so happy to be hosting and have everybody in the
community. Thank you”.
The Secwepemc gathering was enjoyed by all in spite of
the rain throughout the weekend.
This event was a success thanks to the organizing
abilities of Mike Retasket, MC David Archie, and a great
big thank you to families and numerous volunteers
pulling together.
2016 gathering will be hosted by Chief Ron Ignace and
Skeetchestn Indian Band.
NSTC News
a Peste’mllik/Pellt’e’xelcten p. 8
Northern Shuswap Tribal Council introduces new staff
Fisheries Assistant Ann Guichon
Communications Technician - Orenda Gilbert
I have been hired as the Communications Technician for the Northern
Shuswap Tribal Council, and the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw
Treaty Team. My position here is to assist in informing NSTC community
members and the media on treaty related
issues. This includes the monthly publishing
of the Lexey’em newspaper, assisting in
development of public education material
and other aspects of treaty communications.
I look forward to getting to know more
members of Xat’sull, Tsq’escen’, Stswecem’c/
Xgat’tem, T’exelc and also working with
other communications staff. Please contact
me if you have any stories or submissions at
NSTC, 250-392-7361 Ext. 228 or e-mail me at
o.gilbert@nstq.org.
Hello everyone! My name is Ann
Guichon and I just started with
Northern Shuswap Tribal Council on
July 13th, 2015 as the Fisheries Coordinator/ Assistant. I am a recent
graduate from the Applied Business
Technology Program, and am pleased
to say that I am so excited to get to know everyone and have already
learned so much.
I travelled to Dog Creek for the Fish ceremony on July 22nd, 2015 with
Andrew Meshueand had so much fun. I met so many kind and welcoming
people. I not only got to see where our own catch monitors work I also got
to see the land, which is so beautiful.
Also, recently Andrew and I went to Cariboo Island on Quesnel Lake, to
attend a Water Ceremony with members of the Xat’sull First Nation, which
marked the one year anniversary of the Mount Polley Mine Disaster. It was
my first time being on the lake after the disaster. Everyone arrived at Michell Bay, Andrew and I had the NSTC jet boat and helped transport people
to Cariboo Island. We had prayers and lunch and a few of us ladies went
for a swim. It was a great way to kick off the water ceremony.
I enjoy working with the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council and hope
to meet more people soon.
Lexey’em Deadline Thursday, September 10th
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Orenda Gilbert. I am a
member of the T’exelc nation, Williams Lake Indian Band. My parents
are Rick Gilbert from Sugar Cane, and Margaret Gilbert from Esketemc
First Nation. I have four loving daughters, Rae, MJ, Karis, and Jacy. I have
completed my education at Medicine Hat College, Alberta, in 2014 where I
studied Visual Communications for 4.5 years.
Citizens’ Data Base
The NSTC needs your information.
To have your information included, visit, call or email the contact’ person for your community.
Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
Dave Feil Ph: 250-392-7361, Ext, 206
Fax: 250-392-6158
Canim Lake (Tsq’escen’)
Jesse Archie
Ph: 250-397-2227 Fax: 250-397-2769
E-mail: eas@canimlakeband.com
Stswecem’c Xat’tem First Nation
Loni Fastlin
Ph: 250-440-5645 Fax: 250-440-5679
E-mail: socdev@canoecreekband.ca
Soda Creek (Xats’ull)
Sheri Sellars
Ph: 250-989-2323 Fax: 250-989-2300
E-mail: s.sellars@xatsull.com
Williams Lake (T’exelc)
Shawna Philbrick
Ph: 250-296-3507 Fax: 250-296-4750
E-mail: shawna philbrick@williamslakeband.ca
The Data Base will assist in areas such as planning and funding
for the NStQ Citizens’ training & education program needs.
Secwepemc7ulecw
July/Aug p.9
Spi7uy Squqluts Language and Culture Society
stsíllen food
íllen
eat
cepqín
lunch time
ceqínem
eat lunch
nexéwem-ekwe nexéwem-kt thirsty
nexéwem-kuc nexéwem-kp nexnexéwm-ekwe he\she\it\they is thirsty
we (including you ) are
ts̓i7
meat or deer meat
tsxwénte me7 íllnucw. Come and eat
sk̓ec
dried meat
nés-ce me7 ílln-ucw. Go and eat.
scwík̓
dry fish
téyt-enk? we (not you) are thirsty
you (plural) are thirsty
they are thirsty
Are you hungry?
