Day 4 Bella Bella !
Big Thanks for Frank Brown for all his knowledge of the Heiltsuk Homelands and providing some Indigenous context. Frank also provided a positive viewpoint of the future sharing some of the incredible work that is currently happening - the fight to keep the culture, lands, waters, animals and air protected.
Big Thanks to Lori for organizing this Sunday boat trip! It is an incredible opportunity to be in the territory while listening to the stories. Young filmmakers Norman and Tehya brought a camera and ideas of what they hoped to capture. Reed, Sebnem, Claudette, Lori and I were the rest of Frank’s ‘crew’.
We learned how lucky we all are to be living on the UNCEDED territories in BC, this allows the opportunity to for Indigenous Nations to fight the government for the land that they never gave up. This is hopeful of course because then the land might be able to be protected against development, resource extraction and pollution like oil spills. Frank and his family does a lot of work around these issues. His son, Saul, featured in Elle’s film, is a lawyer fighting bc and federal government agencies that continue in their paternalistic and racist policies.
Something Frank made clear was that while, yes, it is still beautiful here it is important to note all the ways he can see how the fish stocks are depleted and how climate change is real and how old bureaucracies are still preventing Heiltsuk and all nations to protect our land and waters.
It is important to learn about the real ways that companies (oil, transport etc) try to cover their tracks and protect their own interests (ie profits). For instance Western Canada Marine Response Corporation has shareholders from Imperial Oil, Shell Canada, Chevron, Suncor and Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline, a fact that doesn’t build a lot of confidence.
One big concern is tanker traffic and oils spills and we learned that the outcome of the 2016 Nathan E Stewart oil spill was not what the Heiltsuk hoped for and fought for. We learned that there was meagre monetary compensation (2.9 million from a billion dollar company) but this money (if I understood correctly) went into the hands of the federal government and in turn needed to be applied for …so for instance it is another paternalistic barrier, another hoop to jump in order to get funds to protect the waters by the very people who live here and are already protecting it.
The Heiltsuk, in partnership with Kitasoo Xai’xais, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv Nations continue to assert their right and title and use traditional laws to protect their waters.
On the filmmaking front Tehya and Norman listened all day and captured A LOT of video and photos. Frank was so generous slowing down and stopping in order for them to photograph. At one point we stopped at a cave and they could get out and get some imagery. Norman brought their regalia and Tehya was photographer. Reed went to if any questions came up.
AND we saw pictographs, and massive amounts of kelp, and family fishing areas AND a RAFT OF OTTERS! There were SO many of them - many floating on their backs! As the boat got closer they started to swim and it looked so much like porpoises! Watch the video below!
It was a magical day. Giaxsixa
