By Jim West

In midst of the political activity surrounding the First Nations Governance Act, when it goes to the committee hearing stage this fall, it takes the future of hope of aboriginal women for new rights from across the nation.

Aboriginal self-government. Is it the vision of healthy, proud growing young generations of aboriginal youth growing to maturity, enjoying a full and happy life moving through a new rewarding full life? Or is it a contradiction in terms, a political oxymoron?

Or perhaps the hope of male-dominated band councils, whose increasing numbers are characterized by nepotism and corruption practices; (approximately one-third) leaving aboriginal women across Canada out of the loop of emergent First Nations governing structures.

First Nations women from across the nation are demanding a greater role in the changes in governance heralded by the First Nations Governance Initiative (FNGI), the INAC-driven reform of the archaic Indian Act, now on first reading before the House of Commons.

“We have to get women out there to deal with their own issues. We have to give them a vehicle to speak and be represented without being under the arms of the chiefs,” said Gail Sparrow, NAWA board member and former chief of Musqueam.

The history
Last October, the National Aboriginal Women’s Association (NAWA), was founded with a $225,000 federal grant to work with Indian Affairs in the federal governance initiative. And the issues of Canada’s aboriginal women are many as we shall see but first, a little history.

Aboriginal women have been systematically marginalized by the Indian Act from its inception because the act was primarily a means to assimilate all First Nations people through education and society.

Over the course of the next 100 years of the act’s existence, native women were displaced from the traditional circles of matrilineal prestige and power found in the potlatch, feasting, healing and motherhood. The creation of the band council system of aboriginal government paved the way for the male-dominated band councils we see today.

It is well known that native women who married non-status men lost their status and non-native women who married status Indian men gained status for themselves and their children.

In 1985, Bill C-31 amended the Indian Act to do four things:
- it rescinded the “enfranchisement” provisions of the old Indian Act and provided for the reinstatement of persons who lost their status as a result of those provisions;
- it did away with the partrilineal definition of eligibility for Indian status and replaced it with new gender neutral eligibility rules;
- it enabled bands to assume control of their band membership list on condition that they adopt a membership code that conforms to the bill; and,
- it allowed bands to deny membership to certain classes of status Indians who would otherwise be entitled to membership if control of the band list had continued to reside with INAC.

Since 1985, over 120,000 aboriginal people have regained status, the majority being aboriginal women who lost their status and their children.

The main focus of the bill was to make the Indian Act conform to section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to make men and women equal. It was widely anticipated that the passage of the bill would do away with the category of “non-status Indians” and in the future all Indians would be status and accorded the rights and benefits of status Indians.

Instead, Bill C-31 created two new classes of status Indians. Since 1985, all status Indians are now registered under section 6 of the Indian Act. Section 6 contains two subsections, sections 6(1) and section 6(2). A person must prove that he/she has two parents entitled to Indian status, then he/she would be registered under section 6(1). If a person has only one parent of Indian status, they are registered under section 6(2).

Those individuals registered under section 6(2) must marry a status Indian to pass the status on to their children. Section 6(2) thus creates a half Indian with its second generation cut-off clause. They are the growing numbers of “Ghost People” wrote Pam Paul, in her analysis of Bill C-31 entitled “The Politics of Legislated Identity” prepared for the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs in September 1999.

“Currently, the “Ghost People” are children of the Bill C-31, 6(2) reinstatees. However, in one or two years when the children born after 1985 who are registered under section 6 (2) reach child-bearing age, and out-parent with a non-status person, the rise in the numbers of “Ghost People” will grow.”

Paul goes on to explain that because Bill C-31 also provided bands with the means to assume control over who had band membership and to establish rules for eligibility. Whereas before Indian status and band membership meant the same thing, Bill C-31 separated the two categories.

People who regained their status through Bill C-31 had to apply to the band if the band developed a membership code. Bands had until June 1987 to develop these membership codes if a community wanted to exclude section 6(2)’s from their membership codes; as a result, many codes were developed in a hurried fashion with little or no thought of the future consequences of the code.

A report prepared by the Parliamentary Research Branch in February 1996, entitled ‘Indian Status and Band Membership Issues’ by Jill Wherrett, noted that some Bill C-31 registrants were granted automatic band membership; others were granted conditional membership.

Membership codes vary
As of September 1995, 240 of the 608 bands had assumed control of their membership codes. Bands were now free to develop membership codes with criteria very different of federal rules for recognition of Indian status.

Some bands developed open code policies while others, resisting new members for a variety of reasons, adopted more restrictive codes. A review of 236 codes adopted by bands from June 1985 to May 1992 identifies four main types. These are:
-one-parent decent rules, whereby a person is eligible for membership based on the membership or eligibility of one parent;
- two-parent decent rules, where both of a person’s parents must be members or eligible for membership for that person to gain status;
- blood quantum rules, which base eligibility on the amount of Indian blood a person possesses (typically 50%);
- Indian Act rules, which base membership on sections 6(1) and 6(2) of the Indian Act.

Of the 236 codes, 38% used the one-parent rule, 28 % had the two-parent requirement, 13% had the blood quantum criteria, and 21% relied on the Indian Act rules, not adopting membership codes.

While the rights of bands to determine their own membership is viewed as an important step toward self-government, many women have had difficulties in exercising their rights as reinstated band members or in receiving services and benefits from their bands.

Soon after the passage of the bill, several cases came to light where women already living on-reserve lost some of their benefits because their bands refused to provide services to reinstated women and children until their band membership codes were passed.

In June 1995, the Canadian Human Rights Commission ordered the Montagnais du Lac-saint-Jean band council to pay damages to four women who had regained their status under Bill C-31.

Prior to the passage of the bill, the band council placed a moratorium on various rights and services for reinstated members until a membership code was in place. When the moratorium was later lifted, the commission ruled that the women were discriminated against.

Reluctance towards new members
There are a number of reasons why bands are reluctant to accept new members. Some are concerned about taking new members without guarantees of increased funding from government. There is a shortage of land, resources and housing.

Bands’ concerns over sharing scarce resources have been at the heart of the debate over membership. Band councils and aboriginal service providers resented the actions of government in imposing new members on limited financial and human resources and often displayed this resentment through unfair treatment of Bill C-31 registrants.

In some communities, the treatment was overt and took the form of outright refusal to accommodate the needs of new registrants. In other communities, more subtle actions made it clear that the new registrants they were simply not welcome.

Thus, over the years since Bill C-31 was passed, the issue of membership has become an issue of extreme controversy among First Nations communities, given the various recent rules governing the determination of membership and the benefits and services associated with that membership. In the long-term, the overall Indian will decline and the numbers of “ghost people” will rise considerably.

