Author: Jeff Kisling

Listen with open ears

These past several days have brought attention to the concepts of truth and reconciliation as the land known as Canada held its first observation of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

September 30th was also Orange Shirt Day, which focuses on those who were forced to attend the Indian Boarding Schools, those institutions of forced assimilation.

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of this project.  As spokesperson for the Reunion group leading up to the events, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl.  

The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind.  A discussion all Canadians can tune into and create bridges with each other for reconciliation.  A day for survivors to be reaffirmed that they matter, and so do those that have been affected.  Every Child Matters, even if they are an adult, from now on.

It all started right here in the Cariboo, and as a result, School District No. 27 was  chosen by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) to pilot curriculum changes for all Grade 5 and Grade 10 students reflecting the residential school experience, which have now been implemented province-wide. 

On this day of September 30th, we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it.

The Story of Orange Shirt Day

On this day of September 30th, we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it.

the story of Orange Shirt Day

What does it mean to listen with open ears? This implies that we often do not really listen. When was the last time you changed anything based upon what you were hearing? James Allen says, “we need to radically rethink the stories we tell ourselves”. As my friend Lucy Duncan says here, we white Quakers believe a number of myths. Listening with open ears requires a conscious effort to jump over the barriers of those myths we tell ourselves.

During our gatherings for Quaker meetings for worship we listen for the voice of the Creator. Are we really open to the leadings of the Spirit? Are we looking past the myths? Are we listening with open ears? And then do we have the courage to do what the Spirit is asking of us?

“We White Quakers like to revel in our myths about ourselves. These include “we were all abolitionists”; “we all worked on the Underground Railroad”; and “none of us were slaveholders.” Often there are kernels of truth in myths, but the truth is more complex. Myths exist to veil the complexity and contradictions of our history, to obfuscate the differences between who we think we are and who we really are and have been… Perhaps the revolutionary Quaker faith we imagine ourselves to inhabit has never really existed, and if we tell the whole truth and commit to the healing the truth-telling calls us to, perhaps together we can embody and create the prophetic religion we thirst for.”  –Lucy Duncan, “A Quaker Call to Abolition and Creation”

Query: What myths are you facing? What truths are you embracing?

If we are to find a new kind of good life amid the catastrophes these myths have spawned, then we need to radically rethink the stories we tell ourselves. We need to dig deep into old stories and reveal their wisdom, as well as lovingly nurture the emergence of new stories into being. This will not be easy. The myths of this age are deeply rooted in our culture. The talking heads (even the green ones) echo these myths with the dogmatic fervour of zealots. They talk of “saving the planet” through transitioning to a “sustainable” future, primarily through new renewable energy technologies. They seem only able to conceive of a good life that mirrors our lives more or less as they are now, where the living standard continues to improve and rate of consumption continues to grow, yet somehow decoupled from all the pollution, destruction and guilt.

Pontoon Archipelago or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Collapse By James Allen, originally published by Medium, June 18, 2019

I think about what I want for my children and grandchildren. What I want
for them is to be loved and love other people in this country. Not to tolerate
them, not to go to our respective corners and stop hurting each other, but
to be wrapped up and engaged in each other’s lives.

Douglas White
Kwulasultun (Coast Salish name), Tliishin (Nuu-chah-nulth name),
Director of the Centre for Pre-Confederation Treaties and Reconciliation
(VIU), former Chief of Snuneymuxw First Nation

Orange Shirts and Wet’suwet’en Arrests

It is good that the land called Canada went through years of work related to the Indigenous residential schools. Passed legislation and budgeted funds. Has designated September 30th as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, celebrated for the first time a few days ago. Many wore orange shirts that symbolize the children who were forced to go to those schools.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ran from 2008 to 2015 and provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools policy with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has become the permanent archive for the statements, documents and other materials the Commission gathered, and its library and collections are the foundation for ongoing learning and research.

