Laying out the facts of coercion

The Lheidli T’enneh Band were coerced into selling the land of their reserve in the South Fort area.

Coercion is the intimidation of a victim to compel the individual to do some act against his or her will by the use of psychological pressure. From July 1910 to November 1911, the coercion went on even though the band refused over and over seven times in a year and two months of pushy bureaucrats and threats to weaken the band’s willpower.

Those are words from the article “You Don’t Suppose the Dominion Government Wants to Cheat the Indians” by authors David Vogt and David Alexander Gamble. The dates and sequence of events are factual historical data from this article.

July 1910 – Negotiator, Methodist minister John McDougall sent to try to persuade the band to sell. Chief Louie replies: “For more than 200 years .... we live here, we die here, we bury here, we fish and hunt and trap here, and we make gardens here, we like this place. All our people no like to sell this place.”

McDougall replied with an ultimatum that could have seemed threatening: “none of their lands could or would be sold without their Consent unless they absolutely refused a right of way to a Railroad or the Genl. Public.”

McDougall also said on another occasion that “the department of Indian affairs would not protect the Lheidli T’enneh if they refused to surrender their reserve.”

December 3, 1910 – McDougall made the band a second offer which was also refused.

December 5, 1910 – In a second meeting, Chief Louie said to McDougall he needed “time ... to talk about it with (his) people.”

April 1911 – Still unable to take no for an answer, another negotiator MacDonald is sent to try again but is informed that there could be no discussions without “all the members of the band.”

April 28, 1911 – Once the hunters had returned, 28 men voted unanimously against surrender, or sale of property.

Still other negotiators were sent and eventually the band’s will was broken and they signed the agreement. Chief Louie argued that the Dept. of Indian Affairs had violated the surrender agreement by deducting $4,000 from the $100,000 general payment to cover construction overruns.

The chairman was sharply dismissive: “an agreement was made ... You don’t suppose the Dominion Government wants to cheat the Indians, do you?” Sherry Thesen Prince George