Mountains That See, and That Need to Be Seen: Aboriginal Perspectives
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Mountains that See, and that Need to Be Seen: Aboriginal Perspectives on Degraded Visibility Associated with Air Pollution in the BC Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley A Traditional Knowledge Study Prepared for Environment Canada By Keith Thor Carlson, PhD May 2009 Acknowledgements: This project was made possible through funding from the Government of Canada through Environment Canada. Of course, it also relied upon the generous sharing of information and knowledge by Aboriginal people and indigenous cultural experts living in the Lower Fraser River watershed (several of whom participated in more than one interview to clarify their thoughts on viewscapes). In particular: Joe Aleck Farley Patrick Antoine Mel Bailey Agnes Charlie Archie Charles Cheryl Gabriel Agnes Elizabeth Hansen Herb Joe Patricia John Mike Kelly Sonny McHalsie Cyril Pierre Carol Peters Dave Schaepe Dalton Silver Ray Silver. In addition, many other Aboriginal people have shared their knowledge with earlier generations of researchers asking similar though distinct questions. This report draws from these sources where appropriate. Two Aboriginal community-based researchers contributed greatly to this project by conducting the interviews and working with community members: Fern Gabriel, of the Kwantlen First Nation Tim Peters, of the Chawathil First Nation Archival and ethnographic research assistance was provided by UofS graduate student Ana Novakovic Thoughtful guidance and assistance were additionally provided by: Martin Mullan, Head, Air Quality Management Unit, Environment Canada; Tia Halstadt, Librarian/archivist Stó:lõ Research and Resource Management Centre Sonny McHalsie, Co-director Stó:lõ Research and Resource Management Centre Dave Schaepe, Co-director Stó:lõ Research and Resource Management Centre. Page 2 Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary 4 2. Background/overview of Project, and Rationale: 6 3. Methodology: 8 4. Indigenous (Traditional) Knowledge 9 5. Cultural Region: 12 6. Economic Linkages, Travel, and Viewscapes: 13 7. Transformer Stories, Flood Stories, Travel, and Viewscapes: 14 8. An Introduction to Aboriginal Perspectives on the Links Between History and Viewscapes: 23 9. The Importance of Being Able to See Mountain and Features in the Landscape: 24 10. Landscapes Features that are Important to See: 29 11. Celestial Objects that are Important to See: 35 12. The Importance of Being Able to See From Mountains: 37 13. Viewscapes and Tribal Territories: 38 14. The Importance of Mountains Themselves Being Able to See: 38 15. Concerns about Air Pollution and Smog Relating to Physical and Biological Health: 39 16. Conclusions and Recommendations: 44 Appendix 1 Instructions to Research Assistants 48 Appendix 2 Interviews Transcripts and Summaries 51 Appendix 3 Map of Viewscape Features 114 Appendix 4 Accompanying Power Point Slides 115 Bibliography Page 3 1. Executive Summary: The Aboriginal people of the lower Fraser River form a cultural continuum with a shared culture and worldview. They are part of the broader Coast Salish community occupying the Georgia Basin (or what is increasingly referred to as the Salish Sea). As such, while the evidence cited is specific to the individual speakers and their communities, the broader cultural patters are generally reflective of the belief systems of this broader region: • The Indigenous people of the study region have distinct concerns over declining visibility associated with increased air pollution (smog), and these concerns are not shared by the non-Native newcomers to their territory. These concerns stem from their ancient connection to the land and territory, their oral histories that explain how many mountain features were once human beings who were transformed into stone but who retain the living Shxweli (spirit) of their original human. Sharing knowledge about the culturally specific history of these creatures/features is regarded as important by contemporary Aboriginal people. They express concerns over the culturally specific dangers and risks associated with not being able to see these features; of not being able to explain the features’ significance to younger generations, to neighbouring tribes, and to outsiders. Impaired viewscapes, therefore, threaten to disrupt the flow of knowledge transfers across generations, tribes, and cultures – the full impact of which we can only speculate but which all interviewees regarded as serious. For example, Aboriginal children may not properly learn stories that their elders feel help to make them distinct Indigenous people; people in neighbouring tribal communities might not develop a shared sense of geographic placement and connection; Indigenous people who