The Commission released its final report detailing 94 calls to action. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html

And yet, the Canadian government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police continue to harass and arrest Wet’suwet’en land defenders.

As Wet’suwet’en members of Cas Yikh and their supporters maintain control of a Coastal GasLink drill site that threatens their unceded territories, the RCMP has utilized excessive use of force and torturous pain compliance for an hour on a land defender. This is happening as the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” takes place across Canada today, putting on full display the ongoing colonialism that Indigenous peoples are facing. Gidimt’en Checkpoint

The world is on the brink of climate catastrophe and all people must rise up to protect what little is left for future generations.

Sleydo’


GIDIMT’EN CHECKPOINT CONDEMNS VIOLENT ARRESTS OF LAND DEFENDERS ON THE FIRST “NATIONAL DAY OF TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION”

September 30, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMITHERS, BC: As Wet’suwet’en members of Cas Yikh and their supporters maintain control of a Coastal GasLink drill site that threatens their unceded territories, the RCMP has utilized excessive use of force and torturous pain compliance for an hour on a land defender. This is happening as the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” takes place across Canada today, putting on full display the ongoing colonialism that Indigenous peoples are facing.

These actions follow an earlier arrest on the morning on September 25, a supporter was tasered and arrested on the road to the drill pad site where CGL plans to drill under Wedzin Kwa river. In a video, the supporter’s screams for help are audible during the violent arrest.

In addition, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs were denied access to their own lands and threatened with arrest, but they held their ground. Cas Yikh members of the Wet’suwet’en nation and their supporters are still holding strong in opposition to this destruction and violence.

Sleydo’, Gidimt’en Checkpoint Spokesperson, states “On the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, reconciliation is dead. The government, industry, and police are still invading our yintah. The authority of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary house and clan system was verified in the historic Delgamuukw and Red Top court decisions, but our hereditary system continues to be disrespected by BC and Canada.”

Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) all Hereditary Chiefs of the five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink to drill on Wet’suwet’en lands.

Sleydo’ further states, “Coastal GasLink (CGL) is the one trespassing on our yintah with their plans for a 670-kilometer fracked gas pipeline. They are trying to drill under the Wedzin Kwa river, the sacred headwaters that feeds all of Wet’suwet’en territory and gives life to our nation. Days ago, CGL destroyed our ancient village and cultural heritage site, Ts’elkay Kwe. We refuse to allow this destruction to continue and are now blockading CGL. Our Chiefs – not CGL or Canada – have full jurisdiction on our yintah.”

If any true reconciliation is to be achieved all levels of government must honour the authority of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. The public must be made aware of the lengths to which the government and industry will go to suppress our rights and title. This has always been a fight for access to resources, as brought to light by the Narwhal last year. We have always known this to be the case, and through the exposure there is proof of the provincial governments’ plan to use federal money meant for Residential School Survivors, because they know how strong that decision was.

According to Sleydo’: “The world is on the brink of climate catastrophe and all people must rise up to protect what little is left for future generations. We invite supporters to come to Cas Yikh territory and stand with us. We raise our hands to the brave people at Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek), who have just defeated Teal Cedar Products Ltd.’s injunction. The RCMP are using the same violent tactics to intimidate and criminalize peaceful land defenders here. We are united in the struggle to defend our lands, our waters, our homes.”

Over 1,100 people were arrested at Fairy Creek, all for the immoral enforcement of an injunction to allow a company to log old-growth forests. Justice Douglas Thompson found that RCMP enforcement, through the use of the specially formed Community Industry Response Group (CIRG), led to “serious and substantial infringement of civil liberties”. It is concerning that CIRG, who had previously been unlawfully occupying Wet’suwet’en territory and harassing Wet’suwet’en people, may now turn its sights from Ada’itsx back to Wet’suwet’en territories.

As the rest of the nation wears orange shirts the Wet’suwet’en people will be upholding our laws and enacting our title and rights out on the yintah, protecting Wedzin Kwa.