sllúmlkwesoup
Méq̓ en-k? Are you full?
layís
rice
Mémq̓ -ken. I am full.
speqpéq
fruit or berries
ta7 ken smemq̓ . I am not full.
lekelét
bread
ta7 sméqs̓. He\she\it\they is not full
spixlé7cw
fried bread
illen
eat
í7llen-ken
I eat
illen-k you eat
́illen-ekwe
he\she\it\they eat
illen-kt we (and you) eat
illen-kuc we (not you) eat
illen-kp you eat (plural)
ill7illn-ekwe they eat
teyt tétit=ken teyt-k téyt-ekwe teyt-kt téyt-kuc teyt-kp titéyt-ekwe T’exelc
ElderClotilde
Thomas picking
sxusem
Campire bannock
NSTC Photo files
hungry
i am hungry
you are hungry
he\she\it\they are hungry
we (and you ) are hungry
we (not including you) are hungry
you (plural) are hungry
they are hungry
nexéwem nexéxwum-ken nexéwem-k thirsty
I am thirsty
you are thirsty
Aboriginal languages in Canada can and should be made official, expert says
By All Points West, CBC News
Jul 11, 2015 - Making all 60 indigenous languages in Canada official, along
with English and French, is entirely doable, according to a University of
Victoria expert.
The call for official recognition of First Nations languages was made by
Perry Bellegard, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, at the organization’s annual general meeting earlier this week.
Bellegard called on the federal government to invest in promoting, protecting and enhancing the country’s aboriginal languages so that they won’t
die out.
Onowa McIvor, director of indigenous education at the University of Victoria, says the proposal has been made by First Nations leaders multiple
times over the past few decades, but little has been done.
McIvor says it’s high time the federal government take action, following the
release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, which recommended the federal government be responsible for language preservation. “The government of the day, I’m not sure if there’s much appetite there,
but the Canadian public really are the people who should be concerned
about this,” McIvor told All Points West.
“These are their heritage languages as well, the original languages of this
country, and I think we should all be concerned that they’re not already
official languages.”
There are roughly 60 different indigenous languages spoken in Canada, and
more than half of them are spoken in British Columbia, McIvor says.
Still, she says it’s possible to have them all officially recognized nationally,
but implemented at a regional level.
“It just doesn’t make sense to do it any other way,” she said. “There’s such
diversity across the country.”
First Nations News
a Peste’mllik/Pellt’e’xelcten p. 10
Living Under the Indian Act
“The people who live under the Indian Act in
Canada live in unique circumstances. There are no
other citizens of Canada for whom a specific piece
of federal legislation regulates their social and
political citizenship, and the most fundamental
features of their social and economic lives. No
other groups of people, except those who are in
prisons, live so thoroughly under the supervision
and control of the executive branch of the federal
government.”
(F. Abele, “Like an ill-fitting boot: Government,
Governance and Management Systems in the
Contemporary Indian Act” p. 32)
Source: NStQ historic photo
files
(source) Canyon Current
February 2015
NStQ Leadership Council confirms date of BC
Treaty Negotiations Agreement-in-Principle Vote
NStQ Press Release - September 8, 2015
The Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (NStQ), which comprises four First
Nation bands, have been working together to participate in the BC Treaty
Process to negotiate and obtain control over their future through selfgovernment. The four bands include Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake), Stswecem’c /
Xgat’tem (Canoe Creek/Dog Creek), Xats’ull/Cmetem’ (Soda Creek) and T’exelc
(Williams Lake).
Treaty negotiations have been ongoing since 1993 through extensive
consultative work by the Treaty Team and membership of each of the four
communities dedicated to the development of an agreement. The NStQ
have completed substantive negotiations and are now at the end of Stage 4, or the Agreement-inPrinciple (AiP) negotiations of the BC Treaty Commission Negotiation Process. The AiP is a starting
point for the final agreement negotiations.
At the September 3rd NStQ Leadership Council meeting, it was confirmed that a
vote for all NStQ ‘voting age’ band members will be held on February 11th, 2016.
The referendum question is – “Do you support the recommendation of the NStQ
leadership to proceed to final agreement negotiations?”
NStQ will be hosting various information meetings this fall to help band members become well
informed about the AiP and the referendum voting process. Contact each band’s treaty team for
more information on specific locations, dates and times of upcoming meetings:
o Canim Lake: 250-397-2002
o Canoe Creek / Dog Creek: 250-440-5649
o Soda Creek / Deep Creek: 250-989-2323
Computer Corner
Computer Corner
-
by Dave Feil NStQ
Technology Training Coordinator
Last month we talked about using the help
button. This month we are going to talk about
a little tool that can very useful for reporting,
or capturing items on your computer screen.
