Police interrogate chiefs about newspaper comments

Page 5

Dear Editor:

As a result of comments made in a recent Vancouver Sun article (Old disputes cast dark shadow on land claims, May 1), RCMP in northwest British Columbia interrogated Gitanyow hereditary chiefs this past week.

The article by Stephen Hume pointed out the Gitanyow's connection to the Mid-Nass River Watershed in northwest B.C. and the Gitanyow's "fight" to protect its Aboriginal rights and title.

This past week, as the Nisga'a celebrated its modern-day treaty, Hazelton RCMP officers in bullet-proof vests interrupted a treaty negotiation de-briefing session to interrogate hereditary Chief Harry Daniels and chief negotiator Glen Williams, who were featured in the Hume article.

The officers are investigating comments the chiefs made about some of the feelings the Gitanyow have on the ratification of the Nisga'a Final Agreement and its profound impact on the Gitanyow people's right and title to about 6,500 square kilometres in the Mid-Nass Valley.

Since the passing of Bill C-9, chiefs and community members - frustrated by a government that chooses to turn its back on blatant land grabs (competing claims) - expressed anger and came up with ideas to protect their traditional territory, something Glen Williams commented on in the Sun article.

Williams said that the only time the RCMP or government listens is when there's violence or someone gets shot. He was referring to an incident that took place in Gitanyow territory about five years ago when some Nisga'a hunters threatened at gun-point four members of the Gitanyow and told them to "get off our land." Charges were never laid against the offending intruders.

Williams says that had someone been shot, government "may" have done something to resolve an 84 per cent overlap of Gitanyow territory by the Nisga'a and government.

The "fight" Harry Daniels referred to centres around court action against the Crown in Luuxhon vs. the Queen, which is a direct result of the governments signing the Nisga'a deal without resolving the serious implications it has for the Gitanyow. The Crown appeal of the first declaration - which legally and financially obligate the Crown to First Nations in treaty negotiations - will be heard in Vancouver later this month.

So as the Nisga'a and their political supporters celebrate, the Gitanyow continue to struggle with a government that is unwilling to get involved in "tribal disputes," something it denies having anything to do with, even though Gitanyow's traditional boundaries were exhaustively documented and presented to the Nisga'a and governments long before any agreements-in-principle.

It's the old divide and conquer tactic alive and well in the new millennium.

The Gitanyow will have their day in court to prove who occupied the land since time immemorial.... and will continue to do so even in the wake of Nisga'a celebrations.

Sindihl (Robert Good)

Gitanyow hereditary chief