Kwicksutaineuk

Traditional territory of the Kwicksutaineuk and their main reserves

The Kwicksutaineuk , Kwikwasut`inux or Gilford Island , officially Kwicksutaineuk-ah-kwaw-ah-mish , are one of the First Nations in western Canada. They live in the province of British Columbia , more precisely across from Port Hardy (on Vancouver Island ) on the east side of Johnstone Strait . Their language is Kwak'wala.

They belong to the northern Kwakwaka'wakw and together with two other tribes, the Kwa-Wa-Aineuk and the Tsawataineuk, form the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council . Their main place of residence is Gilford Island , where, according to their own information, only 35 tribesmen still live in the village of Gwa'yasdums.

history

The former residential area of ​​the Kwicksutaineuk was opposite the northern tip of Vancouver Island. By 1850 they lived in the neighborhood of the Kwakiutl , Gwawaenuk , Tsawataineuk, and other Kwak'wala speaking tribes.

Reservations

Today they live mainly in the Gwayasdums Indian Reservation No. 1 (25.4 hectares) on the west coast of Gilford Island, about 60 km east of Port Hardy, on the east side of the Johnstone Strait. Its ten reservations cover a total of 172 hectares. Kye-yaa-la 1 (8.4 hectares) is located on Sail Island in the Retreat Passage in the west of Gilford Island and includes some islets offshore. Kyidagwis 2 (4.5 ha) is on the west side of Wakeman Sound, as is Dug-da-myse 12 (1.6 ha). Alalco 8 (118.7 hectares) is located at the confluence of the Wakeman River with northern Wakeman Sound and is the largest reservation. There are five other reserves on Gilford Island: Meetup 2 (6.4 ha) on Vinder Sound, Ahta 3 (7.1 ha) at the mouth of the Ohta River on the Tribune Channel at the north end of the island, Kakweken 4 (4 ha) on Kakweken River on Thompson Sound, Dakiulis 7 (0.7 ha) at the tip of Islet Point to the west, finally Kyimla 11 (1.1 ha) at Trafford Point to the east.

Of the 295 tribesmen, only 45 lived in their own reservations, another 25 in other reservations in October 2014, plus 218 relatives who live outside of reservations and 7 people who do not live on any Crown Land . The 22 to 26 houses of the reservation get running water, while the sewage disposal was carried out by a septic system - until 1996. Since then, the drinking water supply has been made from plastic bottles. The police and health care come from Simoon Sound. The public facilities include a band office, a nave, a community hall and a supply building. Economic activities take place in forestry and tourism.

Current situation

The island has only received medical care at least once a month since around 1980. The infrastructure, such as the water supply, collapsed in 1996 and was catastrophically poor by the end of 2005. Germ-free water in particular is a big problem, so that water has to be obtained at great expense. The wells are too salty. Around three quarters of the 26 houses from the 50s and 60s suffered from mold and were hardly habitable anymore. In 2004, Chief Henry Scow called Indian Affairs the "worst enemy" of the tribe in the face of delays .

The food supply, which until a few decades ago came directly from the surrounding area, is no longer possible due to algae migration, but above all because of the damage from fish farms and factories. In 2003 there were around 30 fish farms on the Broughton Archipelago alone. Nowhere in western Canada is the concentration of fish farms as great as here. In 2002 the salmon populations (especially the pink salmon) collapsed, and since then there have been no more salmon migrations, which in turn starves the bear population and has further ecological consequences. Especially Heritage Salmon Limited and Stolt Sea Farm Inc. stand out here. 2000 was estimated with 3.6 million salmon, two years later, there were barely 150,000 - humpback salmon ( English Pink Salmon ) draw only every two years.

In 2003, the Indians turned to the British Columbia Supreme Court with the help of the Sierra Legal Defense Fund . To do this, they joined forces with the Tsawataineuk , Namgis and Gwaraenuk bands, which are also affected.

Against the background of this and other experiences, three tribes have refused to participate in the state Central Coast Land and Resource Management Plan since 2005 , among them the Kwicksutaineuk.

A small Provincial Marine Park of 2 hectares, the Echo Bay Marine Provincial Park , was established on Gilford Island . Since 1995 the tribes of the region, including the Haida , who are part of the Great Bear Rainforest, have tried to protect the largest preserved area of ​​temperate rainforest from further logging. They are supported by environmental organizations.

Judge Alfred Scow of the Kwicksutaineuk First Nation, Gilford Island Band, and traditional chief, is the first Native to rise to high judge in British Columbia. He presides over the Provincial Court in Coquitlam today . He was born in Alert Bay , where he attended St. Michael's Residential School.

literature

• Leland Donald / Donald H. Mitchell: Some Correlates of Local Group Rank among the Southern Kwakiutl , in: Ethnology 14/4 (1975) 325-34

Web links

• Homepage of the Kwicksutaineuk-ah-kwa-mish
• Echo Bay Provincial Marine Park, Gilford Island
• Website of the tribal council, the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council

See also

• First Nations history
• History of British Columbia
• List of Indian tribes recognized in Canada

Remarks

1. ↑ A map of the tribal areas around 1850 can be found here: [1] .
2. ↑ According to the information from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development , First Nation Profiles: [2] .
3. ↑ Windspeakter, October 2004: Archived copy ( memento of the original from December 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) 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. . 
4. ↑ Map of the fish farms: [3] .
5. ↑ Article in the New York Times of September 14, 2003: [4] .
6. ↑ The declaration of November 1, 2005: Archived copy ( Memento of the original of December 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) 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. . 
7. ↑ See: [5] .