Several major court cases arose in the aftermath of Bill C-31, most notably the Corbiere decision and the Sawridge Band decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Corbiere decision
Corbiere addressed the rights of band members living off-reserve in voting in band elections that forced a fundamental change in how band elections are conducted.The Indian Act voting regulations were amended to comply with the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the case of John Corbiere et al. v. the Batchewana Indian Band and Her Majesty the Queen.

The Court ruled that the words, found in section 77 (1) of the Indian Act, “and is ordinarily resident on the reserve,” violated the Charter rights of off-reserve members of First Nations that hold their elections under the Indian Act.

This decision, known as the Corbiere decision, and resulting transitional amendments to the voting regulations, provide for First Nations holding elections or referendums under the Indian Act to permit members, living off reserve, to vote.

The Supreme Court provided 18 months for Canada to consult with First Nations and implement the decision. This time period expired on November 20, 2000.

Sawridge Band addressed the rights of reinstated women and the rights of band councils to determine membership and is the most significant decision to date on this issue.

Three Alberta bands challenged sections 8 to 14.3 of the Indian Act on the grounds these infringe upon the rights of Indian bands to determine their own membership, as protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act.

The bands also applied for a declaration stating that the imposition of additional members on the band constituted an interference on the latters’ rights under section 2(d) freedom of association section of the Charter.

In a July 7, 1995 decision, the court upheld the 1985 amendments contained in BillC-31, finding there were no existing aboriginal or treaty rights under section 35(1) to First Nation control over membership or they had been extinguished by section 35(4) of the Constitution Act, 1982, which guarantees aboriginal and treaty rights referred to in section 35(1) equally to aboriginal men and women.

Band challenges
The complexities of Indian status and band membership pose significant challenges for First Nations. The status rules introduced by Bill C-31, combined with band membership codes, have created different “classes” of Indians, a situation that is further complicated by residency on or off reserve.

As Clatworthy and Smith discuss in their study of the population implications of Bill C-31, membership codes based on one-parent descent rules will create band members without status who may exercise political rights associated with membership, but lack rights tied to Indian status. Two-parent descent rules will lead to Indians registered under both sections 6(1) and 6(2), but without membership and associated political rights.

The authors anticipate that within fifty years, two-parent codes may disenfranchise approximately half of those people with Indian status who are registered to First Nations with two-parent codes.(47)

In their view, “First Nations’ communities run the risk of encountering growing tensions and conflict around these inequalities. Distinctions between ‘classes’ are likely to become embedded in the social and political life of First Nations.”(48)

Jill Wherrett
Political and Social Affairs, February 1996

Then in 1999, the House of Commons passed Bill-49, the First Nations Land Management Act into law by a 117-45 vote.
Bill C-49 grants the participating 14 bands almost unlimited powers over the ownership, management, and expropriation of band lands.

The implications of Bill C-49 for the rights and positions of native women loomed large. It led to the court challenge launched against the federal government by the BC Native Women’s Society (supported by three major native organizations) to require that issues of native women’s rights be properly addressed before the enactment.

Property rights
In a February 2,1999, letter to the National Post, Wendy Lockhart-Lunderberg noted that “native women will bear the brunt of these legislative provision and will be denied protections they would have otherwise be afforded through treaties.”

“I think it’s shameful the government ignored aboriginal women in Canada,” Lockhart-Lundberg said in an interview shortly after Bill C-49 was passed.

“We do not have the same rights as all other women in Canada. I can’t inherit or pass-on land. If there is a divorce for native women, they do not have the same rights as all other women in Canada.”

What Lockhart is talking about is property rights. Under the Canadian constitution, provincial law governs the division of marriage assets upon marriage breakdown. But section 91(24) of the 1867 Constitution Act, confers exclusive legislative authority to the federal government in all matters dealing with the subject “Indians and lands reserved for the Indians.”

Therefore, with respect to the division of on-reserve property upon marriage breakdown, a court is not governed by provincial family law but by the federal Indian Act which contains no provisions for the division of marital property upon marriage breakdown.

The cumulative history of federal legislation has denied aboriginal women property and inheritance rights and has created the perception that women are not entitled to those rights. Most aboriginal women live on-reserve with their husbands until marriage breakup.

Therefore, it is a matter of historical and current fact that it is most likely to be the male partner who, under law, possesses on-reserve property.

The Supreme Court of Canada supported this perception in a 1986 decision that held, as a result of the Indian Act, a woman cannot possess or apply for a one-half interest in on-reserve property for which her husband holds a Certificate of Possession.

A woman may, at best, receive a an award of compensation to replace her half interest in on-reserve properties. Since possession of on-reserve property is an important factor in a woman’s ability to live on-reserve, the denial of interest in on-reserve family properties upon marriage breakup is to deny them their culture as aboriginal women and part of their identity.

Consider the example of Wendy Lockhart Lundberg of Richmond, BC, an off-reserve member of the Squamish Nation of North Vancouver and a board member of NAWA.

In 1947, her mother Nona Lockhart, married a non-native man and lost her status as an Indian. Nona ‘s father was Henry “Hawkeye” Baker, one of the famous North Shore lacrosse players, who passed away in 1968.

In his last will and testament, approved by Indian Affairs, Baker left his all off his assets and house on Squamish reserve. Despite having regained her status through Bill C-31 in 1988, Nona Lockhart has been refused inheritance to the house where she grew up by the Squamish band council and the decision stands to this day.

The original house has been torn down and replaced by a Sechelt band member who still lives there.

Despite repeated attempts, Nona Lockhart has never received compensation for the house willed to her legally by her father. Nona attempted to participate in programs and services, even applied for a house but has been all but ignored by the Squamish band council.

Her daughter Wendy regularly attended band meetings and she was not informed of the proposed changes encompassed in the 1999 amendments of Bill C49. Which also granted band councils the right to expropriate any land on reserve with only thirty days notice with appropriate compensation.

Wendy even traveled to Ottawa to make a formal presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, on May 4, 1999, on behalf of her mother arguing that the new powers of expropriation may be used in her mother’s case.

Native women fear more discrimination
Many native women are fearful that aboriginal self-government as envisioned by the present male leadership is nothing more than a continuation of the discrimination and oppression from the male-dominated band councils.

In a March 2001 article by Rebecca Atkinson entitled “Native Women still far from Justice”, Atkinson argues that the widespread mistreatment of aboriginal women by their predominantly male leaders has forced aboriginal women to seek secure the same rights as other women through legislation resulting in what she calls “a 30-year gender war that has pitted the political aspirations of aboriginal leaders against the rights and needs of female band members.”

