Alvin McKay thanked for service “TERRACE — Words of tribute and messages directed to the fu- .. ture” marked “the — closing “ceremonies of the 36th annual Nisga’a Tribal Council conven- .,flonhere last week. . Alvin’ McKay, defeated by Joseph Gosnell in a bid to return as-president of the tribal council, ~“yas-called a “true Nisga’a war- - tor”: by one speaker. »~McKay’s years of service fol- .- lowed Nisga’a leadership tradi- “ton, added tribal council execu- live director Rod Robinson. ~ “He thinks the same way I think You do not decline ser- |... vies,” continued ~~. Robinson. _ He's lived tight up to‘ that. You ‘make yourself available to the Nisga’a Nation.” “The vote loday docs nol mean : rejection. We're going to be here ~_ giving advice to the younger gen- > ¢ration,”” Robinson said. “The executive director also noted that in-coming tribal coun- cil executive chairman Kevin McKay is the youngest person ever to be elected to that position. **We have every falth in this young man,’* Robinson said. Gosnell alsa spoke about Alvin McKay’s service, saying he real- ized the toll on family life that can result. “We give heartfelt thanks from the members of the executive board: and ‘the Nisga’ a Nation,” said Gosnell, The new president also asked those at the convention to let the execulive board know if it: is making the right moves in land claims negotiations, “Tf we're heading in the wrong direction, by all means let us know,” said Gosnell. And he wamed those at the con- vention that their help might be required. “There may come a time when we'll call on you and we expect you to respond,” said Gosnell. The new president said he was disappointed at the attendance at community mectings held lo dis- cuss land claims negotiations. “T wasn’t satisfied with what I saw, with the numbers at the meetings. I urge you to attend, We ‘can’t get direction if the members are absent,’” he said: Gosnell was elected to the posi- tlon of president afler two ballots. The constitution of the Nisga’ a Tribal Council requires winners of elected positions to gain 50 per cent of the votes plus one. In the first ballot Alvin McKay received 254 votes, Joseph Gos- nell. 218 and tribal council resources negotiator Harry Nyce received 94, There were 22 spoiled ballots for a total of 588. Since none of the candidates reached the required number of 50 per cent plus one a second bal- lot was held. Nyce was dropped off the ballol because he received the lowest number of the three BERT MCKAY'S words were heard by many people at the Nisga’a Tribal .Council convention last week, He was one of those giving simultaneous translations from Nisga’a into English and English into Nisga’a during convention sessions, More than 200 receivers were used by those attending tha convention, Search goes on for lost artifacts ACE =. No, one, Jengw 8 any Nisga’s a artifacis ar in S and colleciions" ‘around ~The: wal “In just four Canadian museums — one. of which is the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ot- “lawa-— the number of items identified is nearing 1,000. -Our people are insisting on : repatriation of all artifucts,’’ says ‘Nisga a spokesman Harry Nyce. :“Most . artifacts. involved — ‘ masks, jewellery, shakers and items of clothing —- were taken ” from the Nass by missionarics or through barter with Hudson Bay ‘Company traders. “Nyce . said the missionaries “treated: “the masks — some of which were made with animal or ‘human hair — as occult items. ‘The ‘missionaries were either afraid of them or just didn’t un- - Gerstand them,” he said. | Re bo Me bi a MUS whet nis} ga’ ‘a shits fave | been lo- cated iti Fraiicé; Biiglahd "aid * ‘the Soviet Union, he said: ' Some items may be recovered from a New York City museum slated for demolition soon. An estimated 50 to 200 Nisga’a artifacts are belleved.to be stored there, including a canoe taken from the Nass Valley. Nyce added itis hoped a cultur- al centre could be established someday in Greenville as part of the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park. Meanwhile, he said, tribal coun-, cil workers are continuing the’ process: of identifying and videotaping Nisga’ a works at mu- seums. “There's little known of private collections, but they do have northwest cultural artifacts,’ he added. candidates, Gosnell received 265 of the 499 voles in the second ballot, more than enough to reach the 50 