Follow Gidimt’en Checkpoint
For further information please go to: yintahaccess.com

Listen…to the story

Many tragic stories were told yesterday, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the land called Canada. Although rooted in tragedy, it felt like the time has come to begin to bring these stories into the light. A sense of relief, in a way, that these deeply buried traumas are being told. Yet also triggering grief as these memories are revisited. Telling and listening to these stories are the truth part of truth and reconciliation.

People can be transformed by being open and human. We believe that people have a need to be heard, but how they are heard really matters – if they take the risk of telling their story, it needs to make a difference.

Denise Altvater

And yesterday was Orange Shirt Day. The following is from my friends of the Great Plains Action Society.

My friend Lucy Duncan wrote the following years ago, on the occasion of the seating of the Maine-Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Listen…to the story

All they knew was the reservation
The bit of land that wasn’t stolen
They lived surrounded by the sea
The few that had survived
They were poor, but this was home

One day, the state came
No one said where they were going
They rode in a car for the first time
Taken from all they knew, and from those they loved
To strange homes and ways
Where some were cared for, others beaten and broken
But either way, they longed for home, for the places they belonged
Taken far from who they were, far from their heart mother
Into places that would demand that they forget
But the heart keeps beating like a drum

Hard won, the journey home has begun
With each story told of the pain of separation, of loss, of hurt
With each story held lovingly
And carried with tenderness by those who listen
They are slowly coming home
Home to look each other in the eye and say, “I see you.”
Home to family lost
Home to ways of being that rest on their limbs like skin

As each story is told, another story rises
A mother tells of being taken
A son tells how her hurts were passed on to him
How he passed them on to his children
Recognition comes, the hurts so deep begin to heal
The children waiting to be born will learn the story
But not carry this deep weight of pain

The stories together
Tell the whole truth
The truth that stings as it heals
And maybe, just maybe, if all of us can hear
In our bones, in our being
Even those descended from the ones who plotted decimation
We will remember
To honor the mother, all mothers
To honor the land, all land
To honor the Spirit, rising

Shh…. listen….

Lucy Duncan

The journey home: a prayer for healing by Lucy Duncan, American Friends Service Committee, Feb 7, 2013

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Today, Sept 30, 2021, is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the country known as Canada. There is a lot of publicity now related to the institutions of forced assimilation. The remains of thousands of children being located by ground penetrating radar on the grounds of those institutions. Articles about the history of the residential schools, stories of those who attended, those who never returned. The suffering of those living today who are survivors of those schools. Those suffering today from the intergenerational trauma that has passed from generation to generation.

And the suffering continuing today as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police side with Coastal GasLink pipeline employees as they forced construction through Wet’suwet’en territory (video below)

These stories and events should be told by those who have been affected. People can re-traumatized. You can hear some of those stories in the following.

The National Residential School Crisis Line 1-866-925-4419

Included below are:

  • the reports from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its calls to action
  • the video from CBC/Radio, We Know the Truth: Stories to inspire reconciliation
  • and a video of the Royal Canadian Mounted police painfully removing a land defender locked under a bus on the Wet’suwet’en territory. There cannot be reconciliation when the government continues to enforce construction of pipelines through Indigenous lands.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30, 2021 marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

The creation of this federal statutory holiday was through legislative amendments made by Parliament. On June 3, 2021, Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) received Royal Assent.

Commemorating National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Illuminating Parliament Hill

To commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and to honour the Survivors, their families and communities, buildings across Canada will be illuminated in orange September 29 and/or September 30, from 7:00 pm to sunrise the next morning. This will include federal buildings such as the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.

Truth and Reconciliation Week

This 5-day, bilingual educational event will include programming designed for students in grades 5 through 12 along with their teachers and feature Indigenous Elders, youth and Survivors. The event will be pre-recorded and webcasted, allowing for schools and classrooms participation from across the country and the involvement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Broadcast

A 1-hour bilingual primetime show in partnership with, and broadcast on, CBC/Radio-Canada and APTN will be devoted to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Programming will include presentations on the importance of this day as well as cultural and artistic performances in support of healing and giving voices to Indigenous peoples.

