Halalt
The Halalt (or Halalt First Nation ) are one of the Canadian First Nations in the province of British Columbia . They live on the east coast of Vancouver Island , north of Duncan . In August 2009, 211 people were registered as members of the tribe.
The Halalt First Nation is a member of the Naut'sa Mawt Tribal Council , which collectively includes the tribes of the Burrard , Chemainus First Nation, Snuneymuxw First Nation, Homalco , Klahoose First Nation, Sliammon , Nanoose , Malahat and T 'sou-ke represents to the Government of Canada. In addition, the Halalt belong to the six tribes of the Hul'qumi'num group, which also include the Cowichan , Chemainus, Penelakut , Lyackson and Lake Cowichan .
history
The historic Halalt villages were on Willy Island off Chemainus and in the lower Chemainus Valley. The starting point was the village xeláltxw , which means “painted house”, because the house posts in this village were highlighted in color. This village was probably in the Cowichan Valley, more precisely where the Silver Bridge crosses the Cowichan River today , i.e. in the southeast of Duncan. Cowichan and Chemainus (Siyóletse and St'éts'en) came from this village.
The residents later moved to the north of Willy Island, the largest of the Shoal Islands off the mouth of the Chemainus River. Presumably this happened at the beginning of the 19th century, where they took the village name with them. There were probably five or six houses in the new village. Although the island was added to the Halalt Reserve, the village was abandoned in the 1920s. The residents moved to the Westholme reserve on the lower Chemainus ( Halalt No. 2 ). This had the following background: In October 1863, Governor James Douglas ordered some islands in the mouth of the Chemainus River and the land around the "upper settlement" as "Indian Reserves" for the Halalt. But in 1867 these islands were confiscated in favor of a settler named Mainguy, and in return their ownership of a 110-acre parcel (now Halalt No. 2 ) (Arnett, p. 312), as well as the reservation on Willy Island, was generously determined .
When the McKenna-McBride Commission visited the reservations from 1913, they suggested that the two reservations of the Chemainus Tribe, Halalt Band, No 1 - Halalt Island, 140.00 acres, and No. 2 - Halalt, 287.00 acres ”should remain. These Commission proposals did not become legally binding until 1923.
Current situation
The Chemainus River was, like the Cowichan River, a water-rich river, but today it is more like a stream. For the growing coastal towns, especially Chemainus, more and more water is needed. The Halalt live near the river, on a groundwater layer that depends on this river. This means that their drinking water supply is also determined by the water level of the river. But the Municipality of North Cowichan has already requested a higher water withdrawal. The application is still being examined. The Honor Our River celebration on September 14, 2007 showed how vital the Halalt river is. The neighboring First Nations of Penelakut, Chemainus and Lyackson were invited, but also the inhabitants of Westholme, Chemainus and Thetis Island. After construction began in 2010 despite an ongoing lawsuit, Halalt First Nation decided in February to erect a blockade.
Reservations
Halalt's two reserves are Halalt Island 1 and Halalt 2 . The former is located on Willy Island in the mouth of the Chemainus River and covers 56.6 hectares, the latter is located on the Chemainus River, around 3 km from the confluence with the Stuart Channel and covers 109.2 hectares. The Halalt live here. In August 2009 there were still 94 Halalts in the reserve, and a further 13. 104 registered Halalts lived outside the reserves. A total of 208 people are registered as Halalt. Their chief is James Robert (Bert) Thomas.
literature
- Wayne Suttles (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians . Volume 7: Northwest Coast. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC 1990. ISBN 0-87474-187-4
Web links
- Halalt on the side of the tribal council
- Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group site
- Map of the Hul'qumi'num Contracting Group areas
- official Halalt site, but still under construction
See also
- History of the Coastal Salish
- History of British Columbia
- First Nations history
- List of Indian tribes recognized in Canada
Remarks
- ↑ More details on the tribes involved: [1] .
- ↑ The published text: Minutes of Decision - Chemainus Tribe ( 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. .
- ↑ film post by BChannelnewstv, March 6, 2010 .
- ↑ According to the information from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development , First Nation Profiles: Halalt ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
