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From the Chair

Sustainability is a Coast Salish tradition

Thursday, 22 July 2010 14:39 Terry Sampson

I was very interested in the articles about sustainability in this issue of Klahowya.

While reading them, it occurred to me that I really did not know exactly what that word meant. So, I went to an online dictionary and discovered that, basically, it means ‘able to be maintained at a certain rate or level’.

Well, that was easy enough. But then I went to Wikipedia and read about sustainable development. It is defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

And then I thought about my ancestors and about their teachings. Were not all those lessons and stories all about sustainability? We were taught to observe the environment around us and to not over-fish or over-harvest any resources. We moved from place to place during the harvesting seasons. And we observed… we were taught how to ‘read’ nature and how to act accordingly.

That is why reading about traditional technologies such as clam gardens and fish traps made me so proud. The Coast Salish people have survived – have sustained themselves – for thousands of years. We had technologies that worked. And now, in the 21st Century, we are finding ourselves as the leaders in sustainable development, not to mention being some of the best teachers.

I am proud of what the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council nations are doing to become sustainable while sharing their knowledge and wisdom with others. Whether it is the T’Souke solar projects, Tla’amin’s treaty making, the Snaw-naw-as and Halalt shellfish industries or Tsleil-Waututh’s work in Indian Arm, our people are hard at work rebuilding their nations.

And we are doing it based on the sustainable teachings of those who came before us.


 

From the Chair

Wednesday, 12 May 2010 09:54 Terry Sampson
From the Chair

Coast Salish aren’t hiding from climate change challenge

I was honoured to attend the Coast Salish Gathering Climate Change Summit at Tulalip in late April along with other executive committee members and staff from the Tribal Council.

Entitled Impacts of Climate Change on Our Tribal Lifeways in the Salish Sea Ecosystem, the summit was a real wake-up call about the effects that climate change will have on all our lives. But it also gave me a lot of hope, in the face of such challenges, to know that our people are leading the way when it comes to adapting to our changing world.

Elsewhere in this issue of Klahowya, you will read about how T’Sou-ke Nation is facing up to the challenge and discovering many opportunities as it comes to grip with food and energy security issues. I was pleased to share a table with T’Sou-ke Chief Gordon Planes at the Climate Change Summit. It makes me feel good to know that our leaders are truly leading their communities.

T’Sou-ke took a leadership role last summer when it announced its solar electricity and hot water project to the world. Seeing how that project is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle about sustainable communities is very gratifying.

All our communities are facing challenges very much like those of T’Sou-ke and our Coast Salish relations in the USA. We all live in coastal communities. That is who we are.

Our lands and buildings are potentially at risk of flooding from rising sea levels or tidal surges. Our shellfish beds and other marine harvesting areas could be lost forever. And our salmon, shellfish and other species could be at risk because of contamination from algal blooms and other effects that may come with rising ocean temperatures

It is farsighted planning like that being done at T’Sou-ke and many of our other NmTC communities that will make the difference for future generations. Adapting to climate change and facing up to all the other issues will not be easy. But the Coast Salish are a very adaptive people. We have learned how to adapt, and to survive, for many centuries.

Now it is time to put the traditional teachings and wisdom of our ancestors to use. Big issues like energy, food, cultural and economic security will not be solved overnight. But by taking our rightful place as stewards of the land and the waters around us, we will truly be able to sustain ourselves.

Terry Sampson – Yuk'walu - Ala Way

Chair

Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council


From the Chair

Thursday, 01 April 2010 10:14 Terry Sampson
From the Chair

Many roads (and railways) lead to nationhood

I have been thinking recently about the roads that pass through all our nations.  When I heard details of the Halalt road blockade and the Snaw-naw-as holding meetings about its highway dangers, I thought about the dramatic effect that transportation infrastructure has in all cities, towns and communities.

The impacts of roads and rail lines on First Nation reserve lands is significant. Just think about Highway 101 cutting through Tla’amin or the Island Highway passing by the lands of Malahat, Stz’uminus, Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as and Homalco; the Dollarton Highway at Tsleil- Waututh or the massive effects on Tsawwassen from BC Ferries and DeltaPort; or Highway 14 that links T’Souke with the rest of the world. Or the Whaletown Road to Klahoose…

That list is long and doesn’t even mention the effects that the E&N Railway grant lands along the east coast of Vancouver Island or the rail lines through Tsawwassen that carry coal for Roberts Bank.

The existence of these roads has always challenged our communities and forever changed them. Highways that cut through our reserve lands cannot be moved. They will always be there. Of course there are things that can be done, such as speed reduction, new intersections and noise barriers, but those roads will always be carrying traffic through our lands.

