a swale the new Kwiatkowski to little
class qui hala introduce myself in our
Halcomb elem language mic well nickname
my traditional name of la nuit ott one
who works for the people acknowledging
my home community from my father’s side
of squalor First Nation but equally as
important is to acknowledge the
traditional territory on my mother’s
know the walking barrier right I want to
also begin by acknowledging that we’re
gathered here today on the traditional
territory of the chill kwai ik tribe
part of the greater stalo and the
greater koh Salish people I begin this
way because this is what has been taught
to me this is what has been passed down
for generations our historical teachings
have always been in oral fashion
storytelling we’re always taught stories
sometimes not what the full meaning and
it’s up to us to determine what the rest
of the story means when we think about
barriers we think about an obstacle to
progress a division of worlds and how do
we start to understand the barrier if we
don’t understand each other barriers
exist for different people for different
reasons it’s going to be different for
me and different for you and different
to the person sitting next to you a
friend of mine had said to me in my
early 20s in a conversation that I had
grown up a little bit rough or somewhat
tough at the time I didn’t really think
of what that meant I was trying to
imagine what he was saying and it didn’t
make sense because I’d grown up with my
parents my siblings my friends I went to
school I played sports I participated in
traditional ceremonies and it wasn’t
until I was older that I started to
really
understand what he meant and what that
comment was geared towards and it was
when I started to reflect back on the
history of how I grew up on the reserve
my parents had separated at a young age
my dad was a heavy alcoholic in his
younger years and I wanted to share a
couple of stories because as I reflected
on the memories then it became apparent
what I was had been exposed to so the
first story I’m in grade 8 I had moved
back and forth between my parents at the
time and I was living with my dad he was
drinking drinking quite heavily at the
time and I friend asked if I would go
and have a sleepover off the reserve up
the road five blocks away
so I had gone that evening my dad had
phoned I get on the phone and he simply
says I need you to get down here and I
need you to bring something I knew what
that meant that was get your butt down
here bring a weapon to me thinking about
that now you start to understand the
difference so I my friend and I I tell
him that I have to leave but I need to
can I borrow a golf club or a hockey
stick and he says yeah sure so we go in
the garage and I’m getting ready to
leave and just as I’m about to leave he
turns to me and he says well can I come
against my better judgment not
understanding that my normal was
different than somebody else’s normal I
said ok but you might want to grab
something too so here we go we start
walking down towards the reserve and we
get about a block away and I see these
three cars come flying by the headlights
going by I know that it’s coming from my
dad so I rush home I walk in the door
and my dad hands me a shotgun and he
says go over to Uncle go over to your
uncle’s and exchange it for the replica
so I do I walk over next door I grab his
replica shotgun I go back home put it in
the gun cabinet moments later the RCMP
show up start asking questions I didn’t
know what had happened and I’d learned
later that my dad had people
an argument had taken place started to
escalate and my dad had a mean streak
when he was drinking and ended up
pulling a gun on somebody thankfully
nobody was hurt
no shots were fired that’s the first
story the second story I’ll share is
actually a year later the summer is
wrapping up and hockey season is about
to start so hockey tryouts are beginning
it’s a Saturday or a Sunday morning and
I go upstairs to my dad and I it’s
around 8:00 in the morning and I ice a
hockey tryouts are today and I need a
ride and I looked beside him and by 8:00
in the morning he had already drank
about 6 beer and so he just grabs the
keys off of the coffee table and gives
me the keys to the truck I’m 15 like an
early like fresh 15 so I grab my gear I
put it in the truck and I Drive myself
to hockey tryouts I didn’t really see
anybody when I got there and went in but
after the tryout I came out and Here I
am this 15 year old walking and got my
gear I throw it into the back of the
truck and this is not a small truck this
is a big 1982 GMC 2500 and parents are
walking out with their children my
friends and and they look over and I’m
getting in the driver’s seat and I’m
just like you know not quite you can
tell I’m not supposed to be driving and
they all know how old I am because I’m
trying out with their kids so they all
come over slowly one at a time and they
don’t know how to approach me or what to
say so they start writing down their
phone numbers and handing me their phone
numbers and saying if you need rides
just give us a call so needless to say I
had rides for the rest of the season
but the reason I tell these two stories
and share these two stories are these
are just two out of many growing up the
