Please forward to all your contacts
March 22, 1995
To All Protectors of Mother Earth,
In 1952, the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan), needed water, lots
of it, for their aluminum smelter at Kitimat, British Columbia.
They took that water by damming a wild river and reversing the flow
of an entire watershed. Very few people at the time knew that they
also flooded out a tiny Aboriginal nation - the Cheslatta Whut'en.
Very few people know their story to this day.
When the Cheslatta people came to Ottawa to seek financial and
moral support, filmmaker Sheila Jordan and her husband Ron George
decided that they had to do something to help. The result of their
commitment is an hour-long documentary on the story of the
Cheslatta Whut'en, their tragic relocation and their continued
fight to move home. The film "No Surrender", is also a plea to the
Canadian population to stand up in the face of mega-projects which
are literally destroying our rivers - the very lifeblood of the
planet.
On Friday April 21, 1995, at the Vogue Theatre on Granville Street
in Vancouver, the film "No Surrender" will be shown for the very
first time. Master of Ceremonies for the Premiere will be Len
George, of the Tsleil-Waututh (Burrard) First Nation along with
performances by dancers from the same nation. Singer / songwriter
Dana Lyons will perform the song "Drop of Water", which he donated
to the film. A group of Cheslatta dancers will be dancing in
public for the first time. Guest speakers will include Eutonnah
Dunn, from the Cherokee Nation talking about the Trail of Tears, a
member from the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, and Roy Henry Vickers.
Mr. Vickers has donated a limited edition print to help with the
fundraising.
Proceeds from the evening will be going to the Cheslatta
Redevelopment Project "95". By setting up a protection corridor
around the Murray and Cheslatta Lakes, the Cheslatta Whut'en hope
that a portion of their traditional territory will begin to heal
and with the healing of the land will come the healing of the
people.
On Saturday April 22, 1995, the Cheslatta Whut'en will be hosting
a meeting of many different Indigenous communities in British
Columbia who have been, in most cases, fraudulently evicted from
their traditional territories. The meeting's central theme will be
on how to deal with the tragic consequences of their relocations,
as well as discussions with other environmental groups on how to go
about healing the land and consequently healing themselves.
For more information please contact Hilma Rusu at (604) 875-0087 or
Ron George at (604) 684-0231.
We hope you will join us!
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