APTN Sunrise Ceremony

APTN will present pre-taped Sunrise ceremony featuring drummers, singers, Elders and various Indigenous traditions.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its calls to action

There were 140 federally run Indian Residential Schools which operated in Canada between 1831 and 1998. The last school closed only 23 years ago. Survivors advocated for recognition and reparations and demanded accountability for the lasting legacy of harms caused. These efforts culminated in:

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ran from 2008 to 2015 and provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools policy with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has become the permanent archive for the statements, documents and other materials the Commission gathered, and its library and collections are the foundation for ongoing learning and research.

The Commission released its final report detailing 94 calls to action. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration.

On the inaugural National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we’re introducing Canadians to Indigenous people who are flipping the conversation on reconciliation.

We Know the Truth: Stories to inspire reconciliation.

CBC/Radio is a Canadian public broadcast service.

There were also residential schools in the land called the United States. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, has initiated an investigation of these institutions of forced assimilation and the remains of the children.

Today only, Jason Eaglespeaker is making his graphic novels (there are three versions) “UNeducation, Vol 1: A Residential School Graphic Novel” available free of charge.

UNeducate Yourself!

There cannot be reconciliation when the government continues to enforce construction of pipelines through Indigenous lands

How incredible is it that the Royal Canadian Mounted police continue to attack land defenders resisting the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline through the Wet’suwet’en lands in British Columbia?


Gidimt’en Access Point

On September 27th, a land defender blocking a fracked gas pipeline was tortured by police.

This is the second arrest at the drill pad site access road, where Coastal Gaslink (CGL) plans to drill under Wedzin Kwa (Morice River), the sacred headwaters on Wet’suwet’en yintah. The arrest was brutal.

The RCMP officers used “pain compliance” for an hour on the person locked under the bus in a hard lock, insisting the person just let go, which very clearly they were not able to do.

The RCMP then had CGL contractors, instead of an extraction team, come in to extract the person. The injunction very clearly states that RCMP are the only ones to enforce the injunction. This is in violation of that.

This comes on the heels of the RCMP being at fault for the injunction renewal denial for the Fairy Creek defence based on their tactics against peaceful people.

Tomorrow is the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” in Canada, and here we clearly see that violence and forced removal from Indigenous lands are on full display.

This is about our yintah (land). It always has been. They have been trying to steal our lands and resources since contact and they will bulldoze and torture their way through to get it, because all they care about is money. We will never give up. Join us. Yintahaccess.com

CW: VIOLENT ARREST OF LAND DEFENDER
https://youtu.be/h4gK5scLMhk

UNeducate Yourself!

I have purchased a number of books and graphic novels from Jason Eaglespeaker. https://www.eaglespeaker.com/

In honor of National Day for Truth & Reconciliation (September 30th, in Canada), Jason is offering all three versions of UNeducation, A Residential School Graphic Novel, Vol 1 for free! See where to get them below. This offer is good for September 30th only. The three versions are explained below. There is a PARENTAL ADVISORY regarding the uncut version.

Jason and I corresponded about one of his books, Young Water Protectors, A Story About Standing Rock by Aslan Tudor. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I got a few photos of Aslan when we were both at a gathering in Indianapolis related to the Dakota Access pipeline.

978-1723305689-backcover.jpg

This is a link to a story about Aslan and the book. New book about Standing Rock written from child’s perspective by Rhiannon Johnson, CBC News, Aug 25, 2018

You may have heard about, read about or even own the book that started it all – “UNeducation, Vol 1: A Residential School Graphic Novel”. Launched over 10 years ago, from one single handmade copy, UNeducation is now in libraries, schools, universities and retailers throughout North America and beyond.