They bring problems to our communities, but they also bring opportunities.

We can build gas stations, convenience stores and mini-malls. Or we can ‘do big business’ like Tsawwassen is doing. It is very interesting to read in Klahowya about how Tsawwassen is taking advantage of its strategic location and is planning for a major industrial and business park and making deals with all levels of government to ensure that its economic development is for the long term.

There are two ways that the challenges of these roadways going through our communities can be tackled. We can have open dialogue initially like what took place in Snaw-naw-as or we can have confrontations like that which occurred in Halalt.

Either way, both situations settled on open dialogue as the means to solving road-related issues. It is just too bad that one caused great inconvenience and expense to our Nations, their neighbours and others.

 

My regards,
Terry Sampson,
Chair – Naut'sa mawt Tribal Council

From the Chair

Wednesday, 03 March 2010 10:42 Keith Wilson
From the Chair

The first day of spring is getting close as I write this. As I looked out the window at the plants begin–ning to bud, I was thinking the other day of some of the other things in our world that are flowering.

First of all, there is the Coast Salish culture. I was so proud to see our art and hear our songs during the ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. I never thought I

would see the day when millions of people around the world heard our name and got a chance to find out who we really are.

We can only guess at what opportunities the future will bring our people, but to have our people on the world stage really made me proud.

When NmTC’s board met in December, we approved a new strategic plan that had five goals. One of them was a communications strategy that would, in part, improve the dialogue with the people in our 11 member communities.

In the months and years ahead, NmTC plans to use a variety of interactive tools such as digital media and video technologies in order to allow our nations to network collectively. This will give NmTC members more oppor–tunities to participate in workshops and other meetings. And it will mean that every level of our organization will focus on better and more effective communications.

Of course, good communications is a two-way street. We are always looking for feedback, advice and comments on how we are doing. Send us emails and leave us a message on our website at klahowya.nautsamawt.org

My regards,

Terry Sampson,

Chair – Naut'sa mawt Tribal Council

From the Chair

Tuesday, 24 November 2009 13:00 Terry Sampson
From the Chair

May the flame always burn bright

The Olympic torch passed through many of our communities on the East Coast of Vancouver Island recently. Just days before the 2010 Winter Games begin, on February 3, the flame will pass through Sliammon.

On February 9, it will arrive at Tsawwassen and the next day it is at Tsleil-Waututh. When it visits Tsleil-Waututh, one of the Four Host Nations, it will be getting close to home and the opening ceremonies at BC Place Stadium on February 12.

I was thinking a lot about the Olympic flame and what it means when the torch passed through Ladysmith back on October 31. There were many drummers and singers from Stz’uminus First Nation to welcome the torch runners and a canoe proudly carried our chief and the mayor through the streets of town. It was a wonderful experience and I was very proud to see that the Coast Salish people were so well represented from the first day the torch arrived in Victoria. A canoe carrying leaders from the Four Host Nations and Saanich – our friends and family – brought the flame to the BC Legislature.

I really began to think hard about the Olympics during the summer when I was proud to represent Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council at the Coast Salish Gathering in Whistler. The Gathering of leaders from BC and Washington State took place in the wonderful Lil’wat Squamish Cultural Centre in the heart of the ski resort. The centre is one of the many legacies that will be left long after the Olympic athletes pack up their medals and return home around the earth.

This is the first Olympic Games in which indigenous people have played such an important role. I hold my hands up to our leaders from the Four Host Nations who negotiated agreements with the government in order that they would be play a prominent role. I look forward to visiting my relatives at Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Lil’wat and Musqueam and hearing their stories about hosting the world.

When the Games are over, thousands of people from everywhere on Earth will know who the Coast Salish are. They will also know more about the Salish Sea. I was very pleased to hear about the new name for the ecosystem that connects our people from both sides of the border. I first began to hear this name from George Harris of Stz’uminus Nation at Coast Salish Gatherings in years past.

But it wasn’t until I attended this year’s Gathering in Whistler that I saw the wonderful map of the Salish Sea and realized what the name meant. The Salish Sea is the name for the place that the Coast Salish Peoples have called home for thousands of years. It is the place that we have always had an obligation to look after. And now the rest of the seven million people who live around the Salish Sea will start to understand why we are so concerned.

The winter ahead looks good… the Winter Olympic Games in our territories around the Salish Sea. What could be better?

On behalf of all of us at Naut’sa mawt tribal Council, I hope you and your families have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Terry Sampson

Chair

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