Understanding First Nations
Chronicle of “Understanding First Nations”, Summer 2001
During the summer of 2001, CES received funding from the Chinese Canadian Association of Public Affairs (CCAPA) to support a program that helps youth understand First Nations people – their history, culture, art and contemporary social, political and economic issues. The program includes workshops, field trips, and a final report/presentation to provide a group of Chinese Canadian youth with a variety of channels in understanding the lives of the First Nations in British Columbia. Thanks to tremendous support from members of various First Nations bands and communities, the participating youth had a most wonderful learning experience. This chronicle recounts the important learning moments of the program.
This program has since become a regular CES project. Many youth have benefited from participating. If you are interested in finding out more about when the program will be offered, please contact us.
Program Calendar
July 21, 2001
Workshop: Introduction to Northwest First Nations History and Culture
Speakers: Roberta Price and Bill Lightbrown (First Nations)
July 29, 2001
Workshop: Land Claims and the Nisga’a Treaty
Speaker: Katherine Beavis (Treaty Negotiation Office)
August 17-19, 2001
Field Trip: Xats’ull Heritage Village (Williams Lake, BC)
August 28, 2001
Workshop: Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre
Speaker: Mike Dangelli (First Nations artist)
August 29, 2001
House of Culture, Museum of Anthropology, UBC
Speaker: Mike Dangeli (First Nations artist)
August 30, 2001
Workshop: Contemporary social, political and economic issues of the First Nations people
Speaker: Chief Leah George-Wilson (Burrard Band)
September 1-3, 2001
Field Trip: Shuswap Reserve (Kamloops, BC)
September 9, 2001
Field Trip: Mount Currie Reserve
September 21, 2001
Youth Presentation at CES 10th Anniversary Dinner
Program Details
Workshops and Speakers
5 workshops were conducted in July and August, 2001.
1. introduction to the history and culture of BC’s Northwest First Nations
Roberta Price (a First Nations person from Campbell River) and Bill Lightbrown (a First Nations elder from Queen Charlotte Island) talked about the history and culture of the First Nations people in British Columbia. They described the struggle of their people, including the history of the residential schools, and clarified common misconceptions about the First Nations.
2. Land claims and treaty negotiation process
Katherine Beavis (from the Treaty Negotiation Office) gave a presentation on First Nations land claims and the treaty negotiation process. The social, economic and political issues around land claims and treaty negotiations were explained.
3. Learning about Native Art at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, and
4. Learning about Native Art at the House of Culture, Museum of Anthropology at UBC
Under the guidance of Mike Dangeli (First Nations artist), the youth participants were introduced to Native Art in its various forms, including totems, songs, and dances.
5. Contemporary social, political and economic issues of the First Nations people
Chief Leah George-Wilson (Burrard Indian Band, Tsleil-Waututh Nation) spoke about the circumstances of her “urban” band. Her presentation revealed much about the lives of First Nations people in a contemporary setting.
Field Trips
The participants, under the guidance of CES Directors, went on 3 field trips to experience the lives of First Nations people and meet members of First Nations communities. They were introduced to the elements of traditional First Nations culture and to the contemporary social, economic and political challenges faced by the First Nations people.
1. Xats’ull Heritage Village, Williams Lake, BC (3 days in July 2001)
At the heritage village, the youth learned about the traditional Shuswap lifestyle. They lived in traditional teepees and reconstructed pit houses, and received instructions from elders about the old ways, crafts and skills of the native elders. For all the participants, it was the first time they had an experience of traditional First Nations lifestyle by living among them. While the workshops beforehand provided them with an intellectual understanding of First Nations people, this field trip offered them a first hand experience of First Nations culture.
2. Shuswap Reserve, Kamloops (3 days in August 2001)
(Shuswap Nation: http://www.secwepemc.org/)
Visiting a heritage village is one thing, visiting a real reserve is another. During the trip to Kamloops, the participants had the chance to learn more about lives at a contemporary First Nations reserve. They also visited the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park, as well as the old site of a residential school. Meeting First Nations from a variety of backgrounds opened their eyes to the values and perspectives of the First Nations people.
3. Mount Currie Reserve (1 day in September 2001)
(Lil’wat Nation: collections.ic.gc.ca/lilwat)
The Mount Currie Reserve is a more urban reserve, offering the participants a glimpse into the differences and similarities between the lifestyles of various reserves and bands.