It comes in three versions:
In honor of National Day for Truth & Reconciliation (September 30th, in Canada), you can get all three versions of UNeducation, Vol 1 for free!

Simply use the links below to head to the download pages:

UNeducation UNcut – for the mature reader
*eBook version, requires free Kindle App to read
**free download ends Sept 30th at midnight
Amazon USA
Amazon Canada

UNeducation PG – for the sensitive reader (schools choose this one)
*eBook version, requires free Kindle App to read
**free download ends Sept 30th at midnight
Amazon USA
Amazon Canada

UNeducation A Coloring Experience – for youth and adults
Download from my website  

Orange Shirt Day

I’m saddened by the disconnect between Canada’s years of work on truth and reconciliation related to institutions of forced assimilation of Indigenous children and the ongoing militarized response by the government against the Wet’suwet’en peoples (see the tweets at the end for updates).

The investigation related to the remains of Indigenous children on the grounds of residential schools in the US is beginning. And yet, as in Canada, multiple fossil fuel projects continue to be approved. There is increasing resistance to the construction of these pipelines. And a new class of pipelines related to carbon capture are proposed.

Orange Shirt Day will also be observed tomorrow in Canada.

The Orange Shirt Story began in May 2013 during the Truth and Reconciliation Hearings in Williams Lake BC. At that time Kukpi7 Fred Robbins of the Esketemc enlisted the support of the local School District, Regional Government and the Municipalities of the Cariboo, to both honour the survivors of Residential Schools and raise awareness of the Residential School system among the people of the Cariboo. This is the story of Kukpi7 Fred Robbins time at Residential School, the Commemoration events that were organized, and the hopes for the future that Kukpi7 Fred Robbins envisioned. – WARNING Sensitive Content

https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html
Leading up to September 30, the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” we need to send the message that things have to change and they have to change NOW.

#WetsuwetenStrong #NoTrespass #WedzinKwa #CGLofftheYintah #Sovereignty #Solidarity #DefendTheYintah #WeAreAllOne #IndigenousSovereignty #TraditionalGovernance

Defending Wedzin Kwa

Over the past several days there has been escalating conflict between the Wet’suwet’en peoples and the Coastal Gaslink pipeline company, which is supported by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Coastal GasLink is trying to drill under the sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa.

The last tweet below talks about the most recent attempts of armed invasion of Wet’suwet’en lands by the RCMP that began in 2019.

This is a glaring example of the fossil fuel industry forcing its way against the will of the people, of Indigenous peoples, enforced by the government (of Canada in this case). Go to https://www.yintahaccess.com/ for ways you can help.

This is especially dispiriting as the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, September 30, approaches.

On the morning of September 26th, the access road to Coastal GasLink’s drill site was destroyed. A series of blockades were put into place and the site was occupied. When the chiefs arrived onsite, they were threatened with arrest and denied access to their territory. One person was arrested during the occupation. Wet’suwet’en chiefs are trying to protect the sacred head waters of Wedzin Kwa. We cannot let them drill under this river.

Drill Site Occupied As Wet’suwet’en Chiefs Call For Support, It’s Going Down, Sept 26, 2021

Now, CGL is ready to begin drilling beneath our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We know that this would be disastrous, not only for Wet’suwet’en people, but for all living beings supported by the Wedzin Kwa, and for the communities living downstream. Wedzin Kwa is a spawning ground for salmon and a critical source of pristine drinking water. States Sleydo’, Gidimt’en Checkpoint Spokesperson: 

“Our way of life is at risk. […] Wedzin Kwa [is the] the river that feeds all of Wet’suwet’en territory and gives life to our nation.”

Wet’suwet’en Blockades Erected To Stop Coastal Gaslink Drilling Under Sacred Headwaters, Indigenous Environmental Network, September 27, 2021

News Release
Indigenous Environmental Network

On the morning of September 25, 2021, the access road to Coastal GasLink’s (CGL’s) drill site at the Wedzin Kwa river was destroyed. Blockades have been set up and sites have been occupied, to stop the drilling under the sacred headwaters that nourish the Wet’suwet’en Yintah and all those within its catchment area. Cas Yikh and supporters have gained control of the area and refuse to allow this destruction to continue.

Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs were denied access to their own lands, and there has been one arrest confirmed. The Hereditary Chiefs were read the injunction and threatened with arrest, but they held their ground. Despite heavy machinery and heavy Royal Canadian Mounted Police presence, our relatives and supporters are standing strong holding the line, and so far no more arrests have been confirmed. As of Sunday, September 26, the individual arrested has been released and the chiefs and supporters continue to hold the line and successfully hold off any work by Coastal GasLink.

Days ago, Coastal GasLink destroyed our ancient village site, Ts’elkay Kwe. When Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’ attempted to monitor the Coastal GasLink archaeological team and contest the destruction of Wet’suwet’en cultural heritage, she was aggressively intimidated by Coastal GasLink security guards. Tensions have continued to rise on the Yintah as Coastal GasLink pushes a reckless and destructive construction schedule with the support of private security and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Now, Coastal GasLink is ready to begin drilling beneath our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We know that this would be disastrous, not only for Wet’suwet’en people, but for all living beings supported by the Wedzin Kwa, and for the communities living downstream. Wedzin Kwa is a spawning ground for salmon and a critical source of pristine drinking water.

Indian Country Today

Our warrior spirits are stronger than they’ll ever be

Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’
https://twitter.com/Gidimten/status/1442698309651427328/photo/1

This is a PDF of the history of the involvement of some of us in Iowa related to the Wet’suwet’en peoples’ struggles. https://designrr.s3.amazonaws.com/jakislin_at_outlook.com_52440/n-a_615326c8.pdf

Police Violence at Gidimt’en Checkpoint

The Wet’suwet’en vs. RCMP and Coastal GasLink situation is escalating.

#WetsuwetenStrong #NoTrespass #WedzinKwa #CGLofftheYintah #WeAreAllOne #TraditionalGovernance #StandUpFightBack

Wet’suwet’en struggle continues

It is tragic that at the same time the concepts of #LANDBACK are being embraced, resource extractive companies continue to take land, without free and prior consent. And it is ironic that this conflict is going on at a time when Canada will celebrate the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.

This is a link to the story of my experiences with the Wet’suwet’en struggles, LANDBACK Case Study: Wet’suwet’en and Quakers.

https://designrr.page/?id=60932&token=2932457842&h=9994

Now an archeological site has just been destroyed.

Gidimt’en Checkpoint

September 23 at 2:32 PM 
PRESS RELEASE
COASTAL GASLINK DESTROYS ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE ON CAS YIKH TERRITORY
September 23, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMITHERS, BC: On September 22, 2021, after days of conflict between Gidimt’en/Cas Yikh Chiefs and members, Coastal GasLink and the RCMP, contractors completely cleared an archaeological site which has been destroyed with heavy machinery for the construction of a methane gas pipeline.

Gidimt’en chiefs and supporters have been defending a number of culturally significant archeological sites from destruction on unceded Cas Yikh (Grizzly House) territory belonging to the Gitdimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en people. The Coastal GasLink pipeline company has obtained a Site Alteration Permit (SAP) from the BC Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) through a flawed and ineffective consultation process and without the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. The Wet’suwet’en have argued for years that the pipeline route endangers critical species, cultural use and heritage sites, and is not supported by Wet’suwet’en land use plans, particularly around the development of climate change policies. This archaeological site in particular, is significant to the Wet’suwet’en in the protection of our cultural heritage for future generations and for protecting our oral histories and heritage values for ongoing rights and title negotiations.