Native leadership, says Atkinson, views such attempts as an invitation to the federal government to interfere with self-determination (i.e. aboriginal self-government).

Writes Atkinson, “The gender struggle has translated into the suffering of native women under the current systems of government – through physical and sexual abuse, discriminatory restorative justice measures and unresolved gaps in federal policy.”

Angered by the discrimination, lack of accountability, abuses of power and outright physical abuse, in some cases, native women are standing up to the male domination, out from “under the arms of the chiefs,” at the risk of ostracism from their own reserves.

The problem stems from the control of band funds, direct transfers of multi-million dollar cash infusions each year sometimes referred to as a “lottery.”

“Aboriginal women don’t have a voice. The chief’s haven’t been truly representing us,” says Wendy Lockhart-Lundberg. ” Twenty top councillors and administrators earn approximately $2.5 million, tax free.”

NAWA hopes to ensure a right of return to reserves for aboriginal women in the First Nations Governance Act for aboriginal women married to non-aboriginals and address concerns regarding inheritance laws as exemplified in the Henry “Hawkeye” property case.

“We’re been a sleeping giant. We’re going to rise up and take our rightful place in society. Until now, we didn’t have the vehicle to be politically recognized.

“Well, now we’re here, we’re not going away and finally, women are going to have a voice,” said Sparrow,

By B.H. Bates

There are as many ways to beat a drum, as there are stars in the sky.

May I suggest that you: Carry a big drum, but walk softly!

I’m all for defending one’s honor. If you call my mother a low down so and so … prepare to bleed! If you disrespect my father’s good name … notify your next of kin! If you don’t like my articles … shut your fat mouth!

I’m only kidding of course. I only wrote that last line in the hopes of putting a “bee in your bonnet.” If you have a problem with anything I may make light of, please feel free to write and let me have it!

After all, isn’t that what a newspaper is all about – getting the word out? The only way to solve a problem is to discuss it. A problem is like a mold, if you leave a problem hidden away in the dark, it will never go away.

I recently received an angry e-mail, about one of my articles (Finding Pride in the Mirror). In the article, I wrote that I had changed my opinion of the “Down and out” and how I thought their predicament was their own damn fault. The electric letter went on to say that: “I had a light go on, after I volunteered at a local friendship center.”

And that person was right! For years I was of the opinion: “If you’re a drunken Indian on the streets … tough shit!” And the reason for my contempt was because I was trying to make it in the business world and I thought that “they” only made my endeavors harder.

You know the old “bug-a-boo” about how “they” reflect badly upon the rest of the native community.

In fact, a light did go on and I wish a lot of other people would see the “light” too! I came to the realization, that the poor Bros’ (or sis’), who find themselves on the streets, have nothing to do with my position in life!

But I’d like to let that “e-mail-er” know, that I’ve never in my life disrespected or mistreated any unfortunate person. Hell, half the people I grew up with, at one time, had a little problem with the bottle, and the other half I was related to! And to this day, they’re still my friends and I’m still related to the rest!

The same mad e-mail-er went on to say that I was putting down the pissed off militants, the malcontents, the “Drum Beaters!” Again, “E” was right! I am putting them down! They are doing more harm (for the native cause) than good.

Don’t kiss the native cause good-bye
I look at it this way – one of the most powerful entities on the planet, the United States of America, got their ass kicked by little ol’ Vietnam. Then the States takes on the fourth largest army in the world and they blow away Iraq in mere days. And why, you may ask, is it possible for a small group of indigenous people to succeed, where a large army has failed? It was the people!

They didn’t have the support of the people in Vietnam or at home in the United States. A “just cause” will win the hearts of the masses! And there-in lays the path to our inevitable victory. If we win the hearts of the people, we natives will one day see our dreams come true!

And how do natives accomplish this task? I can tell you one thing that won’t work – acting like a whiny two-year-old! If you piss off the people you’re trying to win over to your side, by getting in their faces and throwing up the past at them – you may as well bend over and kiss it (the native cause) good-bye!

Most non-native people, already know of the injustices perpetrated against the natives of North America. And worldwide most people, other than the Klu Klax Klan, already feel some compassion toward the plight of the First Nations people.

We natives have another bit of good fortune in our favor: today most people already have some animosity toward the government and the yo-yos that run it. If we show the world that we’re trying to do the right thing, by proudly fighting for our place in the sun, we will prevail.

And I’ll give you two examples of the right way and the wrong way. I won’t mention any names, only Band #1 and Band #2.

Band #1, educated their people, they welcomed business and above all the Chief and the Elders set a good example to the others. Soon they prospered and became a model to other reserves across the land!

Band #2, fought with everyone at every level, from the local township to the halls of power in Ottawa. When opportunity knocked, they threw up road block after road block, just because things didn’t go exactly their way. They felt the false power of being a feared bully. Soon, no one wanted to do business with them. They now have lots of potential – but that’s all they have!

By Peter Kakepetum Schultz

I’m sitting in front of my computer the morning after the closing ceremonies for the North American Indigenous Games, the largest sporting event in Canadian history, and the sadness has begun to set in.

This feeling of sadness is one shared by 6,700 athletes; their families, their supporters, and 3,757 volunteers who have just taken a step into history.

These people planned, coordinated, and participated in the largest North American Indigenous Games to take place since the games began in 1990.

The North American Games brought more than 6,000 youth to the city and this was a concern for the organizers of the games. These young people and their exemplary behavior have given a gift of long lasting pride to their families, communities, and ancestors.

Organizers successfully provided a forum for honoring First Nations youth. The sadness that came with the close of the N.A.I.G. is eased by new friendships, the sense of accomplishment, and the pride that resulted from this phenomenal gathering.

For the past ten days Winnipeg Manitoba has been host to the North American Indigenous Games for 2002. These games have demonstrated to the world the abilities of First Nation people from across Turtle Island.

These capabilities were clearly not limited to athletic abilities.

Strength came from the more recognized older role models coming together with youth. Many skills and talents were incorporated into the planning and coordination of this event. For ten days Winnipeg was the beating heart of the great medicine wheel – Mother Earth.

The meaning of opening ceremonies
The opening ceremonies were performed on Sunday July 28, 2002.

As I sat in the Winnipeg stadium, which was filled to capacity, I was made clearly aware of what the games meant.

The opening ceremonies were not just an exercise in protocol. Winnipeg Stadium became a teaching lodge. APTN became the eyes of the world and the audience was introduced to the culture, history, and humanity that is the essence of First Nations people.

