pmnaeen , maaimm gee Le

’ Page A6 - Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 12, 1990

TO THE TERRACE STANDARD

Land claims not a game

Dear Sir;

In response to a letter printed
Aug, 19, 1990. Who says that
we, as native people, are
Jaughing and having fun with
the white people. What we are
talking about is certainly not a

_ game.

This isn’t about social
assistance, hospitals, doctors,
and ‘all the opportunities that
the white people introduced the
natives to. It’s about compensa-
tion for what was taken from
our land.

It-states that they work like
beavers and pay high taxes,
riatives pay taxes just like the
next person. Ask the fisherman,

the loggers, the people who are
employed by some white owned
companies within our valley —
they all pay their taxes,

It also states that we should

‘be cut off. from. owning cars,

televisions, -and the everyday
necessities of living. Even if we
were to be cut off, where would
the white people’s business
come from — 85 per cent to 90
per cent of their business comes
from natives within the sur-
rounding areas.

I agree with the statement of
ripping up their so-called paved
roads, Then and only then will
they finally get to see what kind

of road conditions we have to

travel on to get into town and [ |

quote ‘“‘to give them our
business.”"

As for being on welfare, our

main industry up in the valley is
logging and the majority of the
workers who work up here are
white men. I’m quite sure if
they weren't employed by the
companies they too would be on
welfare. They. take so much
from our hunting grounds and
ruin our Jand yet in return our
people are not being compen-
sated for what and I quote again
the article calls ‘‘standing on
their own two feet’’, sure they

Nisga’a culture is alive
and well up in the Nass

Dear Sir:

_In response to recent letters I
would like to address the decep-
tive views on the Indian land
question.

The native Indians of Canada
did not immigrate from Asia;
it’s just a theory thought up by
the scientists to justify the im-
migrant’s claim to our country.
'Your Canadian history books
spell out the fact that when the
Europeans discovered Canada
they also discovered Native In-
dians.

._ Our people, the Nisga’a, have
owned and occupied over
10,000 square miles of territory
since the memory of man, and
question the astounding idea, to
the self-interest of some Euro-
pean nations, that one should
have rights to another’s land by

the simple act of discovery.

We have never surrendered
our land nor the right to govern
ourselves. Our people have
owned and cared for the land
since time immemorial, we have
never been conquered by means
of war,

With regard to Bill
Homburg’s letter and the one
from ‘Horrible’ Jack Davis,
MLA,
Canada have lived in Canada
and will live long after they’re
gone, It is people like Homburg
and Davis, who have one-sided
deceptive views that prolong the
settlement of the land question.

It peeves me to hear govern-
ment officials quoting my late
grandfather James Gosnell’s
statement that we own the land

“lock, stock and barrel’ and

GRAND

the native Indians of.

they still do not know the
definition of self-government
and aboriginal title, ;

We want the right to govern
curselves as we once did, so
stop the suppression of

economic development, and of |

living equally so that we can live
as one on an equat basis.

With regard to J. Bolster's
letter, I don’t know what kind
of crystal he/she is looking
through, but our culture and
heritage is very much alive in
our art, language and every day
living. Who is J. Bolster to
make such a statement!

We are the caretakers of the
land. We are born from the land
and will be returned to the land
when we die. Let us share the
responsibility for Life.

Erie Clayton
New Aiyansh, B con

ite
wet
we

IT’S OUR

are but some of thera a are doing “k

it on our land.

‘Fhe government put us ‘on —
what they’ named reserves.:We

owned it to begin with, however
they in return still come in and
do whatever they please as long
as it is to their advantage; And
when they're finished stripping

-Us of,our wood, we are left with
No hunting grounds to hunt on

and nothing to fall back on in
the end..
Of course they move on to

‘another reserve doing the same

thing as they did to us. It’s likea
cycle that never seems-to stop,
as long as there is something
there to take they will come in
and take it.

We are not timid, or ashamed

‘to speak up for what we believe

in if-that was the case then I
assure you I would not. be
responding to the article that
was written by someone who

' knows nothing about us,

You live a white society and

‘you believe that you owe us

nothing. Well, as for my own
Opinion, you don’t as .an in-
dividual person but someone
has to take the responsibility
and compensate us for what
they took out of our valley.

It’s about time we as native. .

people started taking action, If
we wait for the government to
negotiate with us they will have
already taken all they can take,
then. we'll have nothing. to
negotiate about.

1 however have sympathy for
all the people who are suffering

from the roadblocks but it’s.

those people who have to.get on
the government’s case. We can
block as long as it takes but it’s
your business that will take the
loss.

A. Robinson

wee

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