The Government of British Columbia publically expresses its regret

The Government of British Columbia has publically expressed its regret to the family of a Hesquiaht man who was hanged on a Vancouver Island beach in front of his relatives 150 years ago. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ida Chong joined the Hesquiaht Nation in a reconciliation feast on Nov. 17 after offering the words of regret, and band members forgave the government for its actions in 1869. John Anietsachist and a man named Katkinna were accused of murdering two people who had been shipwrecked on the island. The men were hanged after faulty translations of testimony. Chong said the province regrets that the Hesquiaht people were forced to watch such violence, the pain of what happened to Anietsachist and his friend enduring over the generations. “With all our government was doing with respect to other First Nations — with reconciliation, with recognition, with respect — we felt that this was one area that had to be dealt with before we could move forward with any other matters,” Chong said. The expression of regret, and not an apology, was made because British Columbia did not officially become a province until 1871, Chong said. “It’s about some closure to the pain they have been feeling. Every generation hereafter, when they hear the story of what happened, now they can plug in this chapter and say ‘But on this day what took place was an offer from the province of regret and an offer from the Hesquiaht of forgiveness.’”