What Participants Learned
At the end of the program, participants wrote reports to explain what they have learned. They were invited by Fairchild TV to talk about their experience and conducted a presentation at the 10th Anniversary Dinner of the Civic Education Society (August 21, 2001), in front of more than 100 guests.
It can be seen from their reports that the experience was novel to them. They made their own interpretations about the experience. Here are some extracts from the participants’ reports.
“Through this [...] program, I learned that although many aboriginal people feel that there have been tragedies and abuses in the past, many of their people are learning to cope and move on. There is some general optimism for a better future and restoring the aboriginal culture and language within the community. Moreover, although the media and many people tend to consider all aboriginal people as one group, we must understand that the diversity in language, cultural traditions, political beliefs and priorities vary within the First Nations society as it would in any other. Stereotypes must be dispelled and we must make compromises and work together to improve the community as a whole.
“FirstNations people are very firm in fighting for their rights and are very strong in keeping their traditions; however, numerous political reasons have prevented them from obtaining what they desire and form keeping what they pride. As their culture and land play a large role in their lives, faith and perseverance have become vital in keeping their hopes alive.”
“This is a very exciting and valuable experience to me because I never knew how active, energetic, hardworking and friendly these people are. The strength of their life, the beauty of their art, and the respect they yield towards nature are so touching to a city boy like me. I will never forget the wonderful trip of culture.”
“… I see their attitude towards their culture as being conservative… I believe that there is a hidden cultural undertone of dislike towards Caucasian society. I do not believe that the aboriginal people will ever be able to regain an acceptable amount of land because it is the culture and practices which they are actively trying to recover… As the global society moves ahead, they may be left behind into the wake of a global progression.”
Further Learning
There is no lack of literature and internet information on First Nations. Our recommendations represent only a small part of what is available for more learning. The website of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is a particularly valuable site to start.
Reading
Aboriginal Issues Today: A Legal and Business Guide
Stephen Smart and Michael Coyle (ed.), Self-Counsel Press, 1997
Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School
Celia Haig-Brown, Tillacum Library, 1988
“Policies on Indian People in Canada”
Race and Ethnic Relations in Canada (Chapter 5), Peter S. Li (ed.), Oxford University Press, 1990
Websites
Short descriptions under each link are extracted from the websites themselves.
BC Treaty Commission
The Treaty Commission is the independent, neutral body responsible for facilitating treaty negotiations among the governments of Canada, BC and First Nations in BC.
Treaty Negotiations Office
The Treaty Negotiations Office has primary responsibility for resolving land claim settlements in the Province of British Columbia.
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
The goal of the UBCIC is to support the work of our people, whether at the community, nation or international level, in our common fight for the recognition of our aboriginal rights and respect for our cultures and societies.
First Nations Summit
The FNS is comprised of a majority of First Nations and Tribal Councils in BC and provides a forum for First Nations in British Columbia to address issues related to Treaty negotiations as well as other issues of common concern.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
In general, INAC has primary, but not exclusive, responsibility for meeting the federal government’s constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Northerners.
- Article 1 – Words from the President – Philip Fung
- Article 2 – 公民協進會10週年賀詞 – 黃龍輝 (香港)
- Article 3 – 公民意識的認知和期望 – 蔡平 Anthony Choy
- Article 4 – Voice from the Media – Travena Lee, News and Public Affairs Director, Fairchild Radio
- Article 5 – Are You Ready to Listen? Reflections on a Trip to a First Nations Band – Michael Yue
Article 1
Words from the President
Philip Fung
In the last ten years, the Civic Education Society has worked hard to realize our organizational objectives: promote better understanding of the culture and political system of Canada, educate the public about civil rights and duties, encourage the public to actively participate in political processes, and encourage community involvement.
We believe that knowledge precedes action. While we are not professional educators of “civil knowledge”, we organize forums, seminars, and exhibitions that help the public understand the social, economic, and political issues in our society. People can then express their thoughts or make their political decisions (such as in elections) in a more rational manner.
In terms of action, we have always encouraged the public to participate in community services, express their views, exercise their voting rights as citizens, and continue to monitor the work of the government.
In this International Year for Volunteers, our board would like to thank all the volunteers who have committed time and effort to make the work of the Society possible. The joy of working together for the same cause has been the key to our success. We would also like to thank the media for continuous support in spreading our words to the community.
I sincerely wish that our future work would touch a wider audience and better meet the needs of the community.
