Tag Archive: First Nations


Wednesday Charm…

The Red top burger shop in Merritt has been renovated. The restaurant closed for years and once operated by the famed Edna Taylor with her husband Al as an independent after being a Mr. Mike’s franchise, the relationship with Mr Mike’s soured and contributed to Als death. Edna operated Red Top as a widow withots of support from local business including her brother-in-law. The famous Ted Taylor who had a jewelry store and was a legion member extraordinaire.

The recent items included steel doors and trap closures that prevented it from being a hovel for dispossessed people.

It looks like it is ready for tenancy. It appears to be unlisted. A source says an first Nations band was the renovator and they’re going to use it for office space.

Edna Taylor had the same middle name, Marion; as John Wayne’s name, The Duke from cowboy fame had it as his real first name.

So, born in Salmon arm in 1927, Edna passed from this life in 2005.

Frendship funding…

File Photo KDG

C2C funding is available for local governments to build relationships with neighbouring FN groups.

C2C- Community to Community Forum…

Funding permitting, the application deadlines for 2019/20 are:
March 15, 2019. For events between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020
September 13, 2019.  For events between September 30, 2019 and March 31, 2020
December 6, 2019. For events between January 1 and March 31, 2020
The C2C program is administered by the UBCM and the First Nations Summit.  In most years since 1999, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing and Indigenous Services Canada have provided funding. In this time, nearly 630 C2C Forums have been held across the province.

Source UBCM

On this Day: February 7th 1940

Walt Disney’s Pinocchio premiers .

Music by George Leach

Dr.Eugene Atleos speaks to staff members and interested public at the , NVIT Speakers series  He is now a Former grand chief. File Photo KDG

Dr.Eugene Atleos speaks to staff members and interested public at the , NVIT Speakers series
He is now a Former grand chief.
File Photo KDG

Three time peoples choice aboriginal music maker will be hosted by the NVIT speakers series at noon Friday the 18th of November 2016.
The Local community college hosts and invites topical aboriginal speakers and educators for presentations at the Belshaw avenue campus in Merritt and Vancouver.
NVIT is a public educational, university transfer, and technical school and has a 30 plus year history in Merritt.
12:15 – 1:15 Refreshments provided, Georges range is Classic Rock, R&B and soul.

On this Day: November 17th 1950
The 14th Dalia Lama is proclaimed:

Nicola Naturalists -Island Conservation

Thursday the 19th will see Chris Gill present Guns, Traps, and Poisons to the regular  monthly meeting held at the lecture theater at the local community college on Belshaw avenue in Merritt.

Islands support fragile ecosystems and are the nesting sites for huge numbers of seabirds. Invasive alien species, such as rats, are one of the greatest threats to these sensitive locations. Chris Gill is a wildlife biologist from Salmon Arm and the founder of Coastal Conservation. He has been working for 15 years on island restoration in Haida Gwaii, BC where invasive rats, raccoon s and deer are a major threat. In 2014 Chris received the prestigious Parks Canada CEO Award of Excellence for the Night Birds Returning program – recognizing his excellent work in restoring breeding populations of birds on these islands. An important conservation success story.

Presentations start at &:PM membership or donation requested, no food or drinks in the theater.

Nicola Naturalist Society fall programs – 2015

On this day November 12th 1990

A proposal for a World Wide Web is published.

NVIT Trades Building

The Nicola Valley hosted the provincial premier Christy Clark as she opened a construction project that added to the local community college.

Local first nations peoples  including Lower Nicola Band Chief Aaron Sam were among those that witnessed the ceremonial ribbon cutting .

A hosted luncheon followed and was part of a general open house. Local retired person Joe Geil was taken by the lay out and expressed admiration for the “green house room for retreats and conference between individuals on the top floor of the college. The facility has a commanding view of the Nicola Valley facing the south east. The school is called Eagles Perch Campus and is one of two aboriginal focused campus’s in the province.

The premier answered questions about emails and there retention by officials.

On this day: October 27th 312

One of two Roman Emperors , Constantine has his vision of the cross.

A thousand tagged salmon

Looking for tagged fish. Photo KDG

Looking for tagged fish.
Photo KDG

On Wednesday a pair of observers of First Nation origin were rowing down the Nicola River in a rubber raft.When challenged by the PR they said “we are looking for Chinook Salmon” .”We tagged a thousand of them last year and they should be here anytime” They run every year, said the person in control of the boat.
Merritt has two small rivers that join in the city. The Coldwater and the Nicola they continue as the Nicola to the Thompson at Spence’s Bridge and then on to the the Fraser and the Pacific ocean.There is a fish hatchery at Spious creek west of Merritt that is open to the public for tours. A serious fish tagging program is undertaken and a cabled intervention point is on the Coldwater River off the Voght park walking trail.
The Coldwater river was visibly seen to be suffering during the drought this summer but on viewing the this morning looks healthy and well due to rains in the Coldwater river valley high into the Coquihalla area to the south. The river is however void of fish at this point from a layman’s perspective and access. Chinnok Salmon are on the UNC red list for endangered species.
According to the local newspaper of record the city has announced plans to purchase three city lots on Charters street (* one is in the Nicola river) for a preserve.the lots are said to have access problems which may make them suitable for the preserve.

Chinook are anadromous fish native to the North Pacific Ocean and the river systems of western North America, ranging from California to Alaska, as well as Asian rivers ranging from northern Japan to the Palyavaam River in the Arctic north-east Siberia. They have been introduced to other parts of the world, including New Zealand and the Great Lakes of North America. A large Chinook is a prized and sought-after catch for a sporting angler. The flesh of the salmon is also highly valued for its dietary nutritional content, which includes high levels of important omega-3 fatty acids. Some populations are endangered, however many are healthy. The Chinook salmon has not been assessed for the UCN Red List.

