Shared agreement will reconnect First Nations to land

The land of K'omoks First Nation and the Sliammon First Nation, face each other across the Straight of Georgia on theWest Coast of British Columbia.
On Monday Feb.25 Chiefs from both Bands were present at a ceremony to celebrate the signing of a shared territory agreement at the Sliammon Salish Center in Powell River, BC. The ceremony included dinner and entertainment and was attended by members of both Bands, the Provincial and Federal Governments and media.
"Our goal is to reconnect in a manner that respects each others uniqueness as well as our common cultural ties to the lands and resources within the shared area." stated Sliammon Chief, Walter Paul.
The Sliammon First Nations has signed territory agreements and community accords with the regional districts of Powell River and Sechelt and the First Nations of Klahoose, Homalco, Qualicum and Sechelt.
The agreement with the K'omoks is a final step for the Sliammon Indian Band in finalizing their Treaty negotiations.
Of the 58 Bands negotiating Treaty Rights with the BC Treaty Commission and the Canadian Government, two Treaties have been signed.
The Tsawwassen First Nation signed the first Treaty in BC, followed closely by the Maa-Nulth. Many Bands in the fifth stage of the process have refused the signing of their treaties due to unsatisfactory terms.
As with most BC Bands, the Sliammon Nation entered treaty negotiations in 1994. They are currently in stage five of the six-stage process of developing their Treaty status. Stage five settles technical and legal issues before implementation of the Treaty can take place.
Technical issues include the boundaries of settlement lands that are determined through historical studies of the lands traditional use.
In order to successfully reach their goals, the Sliammon Treaty Council was developed to lead negotiations and the "Sliammon Traditional Use Study" was created to determine shared land use with neighboring communities to enable the creation of borders.
The study has become an integral part of the six-stage process and an invaluable resource for affirming pride in their culture and rich history.
The current land base for the Sliammon Indian Band was established in the 1880's as a part of the Indian Reserve Commission. The treaty settlement area of the Sliammon includes the reserve area as well as islands and harvesting areas in the Georgia Straight.
The progress made to date has been accomplished with persistence and not without obstacles.
Members of the Sliammon community had to protest when logging rights were given to Weyerhaeuser on Treaty Settlement Lands. The protests lead to an Order in Council that protects these lands while the stages of negotiation are ensuing. Chief negotiator for the Sliammon Treaty Council, Roy Francis, has been present for many of the signed agreements.
"We must formerly acknowledge that these lands have been shared since time immemorial." Francis stated.
The Band is excited to be so close to obtaining control over the matters that affect their lives. They are strongly committed to economic development and the final implementation of their Treaty includes planning for the sustainable development of lands and resources such as fisheries, forestry and plutonic extraction.
"Long before anybody else was here, our peoples coexisted and shared the resources in a sustainable manner." said Chief Ernie Hardy of the K'omoks First Nations.
The K'omoks Band is also keenly devoted to economic development. As they enter stage five of the Treaty process, this agreement with the Sliammon is the first of many technical issues to be resolved.
The K'omoks occupy land in the Comox Valley along the east coast of Vancouver Island. They are a small community that has numerous successes with natural resources and are internationally recognized for their art.
Finalizing their treaty rights will enable self-governing of their resources for future generations. The majority of both the K'omoks and Sliammon Nations are under the age of 25.