Alex Nelson from British Columbia, chairperson for N.A.I.G., commented that Winnipeg had welcomed their visitors and the city had now been “transformed into a house of learning.”

Importance of these games is the sense of pride that they are instilling in all people. The honor that was bestowed upon youth was transformed into a gift that they were then able to give back to their families and relations.

The speeches by dignitaries and honored guests echoed the themes that First Nation people have used to raise their children for generations: Have fun, be proud, play hard, and stay safe.

That is the way to survive. Humor was restored to this dignified ceremony that was filled with protocol by the National Chief Mathew Coon Come. Athletes began a wave in the stadium during the speech by Peter M. Liba ( Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba).

Mr. Coon Come stood and raised his arms to carry the wave across the political stage. This action injected a true First Nation quality of humor into the circumstance. It also focused people upon the fact that these games truly were a First Nations’ event.

One of the most emotionally rewarding occurrences of the night, for me and many people that I spoke to, was the raising of the flag that marked the games officially opened.

The N.A.I.G. flag was passed from the original men that had carried the torch of the Pan American Games to the Winnipeg Stadium over thirty years ago. The flag was passed to the Tommy Prince Cadets.

These men who were referred to as the Frontrunners had endured a long difficult journey and were ultimately served the serious injustice of not being allowed to carry the torch into the stadium. This glory was handed to someone else.

It was done by someone less deserving of the honor that was associated with this act. The carrying in and passing of the flag at the 2002 ceremonies to the Cadets (who are named after one of Canada’s most decorated war heroes) was a very powerful moment.

Rising flag; growing pride
Watching the flag rise stirred a feeling within those present that a fortress had been reclaimed. Dignity was restored to the Frontrunners and to all First Nations people. It was with great pride that we watched this great wrong finally being corrected.

As with all injustice the undoing of that past wrongful act does not mean that what occurred should be forgotten but it does allow people to move forward in a positive way. This was a spectacular healing moment for those in attendance.

Throughout the games a cultural village was established at The Forks. The cultural village was the focal point for many of the out of town guests. This Winnipeg landmark is historically significant as a place where First Nation people have met for thousands of years. It is located at the point where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet.

At the exact point where the two rivers meet is an island named Spirit Island. Spirit Island became the center of a wheel. From this center point the North American Indigenous Games have provided a spiritual center. On Spirit Island the sweat lodges are located.

Sweat Ceremonies took place every night and were open to anyone who wished to attend them. A Sacred Fire burned for the entire ten days. This is also where the Sacred Bundle of the N.A.I.G., which is carried by Ray Tootoosis of Hobema First Nation in Alberta, resided for the duration of the games.

Musical expression was highlighted by the incredible line up of performers like Susan Aglukark’s performance at the opening ceremonies. Theme nights at the cultural village allowed the showcasing of more localized and fast rising stars like WarParty a rap group from Alberta ( a particular favorite of my grandson, James ), Breach of Trust from Saskatchewan, Brothers of Different Mothers from Vancouver, and more established artists like Tom Jackson, C-Weed, and George Leach.

The cultural village presented a variety of activities like Music, Pow-Wow dancing and singing demonstrations, storytelling, an Elders tent, and many Metis cultural demonstrations and presentations.

What was obvious when you entered the village was the vitality of the youth who were central in all of the sporting events. New York athletes were particularly exuberant and demonstrative when they captured a medal. They provided the crowd with entertaining moments when they ran through the crowd chanting their victories for all to hear.

Thousands of strong and healthy children, young women, and young men were everywhere. The sense of this being one big family was clear.

Despite the fact that many of the people attending the North American Indigenous Games have never met each other before that was not the way it felt as you walked through the crowd.

The cultural village demonstrated the many positive aspects of the Red Nations’ culture. Kinship and diversity existed in this village. Representatives of the 200 Indigenous languages came together here and lived in harmony for ten days.

Memories to cherish
People will be taking this instilled pride home. They will be carrying positive memories of the games with them on their journey through life.

One example of this is Wade Kaye who traveled from a tiny community called Old Crow First Nation in the Yukon. This young athlete came to represent his fly in community located one hour North of Dawson by plane.

The community has a population of 300 and Wade is taking home 2 bronze medals that he won in the track and field competitions. He and his community are winners through his dedication and hard work.

As one speaker commented at the closing ceremony “We are healing and the world has begun to heal with us.”

This is the fundamental benefit of why the N.A.I.G. are taking place and why they are growing in size each time they occur. They demonstrate the strength and vitality of First Nations people.

The time has come for the world to walk to a new viewpoint on the medicine wheel journey and to see First Nation people for what they are – strong, proud, survivors.

The most profound integrity was demonstrated by a member of Team Saskatchewan. Alexis Beatty from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was the only wrestler to arrive in her weight category.

For this reason the gold medal was automatically awarded to her.

She showed us all the meaning of honor and integrity when she declined the medal and later said, ” I did nothing to earn it…so I didn’t take it.”

Miss Beatty provided us all with a shining example of what we can be if we make choices carefully: proud of ourselves. All the athletes came away from this experience as winners. All of the world has benefited because First Nations people and certainly Alexis Beatty have given us a demonstration that life is the greatest teacher.

By Staff Writers

A government-sanctioned trophy hunt for grizzly bears in the province of BC commenced September 1st, despite growing evidence that the hunt is unsustainable and growing opposition from the public.

On July 16, 2001, just one month after he was sworn in, Premier Gordon Campbell, overturned a three year province-wide moratorium on the sport hunt of grizzly bears announced by the previous NDP government in February 2001.

In its place, the Liberal government announced a number of regional moratoriums and the formation of a scientific review panel established under the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP). In the press release of the day, the Liberal government announced that MLWAP biologists confirmed the existence of “at least 13,000 grizzly bears in British Columbia.”

The Grizzly Bear Scientific Panel is charged with reviewing methods currently used to estimate grizzly bar populations as well as issues relevant to grizzly bear conservation such as clear cut logging. The panel will make its final report to government by December 31, 2002.

Just last month, a July 2002, an internal discussion paper entitled Atrophy in British Columbia Bear Management was leaked to The Vancouver Sun, in which a MWLAP biologist from Terrace, BC, warned that the BC Liberal government could be jeopardizing all wildlife management in the province by continuing to support the annual grizzly bear hunt.

MWLAP biologist Dionys de Leeuw, said that the negative impact of grizzly hunting has on all hunting in the province could damage genuine public support for all wildlife conservation.

de Leeuw, warned that because the government ignored widespread public opposition against the grizzly hunt, the public may become cynical and ignore all government initiatives on behalf of wildlife, no matter how well-intentioned.