Source: Wikipedia

On this Day: September 3rd 1976

The Viking 2 spacecraft lands on the Utopia Planitia,Mars.

 

Truth and reconcilation: opinion

Traditional drum making at NVIT Photo KDG

Traditional drum making at NVIT
Photo KDG

The commission established to document the why and where fore of aboriginal affairs over 6 years ago reported last month after thousands of interviews and meetings. The Justice in charge had clear opinions on the reasons and the restatement of the events that caused suffering and loss of culture is useful ; although possibly rhetoric. The recommendations once again may not ever be fully implemented however its effect on the second generation of people’s since the adoption of the charter of rights and freedoms in 1981 will be of use to watch.
The Charter prohibits the government from running programs based on race or ethnicity with the section 15 exception for programs to ameliorate poverty on an Indian reserve. The First Nations join other groups of survivors such as Hiroshima,*****, ( to painful to mention) and many others that gave rise to the reasons why, with that slight advantage.

The dynamics of power are limited to what can be justified in a free and democratic society by the Charter and we hope that going forward all citizens of Canada will subscribe to that.

That’s leaves Art, some how it seems that the Canada Council is not enough, however it is geared to freedom of expression thought and belief and allows for say.

The best thing you can do for those around you is be well yourself.

NVIT the local First Nations inspired community college is getting new furniture in its library at this writing.

On this day: June 11 2008
The Government of Canada apologizes for abuses suffered by First Nations people in the residential school program.

TGIF-NVISA new roof

The Nicola Valley Indian Administration building is getting a new roof. The building build in 1971 is at the corner of Garcia and Coutlee, in down town Merritt. Tom Tar Roofing and Sheet metal no address on the door is doing the work and crews have worked all week in – double-digit weather to do the job. The Indian administration administers for 6 bands in the valley and has put together corporations to hold businesses in partnership including the Days INN ( destroyed in a fire several years ago). The Indians of the Nicola valley are considered progress by many including attitudes toward addiction and self-improvement.

Today in history: December 5th 63 BC
Cicero gives his last discourse on warfare.

The local community college NVIT, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology has its welcoming to new students this week. The school has a new sign ,bilingual in English and the local first nations language. The sign says welcome to our territory, its a new sign probably made since the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision saying that limited title to first people’s traditional land still exists were treaties have not been negotiated. Language groups are often associated with land and territory and it has been a comfort for defining people s for ever but it is also been trouble when conflict arrises.
Language and territory has also been a method of separating people and controlling populations under rulers. In this modern age of interaction between populations we hope that this new context leads to better working out of where identity issues lie, commercial interests and access to the world for all people’s not just those that control lands, commerce, and ideas exist.
In reality the Canadian government still has a lot of say in how its citizens act particularly First Nations through the Indian act and charter section 15, the exemption to deals with poverty.
Its time to leave our identities alone and think in terms of mutual respect for all persons.
Today in history: September 5th 1961
The first conference of nonaligned countries is held in Belgrade.

There has been a real transition to self-governing among the First Nations people’s in the Nicola Valley.  Some real markers for the recapture of a near dead culture are here. NVIT is a first nations run public college, it has agreements with major universities for university transfer. They use the facility for traditional feasts and have a FN language dean.

Located behind the senior highschool is a mock-up pit house with architecture that models the original design and demonstrates the importance of circular dynamics of meetings. The Provincial park at Nicola lake also has ancient pit house remains as a topical interest.

The healing of local natives is in some ways apparent including a marked departure from excessive drinking and there is fewer tragic accidents in the last half decade.

The aboriginal mine training association posts employment goals in the near 1000 range and is well on its way to achieving.

There are catagory two, grade schools that are government certified including one at Douglas Lake, featuring kindergarten to grade twelve. nkwala@uppernicolaband.com

Kudos to visionaries like the late Grand Chief Gordon Antoine for his clear vision and patient resolve to create conditions for success.

Today in history: March 7th 1994

The United States Supreme court rules that parodies of an original work is  acceptable under the fair use provision.

NVIT, visiting speakers series

Dr.Eugene Atleo speaks to staff members and interested public at the NVIT lecture theater, Wednesday November 20th. Re- member

Dr.Eugene Atleo speaks to staff members and interested public at the NVIT lecture theater, Wednesday November 20th. Re- member

Last evening the School NVIT  had a speaker from the lower mainland, of BC. Dr. Eugene Richard Atleo,a chief of the Abbotsford first nations band and the father Shawn Atleo of the Grand chief of the national expression of first nations.

Dr. Atleo is a hereditary chief of  the Ahousaht First Nation and was the first  to earn a doctorate among First Nations people.    Dr. Atleo’s main message is that the cooperative life is sustainable and that dominate life is not. He took ownership of the cooperative life style as being Aboriginal and traditional.

Today in history: November 21st 1953

The Piltdown Man Skull is declared a hoax the the British Natural Museum.

Drumming and drum making

About a dozen people were in a traditional drum making class at room 069 today ant NVIT the first nations administrated public , community college at 4155 Belshaw Avenue here in Merritt , starting with a bannock lunch the process takes about 2 hours to stretch raw hide over wooden rings. Deer skin is also used to make rattles of raw hide to go with drummers.

A drum stick is also made from a willow stick , ” medicine” ” willow has healing ” and a sowed skin covered foam pad. A participant said also that sand was used  before balloons were available to stitch wet rawhide over for  the rattle.

When asked Amy Strayer said it was her first one and tradition holds that she give it away. Her drum was drying and she had not yet decided who to give it to.

First nations people often sing ad drum their introductions to a meeting.

Today in history: April 16th 1881

Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle in Dodge city.