difference that exists on reserve and
off reserve and some of the traumas that
have caused this type of behavior that
you’re exposed to is important to
understand the fact that I didn’t flinch
when my dad phones and says I need you
to get down here and injure to bring a
weapon the fact that I didn’t flinch
when he hands me a shotgun and to go
next door and exchange it again going to
ask for a ride here’s the keys I’d
learned to drive we we’d all learned of
Drive a little bit early on the reserve
but that was my normal and so when you
think about the barriers and you think
about the history the important part is
we grow up learning about Canadian
history
there’s a big shift taking place right
now which is exciting to see the Truth
and Reconciliation calls to action we’re
starting to see an introduction of the
dark history for First Nations people in
this country being introduced in
curriculum in the education system the
next generation of children are growing
up understanding what has taken place
understanding the impacts of the
residential school understanding that a
legislation imposed upon an entire
people such as the Indian Act was so
restrictive you’re not allowed to vote
you’re not allowed to leave the reserve
unless you get permission from the
Indian agent for women who married non
First Nations people you lost your
status those are just a few the list
goes on and on and on and then there’s a
governance structure that’s imposed upon
our people a chief and council system
you’re all going to have a chief and
council system you’re all going to make
decisions in the best interest of the
community and you’re going to do it by a
totally foreign to our people not the
way we govern so ultimately then we’re
responsible for municipal jurisdiction
provincial jurisdiction and federal
jurisdiction having to make decisions
for communities as small as 50 as large
as 500 so it’s start to break down what
we have in this country
203 First Nations in BC 534 First
Nations across the entire country here
in our traditional territory
we have 24 bands 24 Indian act bands so
24 Chiefs 24 sets of councils minimum of
two councilors per community so we’re
talking about 24 Chiefs 60 to 80
councilors for a population of less than
10,000 and now we look to our local
municipality where we have one mayor six
councilors for a population of 83,000
roughly it makes absolutely no sense a
system that’s imposed upon an entire
people when we think about economies of
scale and how we can be the most
efficient in what we do when we’re
making decisions this is the complete
opposite and on top of that you have to
report every year and you have to go
through all of these different reports
so you’re talking about communities that
are so small and have a limited capacity
a pool to choose from to make decisions
for the greater community so now
fast-forward to today and we’re starting
to understand this and how can we work
together and how can we be more
efficient these are the barriers that we
as a First Nation people have to
overcome that’s one level of barrier the
other barrier is the relationships the
relationships with our municipality the
relationships with the province the
relationships with the federal
government the relationships with our
neighbors our businesses the opportunity
is massive when we start to break down
the barrier and peel down the layers for
example in Chilliwack alone
we’ve created over a thousand jobs in
our First Nations communities we all
have municipal service agreements with
the city so we’re giving taxes back to
the city we have revenue that stays in
the community that’s just a few small
projects when we think about the
landmass of Canada and we hear comments
around opposition to major projects and
resource development usually its
opposition to a process usually its
opposition to say actually we just want
to have a say in how this is going to be
approved we’d want stronger
environmental processes in place we’re
not opposed to something that’s going to
benefit the greater community but we
want to be involved so the barrier that
exists is slowly coming down and I can
say firsthand that in this community
we’re seeing wonderful relationships
being built we’re seeing a next
generation of children that are growing
up learning the differences that exist
and can appreciate and respect so that
mutual respect is there and I can’t wait
to see what comes forward the past
hundred and fifty years as we’ve just
celebrated 150 years in Canada is a bit
of a dark place for First Nations in
this country but the next hundred and
fifty years isn’t absolutely amazing an
exciting time to look forward to because
the next generation is learning how to
work together and understand one another
the barrier is slowly coming down I’m
excited to be a part of it and I can’t
wait to move forward in our how come a
lemn language we have a word a saying
and it’s let’s amat let’s a thala one
heart one mind and when we all start to
come together and we work together and
see what that looks like the potential
is an amazing opportunity for this
country for our community for the
greater good of our society to move
forward as one and I’m excited letsa
Maud letsa thala
you [Applause]
