“Reconciliation with Indigenous People in British Columbia” Dharma Talk by Lorne Brownsey

1.  Introduction 

Good morning. 

I want to thank Roshi Robert for inviting me to share my experience in working with Indigenous peoples in Canada.  And to thank all you for having an interest in hearing what I have to say. 

When I first thought about this presentation, I questioned myself as to its relevance to a sangha in Chicago.   

However, it didn’t take me long to answer this.  Your country shares with mine a sad and tragic story of colonial mistreatment of the tribes that lived in the Americas for many thousands of years before the European explorers made landfall.  Maybe there is a shared national responsibility for atonement.  Perhaps some of what I will say this morning will trigger your interest and engagement in the situation of the tribes of the United States of America.

Upon reflection, I was also struck by the many profound lessons given to me by Indigenous elders, scholars and leaders on living in a respectful relationship with the people, plants, animals and landscapes that make up this beautiful planet Earth.  I am learning that the Dharma offers many of the same teachings.

So here I am this morning talking to you about reconciliation.

Before I jump into it, I want to lay out a few caveats.

This morning’s remarks are based on nearly thirty years of work with Indigenous people as a federal and provincial public servant and now as a citizen.  But as you undoubtedly observe I am not an indigenous person. 

I am the progeny of Scottish and British immigrants to Canada.  I am what many in my country now call part of the settler community.   With this said, I want to be very clear that I am not purporting to authoritatively speak about Indigenous people.   There is no way I can fully understand the depth of knowledge and cultures that have governed Indigenous people for millennia.  I describe myself as a bridge builder, or one who tries to create common space and tools where the settlers and first peoples can come together and create mutually positive futures.  

Similarly, despite having moments ago suggested that the red path and dharma path may coincide in many ways, I am a newcomer to Zen. Fortunately, I now have a teacher and community to help me along.  But if, as I suspect I will, say something about the dharma that may be somewhat offbeat, please forgive me.

My last qualification is one of geography.  While I was involved in Indigenous issues at a national level, by far most of my work has been in my home province of British Columbia.  So, the initiatives I am going to illustrate my talk with will be mostly set in Canada’s western most province.

My talk will be organized as follows:

·      A brief historical context to set the stage for the current discussion and collaboration on reconciliation.

·      Comments on what is meant by reconciliation and the principles that underpin it.

·      Initiatives that I have been involved in that illustrate the many ways reconciliation can be achieved and observations on elements of this work that connects with mindfulness and the dharma.

·      And lastly, few comments on the path forward.

Please feel free to ask questions or offer observations, either during my talk or after I have finished it.

Here we go.

2. The tortured platform of history

I want to begin by noting that I am speaking to you from the unceded territories of the Lekwungen people who have long lived in what is now known as Greater Victoria on southern Vancouver Island.  This is a recognition that the land was never freely given and those who have come to it are grateful to be sharing it with the original inhabitants.  There are very few public meetings that occur in British Columbia that don’t begin with such land acknowledgement.

Dr. Google tells me that Chicago is on the lands of the Three Fires comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations.

And who are we talking about and what words to use in doing so? 

Canada’s Constitution describes First Nations, Inuit and Metis as being the aboriginal peoples of Canada. First Nations could be described as the Tribes of the Americas - Mohawks, Cree, Salish, Ojibwe p etc. The Inuit you might know as Eskimos and the Metis are descendants of the intermarriage of First Nations people and settlers.  I will be speaking almost exclusively about First Nations.  

So, lets start with the year 1492, the year Columbus’ sails first appeared on the horizon in our hemisphere (although the Norse did predate Columbus by a couple of centuries in setting up very small communities in Newfoundland.)

I am sure you all know that what we now call Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica etc. were far from being sparsely populated with primitive cultures.  There is some evidence that up to 100 million people lived in the Americas prior to the arrival of the European explorers.  It was a rich human landscape with vibrant and sophisticated cultures.  If you wanted to follow up on this, there is a wonderful book by Charles C. Mann - 1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus.  The Aboriginal People’s Television Network has also produced an 8-part series of this book that can be seen on Apple+ TV.  It is excellent.

The European explorers arrived in hand with a devasting mandate known as the Doctrine of Discovery built upon the Papal Bulls (dictates) of terra nullius (empty lands) that the colonialists used to justify, and I quote, the “invasion of infidel territories and perpetually subjugate soulless people”. 

All of the European countries used this as the basis for conquest.  Amazingly, it was only in 2023 that the Vatican rescinded this Doctrine.  In Canada many would argue that its legacy lives on as governments dispute Indigenous claims to land title.

