October 15, 1992
AC: Dosinglemothersorpeople withfamilies
get funding? Are they rareity?
BS: Actually if you take a look at First Nations
students you will find that the majority have
-AC: And is their living allowance greater if
they have a family?
BS: Yes .... and that was my situation. I was
supporting my seventeen year old son and I
had to make some really drastic choices.
AC: Now, what if you'er walking down the
street, or sitting there manning your desk at
registration and you stop someone and tell
them, “Hi, the government has stopped
funding us,” and that person says, “well, so
what?”
BS: Aha , I've had that a couple of...
AC: How do you deal with somebody when
they tell you “You Indians should get off
your butts and get a real job.” How do you
speak to somebody with that mentality.
BS: Without disrespect. Without disrespect.
What I have done when I’ve been asked “well
wedon’tget funding,” well thenIsay, “without
disrespect, European settlement was based on
treaty payments, and to date, we have been
upholding our treaty obligations with the
federal governments.
AC: What are the First Nations treaty
obligations?
BS: To live on our reserves, give up our land,
give up our culture, assimilate. Basically, it
was in exchange for land. That was the treaty
obligation. That was what European
colonialization was based upon...ourland...and
in exchange they were, and are, required to
give us housing, and our education, and health
care..
AC: So what if that same person said, “well
then, why do you guys live in the city? And
why are you showing off your culture? And
you haven't assimilated that well, in fact
you’re trying to stand out even more. What
about all these bands that are fighting for
their land, what would you say to that?
BS: (Laughter) I would say,
well whoisbeing dishonorable
here? Who is breaking the
treaties? And you will find, if
you take a really good look at
the people whoare protesting,
they have valid claims to their
land.,A lot of people hold to
their land. A lot of people hold
land title to 80% of Canada.
Most people don’t realize that.
=|If you take a look at
comprehensive land claims,
they’re just phenomenal.
AC: Would most of that land
beinthe North.. in theareas...
BS: Well, just look at
Musqueam Nation. Most of
Vancouver, its all Musqueam
traditional land. And they have
a land claim on it. When we
havethegatherings, our public
gathering, we thank the
Musqueam Nation for
allowing us on their territory;
we recognize their rights. A lot
of their people, up until the 20s
and 30s lived in Stanley Park.
And the government cameand
threwthemout. Literally, came
and removed them

Charles’ family used to live in
Stanley Park. And they were
removed from theirland. And
the land just taken. And back
in those days, we didn’t have
educated people... people
educated in the Canadian
Federal System.. But now we
are getting educated. We are
trying to get educated and
fight for our rights. But again,
we find ourselves trapped in
= == this Catch-22 position. People
are saying, we're going to have another Oka. I
believe there is truth to it.

A: Here in BC?

B: We're going to haveit over fisheries. It’s not
just ignorance onany one, it’s ignorance onall
peoples’ parts. The federal government does
not educate the non-First Nations peoples on
first nations rights. It’s just one violation after
another. The peoples, theFirst Nations, can
only take so much.

A: Now what do you think about how the
fisheries problem hasbeen dealt with? What
about the sock-eye salmon depletion?

B: I think it is a misrepresentation of the first
nations people. I think that before any kind of
statements are made, know thatthere has been
a thorough investigation made on both sides.
It’s really easy to blame First Nations people,
“Oh, they're over-fishing.” It’s not necessarily
so. You havea lot of scab fishermen out there
that are not First Nations and there is no

Fit







physically removed them. .

the Other Press

mention of them.

A: What types of fishing do the first nations
people do? Is it net fishing or along the
shore? You know, the kind you get 20,000
fish at once or.. .?

B: (laughing )'Are you kidding?! It’s greatly
disproportionate, what's being related in the
media. Are you kidding? If that was the way,
we would be laughing. We'd be able to feed
ourselves plus sell off the surplus. There’s no
way, there’sno way. Notonly that, there’salso
mercury poisoning that is turning off an awful
lot of Frst Nations people to even eating fish
these days. Thatisa greatconcernofours. And
that’s not even our doing.

Today in philosophy class, I was talking to
my instructor and asked him “are we going to
have any discussion of our relationships with
First Nations people?” and he said he found it
difficult todo. He attempted it two years ago
and he said itis a difficult time...you don’t find
anything inthecurriculum. Lookatthelibrary,
you don’t find anything in there from a First
Nations perspective. They are all non-first
nations views...

AC: But that’s to be expected. Most of the
literature in the library is not even from a
woman’s perspective. Why is that? Most of
that stuff is written by white males of their
respective dominant class.

BS: Yes. But those things are going to change.
That's what we're here for. Ihave actually had

. Students come up to me and thank me for

enlightening them on First Nations issues.
AC: What would you like to see the First
Nations Association accomplish this year?
What is your own personal “thing” you'd
like to see it accomplish?