“In North America, the purpose of wildlife management has traditionally been to provide game for hunters and BC is no exception. In the case of grizzly bears, any management of this species will be increasingly regarded by the vast majority as only providing animals for a miniscule number of hunters to participate in a contemptible sport.

“Viewed in this way, continuation of the trophy hunt may have the unfortunate consequence of grizzly management atrophying. Why should anyone support a wildlife management regime that encourages an activity the vast majority find repugnant?

“At a time when government spending is at an all-time low, any further decrease in public support will spell doom for all wildlife management, including management and protection of grizzlies.” wrote de Leeuw.

Inconclusive data
In an earlier paper, de Leeuw, cites inconsistencies in government data that estimates grizzly bear populations at 5,000 to 8,000 in 1972, to 6,000 to 7,000 in 1979, and 10,000 to 13,000 in 1995, without any credible scientific explanation to support the population estimates.

In his latest report, de Leeuw, said that by defending the grizzly hunt, the government and hunters are “actively working against all hunting” and tarnishing British Columbia’s international reputation.
“All the BC public … will be held in contempt ‘by association’ for participating in a society that continues to allow this hunt.

It is like supporting bear or tiger baiting, dog or bull fights, and other abusive animal entertainments.

“We will be viewed as a culture that both condones reprehensible abuse of animals, and is unable to accommodate the interests of the majority who justifiably want to change that abuse.”

A grizzly controversy

A 2001 Compas poll found that 76 per cent of all British Columbians, including 78 per cent of Liberal voters, support a moratorium on grizzly sport hunting.

The hunt, which commenced last fall, kills about 300 bears per year.
It’s quite the little controversy.

On December 3, 2001, after an 18-month inquiry, Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis, ordered that MWLAP, the BC biodiversity ministry, must release precise grizzly kill location data to Raincoast Conservation Society.

Loukidelis ruled that MWLAP had not established that releasing the data “could reasonably be expected to damage grizzly bears or interfere with their conservation.”

Going beyond simply ordering the information released the Commissioner commented on the ministry’s underlying motivation to object “to disclosure on the basis that the disputed information will be used to publicly criticize the work of the Ministry.”

Raincoast wants to submit the data to a panel of independent scientists so they could use it to review the hunt on what Raincoast said would be an impartial manner.

Raincoast, a non profit organization promoting research and public information with the goal of protecting the Great Bear Rainforest to ensure the long-term survival of coastal ecosystems and their dependant life forms such as grizzly bears and wild salmon.

Raincoast has been fighting the provincial government for years over precise location kill data for years, arguing that government data is inconclusive and real estimates of the grizzly bear population range from 4,000 to13,000 bears.

On November 29, 2001, days before Commissioner Loukidelis ordered MWLAP to release the data to Raincoast, the European Union (EU) banned the import of grizzly bear hunt trophies from BC, citing that the hunt was unsustainable.

The fifteen EU countries leading wildlife experts had been reviewing BC grizzly management regime and found that the hunt was unsustainable as a species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES).

Over 50 per cent grizzlies killed in BC are shot by foreign hunters with 35 per cent of European origin and the species is officially classed “at risk” throughout its dwindling range in Canada.

Then on January 15, 2002, the BC Liberal government, judicially challenged the Commissioner’s order for the release of the grizzly kill data, on the heels of the provincial Finance Committee recommendation that the budget of the over-stretched Commissioner’s Office be slashed by 35 per cent.

The government was joined by the Guide-Outfitters Association of BC, in the Supreme Court in May to keep exact kill locations. The Liberal government argues that it wants to keep the information secret to:
- keep anti-hunt activists from disrupting a legal hunt
- encourage hunters to continue to provide information on hunting sites to the ministry
- prevent poachers from going to sites where bears have reportedly been killed

But in his ruling, Loukidelis wrote that, “It is entirely appropriate for an applicant – and especially public interest groups – to exercise the right of access under the [Freedom of Information] Act in order to obtain information for the purpose of assessing and criticizing the performance of government.”

Raincoast director Chris Genovell commented: “I think clearly the government have something to hide and they have gone to extra lengths to keep this information suppressed and secret.

“They are spending taxpayers’ dollars on challenging [Loukidelis'] order and that’s hypocritical given what the Liberals said during the election that they would be the most open and transparent government in Canada.”

Raincoast lawyer Randy Christensen said he believes the involvement of the guide-outfitters is a delaying tactic to keep the data secret for as long as possible.

“Our concern is the longer this information is delayed, the less likely it is that the scientific panel will see it.”

By Richard Lorenzen

The connection between the First Nations People and the land has always been secondary only to the importance of family and band. The land sustains us and in many ways is part of each person.

We have lost that intimate contact with the earth for the most part, to our loss. Those that have maintained the link to the land have done so mainly as subsistence survivors. It is a great day when one meets a band that have achieved prosperity on the land of their forefathers.

That land is hot, dry and beautiful. The last desert in Canada. Here on September 9th, 2002 two ceremonies occurred. In this setting of stark beauty the NK’MIP band (inkameep) opened the first Aboriginal owned winery on the North American continent, Nk’Mip Cellars. Early the same day the band opened its Nk’Mip Desert and Heritage Centre, an ecotourism site.

Chief Clarence Louie says that the opening of the winery represents a thirty-year desire by the Nk’Mip to use the grapes grown on its own Inkameep Vineyard to produce its own wine. Thus going from “soil to glass”. Opening

The winery is a joint venture between the band and Vincor, an international corporate body that includes many of the important vineyards and wineries of the Osoyoos area. Vincor is the fourth largest producers and marketer of wines in North America.

Opening ceremonies
The opening ceremonies were held first for the Desert & Heritage Centre. Then we climbed the hill to the winery where the opening for the Nk’Mip Cellars took place as the sun set over Lake Osoyoos.

Master of Ceremonies Gerry Barrett, from the native voice of Manitoba NCI-FM introduced two elders who, in the language of the Nk’Mip said prayers and blessed and cleansed the sites with smoke.

The Okanagan Drummers performed traditional songs throughout the ceremonies and sage rope cuttings. Ross Fitzpatrick and Robert Nault of the federal government congratulated the Nk’Mip on their initiative and entrepreneurial spirit.

Donald Triggs, president and CEO of Vincor International, spoke to the excitement and high expectations he and his whole company have for this joint venture.

Chief Robert Louie of the local band made a presentation of a native basket and congratulated Chief Clarence Louie and his Band on their accomplishments.