The company continues to violate their own regulations and conditions set forward by governing bodies such as the OGC and their own Environmental Assessment Certificates. Neither CGL nor the BCOGC undertook consultation with Cas Yikh or the Office of the Wet’suwet’en for the permit. The consultation process and the permitting system is deeply flawed and acts merely as a rubber stamp process to allow industry to continue. For example, files sent to the Office of the Wet’suwet’en were password protected and unable to be opened. Thus the information contained inside was never able to be reviewed, let alone consented to. Silence does not equal consent and to push forward with destroying a culturally significant heritage site is deeply disturbing and violent.

An archeologist working with Cas Yikh recently stated, about the cultural site that CGL is now threatening:

A site alteration permit was granted for the purpose of clearing GbSs-8 to make way for the Coastal GasLink pipeline, but no information on the proposed work/clearing activities has been shared with OW, Wo’os, Cas Yikh, or this report’s author. What is known about the archaeology of Ts’elkay Kwe Ceek is dismal. This is especially concerning given the sheer intensity with which the landscape was inhabited and used (according to oral and written testimonies) and the concentration of habitation and use sites (lithics, trails, and cultural depressions). As a result, any destruction to archaeological heritage in Ts’elkay Kwe Ceek should be seen as a gross miscalculation on behalf of the proponent and their archaeologists. Indeed, given that no consultation or consent was granted for the site alteration permit, the course of site destruction is highly irregular and likely illegal.

Many measures were taken to prevent the destruction of this site, including a Cease and Desist letter sent to all parties, including provincial ministers in charge of lands and forests, in which hereditary chief Dini ze’ Woos stated:

To be clear, we do not authorize or consent to the removal of, or any “alteration” or impacts to, our archaeological heritage. According to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — a declaration implemented by the BC Government under Bill C41, which states:

4. Article 11 (1). Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature. (2). States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs. (Emphasis added).

The work that is continuing just hundreds of meters from Gidimt’en Checkpoint, a reoccupation site belonging to Cas Yikh, is in violation of the provincially legislated DRIPA. It is happening without the consent of Cas Yikh and therefore we demand that the permit be revoked and a proper consultation process begin.

For further information please go to: yintahaccess.com

#WetsuwetenStrong #NoTrespass #WedzinKwa #CGLofftheYintah #Sovereignty #Solidarity #DefendTheYintah #WeAreAllOne #IndigenousSovereignty #TraditionalGovernance #StandUpFightBack #RematriatetheLand

Originally tweeted by Gidimt’en Checkpoint (@Gidimten) on September 25, 2021.

Gidimt’en Matriarch Confronts CGL and RCMP

A few days ago (9/22/2021) Coastal GasLink contractors came in and cleared trees and brush at our ancient site along Ts’elkay Kwe. They came escorted by RCMP. There was still no archaeologist on site, they also refused to show any permits, but continued to clear brush and fall trees in the valley as a Gidimt’en matriarch requested a pause to consult with Cas Yikh’s chiefs, wing chiefs, matriarchs and members.

They said that work will be continuing throughout the week. We need boots on the ground and feet in the street. We will never give up. We will never back down. Join us.

https://twitter.com/quakers_seekers/status/1441741457090514951?s=20

CW: Aggressive security block and intimidate Indigenous woman.

On September 22, Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’ attempted to monitor the destruction of an ancestral site, as it was destroyed by Coastal GasLink pipeline workers. She was met with physically aggressive and intimidating CGL security guards.

For the past week, Coastal Gaslink has fallen trees and used excavators to destroy Ts’elkay Kwe, an ancient village site that they call GbSs-8.

CGL security (https://forsythesecurity.ca) counselled the archeologists from Ecofor not to discuss the work or accept the Cease and Desist letter that was previously emailed to the company via Stacey McConnell (stacey.mcconnell@ecofor.ca). They blocked access to Sleydo’ which is a direct violation of their Environmental Assessment Certificate (eao.compliance@gov.bc.ca).

The work continues today as we hear constant chain saw work and extended helicopter flights taking place over the archeological site.

Our ancestors are under attack. Our people are under attack. Once they have completed this devastating work they will move to drill under our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada will be September 30. A schedule of events can be found here.