BS: I'd like to see a strong support system so
First Nations students don’t feel intimidated.
So they don’t feel lost. I’d like for them to find
culturally... Itsregard, share many values, we
share different ones. And just open thelines of
communication. To educate other students on
the issues. The mentality is that “oh, First
Nations issues have already been dealt with.
We've already settled all this.” Well, they're
not! They’renotsettle; they are far from settled.
People just don’t understand natives. Some
First Nations people think we have extended
too much respect. We’ve given too much in
exchange for what we’ve had in return. You
just takea look atall the prime land which has
been takenfromus. Turnedintodevelopments,
taxation from the resources, tied up in the
bureaucracy.... Again, the vision of the
Department of Indian Affairs, the funding that

doom and destruction. So don’tassign Johnny
to seat number three! It’s little things like this.
They make such a big difference. If you cross
cultures, just be aware. We are different, we
havea different culture. Understand this...and
understand that we are going to attain self
government...and prepare for it; and self
government means we can take care of our
own affairs. Set our own laws.

Understand that
we are going to
attain self
govemnment.



AC: Tell me more about yourself.

BS: I am a product of Canadian Federal
Legislation. I grew up on a reserve. I spent
almost six years in a residential school.

AC: The primary grades?

BS: Grades one to six.

AC: When were sidential schools closed?
BS: In the late sixties. I was one of the last; but
the curriculum was the same as when they
started. “Be ashamed of being First Nations”. I
was raised, either Catholic or Protestant, but
they all thought the same thing. That the
missionaries were here to “save” the First
Nations people. We weresuch “heathens” and
such “savages”.

AC: Who ran the schools?

BS: Nuns and priests. There was emotional
abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. I’ve
beeninrecovery forsometime because of these
residential schools. I live for many years
hating my people. I had seen only thenegative.
Seeing only that they were drunken Indians.
Notreally understanding why. The ones twho
really understand, theones thathave thatproud
picture. I made a committment to do my part
tochange,reinstate my peopleto thetraditional
ways of indigenous society. And so I role
modeled. I speak out against injustice, and
assist in helping students.

And I talked to my cousin , I guess last
month, thereare nuns who have come back to
the reserve and so have their students who
attended their school. Thev are wishing to
touchhome base. Talk aboutit. Thenuns want

to go back and see their former students.

AC: What for?

BS: Make amends I guess. I’m quite willing. I
fact I’m going back in December specifically
for that reason. I feel that, I am carrying
baggage from my experiences, and that! won't
let go of that baggage. Until I do, make this
contact, to forgive, is when I will let go.. And]
think I need to make that contact to do that.
And I thought alot for a long time, but I’m
going back and I’m going to visit.

Part of the process of healing is to
acknowledge that these things happen. Anda
lot of students from residential schools, they
are still in the denial stage. They won't admit
that this happened. It’s really hard to deal
with to go see themI[the nuns and preists], to
look at them.

I’ve come to a level of understanding..I
.and stand up to our Federal Government,
which.calls itself democratic. We were sincere
people. First Nations people had respect, they
understood how to cure people in order to
survive. And that was all stripped away.
Ethnocentrism. Is that what it’s called? They
just didn’t see. They just didn’t see the good in
us. But we're on our way up.

I guess the main message is thatin spite of
allthis, westill wish tocoexist with our brothers
and sisters. We still wish to live in a circle of
respect. You have to replace the negatives with
positives. And that’s what I’m trying to do.

But without non-First Nations being
educated in the issues, accepting what they
did. Its going tobedifficultto turnand embrace
the First Nations people and accept them as
respectable, responsible and truthful people.
I’vealways told my sons, and hold thatmaybe,
that we, probably will not see full recovery in
their generation; maybe not in their son’s
generation, but in their son’s grandchildren’s
generation. And we will definitely be.

AC: Are all students invited to attend the
First Nation’s Association meetings?

BS: Sure, even though we call ourselves First
Nations Association, our circle is open to all
creeds and nations.

One misconception which really needs to
becleaned up, especially at the College level, is
it wasn’t Christopher Columbus who found
the First Nations people, it was the First Nations
people who found Columbus. One day we will
find a way toblend with the European system,
and we will attain our balance. One day, we
will definately be reinstated as the people we
once were.



goes into there is supposed to
be for First Nations People. But

70% of that gets locked up in
bureaucracy and paperwork.
And only 30% of the funding
actually reaches the First
Nation’s people.

But other than that, just
education I think. You know, if
we have cross cultural
awareness, justa knowledge of
the issues, a knowledge of just
what the Federal Government
has done to the First Nation’s
people, then maybe, wecan get
some support. Maybe then, we
would actually see some long
lasting settlements, and
honoring of these agreements.

I believe that
discrimination will die;
resentment will die, or fade...or
at least fade. This petition and
this letter of congratulationand
support is how things at
Douglas College are starting to
change.

There is a daycare center
being proposed hereat Douglas
College, and I would like to
have culturally appropriate

s for our children. I’d
be inaldcate the child care
workers, or whoever is hired to
mind the children, to
understand that First Nation’s
people are raised differently.
There’slittlethings. Suchas First
Nations people are raised not
to make eye contact with their
elders;that’sasignof disrespect.
AC: Ya like “You look at me
when I’m talking to you,
Johnny!”
BS:Yes,andmeanwhile, Johnny
has been raised that it is
appropriate not todo that. Also,
story telling for the children.
You havea story teller with the
drum. Drumming, singing.
Little things like that. They































































mean so much. And, other
things, like numbers; the
number three signifies death,



















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