ORAL NARRATIVES, CUSTOMARY LAWS AND INDIGENOUS WATER RIGHTS IN CANADA by Marlowe Gregory Sam M.A., The University of British Columbia, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) (Indigenous Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) September 2013 © Marlowe Gregory Sam, 2013 Abstract Prior to the European discovery and colonization of North America the Indigenous peoples managed their natural environment through a management regime that was guided by traditional governance systems that were based within the oral tradition. Since the assertion of European authority the water rights of indigenous peoples were subsequently diminished and infringed upon by colonial policies that derived from the doctrine of discovery. In the contemporary era the Supreme Court of Canada has determined that the priority water rights of Canada’s aboriginal peoples must be proven under the premise of European concepts of land ownership and entitlement. It is my intent to use the oral narratives of the Syilx (Okanagan) to provide evidence of the ancient customary laws and practices that guided the management practices over this natural resource. To substantiate the existence of the customary laws of indigenous peoples I use primary research gathered from Syilx (Okanagan) and Secwepemc (Shuswap) informants. Previously published and unpublished oral narratives that were recorded and transcribed during the twenty-first century will also be used in this inquiry. Prior to the arrival of Europeans a phenomenon of globalization greatly influenced the development of colonial policies and laws that in turn impacted modern day Supreme Court decisions in both the United States and Canada. An analysis of the manner in which the Supreme Court decisions infringed upon the human and aboriginal right to water will be used to determine both the weaknesses and strengths of the priority rights of water that have been held in perpetuity by aboriginal peoples within Indigenous North America. ii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... iv Glossary: Sylix and Secwepmc Terms ................................................................................ vi Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... viii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Research interests, objectives and personal background .................................. 3 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Syilx History .......................................................................................................8 Chapter 3: Globalization ....................................................................................................24 Chapter 4: Marshall Trilogy, Case Law and Constitutional Law ......................................63 Chapter 5: United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ..............................113 Chapter 6: Oral Narratives and Customary Law ..............................................................145 Chapter 7: Water Rights of Indigenous Peoples ..............................................................197 Chapter 8: Conclusion......................................................................................................232 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................250 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………285 Appendix A: Syilx Creation story as told by Martin Louie and transcribed by Delphine Derrickson .............................................................285 iii Abbreviations Alberta Law Reform Institute ............................................................................................ ALRI American Indian Lawyer Training Program .................................................................... AILTP American Indian Movement ................................................................................................ AIM Boundary Waters Treaty ..................................................................................................... BWT British Columbia .................................................................................................................... BC British Columbia Treaty Commission .............................................................................. BCTC British North America Act .................................................................................................. BNA Bureau of Indian Affairs (USA)…………………………………………………………….BIA Columbia River Treaty ........................................................................................................ CRT Colville Confederated Tribes of Washington ...................................................................... CCT Committee on Western Water Management .................................................................. CWWM Department of Indian Affairs (Canada)……………………………………………………DIA General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ......................................................................... GATT Hudson’s Bay Company ..................................................................................................... HBC Human Rights Council ........................................................................................................ HRC International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ................................................. IBRD International Indian Treaty Council ..................................................................................... IITC International Monetary Fund ............................................................................................... IMF Joint Indian Reserve Commission ...................................................................................... JIRC Kamloops Indian Band ......................................................................................................... KIB Non-Governmental Organization........................................................................................ NGO North America Free Trade Agreement .......................................................................... NAFTA iv Okanagan Tribal Council .....................................................................................................OTC Overseas Development Agencies ..................................................................................... ODAs Penticton Indian Band ........................................................................................................... PIB Structural Adjustment Programs ......................................................................................... SAPs Traditional Ecological Knowledge ...................................................................................... TEK Transnational Corporations ................................................................................................ TNCs Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs ....................................................................... UBCIC United Nations ....................................................................................................................... UN United Nations Draft Declaration of Indigenous Peoples ............................................. UNDRIP United Nations Economic and Social Council .............................................................UNESCO Universal Declaration of Human Rights .......................................................................... UDHR University of British Columbia ........................................................................................... UBC University of British Columbia Okanagan ...................................................................... UBCO Western Science Knowledge .............................................................................................. WSK World Intellectual Property Organization ......................................................................... WIPO Working Group on Indigenous Populations ..................................................................... WGIP World Bank ........................................................................................................................... WB World Trade Organization ................................................................................................. WTO v Glossary SYILX TERMS Captikxw ............................................................................................. history as legend or myth Chip-chop-tikilxwh ................................................................................... a time of the captikxw En’owkinwixw .................................................................................