BC Natives Should Just Grow Their Food

UPDATE: The Vancouver Sun has a follow-up story drawing parallels between the Delta mayor’s farming comments and BC history.

Original Post:

The Vancouver Sun has a feature article and a column today about the impending treaty settlement between Canada, BC, and the Tsawwassen First Nation. The article reviews the features of the urban treaty and addresses complaints about it.

The column is by Vaughn Palmer. One part of it caught my eye. The mayor of Delta, the municipality next to Tsawwassen territory, is quoted this way:

“If they want this land,” says Delta Mayor Lois Jackson, “they should farm it, just like everyone else.”

Palmer then raises the thoughtful question:

I don’t doubt that [the mayor] speaks for many Delta residents, the non-farmers included. She’ll get support from Lower Mainland residents from right across the political spectrum.

But let me be sure I understand the position:

The non-native community built a coal port, a ferry terminal, a freeway, a railway, a hydroelectric transmission line and a sizable residential community on the traditional territory of the Tsawwassen First Nation.

And now we’re going to give back some of their land, but say THEY can’t build anything on it?

To this, I would add that there is a certain amount of historical process coming back to haunt treaty commentary. Colonial and early provincial aboriginal policy in BC was often predicated upon the idea that native people should be taught to farm. They should give up fishing, hunting, and other forms of foraging for agriculture. Reserve lands were surveyed with that in mind. Residential schools taught such things.

What comes around, comes around again, I suppose.

(Thanks to the Protecting Knowledge Group for the links.)

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