class qui hala introduce myself in our
Halcomb elem language mic well nickname
my traditional name of la nuit ott one
who works for the people acknowledging
my home community from my father’s side
of squalor First Nation but equally as
important is to acknowledge the
traditional territory on my mother’s
know the walking barrier right I want to
also begin by acknowledging that we’re
gathered here today on the traditional
territory of the chill kwai ik tribe
part of the greater stalo and the
greater koh Salish people I begin this
way because this is what has been taught
to me this is what has been passed down
for generations our historical teachings
have always been in oral fashion
storytelling we’re always taught stories
sometimes not what the full meaning and
it’s up to us to determine what the rest
of the story means when we think about
barriers we think about an obstacle to
progress a division of worlds and how do
we start to understand the barrier if we
don’t understand each other barriers
exist for different people for different
reasons it’s going to be different for
me and different for you and different
to the person sitting next to you a
friend of mine had said to me in my
early 20s in a conversation that I had
grown up a little bit rough or somewhat
tough at the time I didn’t really think
of what that meant I was trying to
imagine what he was saying and it didn’t
make sense because I’d grown up with my
parents my siblings my friends I went to
school I played sports I participated in
traditional ceremonies and it wasn’t
until I was older that I started to
really
understand what he meant and what that
comment was geared towards and it was
when I started to reflect back on the
history of how I grew up on the reserve
my parents had separated at a young age
my dad was a heavy alcoholic in his
younger years and I wanted to share a
couple of stories because as I reflected
on the memories then it became apparent
what I was had been exposed to so the
first story I’m in grade 8 I had moved
back and forth between my parents at the
time and I was living with my dad he was
drinking drinking quite heavily at the
time and I friend asked if I would go
and have a sleepover off the reserve up
the road five blocks away
so I had gone that evening my dad had
phoned I get on the phone and he simply
says I need you to get down here and I
need you to bring something I knew what
that meant that was get your butt down
here bring a weapon to me thinking about
that now you start to understand the
difference so I my friend and I I tell
him that I have to leave but I need to
can I borrow a golf club or a hockey
stick and he says yeah sure so we go in
the garage and I’m getting ready to
leave and just as I’m about to leave he
turns to me and he says well can I come
against my better judgment not
understanding that my normal was
different than somebody else’s normal I
said ok but you might want to grab
something too so here we go we start
walking down towards the reserve and we
get about a block away and I see these
three cars come flying by the headlights
going by I know that it’s coming from my
dad so I rush home I walk in the door
and my dad hands me a shotgun and he
says go over to Uncle go over to your
uncle’s and exchange it for the replica
so I do I walk over next door I grab his
replica shotgun I go back home put it in
the gun cabinet moments later the RCMP
show up start asking questions I didn’t
know what had happened and I’d learned
later that my dad had people
an argument had taken place started to
escalate and my dad had a mean streak
when he was drinking and ended up
pulling a gun on somebody thankfully
nobody was hurt
no shots were fired that’s the first
story the second story I’ll share is
actually a year later the summer is
wrapping up and hockey season is about
to start so hockey tryouts are beginning
it’s a Saturday or a Sunday morning and
I go upstairs to my dad and I it’s
around 8:00 in the morning and I ice a
hockey tryouts are today and I need a
ride and I looked beside him and by 8:00
in the morning he had already drank
about 6 beer and so he just grabs the
keys off of the coffee table and gives
me the keys to the truck I’m 15 like an
early like fresh 15 so I grab my gear I
put it in the truck and I Drive myself
to hockey tryouts I didn’t really see
anybody when I got there and went in but
after the tryout I came out and Here I
am this 15 year old walking and got my
gear I throw it into the back of the
truck and this is not a small truck this
is a big 1982 GMC 2500 and parents are
walking out with their children my
friends and and they look over and I’m
getting in the driver’s seat and I’m
just like you know not quite you can
tell I’m not supposed to be driving and
they all know how old I am because I’m
trying out with their kids so they all
come over slowly one at a time and they
don’t know how to approach me or what to
say so they start writing down their
phone numbers and handing me their phone
numbers and saying if you need rides
just give us a call so needless to say I
had rides for the rest of the season
but the reason I tell these two stories
and share these two stories are these
are just two out of many growing up the
difference that exists on reserve and