Chief Clarence Louie talked not only of the past progress but outlined the future projects that the Band will build on these past successes.

Dinner was then served to the guests and visitors. The meal was made up of traditional foods the Nk’Mip have feasted on for centuries. Served with the wines of the Nk’Mip it was fabulous. The diners were entertained throughout by fancy dances, the hoop dance being particularly spectacular. Speeches were given from the visiting dignitaries.

The site of the winery building is one of the most attractive in the South Okanagan. It is situated on a bench overlooking the shores of Lake Osoyoos.

Architect Robert Mackenzie has taken note of the curves and angles of the surrounding hills and local tradition to produce a stunning building that seems to bridge the contrasts between the tract of natural desert on one side and the cultivated vineyards on the other.

The prominent arch is taken from the ancient pictographs that show the People sheltering under just such arches.

Filled with local art among the metal machinery and vats of a working winery it pays homage to the past while pointing to the prosperity possible in the future. With its natural colours and textures the building makes a statement with out discordance with its surroundings. It is a great addition to the tourist destinations in 0soyoos.

I would suggest that after visiting the Desert and Heritage Centre that the visitor cool off at the winery’s patio above Lake Osoyoos.

Wine in production
The 18,000 square foot Nk’Mip cellars will produce 15,000 cases or 135,000 litres of wine per year. The winery is set up to handle sixty percent red wine and forty percent white grapes. The wine will be fermented in temperature controlled tanks and equipment specifically selected to handle the grapes, juice and wine as gently as possible.

Selected French and American oak casks will be used to age them perfection. The wines produced initially will be a merlot, pinot noir, pinot blanc and a chardonnay.

These will be available at the Nk’Mip cellars’ wine shop, discerning restaurants and the twelve VQA retail stores located throughout BC.

The staff
The winery will have the guidance of two capable vintners. Winemaker Randy Picton said that he was excited about the opportunities in this new setting. He was trained under two University of Davis graduates in the art of wine making.

After taking his diploma for Business Administration at Mount Royal College in Calgary, he completed the Winery Assistant Program at Okanagan University College in Penticton.

In 1997, he was qualified by the Summerland Research Centre as a member of the VQA sensory panel. He will be charged with passing on his knowledge to band members employed by the winery in his art. Thereby preparing the generation for another step on the bands progress forward.

Mr. Picton will be assisted by James “Sam” Baptiste. Sam is a proud, capable man. He is proud of his heritage, his forefathers and his land. His pride is well justified in all three.

His capability has been demonstrated in his position as manager and winegrower at the Inkameep Vineyards since 1982. He has performed with enough skill and with such great results that he has been named to provincial agricultural advisory boards.

His peers have honoured him by naming him to the presidency of their association. He is an accredited viticulturist and proud of the name winegrower.

“Wine makers only preserve what the winegrowers tend and care for all year,” he asserts. Holding a hearty bunch of grapes in his hand he said, “This is what it’s all about.” The winery will surely produce spectacular wine with these two working together.

The task of welcoming visitors will fall on the shoulders of Donna Faigaux, Hospitality Manager. She is a five-year veteran of the sales division of Vincor International, Atlas Wine Merchants. She too expressed her excitement in her new challenge and what she calls Nk’Mip dynamite wines.

In addition to overseeing the wine retail shop, tasting and touring programs she will act as liaison between the Band and Vincor. In her spare time she will work with the winery’s sales agents.

She brings to this position great enthusiasm and, besides her five years with Atlas, experience as president of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society, position she was elected to in 2001 having been a board member for four years. She also is a director on the BC Wine board information Centre Board.

I noticed the quiet pride and assurance felt by all I met and spoke to. Darren Baptiste, a young man working on the finishing touches to the winery when I visited one morning, told me that he is looking forward to a good job some where in the wine industry.

He told me that he and another young man, Jason Baptiste, will be training as winemakers, at the end of their apprenticeship one will remain with the Cellars and one will seek employment elsewhere.
He was sure that he will have a good future no matter what happened.

I wish all our young people had that assurance. I am sure that Darren will do well if the informative tour he gave me is any indication. He reminded me that much of this economic growth that feeds this pride is because of the efforts of the Chief Clarence Louie. All I spoke to assured that all who wished to work could work.

Heritage Centre
I spoke of the fact that there were two openings to celebrate on the ninth. The temporary home of the Nk’Mip Desert and Heritage Centre was opened. The Centre is multi-tasking under the guidance of Brenda Baptiste, a nurse, who oversees the operation of a tract of land that is first dedicated to maintaining the existence of the deserts unique plants and animals.

There are twenty-three species present on the site that are at high risk or exist only there. These include the Western Rattlesnake, Bighorn Sheep, Arrow-leaf, Bitterroot and Antelope Brush. Bear and deer are also present. The Centre will only plant seeds from the site to protect against possible contamination from foreign plants.

The Centre promotes respect and understanding of the Osoyoos Band’s history and culture. One offshoot of this goal has been projects that uncovered aspects of the Bands past poorly understood or forgotten. They have been returned to the People memories and will again live.

When you visit make sure you hear the story of the Residence Children. Visitors may visit daily from May to October and see many of the sights traveling the 1.4 kilometres of wheelchair accessible interpretive trails.

One of the reasons I stressed Mrs. Baptiste’s standing as a nurse is the rattlesnake population on site. It really is nothing to fear but is a serious concern to a group of wildlife biologists who are conducting a study, partially funded by the winery and Vincor, of these endangered reptiles.

This project is trying to find out about the snakes behaviour and survival in the area. To this end they are implanting four rattlesnakes with radio transmitters to track their movements. The local vet took special training to perform the operation.

Chief Clarence Louie said, “Our two new business ventures will provide added opportunities for our band members, breaking the cycle of financial dependency and moving us closer to our goal of self determined economic success.”

There now exist ten corporations involved in tourism, recreation, agriculture, construction, forestry, retail, and now wine. The winery is the second phase of a twenty five million Nk’mip project that includes a pro level golf course that I am assured will see amateur if not professional tournaments, an all season RV park, the Desert and Heritage Centre and an Inn and conference centre fronting the Lake Osoyoos.

By Cher Bloom

In the contemporary British Columbia Aboriginal Movement, there has hardly been a change implemented in the last thirty years, which has not been touched by the strong, firm, determined but gentle hand of Margaret Vickers.

A professional psychotherapist, teacher, healer, singer, designer, artist, athlete, and advocate for the rights of Aboriginal people in many parts of the world, this sensitive woman’s clear vision and influence have made her an unsung icon of her generation.