From the arrival of the Europeans onwards, it was and remains a story of heart break and injustice.  Smallpox, the Trail of Tears, dispossession of land, Indian wars, children removed from their homes and put into often dangerous residential schools run by the churches, denial of rights, banning of cultural practices and the speaking of indigenous languages, inadequate health services and on and on. Indigenous populations dramatically plummeted and some First Nations neared extinction.

I believe it fair to say that while Canada and the United States used somewhat different tools, the goals of the State where the same.  Some describe it as taking “the Indian out of the Indian”.  Less charitable have called it an attempted genocide.  In all cases, it was a taking of land, resources and freedoms.

But as cruel and voracious as these assaults were, blessedly, resilience proved stronger.  I can report that in British Columbia and Canada Indigenous culture is thriving and empowerment is deepening.  I think the same is true in the United States.

I am now going to jump forward in time and touch briefly on more recent developments that set the stage for current and future reconciliation initiatives in British Columbia and Canada.

Several very significant changes occurred in the political and social culture of Canada from around the 1980s through to the early parts of this century. 

In 1982 Canada repatriated its constitution from Britain and enshrined in it two provisions that recognized and protected the rights of Aboriginal people in Canada.  However, even with this global protection in place, there was no common definition of what the rights of Indigenous people were.  While there were historical treaties agreed to in much of Canada that broadly defined understandings, with a few exceptions this did not happen in British Columbia. 

It was basically square 1 in coming together to reach understandings on how to work together.  This could only be achieved through good faith dialogue.

At the same time, after over a century of denying First Nations access to the courts, this colonial relic was reversed.  Subsequently, in case after case First Nations successfully argued their rights to lands, resources and self-determination.

Jurisprudence was established at the Supreme Court of Canada that constrained state policy and private economic development that did not reflect the interest and agreement of First Nations. This led to a real economic impasse and a growing consensus that negotiations were needed.

Subsequently a number of modern day treaties were agreed upon in British Columbia and northern Canada that made clear Indigenous ownership to lands and resources and the right to self-government.  Other First Nations chose to negotiate with governments and corporations on project specific agreements that included decision making powers and wealth sharing.

Residentials schools were shut down and children were no longer ripped from their families, suffering widespread physical, sexual and cultural abuse.  Later I will speak about dealing with the legacy of residential schools.  Museums began to repatriate First Nation collections.  School curriculums were revised to include First Nations history including the impacts of colonialism.

A very profound psychic shift was occurring.  Through education, familiarity and appreciation of First Nation culture, and the realization that economic growth would require a sharing previously not undertaken, non-Indigenous British Columbians stopped asking “why are we doing this” and began asking instead “how should we do this”? 

By the first decade of this century, this sea change in mind set began to set roots and the launch of the current era of reconciliation began.

3. Reconciliation - a pathway of respect and recognition

Before I speak about initiatives that have been taken in support of reconciliation, it is useful to reflect on what are the principles that guide this work.

Much collaborative work has been done on reconciliation.  In 2007 the United Nations issued a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted by most of the world’s nations. It took close to a decade for Canada to do so.  The United States has not yet done so.

In 2008, Canada launched a multi-year national commission on Truth and Reconciliation and released a 6 volume report in 2015 with 94 calls to action.  The British Columbia legislature passed legislation in 2019 which committed to aligning all of its statutes with the rights of Indigenous people and enabled the creation of agreements for joint decision making, involving provincial and First Nation governments.

In a nutshell, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples affirms their right to manage their own affairs, the protection of Indigenous lands and resources, the participation in decision making where the decisions affect First Nation interests, and respect for and protection of indigenous culture, including indigenous languages.

The work of reconciliation is therefore to establish legal, government to government frameworks, for giving life to these principles. 

4. Reconciliation - many tools needed

Sorry for such a long lead into the interesting stuff.  That is - what does change look like?

In British Columbia there are around 200 First Nations, with diverse cultures, histories and landscapes.  So, while there is common understandings around principles, a cookie cutter model will not work.  An essential element of reconciliation is accepting and embracing the reality of much diversity, a theme I am learning that has long resided in dharma teachings.

What I would like to do now is to describe a few of the reconciliation initiatives that I have been involved in. I hope they will give you a sense of how reconciliation is being pursued in British Columbia.

4.1 - Commitment and Intention

As mentioned, I have been doing this work for a long time but it hasn’t been without periods of challenge and self-doubt.  Why was change so slow?  Why was did I persist in doing this work?  Am O responsible for the sins of others who lived before me.  Surely, there was an easier path to follow.