It is called the Snipping Tool! It can be found
on all Windows 7 computers by going to
Start>All Programs>Accessories.
Snipping
Tool captures a screen shot of anything on
your desktop, like a picture or a section of
webpage. Snip a whole window, a rectangular
section of the screen, or draw a freehand
outline with your mouse. Then you can
annotate, save, or e-mail the image using
buttons right in the Snipping Tool window.
You can also paste the image directly into the
document you are working on.
o Williams Lake: 250-296-3507
For more information about the AiP and Treaty Process:
www.nstqtreaty.ca
www.bctreaty.net/
Or, contact: Beth Bedard, NStQ Treaty Team Coordinator
E: b.bedard@nstq.org
P: (250) 392-7361 ext. 226
TF: 1-888-392-7361
Fax: 250-392-6158
So remember if you want to take a screen shot
of your entire screen you can still use
Alt-Prt Scrn, or if you just need a little piece
of it you can use the Snipping Tool.
First
Nations News
Walk for All Missing and Murdered 2015
By Orenda Gilbert
The walkers from Manitoba arrived at 150 Mile
about 5 pm Thursday, August 27, 2015. Brenda
Osborn, the organizer, is from Norway House,
Manitoba. This is where they started on July
18th. There are seven walkers from Manitoba
and one from Ontario. Mary Meytwashing is
from Lake Man, Manitoba, Myrna Abraham from
Sagkeeng Manitoba, Althea Guiboche and Gil
(Joseph) Gauthier are from Winnipeg, Brenda’s
brother Larry, also from Norway House and Vince
Keesic is from Red Lake Ontario. This project
has been going on for the last seven years in
Manitoba. It began when they first participated
in a walk to Ottawa in 2011. It went from Norway
House to Winnipeg then to Ottawa. This was the
Walk for Justice. Brenda said that back home,
mostly her family participates. They invite people
to come and walk with them. These seven are
usually who join them on their journey.
to Prince Rupert.
They are hoping to
take nine more days to
reach that destination.
They are doing 100km/
day. Then they hope to
go to Vancouver after
that.
The purpose of this walk directly affects Brenda
and her family because Helen Betty Osborn, her
cousin, was murdered in the Pas, Manitoba at
the residential school. She was raped, beaten,
stabbed and her nude body was left. One man
went to jail for that. And now they boast about
how they can do whatever to Indian people. Her
uncle was shot by a woman and she got only
one year probation and her other cousin was
murdered and the man found guilty served two
years. Her cousin’s daughter, Felisha Osborn,
only had parts of her body left after she was
dismembered. And Brenda’s daughter, Claudette
Osborn, has been missing since July 24, 2008.
This walk does a lot of healing. They invite
others to come and walk to start their own
healing process. It took her about 5 years to be
more aware there are other families who have
given up. She wants them to know there is hope.
She said, “Start fighting for their loved ones and
encourage them to keep going even when no
one is doing anything. It seems as though no one
is doing anything to solve these cases. Not even
police or detectives.”
Every day is physically, emotionally, mentally
tough, so they do a lot of praying. They are
‘searching’ for answers as they walk. And also
pray for the families who suffer still. In every
community they visited, people have missing
or murdered loved ones. A sister, brother,
aunty, mother... no one says they don’t have
a lost one. There are so many affected across
Canada. People need to start fighting for truth
and answers. A lot of these communities
have provided some type of support. From
accommodations, running shoes, meals,
gas money, or just donations, they are very
appreciative.
They held a concert when they started to walk
seven years ago. They set up counsellors so
families can share their stories in Winnipeg.
There are people there who are dragging the
river right now. Her family is doing that, and
families doing ground searches. They joined
the Bear Clan, Protecting our streets. They are
trying to do as much as possible so they can talk
to people. Even talk to the young people on the
streets for their safety. The walk will take them
Brenda is the organizer. E-mail
ohmyguibocshe@gmail.com. Facebook
at Walk for All Missing and Murdered
2015. There is also an indigogo campaign
under the Walk for All Missing and
Murdered 2015.
