Never too late for government

Dear Editor:

The Okanagan Chiefs and First Nation Indian Gathering held in Penticton at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre (Feb. 1-2, 2024) to reaffirm the Title and Rights of the Okanagan First Nation Indian Lands in our Okanagan Indian Language was encouraging.

The strength of claim to our Okanagan Nation Territories is supported by the Oral Histories of our Nation in our Okanagan Indian Language.

Including our place names that settlers converted into English such as Penticton (Senpenkten), Kelowna (Ke-low-na), Osoyoos (Swiws) all are a part of the Oral Histories of our nation which connect us to our land. B.C. is the only province in Canada where the First Nation Indian People have not surrendered their lands via Treaty or any other form of surrender.

In regard to Indian Reserve Lands, politicians, historians, and other scholars will all have their own explanations as to why Indian Reserves were created.

Common sense will tell you the government had to have a place to put the Indians while they were taking their land and apprehending Indian children to incarcerate them into residential schools.

Past and present governments of B.C. have ignored court rulings strongly in favour of reconciliation for the land claimed by government and corporations.

It’s never too late for the B.C. government to do the right thing and reconcile their land debt to the First Nation Indians in accordance with the Supreme Court Ruling (Delgamuukw vs B.C Dec. 11/97). This may require provincial legislation that would be in line with the U.N. Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Okanagan First Nations have traditional knowledge of their territories that has been passed on to them for generations.

To move forward with reconciliation, the provincial government and Okanagan First Nations can combine traditional knowledge with modern science and technology to co-manage Okanagan Nation Territories to ensure that First Nations concerns are addressed.

The co-management agreement between the Province and the Okanagan First Nation would also include a resource/revenue share agreement which could be, in part, an economic reconciliation.

Joe McGinnis Okanagan Nation Elder/ Fluent Speaker Oliver