A little over 20 years ago, several major First Nation’s initiatives I was leading collapsed.  At the same time, my wife Heather was terminally ill.  I was in a dark place and ready to find that easier path.  Before Heather died, she looked me in the eye and said I must continue the work of healing and reconciliation.  Frankly, I didn’t know if I could.

Very shortly thereafter I was sitting in a boardroom in a high rise building with First Nation’s leaders.  The room overlooked the ocean and one of the Chiefs was opening the meeting with a prayer, which was customary.  At that moment the dark clouds temporarily parted and the room and my soul was filled with sunlight. It was a moment of connection with Heather and the divine. I shortly stood and offered my own prayer to our efforts, which was something government officials did not do.

I had received my message.  My intentions were restored and I vowed to carry on.   

4.2 - The Apology

In 2001, I along with a number of federal government colleagues, stood on a stage in a Nuu chah Nulth First Nation hall.  The Nuu chah Nulth are a whaling people who live off the coast of Vancouver Island.  In 1778, Chief Macquinna greeted Captain Cook as he sought refuge and supplies, both of which were extended to he and his crew.

213 years later the government of Canada was there to apologize to the Nuu chah Nulth for its role in inflicting the horrors of residential schools on them. Over 500 hundred people were in the hall.  Many stepped forward and spoke of the multi-generational impacts of these schools - suicide, addictions, broken families, loss of languages. 

We listened, we acknowledged the truth, we witnessed, we cried and grieved, we shared a meal together and we committed to working together with the Nuu chah Nulth to chart a different path into the future.  It was a bold step by my boss, Shirley Serafini, to deliver this apology as it was done despite the advice from many of the government lawyers who worried about liability that would flow from it. It inspired me to hold morality and justice as the highest motivation.

Subsequently, the parliaments of Canada and British Columbia, and the Vatican, have offered formal apologies to the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

Witnessing has a very important function in First Nation’s governance and culture.  To be a witness is to be a holder of a story with a responsibility to pass it on to future to generations. This is part of my job today speaking to you.

4.2 - What’s in a Name?

Off the north coast of British Columbia are Islands where the Haida people live.  (There are also Haida that live on islands in the Alaska archipelago.)  It is wild beautiful place.  Never glaciated, the islands and the waters that surround them are replete with towering trees, eagles, ravens, bears, whales and salmon.  Fifty percent of the population of these islands are Haida people.  They are a fiercely independent people.  One of my Haida friends once travelled the world with a Haida passport. 

Very different times indeed!

In 1878 British explorers named the place where the Haida lived the Queen Charlotte Islands, Charlotte being the name of the wife of King George III.  Needless to say, the Haida didn’t think much of this and continued to refer to their lands as Haida Gwaii - lands of the Haida.

In 2010, British Columbia adopted Haida Gwaii as the official name for the Queen Charlotte Islands.  Seemingly a small gesture, but actually it was a very complicated thing to do requiring innumerable changes to legislation, resource tenures and policies, maps, signs, airline schedules and on and on.

But it was simply the right thing to do.  An act of respect that wasn’t motivated by money or economic development aspirations. In that year, a celebratory totem pole was raised and Haida dancers, danced the name of Charlotte, represented by goose floating in the air, into a carved box and gave this box to the Premier of the province.

The box was a surprise to us.  The Premier gave the box to me and said Lorne you look after this. Yikes, what to do? I in turn gave it to the Queen’s representative to British Columbia.  But there is one more step to make this a full circle of reconciliation.  The granddaughter to King Charles, is named Charlotte.  It is my wish that one day the name box and the story be given to her. 

4.3 - The Nisga’a Treaty

Perhaps the most comprehensive act of reconciliation is the negotiation of a modern day treaty involving First Nations, Canada and British Columbia.   In 2000 the Nisga’a Treaty came into effect.  The Nisga’a, who live on the Nass river in Northern British Columbia, long championed the cause of aboriginal rights in Canada.

The Treaty sets out Nisga’a rights to self-government and control over land resources.  Through it, the Nisga’a lands make up approximately 2,000 square kilometers.  It includes allocations to fish and wildlife and the authority to make laws in matters such as education, health and social services.  Inter-government fiscal arrangements are in place to fund the delivery of these programs.

Subsequently other modern day treaties have been signed, including a treaty with the Tsawwassen First Nation that is totally located within urban greater Vancouver.  It of course looks much different than the Nisga’a treaty.  More diversity.

Comprehensive negotiations continue in British Columbia with many First Nations.

