New relationships, old certainties: Australia’s reconciliation and treaty-making in British Columbia A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Ravindra Noel John de Costa Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology April 2002 Abstract This thesis investigates the search for new relationships between indigenous and settler peoples in Australia and Canada. Both reconciliation and the treaty-making process in British Columbia are understood as attempts to build such relationships. Yet these are policies that have arisen in response to the persistence of indigenous claims for recognition of rights and respect for identity. Consequently, I consider what the purpose of new relationships might be: is the creation of new relationships to be the means by which settlers recognise and respect indigenous rights and identities, or is there some other goal? To answer this, I analyse the two policies as the opening of negotiations over indigenous claims for recognition. That is, the opening of new political spaces in which indigenous people’s voices and claims may be heard. Reconciliation opened a space to rethink Australian attitudes to history and culture, to renegotiate Australian identity. Treaties in British Columbia primarily seek to renegotiate ownership and control of lands and resources. Both policies attempt to relegitimise the polities in which they operate, by making new relationships that provide for mutual recognition. However, the thesis establishes that these new spaces are not nearly as expansive or inclusive as they are made out to be. They are in fact defined by the internal struggles of settler society to make life more certain: to resume identities that are secure and satisfying, and to restore territorial control and economic security. This takes place with little regard for the legitimate claims of indigenous peoples to be recognised as people and to enjoy dynamic, flourishing identities of their own. Building new relationships becomes the path to entrenching old certainties. ii Acknowledgments Many people have provided assistance during the research and writing of this thesis. Foremost is Professor Alastair Davidson, whose support, encouragement and confidence in this work have been unstinting, even from afar. While a student at the Institute for Social Research, I enjoyed a working environment that any postgraduate would envy: for that I must thank Sue Kelman, Dr David Hayward and Professor Terry Burke. Dr Kathleen Weekley, Dr Denise Meredyth and Scott Ewing ensured the research was frequently social. The Canadian research would have been difficult to complete without a research grant from the International Council for Canadian Studies. While in British Columbia I was welcomed by Kathrine Richardson and Terry McGee of the Centre for Australian Studies at the University of British Columbia, who ensured that my time in Vancouver was stimulating and productive. Dave Kennedy at the British Columbia Treaty Commission was gracious with the Commission’s time and resources. There were many other people in British Columbia who provided advice and encouragement for this project. I was lucky to meet David Didluck of the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee and Rick Krehbiel of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, who both gave generously of their time and began dialogues with me about treaty-making in British Columbia that continue. The invitation of the Haisla people to help them raise their totem pole at Kitlope gave me an experience that put this thesis into perspective. All of the extended van den Driesen clan welcomed me and made the months in Vancouver anything but lonely; Jeremy insisted on showing me many lofty views of the city. My parents Caroline and Alan have always supported me and continue to do so. Tom Clark knows what the process of writing a thesis is all about: his friendship, aquavit and grammatical nous have been more than important. iii Declaration This is an original work based entirely on research I have conducted. None of the material herein has been submitted for the award of any other degree. Ravi de Costa iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. ......................................................................................................... 1 THE QUESTION ............................................................................................................... 1 1. A NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDIGENOUS AND SETTLER PEOPLES........................................................................................................................... 7 IDENTITY, TERRITORY AND LEGITIMACY ...................................................................... 7 LIBERALS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES .......................................................................... 10 TREATIES AND RECONCILIATION; BRITISH COLUMBIA AND AUSTRALIA.................. 21 2. THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AUSTRALIAN IDENTITY ........................... 27 THE PRE-HISTORY OF RECONCILIATION...................................................................... 27 CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS ........................................................................................... 33 THE CAPACITY FOR AGREEMENT ................................................................................. 49 Party politics .............................................................................................................. 49 Indigenous diversity and the internationalisation of claims....................................... 53 Constitutional commissions and the maturing of community sentiment................... 59 LEGISLATING RECONCILIATION................................................................................... 65 3. THE PROCESS OF RECONCILIATION............................................................ 74 THE COUNCIL FOR ABORIGINAL RECONCILIATION .................................................. 75 RECONCILIATION AND THE ISSUES .............................................................................. 80 Reconciliation and Native Title................................................................................. 82 A preamble to reconciliation...................................................................................... 89 Reconciliation and the politics of apology .................................................................. 92 The spirit of reconciliation ....................................................................................... 100 4. THE RECONCILIATION MOVEMENT........................................................... 107 RECONCILIATION IN THE COMMUNITY ..................................................................... 107 Q UALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENTS OF RECONCILIATION ............ 120 5. THE FUTURE OF RECONCILIATION............................................................ 133 IMAGINING RECONCILIATION; REIMAGINING AUSTRALIA....................................... 134 REACHING THE LIMITS ............................................................................................... 138 v Settler critics............................................................................................................. 139 Indigenous critics ..................................................................................................... 147 FIN DE MILLÉNIUM RECONCILIATION .......................................................................... 150 From handshake to handprints................................................................................. 157 CODA: A NEW RELATIONSHIP IN AUSTRALIA?.......................................................... 164 6. TOWARDS A TREATY PROCESS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA..................... 166 THE IDEA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA .............................................................................. 166 Imagining a new relationship .................................................................................. 169 INDIGENOUS ORGANISATION, AWARENESS AND ACTIVISM ...................................... 172 Native organisations and philosophy........................................................................ 172 Direct action ............................................................................................................ 183 JURISPRUDENCE: ISSUES AND HISTORY...................................................................... 186 POLITICAL RESPONSES ................................................................................................ 190 Federal responses....................................................................................................... 191 The involvement of the province.............................................................................. 197 Provincial responses ................................................................................................. 201 LEGISLATING A TREATY PROCESS .............................................................................. 208 7. THE BRITISH COLUMBIA TREATY PROCESS............................................ 210 THE BCTC AND THE TREATY PROCESS .................................................................... 210 Treaty ‘tables’ and table issues .................................................................................. 212 THE TERMS OF PARTICIPATION .................................................................................. 218 First Nations’ participation...................................................................................... 218 Mandates