First Nations in British Columbia

First Nations in British Columbia
Moxy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	First Nations in British Columbia

First Nations in British Columbia Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and Interior plateau occupy territories now within British Columbia, with histories intertwined with Columbia River, Fraser River, Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and Stikine River regions. Longstanding networks of trade, ceremony, and diplomacy connected groups such as the Haida, Tlingit, Heiltsuk, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwakaʼwakw, Sto:lo, Syilx-Okanagan, and Secwepemc to coastal fisheries, cedar harvesting, and interior salmon runs. Contact and conflict involving James Cook, George Vancouver, Hudson's Bay Company, Royal Navy, and colonial administrations like the Colony of Vancouver Island and Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) reshaped demography through disease and dispossession, while later legal contests engaged institutions such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the British Columbia Treaty Commission, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

History

Pre-contact social orders developed along routes including the Inside Passage, Cariboo Road, and Trans Mountain Pipeline corridor, with archaeological evidence from sites like Marmes Rockshelter, Prince Rupert Harbour, and Ancient Marpole Midden linking to ancestral lineages such as the Tsimshian and Nuxalk. European incursions by expeditions of James Cook and George Vancouver led to interactions with traders from the Hudson's Bay Company and missionary activity by figures associated with the Church Missionary Society and Methodist Church of Canada. Epidemics of smallpox and consequences of the Chilcotin War and conflicts around the Gold Rushes precipitated population collapse and dispossession, followed by colonial policies including the Indian Act, the establishment of reserves, and residential schools administered under departments like Department of Indian Affairs. Landmark legal and political developments—such as decisions in Delgamuukw v British Columbia, R v Sparrow, and the negotiation processes overseen by the British Columbia Treaty Commission—have redefined rights and title.

Peoples and Languages

Diverse linguistic families in the province include representatives of the Salishan languages (e.g., Halkomelem, Nuxalk, Secwepemctsin), the Wakashan languages (e.g., Nuu-chah-nulth language, Heiltsuk-Oowekyala), the Tsimshianic languages (e.g., Tsimshian language), and isolates and language stocks such as Haida language. Nations and communities include the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh, Katzie First Nation, Cowichan Tribes, Lytton First Nation, Lheidli T'enneh, Tsawwassen First Nation, Kitasoo/Xai'xais, Gitxsan, Wet'suwet'en, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, Nisga'a Lisims Government, and the Haisla Nation. Language revitalization initiatives involve institutions like First Peoples' Cultural Council, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls to action, and community programs supported by organizations such as Native Education College and U'mista Cultural Society.

Governance and Legal Status

Structures range from elected band councils under the Indian Act and governance agreements such as the Nisga'a Final Agreement and Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement to hereditary systems among the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en. Legal contests over Aboriginal title and rights have invoked decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada including Tsilhqot'in Nation v British Columbia and R v Marshall. Institutions and processes interacting with Nations include the British Columbia Treaty Commission, the Assembly of First Nations, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, and treaty negotiation organizations such as the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia in matters affecting Crown land, hydroelectric projects with BC Hydro, and resource development overseen by the Environmental Assessment Office (British Columbia).

Culture and Society

Artistic traditions encompass carving, potlatch ceremony, weaving, and totem poles associated with societies like the Haida Nation, Tlingit, Kwakwakaʼwakw, and Tsimshian, with cultural repositories at institutions such as the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Royal BC Museum, U'mista Cultural Society, and Haida Gwaii Museum. Ceremonial law and governance involve potlatch practices that intersected with enforcement by the Indian Act and prosecutions in periods of prohibition by colonial authorities including the RCMP. Contemporary cultural revival is visible in festivals like the Northwest Coast Music Festival, language projects supported by the Endangered Languages Program, and artistic exchanges showcased at venues such as Vancouver Art Gallery and events like the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

Economy and Land Rights

Economic life historically centered on salmon fisheries in the Fraser River, herring fisheries in Boundary Bay, cedar forestry on Haida Gwaii, and trade networks linking the Columbia River to interior plateaus. Modern economic arrangements include impact-benefit agreements with companies such as Teck Resources, FortisBC, and Shell Canada, partnerships on pipelines like Trans Mountain pipeline, and revenue-sharing under treaty agreements such as the Nisga'a Final Agreement. Land-rights litigation, including cases like Delgamuukw v British Columbia and Tsilhqot'in Nation v British Columbia, has influenced forestry licensing administered by the Ministry of Forests (British Columbia), mining permits adjudicated in matters involving Teck Resources and Imperial Metals, and fishing rights enforced through rulings like R v Sparrow and R v Gladstone.

Contemporary Issues and Reconciliation

Current challenges and responses involve implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, reconciliation pathways advanced by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and policy directives from the Province of British Columbia, and activism by groups such as the Protect the Inlet movement and organizations like the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. Disputes over pipelines (e.g., Coastal GasLink, Trans Mountain), logging conflicts in areas like the Great Bear Rainforest, and blockades tied to actions by the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and Lelu Island defenders have engaged courts including the Supreme Court of British Columbia and federal departments such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Institutional reforms include curriculum changes in Province of British Columbia Ministry of Education schools, monument repatriation facilitated by museums like the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, and negotiated settlements exemplified by the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement and the Nisga'a Final Agreement as part of broader restorative justice, treaty, and economic reconciliation efforts.

Category:Indigenous peoples in Canada