It is important to state that these type of agreements take great pains to establish complementarity and integration with the other public governments be they federal, provincial or local.  There is a shared recognition that, as they say - we are all here to stay and need to build our future together.

These treaties have taken decades to come to pass and leaders have passed away during the negotiations.  Many question why so long?  Just cut to the chase, shake hands and move on.  But such an approach would never work.  First Nations negotiators represent their ancestors and the seven generation not yet borne.  A treaty is a sacred understanding, not a transactional exercise.   Like great spiritual teachings, treaty understandings must stand the test of time. The appropriate amount of it must be taken to get it right.

A great lesson for us of the 21st century, .

4.4 - Fish farming

Open pen fish farming in the ocean is a major international industry.  Most of the salmon consumers buy in restaurants and supermarkets comes from these farms. 

This industry set up shop in an area known as the Broughton Archipelago off the coast of British Columbia.  The Broughton is an area populated by a number coastal First Nations.  Their interests were never sought.

And interested they were! 

There is considerable science that suggests that the farms are very detrimental to the health of native salmon runs, as they transmit viruses and lice to salmon fry as they leave their river spawning grounds to migrate to the open seas. 

Salmon runs in the Broughton were declining significantly. Salmon is a major source of food for First Nation communities throughout British Columbia.  Salmon are also held in deep cultural reverence and practice.  So, the depletion of salmon is both a nutritional and spiritual matter.  

Salmon are also critical to the health of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Whales, sea lions, seals, eagles eat the salmon in the ocean.  So too do bears and birds feed on the salmon as they return to the rivers to spawn and complete their life cycle. And I was to learn the towering forests of coastal British Columbia also rely upon the salmon.  Salmon carcass and bear excrement provide essential nutrients to 200 foot tall cedar trees. 

Who would have thought?

The Broughton First Nations wanted the farms gone immediately.  Through negotiations a staged five year removal plan was agreed upon that minimized economic impacts on companies and workers.  Through a joint decision making process involving the provincial government and five First Nation’s governments in the Broughton, this plan was agreed upon.

As of this year there are no more fish farms there.  Collaborative work is now underway to rebuild the native salmon runs.

As I begin to learn of the Dharma teachings, I increasingly appreciate the interconnectivity of all things. Dualism leads to suffering.  For me, learning about the consequences of fish farming was a concrete demonstration of the interlocked nature of our natural and human environment.

4.5 Sharing the wealth

One of the main economic engines of British Columbia is the natural gas repositories in the Northeastern part of the province.  It produces billions of dollars of government revenue and tens of thousands of jobs.  Export terminals are now being built on the coast to service the markets of Asia.

As in the just mentioned case of fish farms, this industry landed on First Nations like a piano falling out of the sky.  No one ever asked them.

And land heavily it did! 

 It is said that in this region you can’t look further than 500 metres without seeing some form of gas infrastructure - roads, pipelines, gas plants etc. 

I have had the upsetting experience of a helicopter tour over parts of this area and the level of past and present development is alarming. And equally is that the industry which operates with NASA like technologies, does so in the midst of much First Nations poverty.

Like Coastal First Nations, the First Nations of this region rely heavily on the fish and animals of the region for sustenance and cultural practices.  Moose and caribou populations are dramatically declining because of oil and gas development.  At the same time, wolve populations are surging as the extensive road networks serve as highways for their hunting purposes.

Significant new gas fields have been discovered and there is tremendous, provincial, national and international interest in developing them to serve markets in Asia and Europe that are trying to reduce reliance on oil and coal, or as in the case of Europe, Russian supply. 

First Nations have now said to governments and industry, you can only develop this resource with our consent, and they have the muscle to make this stick.

Revenues are now being shared and equity arrangements struck. But the agreements are not all about money.  Real efforts are being made to restore moose and caribou populations and protect plants and berries that are important to the local communities. 

These type of arrangements are being put in place throughout the natural resource sectors of British Columbia - forestry, mining, fishing etc.  Urban First Nations are looking at how they can access the wealth of land development on their traditional territories.  

British Columbia and Canada are wealthy jurisdictions. But is this really true?  I may be relatively wealthy but so many others are not. First Nations have long been put at the end of the line in terms of economic wellbeing, despite being the original occupants of the land and custodians of the resources upon which the wealth has been derived.  Increasingly this is changing.  Much more is to be done, but the trajectory is set.

4.6 Wellbeing of children and families

Colonialism brings with it an inherent belief that “we know best”.  Perhaps the worst illustration of this mindset in Canada is the residential school system I have already spoken of.  But it plays out across a broad array of social functions. 