(Remark : The original article is in Chinese)
Article 2
公民協進會10週年賀詞
黃龍輝 (香港)
10年前創立CES時，祇有一個簡單的信念:華人應積極參與加拿大的政治事務。
當時大溫地區雖有數個提倡華人參與公共事務的組織，如SUCCESS及CCAPA等。但開章明義，並獨孤一味祇談政治，不談其他事務的組織，印像中則祇有CES。這是CES特點一。
10年前華人在大群人前大談政治者少，在三五親朋中私論政治者多，其他人則以不懂政治或政治中立為由而對政治避而遠之。推動華人在公共場所大談政治 是CES的艱難任務，但CES沒有特定的政治議程，能與各政党的成員打交道，對外則以事件性質而作出政治評論。對政党不結盟，對政治不迴避。不管立場是左 中右，對或錯，CES就是要華人毋懼別人的有色眼鏡，勇於表達自已的政治意見。這是CES特點二。
10年前大溫地區華人政治團體少，但CES本身就是政治團體，會員均是政治動物。有云: “政治乃眾人之事(孫中山)”，”政治乃社會的集中反映(毛澤東)”。參與政治就是參與大社會，何罪之有。其實能自由自在及毋懼壓迫地參與政治，實是何其 幸福。CES會員不多，但志同道合理想高者眾，是一小群幸福者大談大政治。這是CES特點三。
10年過去，大溫地區的政治氣候已大為改善，這是CES各屆理事及會員的努力成果，本人無緣參與又豈敢韜光。心中有愧之餘，卻慶幸有緣能認識汝等優質政治動物。願以急就章的打油詞贈慶:
十載創會意悠悠，不參與，亦難忘。楓國地何幸覓知已，雲和月，塵與土。
Article 3
公民意識的認知和期望
蔡平 Anthony Choy
由東南亞來加拿大的移民，一踏上這塊北美洲大地，即刻面對多項生活上的難題及困境，除了要學習新語言來克服溝通的困難，還要各顯神通解決工作和財政的現實問題，此外還有兒女教育、家居生活等日常事務要分心照顧。
幾乎人人都經歷過「居住舒適、生活忙碌、心情煩悶」的移民第一階段。三、四年後，一切安置妥當，心情平復、領得公民身份，死心塌地做個加拿大人，便開始體驗公民生涯了。
東方人對於公民意識有不同程度的認知，尤其從香港來的人，向來被灌輸以社會責任作為公民教育；大陸的朋友以國家意識替代了公民意識；台灣來的朋友則含有濃厚的鄉情意識。
原因是民主精神和公民意識在東方社會起步較遲，而且摻雜了近代的地域及政治因素，使得我們誤認奉公守法，即是盡了公民責任，等於有了公民意識。因此在新移民社會中，推廣公民教育，提高公民意識，實有迫切的需要性，以免覆轍重蹈上一代華人移民遭受社會忽視的慘痛經歷。
「參與」是公民意識中最重要的一環，因為有了參與，我們才能認識這個社會的結構，了解社會的運作；而且由於我們的參與，社會人士才能了解我們社群的需要，因此將來政府在制訂策略和法規的時候，不至於將我們摒諸於門外。
十年前，我第ㄧ次接觸「公民協進會」，是在創會人黃龍輝博士的名片上見到他銜頭(「公民協進會」會長)。我看見「公民協進會」的英文譯名 Civic Education Society 有公民教育的含意，深深認為黃龍輝會長有先見之明。
這些年來，「公民協進會」雖然輪換了多位會長，仍然堅持創會精神，繼續推動本地公民參與地方選舉的工作，而且逐漸成長，做得有聲有色，由早期在報章 刊登廣告呼籲選民投票開始，近年舉辦了多次選前辯論會幫助選民認識候選人，前次省選投票日甚至在電視廣播同步現場推動選民踴躍投票。
本地華語傳媒積極響應，鼓勵投票，使得近幾次選舉的華人投票率提高甚多，而令各個政黨刮目相看，熱烈爭取華人選票。
「公民協進會」的目標達到了嗎？我認為應該百尺竿頭更進一步。參與選舉只是公民意識中，參與政治的一個小部份，如何推動居民參與政府的政策制定工 作，參加公聽會、發表意見，參與遊說工作，甚至主動監察政府工作，推動理想的執政方向等，都是我們努力的目標，期望「公民協進會」繼續努力，邁向更深更廣 的層面。
Article 4
Voice from the Media
Travena Lee, News and Public Affairs Director, Fairchild Radio
‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” so your mother says.