She was born Margaret Ruth Vickers on July 3, 1949, eldest daughter and third born of seven children, into the Eagle tribe of Lach Lan, (the village of Kitkatla) on Dolphin Island.

At this time, natives were considered “non-citizens” of Canada.

“At my birth, they used forceps to pull me out. Thus started my struggle with professional medical people for the rest of my life.”

Margaret’s father is Arthur Amos Vickers, a descendent of a hereditary Chief of the Tsimchian, Tlingit and Heiltsuk Nations, and a survivor of residential school abuse.

Margaret’s mother, Grace Isabel Freeman, was British / Canadian. It appears that her roots were also Jewish.

“My mother was a teacher, nurse and missionary. Because the government wouldn’t allow missionaries into China during the Second World War, she and my father settled on Dolphin Island. My mother was a victim of medical mismanagement in Prince Rupert, during the birth of my sister Faith. Believing that Grace was an Indian, the hospital staff left her in the hallway instead of the operating room. It was a breech birth, the baby died. My mother almost died too. The ironic thing was that Faith was born and died on Remembrance Day.”

“I’ve always listened to the elders. In my childhood, their words were more important than textbooks. At ten, I went to the elders on both my mother’s and father’s sides. It was the first time I’d met my mother’s Vancouver family. I wondered why they were so white, and why they hadn’t been part of my childhood. I discovered that neither of my parent’s families had agreed with the marriage. My mother lost her Canadian citizenship and became a status Indian. Grace was the first white woman to be elected chief counselor of the community.”

Growing pains
Margaret’s family moved to Gitxsan territory in Hazelton. Hazelton Amalgamated Elementary School was attended by Indian and white children; Margaret was “a double outsider”.

She wasn’t Gitxsan or white. At twelve, she became the first female to win first prize in every track and field event held at the school.

In 1962, the family relocated to Victoria. As the only Aboriginal female in Oak Bay Junior High School, Margaret experienced racial prejudice on several fronts. She became very competitive, and excelled in physical education and drama.

Despite the oppression she experienced, the family matrilineal teachings (based on love, spirituality, community and understanding), remained stronger than the patriarchal based teachings of the dominant white society.

“I wanted to become a teacher. At that time, I was assessed, counseled and directed toward the General program, which didn’t lead to University. I shut down. I’d had my balloon popped. I fared poorly on the psychiatric evaluation. There were questions about yards and families, systems, beliefs, values and customs-culturally oriented topics. I spoke from childhood experiences.

We didn’t have a rake in our yard (we used clamshells), we didn’t have fences – (people respected each other’s territories). Since many questions seemed non-applicable and irrelevant, I didn’t respond.

The authorities interpreted that to mean that I couldn’t comprehend the level of questioning. They figured that I should be happy to accept any job available. I stood my ground. I refused to attend school. I was called in and sent to the principal. I expected to be trapped, (as was the custom in Hazelton).

Instead, the principal, Rudyard Kipling, asked me about my background. I replied that I was from a village with half the population of this school, – that I was experiencing culture shock. He took great interest in my perceptions. He saw that I was well-read and cognizant of these complexities, but also very upset by racial prejudice.

The social culture of the school taught me that I couldn’t trust anyone, (I’d never had to lock anything before.) I felt compelled to continually prove myself. I was given a probation of three months in the academic program. I excelled.

I was also very intuitive, but that was not recognized at that time. I came from a bloodline that was “set apart” for healing, for spirituality and for positivity.

In Mount Douglas Senior Secondary, I became President of the Student Council. I went for all available positions including political ones. Prejudice continued, but I worked hard, and made friends easily.”

Speaking up

At fifteen, Margaret started working at Woolworth’s. She purchased her own clothes and helped support her family.

She later became a student and President of the Student Union at the Institute of Adult Studies, where she fought to make the Institute into an official college. Two years later it became Camosun College.

In 1967, Margaret became the first and only First Nations “Miss Victoria”. At nineteen, she was at UVic, where she completed her teacher’s certification.

“In the seventies, Fred Quilt was kicked to death in the interior by R.C.M.P. I couldn’t understand this. This was when the American Indian Militancy was rising to power. That’s when the dominant society realized that we weren’t going to be as quietly submissive as our parents and grandparents had been. We began to peacefully resist colonial oppression by the federal and provincial governments.”

In 1971 Margaret was hired as the village administrator in Kitkatla, where she learned to do intergovernmental relations. In 1972, she became a counselor in the Native Indian Program at Camosun, and then became the college’s faculty representative.

Shortly thereafter, she became the first and youngest female First Nations Representative on the Senate at UVic. She helped to initiate the only B.C. Native Indian Teachers Association, and the first Professional Native Women’s Association. She became Vice President there for three years.

She coordinated the Indian Education Resource Centre at UVic, and was then hired as a consultant, by Harold Cardinal, author of “The Unjust Society” and “Rebirth of Canada’s Indians”. When Harold was hired as the regional director for the Department of Indian Affairs, in Edmonton, Margaret joined him as his contracted Executive Assistant.

“After Harold Cardinal was fired by the Federal Government, (because he was not willing to be controlled), everyone on contract was let go. That heralded the beginning of my participation in numerous political protests.”

Gallery opening
In Edmonton, in 1978, Margaret opened the Eagle Down Gallery, the first Native Indian owned and operated art gallery in Alberta.

“Natives use eagle down for ritual cleansing and healing, the same way the Roman Catholics use incense. When eagle down is spread around in ceremony, it means: peace be with you.

Participants leave unresolved issues outside the longhouse, they listen and observe. Later, if someone has trouble, they remember the ceremony and know what to do.”

Margaret sponsored fifty Canadian native artists including her eldest brother Roy, who held his first exhibition at her gallery.

“Since people weren’t used to Traditional West Coast Art, the gallery became a learning experience for everyone. Many of the gallery’s best patrons were Jewish. They contributed hugely to the gallery’s success. During that time Margaret created and co-hosted 20-minute educational, promotional television programs featuring the artists, and later co-founded the Edmonton Art Gallery Group for promotion.

“Years ago, Aboriginal artists sculpted stone. The book “Stone Images of B.C.”, by the late Wilson Duff, gave 30,000 years of history to B.C. First Nations. The mask on the cover is from Kitkatla. Wilson Duff had been the Curator of Ethnology at the B.C. Museum. He was the visionary white man who set up the Museum of Anthropology at U.B.C. He requested my help with my people’s spiritual history. He later committed suicide. He wished to reincarnate as a First Nations person from Haida Gwai or the Tsimshian Nation.”