July/Aug p.11
WLIB
JJuly/Aug p. 12
Williams Lake Indian Band Frontage Road Project
WILLIAMS LAKE – Williams Lake Indian Band
(WLIB) today announced that it has reached an
agreement with the Ministry of Transportation
and Infrastructure (MoTI) to move forward
on four laning Highway 97 through Williams
Lake Indian Reserve #1, from 150 Mile House
to Lexington Road. Identified in “B.C. on the
Move” as an important part of Phase 2 of the
$200-million Cariboo Connector program, over
6.2 kilometres of Highway 97 will be four-laned,
and turning and deceleration lanes will be
added. The tender for this $47-million project
is anticipated for this fall with completion
scheduled for late fall 2017.
Closely integrated with the Highway 97
four-laning will be the WLIB Coyote Rock
Development Project. More than five years in
the making, The Coyote Rock Development
Project is a $9 million dollar project consisting
of a new frontage road, extension of WLIB
utilities, booster and lift stations and a new
water reservoir. The end product will be
a ten-lot highway commercial subdivision
spanning almost fifteen acres and a multi-phase
residential subdivision. The first phase of the
residential subdivision will include 28 lots.
“We’re extremely excited to conclude this
agreement with the Ministry of Transportation
and Infrastructure and finally move forward
with our Coyote Rock Development Project,”
states WLIB Chief, Ann Louie. “We’ve had
to repeatedly delay our project because it’s
inextricably linked with the MoTI works.
Concluding an agreement with the Ministry
gives us the certainty we need to move
forward. Combined, these projects represent
tens of millions worth of investment in our
region. Traffic movement and safety will be
enhanced, the economic potential of our
region will be increased, and jobs will be
created for our members and other residents
of the region.”
The Coyote Rock Development Project has
been funded by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development
Canada and through investments by WLIB and its
partners. Construction will be complete by Fall
2015.
“Through our agreement with
MoTI we’ve built a strong
relationship, one which
offers many benefits for our
community,” adds Chief Louie.
“We’re also grateful for the
support of Aboriginal Affairs and
Northern Development Canada.
They selected our Coyote Rock
Project as one of a small handful
of such projects in the Country.
It’s critically important, especially
in the wake of the Mount
Polley disaster, that
we actively pursue
projects that have
the potential to kickstart the economy
in our region. We’re
very glad that the
governments of both
British Columbia and
Canada recognize this,
and are providing their
support.”
The Coyote Rock
Development Project
will be constructed
by a joint venture
between WLIB and Lake Excavating. Over
the last year, the WLIB/Lake Excavating joint
venture has been actively working on the
remediation of the Mount Polley disaster.
“We’re working with a local, well-established
company” states Kirk Dressler,
WLIB Economic Development
Officer. “We’re keeping as much
of our project money in the
region as we can. Lake Excavating
understands our vision and our
goals, and they share in our
commitment to create opportunity
for our members. We’re excited
to take our partnership with
Lake Excavating to the next level.
We’re confident that with our
Coyote Rock Project and the
other projects that we have in the
works that WLIB will be a leader in
economic development for years to come.”
The Agreement between MoTI and WLIB will
also require an exchange of lands, which must
be ratified by the WLIB Membership. The
vote on the land exchange is expected to take
place later in 2015.
For more information, please contact please contact
Kirk Dressler, Williams Lake Indian Band
Economic Development Officer, at (250) 296-3507
kirk.dressler@williamslakeband.ca
(Top) Band Development Detail
(Bottom) Colour sketch including
housing development
The Lexey’em is brought to you
by the northern Shuswap Tribal
Council and the Williams lake
Tribune.
Publisher: Williams Lake Tribune
Advertising: Williams Lake Tribune
Editor: Orenda Gilbert, NSTC Treaty Department
The Lexey’em is an independent community
newspaper, published monthly, by the Williams Lake
Tribune and the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council.
The Lexey’em is available at the NSTC office at 17
South First Ave.; Three Corners Health Society;
Knucwentwec Child and Family Services Society;
at the Williams Lake Public Library; the Cariboo
Friendship Centre in Williams Lake; or you can
access it on the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
and the NStQ Treaty Group websites, or through the
NStQ member Band offices - Soda Creek First Nation
(Xat’sull); Williams Lake Indian Band (T’exelc);
Canim Lake Band (Tsq’escen’); or at the Stswecem’c
Xgat’tem First Nation.
Interchange looking north
It is also sent out by e-mail to members, if you wish
to be on the NStQ Communications e-mail list and
you are an NStQ member contact us at (250) 3927361.