Philip Fung, chairman of the Civic Education Society asked if I could write an article for the association’s newsletter. Upon agreeing to do so, I though long and hard of what to say. Immigrants, elections, culture shock, media…
In the past decade, the Chinese media in British Columbia witnessed dramatic changes – more media outlets and reporters, better and more extensive coverage –thanks in part to the influx of new immigrants from Hong Kong in the nineties. In Greater Vancouver, there are now two radio stations, two television stations, three daily newspapers and a few weekly papers, a not too humble achievement for a Chinese population of about 250,000.
The Chinese media flourishes, but not without difficulties. Lack of resources and a shortage of trained staff are just some of the problems it faces. But most important of all, it has to ask itself the question – what is your mission and how can you make it work?
The media, claiming to be the “fourth Estate”, has the following functions: to inform, to educate and to entertain. In British Columbia, with a Liberal majority government, the public has entrusted the media the additional function of monitoring the performance of the government, which used to be within the purview of the Official Opposition of the Legislature.
Being a minority group and coming from an immigrant community, the Chinese media, nevertheless, has another function. It serves as the bridge of communication between the community and the society at large. In other words, it also represent and reflects the views of the community.
Fortunately, we are not alone in this latter endeavour. The Civic Education Society, along with other organizations, is active in operating this two-way street, ensuring that there is no breakdown or disruption. With their persistent effort, I have every confidence that the interests of the Chinese immigrants in Greater Vancouver area are better served.
We should all be thankful of this.
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Article 5
Are You Ready to Listen? Reflections on a Trip to a First Nations Band
Michael Yue, CES Member
Unlike many traditions, the spiritual wisdom of the native American is not found in a set of “scriptural” materials. It is, and always has been, a part of the fabric of daily life and experience. One of the most poignant reflections of this spiritual message is found in their tradition of oratory… each person listened attentively until his or her turn to speak, and then he or she rose and spoke without interruption about the heart of the matter under consideration. This tradition produced a measured eloquence of speech and thought that is almost unmatched for its clarity and simplicity. (p.xii-xiii, Native American Wisdom)
The everyday rush of an urban life that many of us are accustomed to is not normally conducive to such an oratory practice as the First Nation’s. So when I went with the Civic Education Society to visit the Neskonlith Band (of the Secwepemc, or Shuswap, Nation) in Chase, BC, I was looking forward to meeting band members, experiencing this tradition, and understanding the heart of the matters that concern them.
Through the years, I have studied bits and pieces of First Nations histories, cultures, languages, and other social, political and legal issues related to their communities. The picture I have constructed was sketchy to say the least. And I never really knew a First Nations person, nor had any chance to participate in First Nations events. I was hopeful that direct contact with a First Nations band would allow me to experience how they think, see the world, and interpret their place in society.
Well, there was only so much one could learn from a great people (or at least a representative group of a great people) in such a short time (it was a 3-day trip). Nonetheless, thanks to the rich program set up by the Society, I met a diverse group of First Nations people during the trip, and heard their views and thoughts on their history and their future. While most of their words were not spoken in the true tradition of oratory, they were indeed expressed with a “measured eloquence of speech and thought” that could only come from a people taking great pride in their culture despite a long history of oppression and destruction.
Meeting these people in real life added to what I have seen on documentaries and read on books. I have always felt that First Nations people were not fully (or should I say justly) represented in the media. More and more now they are trying to tell their own stories using their own channels and in their own ways. They are engaging themselves in a difficult journey of resistance and renewal, much like many other indigenous peoples in the world who have had traumatic experience of mass oppression. There is a lot to learn from them, from this process of self-rejuvenation. In Listening for a Change, Hugo Slim and Paul Thompson begin the book with a chapter called “Words from the Heart”. I am ending this little piece with a quote from the chapter:
The spoken word cuts across barriers of wealth, class and race. It is as much the prerogative of ordinary people as of those in positions of power and authority. It requires neither formal education, nor the ability to read and write, nor fluency in any national or official language. Most importantly, it gives voice to the experience of those people whose views are often overlooked or discounted… To ignore these voices is to ignore a formidable body of evidence and information. (p.1)
Are we ready to listen?
References and Other Reading
Native American Wisdom
Kent Nerburn and Louise Mengelkoch, New World Library, 1991
Listening for a Change: Oral Testimony and Community Development
Hugo Slim and Paul Thompson, New Society Publishers, 1995
Aboriginal Issues Today: A Legal and Business Guide
Stephen Smart and MIchael Coyle (ed.), Self-Counsel Press, 1997
Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School
Celia Haig-Brown, Tillacum Library, 1988
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