In 1977, Buffy Ste. Marie headlined a huge conference in Edmonton. Margaret attended her concert, and was allowed backstage.

“I was dressed in contemporary aboriginal clothing, which I had made. I entered with the authority of my lineage. Buffy was interested in meeting me because of my support of Aboriginal art. She told me to “Help them (the artists), because artists are like prophets, they tell you what is coming. They tell you what the world is like through their own souls and creativity. They tell the dark as well as the light.”

Buffy became one of my first teachers in Alberta. That night onstage, she said, “For all you radicals out there, first get the facts straight before you shoot off your mouth!” It was the best advice she could have given. Research the subject as quickly and efficiently as possible, and then negotiate. It was the desire for reconciliation and restitution that led me into intergovernmental relations.”

In 1980, after selling the gallery, Margaret accepted a contract with the B.C. Museum as an artist and consultant. She developed a kit for blind patrons, using the concept of a bent cedar box containing a mask.

“I used different textures for the various colours-gravel in the black, which represented the exterior covering of an animal, a bear, wolf or bird, (so they could feel the form lines). I used a slippery red paint, which represented the interior, the animal’s anatomical structure-the inside form lines. People were able to see with their hands, what the mask looked and felt like, what it represented.

Death and dying
In 1982, Margaret set up a volunteer program at Hospice Victoria, incorporating her own experiences with death and dying. For two years, she and others helped hundreds of families go through that turmoil. The approach was spiritual but non-religious.

“I am Christian but I integrate traditional ritual, beliefs and customs into my offerings. I don’t call myself a Medicine Woman, -other people do.”

Among the guidelines instituted for volunteers and staff at the hospice, was a rule that if someone was grieving, they could not continue to work there. The Hospice refused to accept her resignation.

“I told them that this was worse than a tenfold death.”

Margaret learned that the U.S. Immigration Law regarded her as “a Canadian born American Indian,” which gave her the right to live in either country. She sold everything she owned, and moved to Hawaii, where she resided from 1984 until 1986.

She became the Legislative Assistant and Constituency Affairs Manager for Representative Cam Cavasso in the State Capitol, where she helped provide a liaison between the State of Hawaii, and Aboriginal Hawaiians. She also accepted a contract with Small Business Hawaii.

In 1986, she returned to B.C. because her father had a stroke and nearly died. Vickers & Father

“I relocated to B.C. within 24 hours. An anonymous donor provided my ticket home.”

In 1987, Margaret returned to Hazelton to become the administrator in Kispiox, (also known as Anspayxw), “the hiding place”, a town known for the most destructive and violent behaviour patterns in B.C.

First native woman on council

In 1989, Margaret became the first and only Aboriginal Woman to be on the Premier’s Council for Aboriginal Affairs in B.C., under Bill Van der Zalm.

“I had to remind him that he came from a culture who wore wooden shoes and reclaimed land from the sea.”

She helped the Province of B.C. come to the Treaty negotiating table. Prior to that it had been between the Federal government and Aboriginal people.

Margaret had been on death’s door three times. In 1972, she fell into a coma in Kitkatla. Her funeral had already been prepared. In 1975, Margaret again became comatose, this time in Victoria. In this state, she met her dead ancestors. It happened a third time in 1990.

“That was a turning point for me. I had come out of a sauna in Skidigate, Haida Gwai, and again fallen into a coma. I met my Mom’s mom, who sang to me, and my Dad’s dad, who had been killed by a drunk white driver in Prince Rupert. They were both peaceful and happy. As I returned to life this time, I had flashbacks of traumatic abuse I had sufferred as a child. I had been beaten and raped. It had started when I was four. It had come from victim offenders. I developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I couldn’t cope.”

Margaret gave up inter-governmental relations, and signed into a treatment center called The Meadows in Wickenberg, Arizona. The centre was the only one she could find, that treated patients with negative codependency tendencies (they put other people’s ideas and needs above their own), as she had done most of her life. She had been a workaholic overachiever.

She helped the other patients with her empathy and understanding. She was encouraged to become a therapist.

Margaret completed a one-year training program in three months. She studied more academic psychology at the University of Ottawa, in Phoenix. She remained in Phoenix and became an independent advocate for Native Americans in psychiatric institutes.

“Of forty psychiatrists working at Desert Vista Hospital, I could only work with three. They were open to the spiritual realm, and multicultural customs. They allowed me to bring in local Medecine People to translate diagnoses and therapeutic approaches into the patients’ own tongues. I was flown all over the States to help Native patients. I didn’t use medical jargon.

I sang and used my drum. Patients knew me as a survivor. I helped them to find their new walk in life. I helped them kick their addiction to prescription drugs and hold their doctors accountable. Canada is somewhat backward in this regard.

In 1994, I returned to B.C. My mother had been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. It was too late to stop the destruction of her body. They gave her two to three months to live — she lasted a year and a half. She died at home on May 12, 1995, on her birthday, with all of us around her. It was an extremely powerful experience.

We sang “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and “Amazing Grace”. She kept asking every last one of us, every grandchild, until we all agreed we were ready to let her go-we were all there for two weeks. She died a painful but peaceful death. She was my best friend. Her teachings are always with me, I can feel her presence. It took me a long time to get over her death.

My whole family is now in recovery from self destructive behavioural patterns.”

When Margaret returned to work in 1996, she trained frontline workers to do proactive intervention, before a crisis or violent act happens.

In 1999 she moved to Jerusalem, and worked helping Jews to make “Aliyah”, which means “becoming a citizen of Israel”, and claiming and owning their Jewish roots (as she was investigating hers).

“I will consider myself Jewish when I finish tracing my lineages. I am unearthing bits of history from my mother’s sister.”

Margaret returned to Canada where she continued her sabbatical, to design clothing, create ceremonial regalia, and write prose.

Today…

In 2001, she became the Medical Office Manager and the Facilitator for Small Group Psychotherapy for Dr. Phillip Ney, M.D. This is her current occupation.

“I think it is the oppression of my generation, which has motivated me to rise above the cultural “stuff”, to another domain. I no longer have much time for politics. (I meet with MLA Murray Coell from time to time on a voluntary basis.)

My life flows like a river. I create time for people of all cultures who desire to direct their behaviours and attitudes into channels of healing.

Margaret Vickers owns a small home in the Tsawout Nation in East Saanich. As a result of the Elder’s conference held in Saanichton in July, 2002, she has been invited to facilitate healing seminars, in communities throughout B.C.

“Margaret means “Pearl- it begins with a small agitation and results in a treasure.”