off reserve and some of the traumas that
have caused this type of behavior that
you’re exposed to is important to
understand the fact that I didn’t flinch
when my dad phones and says I need you
to get down here and injure to bring a
weapon the fact that I didn’t flinch
when he hands me a shotgun and to go
next door and exchange it again going to
ask for a ride here’s the keys I’d
learned to drive we we’d all learned of
Drive a little bit early on the reserve
but that was my normal and so when you
think about the barriers and you think
about the history the important part is
we grow up learning about Canadian
history
there’s a big shift taking place right
now which is exciting to see the Truth
and Reconciliation calls to action we’re
starting to see an introduction of the
dark history for First Nations people in
this country being introduced in
curriculum in the education system the
next generation of children are growing
up understanding what has taken place
understanding the impacts of the
residential school understanding that a
legislation imposed upon an entire
people such as the Indian Act was so
restrictive you’re not allowed to vote
you’re not allowed to leave the reserve
unless you get permission from the
Indian agent for women who married non
First Nations people you lost your
status those are just a few the list
goes on and on and on and then there’s a
governance structure that’s imposed upon
our people a chief and council system
you’re all going to have a chief and
council system you’re all going to make
decisions in the best interest of the
community and you’re going to do it by a
totally foreign to our people not the
way we govern so ultimately then we’re
responsible for municipal jurisdiction
provincial jurisdiction and federal
jurisdiction having to make decisions
for communities as small as 50 as large
as 500 so it’s start to break down what
we have in this country
203 First Nations in BC 534 First
Nations across the entire country here
in our traditional territory
we have 24 bands 24 Indian act bands so
24 Chiefs 24 sets of councils minimum of
two councilors per community so we’re
talking about 24 Chiefs 60 to 80
councilors for a population of less than
10,000 and now we look to our local
municipality where we have one mayor six
councilors for a population of 83,000
roughly it makes absolutely no sense a
system that’s imposed upon an entire
people when we think about economies of
scale and how we can be the most
efficient in what we do when we’re
making decisions this is the complete
opposite and on top of that you have to
report every year and you have to go
through all of these different reports
so you’re talking about communities that
are so small and have a limited capacity
a pool to choose from to make decisions
for the greater community so now
fast-forward to today and we’re starting
to understand this and how can we work
together and how can we be more
efficient these are the barriers that we
as a First Nation people have to
overcome that’s one level of barrier the
other barrier is the relationships the
relationships with our municipality the
relationships with the province the
relationships with the federal
government the relationships with our
neighbors our businesses the opportunity
is massive when we start to break down
the barrier and peel down the layers for
example in Chilliwack alone
we’ve created over a thousand jobs in
our First Nations communities we all
have municipal service agreements with
the city so we’re giving taxes back to
the city we have revenue that stays in
the community that’s just a few small
projects when we think about the
landmass of Canada and we hear comments
around opposition to major projects and
resource development usually its
opposition to a process usually its
opposition to say actually we just want
to have a say in how this is going to be
approved we’d want stronger
environmental processes in place we’re
not opposed to something that’s going to
benefit the greater community but we
want to be involved so the barrier that
exists is slowly coming down and I can
say firsthand that in this community
we’re seeing wonderful relationships
being built we’re seeing a next
generation of children that are growing
up learning the differences that exist
and can appreciate and respect so that
mutual respect is there and I can’t wait
to see what comes forward the past
hundred and fifty years as we’ve just
celebrated 150 years in Canada is a bit
of a dark place for First Nations in
this country but the next hundred and
fifty years isn’t absolutely amazing an
exciting time to look forward to because
the next generation is learning how to
work together and understand one another
the barrier is slowly coming down I’m
excited to be a part of it and I can’t
wait to move forward in our how come a
lemn language we have a word a saying
and it’s let’s amat let’s a thala one
heart one mind and when we all start to
come together and we work together and
see what that looks like the potential
is an amazing opportunity for this
country for our community for the
greater good of our society to move
forward as one and I’m excited letsa
Maud letsa thala
you [Applause]
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