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Page 6 West Vancouver Historical Society June 1999 FEATURE PRESENTATION REPORT The Histoty Behind BC Treaties By: Anne Vemon Michele Dimock, a BC Treaty Information officer, and a Musqueam by birth who lives in Squamish, spoke of the somewhat involved history of today’s BC treaty problems. With a degree in criminology from UYic among her many qualifications, this knowledgeable lady gave us new insights into an old problem. (Ed. Space permits only main points of lecture to be covered). * Before European settlement of BC the aboriginal inhabitants lived in separate nations with their own laws, customs and languages. Oral histories were passed down by the elders of each tribe to the next generation. * 1763 Royal Proclamation. King George III forbade land dealings by private individuals. British government established policy of entering into treaties with the Indians for their land. * 1858 The Gold Rush brought vast numbers of gold-seekers, many of whom settled in the country. This was when the pre-emption law came into effect. Preemption allowed British male subjects over the age of 18 to take over up to 3(X) acres of land anywhere in BC. * James Douglas, first Governor of BC made 14 land purchases with native peoples around Fort Victoria -these are called the Douglas Treaties. * Just before he retired Douglas appointed Joseph Tmtch as Land Commissioner for BC. Trutch had fought in Indian Wars in Oregon and disliked native "Indians". He cut reserve land allowance from 80 acres per family to 10 acres and, in the Lower Mainland, to 2 acres. This at a time when Ontario allowed 640 acres per family. * 1867 The British North America Act. Canada assumes responsibility for Indians and and land reserved for Indians. * lWJ4Viist Indian Act. This Act consolidates laws governing Indian people. Government establishes Residential Schools where all aboriginal children fix)m 5-17 years went far away fix)m home for 10 months of each year. (There were only 14 schools for the whole province of B.C.). Operating for many generations (until the early 70s). Michele said this resulted in difficulties in communication with families on the reservations and eventually resulted in the loss of parenting skills. * 1907 Three Chiefs went to London to tell the King of their difficulties. The King said that the new Canadian Government would have to deal with the problems but He felt all would be settled before the end of a 5 year period. * In the same year Potlachs were outlawed with a jail term of 2-6 months if participants were caught. The Potlach was the aboriginal government, legal and cultural system and church for the clans and its outlawing was a severe blow. * From 1927 onwards great struggles with the law have taken place until we have reached the position we are in today as we begin to clear up the difficulties from the past. It is obviously going to take some time to resolve all the claims, but as young aboriginals pursue higher education, and with the support of their elders. First Nations people are entering the new millennium with renewed hope for the future. * If you would like to know more, here are a few web sites, and books: THE WEBSITES Min. Aboriginal Affairs http://aaf.gov.bc.ca/aaffhomepage.htm B.C. Treaty Commission http:// bctreaty.net/index.htm Dept. Indian & Northern Affairs http:// inac.gc.ca THE BOOKS Aboriginal Peoples & Politics by Paul Tennant, Contact & Conflict, Robin Fisher, Treaty Talks in B.C. by Chris McKee All the above are all at UBC Press The First Nations, of BC by Robert J. Muckle.