The Adams lake blockade is still up. The 3 Native nations opposing the
development of a 60-unit RV park are the Adams Lake, Little Shuswap
and Neskonlith nations. The development was being built on a Native
burial site. This is an increasingly common occurrence in British
Columbia. Today (April 27) the Nanoose First Nation on Vancouver
Island put up a blockade at Craig Bay - site of a 500-unit condo
development going in on top of what may be the largest aboriginal
burial site in B.C. So far 147 full and partial skeletons have been
excavated and stored in boxes during the ground-clearing for the
condos. An additional 248 are above ground and exposed. (I was
there this morning. Jaw bones, teeth and skull fragments were
plainly visible, strewn about the dug up site. And an additional 600-800
skeletons remain in the ground.
The Nanoose First Nation blockade was successful in halting development
today, and they say the will continue the blockade for as long as it
takes - no more ancestral remains will be disturbed.
A significant development occurred on April 22 when elder and band leaders
from various B.C. Native nations convened in Adams Lake and formed a
"Direct Action Coalition" to "immediately establish a network of
solidarity check-points at strategic locations throughout the Province,
in the event that the Provincial Government attempts to remove the
check-point at Adams Lake through the use of force," according to
the press release issued by the newly formed coalition on Apr. 22.
At Day One of the Nanoose blockade this morning, members from at
least 8 other Native nations in B.C. were present - some from a very
long way away.
It will be interesting to see how B.C.'s left-of-centre NDP gov't
deals with this organized campaign of direct action and resistance.
When the Nanoose First Nation went to court to try to quash
the developers permits, the provincial government lawyer argued
that a victory for the Natives would endanger developments all
over the province. The judge ultimately ruled that the Nanoose
burial site could not be included under the B.C. Cemetary Act
because the remains were too old. (The site dates back
4,000 years and the most recent remains dated so far are about
200 years old.)
The developer, Intrawest Development Corp. of Vancouver, has
offered to sell the Nanoose First Nation the 18-acre burial
site within the 150-acre development for $30 million. Intrawest
bought the entire 150 acres for about $800,000 five years ago.
Kim Goldberg
Nanaimo, B.C.