Posts Tagged “First Nations”
On Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, a student at Kitimat’s Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School wore traditional regalia for picture day. At that time a teacher allegedly asked the student “What’s the costume.” This led to a protest against racism the following day by indigenous and non-indigenous students supported by members of the Haisla Nation and Kitimat residents on Nov. 2.
Members of the Haisla Nation and supporters from Kitimat gathered at Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 (Robin Rowland)
Greg Smith and his grandson Greg Bolton at the protest. (Robin Rowland)
Students, many in regalia, supported the protest. (Robin Rowland)
Students supported the protest. (Robin Rowland)
Shelley Bolton of the Haisla Braid Singers led the group in protest songs. (Robin Rowland)
Elders and residential school survivors joined the protest despite the poor weather. (Robin Rowland)
Video: Story I shot for Global News.‘It’s not a costume’: B.C. teacher’s alleged mocking of student’s Indigenous regalia sparks protest
Statement from the Haisla Nation (on the school board site)
Members of the Haisla Nation and people of Kitimat braved an Environment Canada storm warning with heavy rain and wind on September 30, 2021 to mark The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Haisla elder Marilyn Furlan opened the proceedings with a prayer. (Robin Rowland)
Most participants wore orange to mark the other name, Orange Shirt Day. It marks the time an indigenous girl had an orange shirt taken away in a residential school. (Robin Rowland)
Marking Truth and Reconciliation in a rain storm. (Robin Rowland)
Sunny Stewart-Pollard helped organize the reconciliation event hosted by volunteers from the Haisla Nation and members of the Kitimat community. (Robin Rowland)
Barb Campbell watches the event. (Robin Rowland)
The tables with decorations and gifts represent all the holidays that children in residential schools missed. (Robin Rowland)
A boy waves a Truth and Reconciliation flag. (Robin Rowland)
Watching in the rain. Kitimat Counsellor Terry Marleau (second from right) and Mayor Phil Germuth (far right) (Robin Rowland)
Shelley Irene Bolton drums as she leads the Haisla Braid drummers and dancers. (Robin Rowland)
The sun did come out briefly for the Haisla Braid dancers and drummers. (Robin Rowland)
Three flocks of geese flew over the ceremony, the first and largest flock are snow geese, followed by a small group of Canada geese and then more snow geese.(Robin Rowland)
Geese fly over the ceremony. (Robin Rowland)
Musician and artist Arthur Renwick closed off the event with his own songs. (Robin Rowland)
As part of the Haisla Nation’s solstice Guatlap Days at Kitamaat Village, Friday, June 21, the audience saw a performance from the student dancers and drummers from the ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School in Kisumkalum. June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day. The Kitsumkalum or Gitsuklaum are part of the Ts’myen (Tsimshian) Nation.
A student from the ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School from Kitsumkalum drums at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre, (Robin Rowland)
‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla rec Centre. (Robin Rowland)
”Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days perform to a ratttle at the Haisla Recreation Centre (Robin Rowland)
‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre (Robin Rowland)
Elementary school students from ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School from Kitsumkalum dance at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)
Elementary school students from ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School from Kitsumkalum dance at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)
‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre, (Robin Rowland)
‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)
A ‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yooo School drummer from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)
‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)
‘Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School dancers from Kitsumkalum perform a paddling song at Guatlap Days at the Haisla Recreation Centre. (Robin Rowland)
A member of the Haisla Nation dances with a cloak saying “No Enbridge,” in Kitimat, April 12, 2014. (Robin Rowland)
Residents of Kitimat, BC, voted “No” Saturday, April 12 in a plebiscite that sort of asked them if they supported the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker terminal project.
The vote was 1,793 opposed versus 1,278 who supported the project — 58.4 per cent to 41.6 per cent. The plebiscite called by the District of Kitimat Council caused rifts in the community during the campaign and raised tensions with the Haisla Nation. If it ever goes ahead, the Northern Gateway terminal would be in Haisla traditional territory and most members of the First Nation oppose the project.
It was a municipal plebiscite, called by the District, and that meant that only residents of the municipality could vote. So members of the Haisla Nation who actually live in Kitimat could cast ballots, but members of the Haisla who live in Kitamaat Village, a federally designated Indian Reserve, could not. All the same, many Haisla felt that they should have some input on what goes on in their traditional territory. Some of the Haisla decided to demonstrate against the vote as polls closed. When the “No” result was announced, the demonstration turned into a celebration.
I was shooting on assignment for The Canadian Press and filed two images, one of a Haisla drummer that appears in The Province and a dancer, in the Globe and Mail.
Many of the images of the celebration, taken at night with flash, were rather noisy.
So I decided to try a technique I’ve used before with night shots, converting to black and white. After a couple of test images, I decided to go for 1960s look, using the Tri-X emulator in Photo Effects 8. (For younger folks, Kodak Tri-X black and white film was the standard for journalism for decades before digital).
One of the Spirit of Kitlope dancers at the No vote celebration, Saturday, April 12, 2014. (Robin Rowland)
Haisla Nation members hold a flag at the celebration. (Robin Rowland)
Skeena Bulkley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen speaks to members of the Haisla Nation at the celebration. (Robin Rowland)
Gerald Amos speaks to a crowd of Haisla and Kitimat supporters at the park across from Kitimat’s City Centre Mall. (Robin Rowland)
Spirit of Kitlope drummers and dancers at the No vote celebration. (Robin Rowland)
A Spirit of Kitlope singer. (Robin Rowland)
Haisla drummer at the park celebration. (Robin Rowland)
Audio slideshow: No To Tankers Rally, Prince Rupert, Feb. 4, 2012
The Gitga'at First Nation led the No To Tankers Rally in Prince Rupert, BC, February 4, 2012.
(Cross posted from my Northwest Coast Energy News site)
Click on this link to launch audio slideshow
A crowd estimated by the media at high of more than 2,000 to a low of about 600, marched through the streets of Prince Rupert on Saturday, February 4, to protest against Enbridge’s $5.5-billion Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline and the associated super tanker traffic.
The protest was organized by the Gitga’at First Nation, of Hartley Bay, at the mouth of Douglas Channel . Nearby Wright Sound, known for its tricky currents and winds in bad weather would be the passageway for most of the tanker.
The Tsimshian First Nation, the hosts, welcomed the Gitga’at and protestors from other First Nations and reisdents of northwestern BC, before the the march began at Pacific Marinter’s Memorial Park.
It ended at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre, where, iin the afternoon, speakers spoke about environmental concerns, followed by a dancing and concert in the evening.
Gitga’at boats from Hartley Bay rescued passengers after the sinking of the ferry Queen of the North in 2006.
The Gitga’at say oil still leaks from the Queen of the North, affecting some shellfish beds in the area.