per cent plus one figure. McKay received 223 votes in thal ballot and there were 11 spoiled ones, Two ballols were required for the position of.” execulive chairman. Joseph Gosnell, execulive chairman of the tribal council last year, ran again for the post. Also Tunning were Irene Griffin, ‘Hubert Haldane and Kevin MoKay. Gosnell topped the polls in the first ballot but didn't reccive enough votes to meet the 50 per cent plus one requirement. -That lead to a second ballot but Gosnell removed himself after winning the presidency position. Irene Griffin ran last and was dropped from the baltat, , This left Kevin McKay and Hubert Haldane in the running The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 5, 1993 - Page A5 ‘tribute paid to Nisga’a chief Alvin McKay the second time around. Kevin McKay received 191 voles. and Haldane 151. That was more than cnough for McKay to be declared the winner. — Edmond Wright was. relurned by acclamation to the post of tribal council secretary-treasurer, Speakers’ words. understood by all TERRACE — Earplugs worn by more than 200 people at the Nisga’a Tribal Council conven- tion last week weren't a sign they were hard of hearing. The earplugs were connected to tiny receivers enabling ‘the wearers to pick up simultancous translations of what was going on. Hardware for the. Nisga’a to English or English to’ Nisga’a translations was provided by In- temational Simultaneous Transla- tion Services of Vancouver with Nisga’a doing the translating. “We have 214 unils here and _they’re all out. Next year, we’rc going to bring 300,’’ company representative Alex Barbour said last week, - The translating was done from a small tent on the convention floor while Barbour manned the controls of what is a small radio station. Barbour’s company has been ‘providing the hardware. for. the ” izibal council convention-: for several years. It handles translation. services for a number of native groups in-. cluding the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the . As- sembly of First Nations. - There were two people doing the translating at the Nisga’a con- vention. They spelled cach other off to prevent fatigue from setting: in. A WIDE variety of aris and crafts grested those attending the Nisga’a Tribal Council convention last week. Holding one of his creations is Peter Nyce. His home village is Gitwinksihikw in the Nass Valley, but Nyce has been living in Sardis for the past nine years. He's enrolled in a teacher train- ing program. ~ Company tackles learning curve TERRACE — When Kevin McKay gives his annual report, it’s to nearly 6,000 shareholders. He’s chairman of Nisga’a Eco- nomic Enterprises Inc,, a compa- ny owned by the four Nisga’a vil- lages of the Nass Valley and their residents, ; The company is not only a busi- ness but it also represcnis the eco- nomic direction in which Nisga’a will head when their land claim is settled. “What we arc doing is in direct relation to the ongoing land issue, We're addressing economic de- velopment concerns,. We’te not doing this in isolation,’’ McKay said at the Nisga’a Tribal Council ‘convention. last week. McKay was also elected. as\ executive chairman of the tribal council. He regards the company as the starting ground for the Nisga’a to take a role in economic develop- ment when treaty negotiations be- tween the Nisga’a, Canada and British Columbia conclude. '* At the best of times change is a difficult thing. We expect fo go through a transition phaso. We’re quite confident we'll have a track record we’ve put logether that’ll respond to the challenges,” McKay added. Nisga’a Economic Enterprises was created in 1989 to act as “holding company for Nisga’a par- - ticipation in Tribal Resources Corporation, a northwest. native economic development finanelng - company. Just last year the company changed into an operating enlity by winning a bid to log wind- blown limber in the Kwinimass “area north of the Khutzeymatcen. That resulted in 60 jobs, 41 of which went to Nisga’a and a lotal payroll. of approximately $650,000. Created. as a spin otf was. Nisga’a Westcoast Stevedoring, a joint venture with West-.Coast Stevedoring of Alaska to load ships wilh wood that was logged. Nisga'a Economic . Enterprises “is planning another stevedoring season this year and hopes to load cight to 10 ships. It is. also developing three tim- ber sales totalling approximately 45,000 