With the attention on the deaths of children in the native residential schools in the land called the United States, we are learning more about these atrocities here. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, has initiated an investigation of the institutions of forced assimilation in the U.S.

Canada went through an eight-year process to learn what happened in the residential schools there, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Quakers of the Canadian Yearly Meeting have been very involved in that process and ongoing work for reconciliation.

In 2007 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established “to learn the truth about what happened in the residential schools and to inform all Canadians about what happened in the schools.”

In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its Final Report and 94 Calls to Action. TRC Chief Commissioner Murray Sinclair said, “We have described for you a mountain, we have shown you the path to the top. We call upon you to do the climbing.”

In 2011, Canadian Yearly Meeting, the national body of Canadian Quakers, had called on Quakers to actively engage in reconciliation efforts:

We are being invited by the Indigenous peoples of Canada as represented by the Indian Residential School Survivors, through the Indian Residential School Survivors Settlement Agreement, to enter a journey of truth finding and reconciliation. We encourage all Friends, in their Meetings for Worship and Monthly and Regional Meetings, boldly to accept this invitation and to engage locally, regionally, and nationally, actively seeking ways to open ourselves to this process…”

Truth and Reconciliation, Canadian Friends Yearly Meeting.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences.

About the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history, began to be implemented in 2007. One of the elements of the agreement was the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to facilitate reconciliation among former students, their families, their communities and all Canadians.

The official mandate (PDF) of the TRC is found in Schedule “N” of the Settlement Agreement which includes the principles that guided the commission in its important work.

Between 2007 and 2015, the Government of Canada provided about $72 million to support the TRC’s work. The TRC spent 6 years travelling to all parts of Canada and heard from more than 6,500 witnesses. The TRC also hosted 7 national events across Canada to engage the Canadian public, educate people about the history and legacy of the residential schools system, and share and honour the experiences of former students and their families.

The TRC created a historical record of the residential schools system. As part of this process, the Government of Canada provided over 5 million records to the TRC. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba now houses all of the documents collected by the TRC.

In June 2015, the TRC held its closing event in Ottawa and presented the executive summary of the findings contained in its multi-volume final report, including 94 “calls to action” (or recommendations) to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples.

In December 2015, the TRC released its entire 6-volume final report. All Canadians are encouraged to read the summary or the final report to learn more about the terrible history of Indian Residential Schools and its sad legacy.

To read the reports, please visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website.

What does reconciliation mean to Collin?

Many settlers wish they could ask Indigenous people questions about reconciliation without appearing foolish or rude. Canadian Friends Service Committee knows that not every settler has the opportunity to have open dialogue with Indigenous friends and neighbours. This is why we want to give you a chance to hear the answers to some important questions from some of our Indigenous partners, people that we work closely with and trust to give us honest responses, and who trust us enough to engage with this project!

Collin Orchyk is from Treaty 1, Peguis First Nation, Manitoba. Collin is a student in the Indigenous education program at the University of British Columbia and a former Youth Reconciliation Leader for Canadian Roots Exchange. He is also a singer/songwriter and has provided all background music for the videos in the Indigenous Voices on Reconciliation Series. Learn more at quakerservice.ca/reconciliation

More Indigenous voices on reconciliation
Indigenous voices on reconciliation

Quaker Paula Palmer and Friends Peace Teams have done years of work related to Right Relationship with Native Americans.
https://friendspeaceteams.org/trr/

A young Tohono Oʼodham man said in one of our workshops, “No one here today made these things happen, but we are the ones who are living now. And we’re all in this together.” And I think that’s what we need to hear. No one here today made all of these things happen, but we are the ones who are living now. So what are our opportunities to work with indigenous peoples, to engage them, to ask them, “What would right relationship look like?” Paula Palmer

https://quakerservice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Queries-for-Friends-as-we-engage-with-Reconciliation.pdf