offer cultural tour programmes to non-Natives (such as the Charlie family’s “Sasquatch Tours” company, or Sonny McHalsie’s “Aselaw Tours”) might find their financial fortunes impacted and their efforts at generating cross-cultural dialogue thwarted. • In addition to the transformer stories, there are additional culturally specific reasons that Aboriginal people feel the need to see these features. These stem from a long history of sharing information about the mountains and celestial features during times of travelling to meet for inter-tribal gatherings. The landscape features served as geographic markers to assist in orientation, but they also served to help the residents of the region develop a Page 4 shared sense of the environment. This helps build a sense of shared identity. But for this to work, people need to be able to see and discuss the landscape features. • Viewscapes are also important to the maintenance of the region’s hereditary leaders. High status families are those who “know their history”. Knowing one’s history includes knowing the stories associated with the creation and transformation of key landscape and celestial features. Decreased opportunities to see, discus, and share information about these features within and among hereditary families threatens to undermine the integrity of a key feature of Coast Salish society. • Stó:lõ people have traditionally learned by watching and listening. That is to say, that the regional Aboriginal pedagogy emphasizes face-to-face communication while “showing things”, or “showing how to do things”. For this tradition to continue in its fullness, people need to be able to see and describe storied mountain features. • Not only do Stó:lõ people need to see mountains, they also need to be able to see from mountains. Cyril Pierre, for example, explained that in the past hereditary leaders used to make journeys around the perimeter of their territories, and also surveyed their territories from prominent peaks (such as Golden Ears mountain). Today, smog prevents leaders from seeing the extent of their territory and therefore undermines leaders’ ability to fulfill ancient obligations in the eyes of their communities. In a similar fashion, Dalton Silver observed that certain tribal territories are defined by viewscapes. Smog potentially restricts one tribe’s ability to assert its control over a region vis a vis neighbouring tribes. • In addition to the impact of smog on daytime summer and autumn viewscapes, there is also concern over the effects of light pollution on Aboriginal people’s ability to see certain celestial features (ie, those understood to be transformer objects). With increasing urbanization, the night-time light pollution problem steadily grows worse. • Finally, lower Fraser River Aboriginal people are not only concerned about the impact viewscapes have on their ability to see landscape features, but on the features’ ability to see them. Mt. Cheam, in particular, is known as the “mother mountain,” and the oral histories explain that she was a woman who was turned to stone with the mandate of watching over the Stó:lõ people and the returning sockeye salmon. Her inability to see due to smog is regarded as impairing her ability to fulfill her ancient mandate. Likewise, Page 5 her inability to watch over people due to smog was raised as a possible cause of social problems within Aboriginal communities – people speculated that perhaps some people were behaving in an unhealthy manner due to the fact that Mt. Cheam was unable to watch over and guide them due to smog reducing her visibility. • This report recommends creating opportunities for Aboriginal people to begin playing a more direct role in helping monitor and maintain air quality in the Georgia Basin so that their unique Indigenous concerns will be heard. It recommends building direct lines of communication between Environment Canada and First Nations organizations and individuals. It also recommends further research to assess the specific impact degraded viewscapes is having upon Aboriginal economic ventures such as cultural tourism (eg. with both “Sasquatch Tours” and “Aselaw Tours”) and upon educational opportunities (ie. public school fieldtrips where Sonny McHalsie takes teachers and students to sites to view landscape features and to learn about Stó:lõ culture). 2. Background/overview of Project, and Rationale: The Government of Canada commissioned this traditional knowledge study to gain insight into the specific cultural perspectives of the Aboriginal people of the lower Fraser watershed concerning viewscapes, and the impact of air pollution or smog on those viewscapes. This initiative emerged as part of the process that Federal agencies are currently involved in that examines the issue of visibility management in BC with an emphasis on the lower Fraser Valley. This study