cubic metres north of Greenville this year. “Last year in the Kwinimass was the first opportu for our corporation to be obligated te run on a day to day, weck to weck basis,’’ said McKay. . “The learning | curve* . was abrupt.It met our new objective ts ° be a functioning company,’’ continued, -. But there’s more than logging . in the company’s fulure once land claims are settled, ; “*With the creation of the new Nisga’a lava bed park, there are ‘opportunities in the tourism’ sec- for, We feel the opportunities will have a major. domino effect,’” said McKay. “All these new. challenges. we view as our opportunity to put a positive slory on First nations,”’ he said. LETTERS JO THE TERHACL STARDARD Can't stop it Dear Sir: I am writing this letler to lel you know that one of the prob- lems here in town is thal we can’t seem to stop aborlion. Mos! of the people here who undergo abortions, especially the teenagers (13 to 20 years) don’! know of the dangers as- sociated wilh abortion. In regard to the danger and complications of abortion, onc may have a miscarriage, dis- case of the ulerus (PID) and/or infertility, IF a young girl, an unmarticd lady or a person not wishing a family, were to get pregnant, they should not give up hope, there are groups will- ing to help them. Confidential counselling is readily available which will help them {fo arrive at a humane decision that will not take the life of a dcfenceless soul. This advice may also pro- vide them with a temporary home during their confine- ment, should their family nol wish to provide same. If- the new mother did not wish {0 keep the new born child there are’ many = un-. fortunaie couples who would dearly love to adopt, which also may be arranged for the new mother and she need not even be involved, if that was her wish. . This letter is being written with the hope that even if one young person were to not have an abortion due to reading it, they would escape a future of self damnation. , Yours sincerely, Irma Saflor Terrace, B.C, Friend of Bill's Dear Sir: I am writing this letter in defenscs of my friend, Bill Homburg, who is some recent letters to the editor has been {u:y [mutch maligned :as,a, result, T Ac{hink, of,being. misunderstood. Certainly, Bill is from a ‘dif. ferent time and a different place. He has much of what ‘madem sociology books call, “residual ihinking’’. Poor man, he actually believes that people, if they are able, should work for a living! He also has the notion that if people give their lives whole heartedly to loving the Lord their God and their neighbours as they love themselves thal much of the sadness and boredom and suffering of today’s society would be al- Icvialed, : Bill has sometimes been ac- cused of being prejudiced. And, indeed, he is. Mr. Hom- burg is very much prejudiced against evil in all iis forms and aniecedents, But against people, not a bil. Although Bill isa staunch Protestant he has, shown me, a Catholic, much affection and _ respect. He has a great love for Jews, especially Tessie who he married at a time when there was much hatred against Jews — Hitler and his. followers having just killed millions of them. His wife survived the Holocaust, hidden. during the Second World War by Chris- tians and ather Dutch people of good will. I’ve never heard Bill make ‘any negative racial remarks, ‘though he has expressed crili- cal disagreement with. some aspecis of the native Indian leadership | agenda, This has been good in so far as it has sparked badly needed public debalc. And I for one would like to see more of this, Cont'd Page AG earning: ‘how fo tread. - Strike? There could be a strike - jn-the schools. Teachers have voted 63 per cent in favour of _ Striking. -- They meet to today to look over plans. Teachers. union presi- dent’ Cathy -Lambright © Spys- ‘teachers do not. want | «fo strike. | One issue is money. help’ teachers. A: second union at the school district has also taken a strike vote. It is made up of people who. look. . after’ ‘the schools... .. And a: third: union was io take a strike’ vote last night, Tt-is made. Up. of secre- taries arid’: people: who © Thanks The man on the right in this photo is Member of Parliament Jim Fulton. The other man is Rod Robinson, He works for ihe Nisga’a Tribal Coun- cil. Fulton is retiring from politics. He was thanked last week by the Nisga’a, They said he gave them ~ lols of support,