Chemainus
The Chemainus (Shts'um'inus) or Chemainus First Nation is a Canadian first nation belonging to the Salish language family . She describes herself as the Stz'uminus First Nation . The tribe had exactly 1,254 registered members in February 2015.
The name comes from the Hul'qumi'num word "Tsa-mee-nis" which means "bitten breast". The horseshoe-shaped bay and the nearby range of hills in its traditional residential area looked like a man lying on his stomach with a gaping wound in his chest.
history
The Chemainus First Nation originally lived where the city of Ladysmith is now . Since approx. 3000 BC They lived in Kulleet Bay (in the Yellowpoint area), at Shell Beach (across from Ladysmith Harbor) and at Coffin Point near Elliot Beach Park.
From 1884 their land was increasingly sold. The Chemainus First Nation and their villages, Shts'um'inus , Thuq'mi'n, and Hwkwumluwhuthun were relocated to what is now Chemainus Indian Reserve 13 , one of four reservations the tribe now inhabits.
Reservations had been established since 1867, but when British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, there were only 2,675 acres in the Cowichan Valley and 269 in the Chemainus Valley. Malcolm Gilbert Sproat, the responsible Indian Land Commissioner , visited what is now the Hul'qumi'num area , and delivered a report on January 14, 1877. He carried out a population census and found that 114 "Chemainus Indians" lived in the bay of the same name and 153 "Lick-a-mun Indians" [Sicameen] in Oyster Bay, and that apart from a small fishing station on Chemainus (Say- la-quas No. 10) there were no reserves. He wondered how well Indians and whites behaved under these circumstances. To indicate which area the Chemainus claimed, they had marked trees in the entire area between the two bays. This seemed too much to Sproat, and he offered them 1,800 acres, land on which both groups would live. Some settlers had claimed an area at Oyster Harbor, but it was a village. Sproat offered them 300 acres at the western end of the harbor tip, including the old village and soil previously cultivated by the Indians, plus a stream where salmon can be caught. Sproat admitted that the land was not exactly attractive for white settlers, because the soil would become sterile after the first harvest, as there was a layer of clay close to the surface, which the settlers called "hardpan".
Elsewhere, however, a Mr. Thomas argued that the reserve was between his land and the river so that his cattle could not drink. The Indians, on the other hand, are only present for a short time each year and they do not cultivate the land. Sproat refused to cut the area from the reserve.
When the McKenna-McBride Commission visited the reservations from 1913, it suggested that of the two reservations of the “Chemainus Tribe, Chemainus and Sickameen Bands”, “No. 10-Fishing Station, 15.00 acres, and No. 11-Fishing Station, 81.00 acres ”,“ No. 12-On western shore of Oyster Harbor, at its head, Oyster District, 296.00 acres "and" No. 13-Between Oyster Harbor and Chemainus Bay, Oyster District, 2692.00 acres “should remain. These Commission proposals did not become legally binding until 1923.
Reservations
Chemainus 13 is by far the largest with 1038 ha. It lies between Ladysmith Harbor and the Stuart Canal. At the port is Oyster Bay 12 with 97.6 hectares. There are also two smaller reserves on the Chemainus River and south-east of Chemainus with a total of 35.3 hectares. In total, the four reserves cover almost 1171 hectares. Of the 1,254 recognized members of the people (February 2015) 451 live outside of reserves, 692 within their own and 111 in other reserves.
Tribal council
The elected chief is John Elliot. The Chemainus First Nation is one of the ten members of the Naut'sa Mawt Tribal Council , which jointly represents the tribes of the Burrard , Snuneymuxw , Halalt , Homalco , Klahoose First Nation, Sliammon and Tsawwassen First Nation to the government of British Columbia .
In addition, the Chemainus belong to the six tribes of the Hul'qumi'num language group, which also include the Cowichan , Halalt , Penelakut , Lyackson and Lake Cowichan .
literature
- Legends from the Chemainus Tribe , Chemainus Tribal Council 1992
- Wayne Suttles (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians . Volume 7: Northwest Coast. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC 1990. ISBN 0-87474-187-4
See also
- History of the Coastal Salish
- History of British Columbia
- First Nations history
- List of Indian tribes recognized in Canada
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ a b c First Nation Detail. Stz'uminus First Nation. (No longer available online.) Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada January 23, 2015, archived from the original April 2, 2015 ; accessed on March 27, 2015 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Arnett 1999, 313
- ↑ The published text: Minutes of Decision - Cowichan Agency ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