First Nations in British Columbia have historical practices and systems to manage these services in their communities.  Sadly, these have been systematically repressed or even outlawed, and in combination with economic deprivation have led to much family breakdown, health and addiction problems and dysfunctional behaviors.  

For example, in British Columbia, Indigenous children make up about 8% of the population of children under the age of 15, but 54% of the children in care or foster homes.  Indigenous people make up 5% of Canada’s population and 32% of the federal prison population. Similarly shocking statistics exist in the education and health systems.

In British Columbia and across Canada public governments and First Nations governments are now designing and implementing Indigenous led systems that are founded on First Nation’s knowledge, traditions and practices. 

A British Columbia wide First Nation’s run Health Authority now exists.  So too does a province wide Education Authority and a number of First Nations Child Welfare Authorities.  First Nations governing their own family affairs.  Important and powerful roles for the elders and the grannies and aunties.

Such initiatives are carefully crafted to link with programs and services provided by government to all British Columbians.  For example, economies of scale dictate we can only have so many cancer clinics but we can have a number of community led culturally sensitive home care programs for cancer patients.  Similarly, First Nation curricula is crafted to ensure that students have the prerequisite education to become engineers, at the same time they are learning their native language.

There remains a long way go until social and health indicators for First Nation citizens equal those of other British Columbians but the gaps are narrowing as a result of First Nation’s resuming ownership of these authorities.

As I think about these particular acts of reconciliation, I am reminded of Roshi Roberts teaching on “don’t know mind”.  It makes no sense to design service for Indigenous people knowing nothing of how they have been delivered for thousands of years. 

So much better to have an open, free and curious mind.   Heaven forbid, we might be able to learn something!

4.7 Culture behind the glass and locked doors

In British Columbia, most First Nations history and culture has been expressed and preserved through story, song, dance and art.  There are masks that are only used for the most sacred of ceremonies.  Totem poles record family lineages. Carvings and paintings display creation stories and pass on the teachings of ancestors. 

Museums across Canada and around the world are full of Indigenous holdings acquired illegally or under dubious arrangements.  They live behind glass for museum visitors to observe.  It is also the case that in British Columbia any human remains found as a result of land development wind up in boxes stored in locked rooms.

For First Nations, the poles and masks and canoes possess spirit that has been captured and appropriated for a casual glance.  And the bones are literally their ancestors and their storage brings much sorrow.

Perhaps they are akin to hungry ghosts wandering the bardo.

In British Columbia, collaborative work is underway to consider how best to repatriate such collections and deal with the human remains.  The Royal British Columbia Museum recently returned a 20 foot totem pole to the Nuxalk First Nation on the mid coast of the province.  This was a house pole belonging to the lineage of the hereditary chief of this Nation. 

Historical village sites and burial grounds are being purchased from private ownership and returned to First Nations.

Such work is occurring across the province and the country as a whole.  It can be expensive work.  The pole that was returned required a $200,000 budget.  Part of the challenge is developing public support for making this type of reconciliation a priority.

I don’t want you to think that First Nations want the museums to be stripped of all such holdings.  First Nations people offer a generous spirit of sharing their cultures with others.  Rather it is about who makes the decisions and how exhibitions should be mounted.  Some museums are confirming indigenous ownership of holding and entering into custodial arrangements with First Nations.

It is a whole new world for museums, but one to be embraced. 

5. Conclusion and where to now

I have tried to give you an array of examples of reconciliation in British Columbia.  The list is anything but exhaustive. There are thousands of large and small acts of reconciliation.   Hopefully what I have said gives you a sense of this movement.

I should also say a word about capacity. As noted, it takes time and resources.  Time is infinite, but human and financial resources not so.  This is particularly true for First Nations.  So little of each. Part of the challenge is managing the pace of change.  Better to be deep and meaningful than shallow and expansive.

Indeed, it is the case that much has been done and continued efforts grow, but I don’t want to suggest that British Columbia has achieved any exalted state.  Unfairness still abounds.  Indigenous poverty remains.  Racism rears its ugly head far too often.  The far right exists on our political pendulum too and wants to push back on reconciliation. 

Samsara, you say.

 It is hard work.  Two hundred years of oppression and ignorance doesn’t disappear in a matter of a couple of decades.  But I take joy in knowing that holding hands with First Nations people we are building towards a better future.  It is an honour for me to be part of it and I am ever grateful for that ray of sunshine, so full of love, that found me.

Thank you and I am happy to engage in a conversation about anything I have said.