259 #ClimateEquity #FirstNations
A small step for [the white] man.....
"On Vancouver Island, residents are paying voluntary rent to First Nations"
by Julie Gordon for The Narwal
https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-voluntary-rent-first-nations/
Quotes:
"‘It’s a good step towards mending our relationship’: a growing network of reciprocity trusts allow settlers to contribute to the communities whose lands they live on"
"The South Island Reciprocity Trust is the brainchild of Craig Candler, a second-generation Canadian and cultural anthropologist who has worked with Indigenous communities for nearly three decades. “I felt it was really important for there to be a pathway that wasn’t just recognizing with words that we’re on Indigenous territory, but was actually meaningfully givi
... Show more...259 #ClimateEquity #FirstNations
A small step for [the white] man.....
"On Vancouver Island, residents are paying voluntary rent to First Nations"
by Julie Gordon for The Narwal
https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-voluntary-rent-first-nations/
Quotes:
"‘It’s a good step towards mending our relationship’: a growing network of reciprocity trusts allow settlers to contribute to the communities whose lands they live on"
"The South Island Reciprocity Trust is the brainchild of Craig Candler, a second-generation Canadian and cultural anthropologist who has worked with Indigenous communities for nearly three decades. “I felt it was really important for there to be a pathway that wasn’t just recognizing with words that we’re on Indigenous territory, but was actually meaningfully giving back to the communities who we need to thank for where we get to live.”
"....Candler approached the late Andy Thomas, then-chief of the Esquimalt Nation. Candler asked to pay a portion of his taxes to the First Nation. “[Chief Thomas] basically said, ‘Craig, we’re happy that you’re on our lands. You’ve done good work for the nation. But it would be such a headache to have to administer that! Maybe someday, if you and a bunch of your friends can get together, we should have another conversation.’ ”
"For Chief Abraham Pelkey, SMOȻEŦET, of the SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nation, receiving voluntary rents is a small step towards redress. “My initial thought was: ‘What a proactive step to take towards reconciliation — with our relationship as First Peoples of the land and non-natives outside the nation.’ It’s a good step towards mending our relationship.”
"SȾÁUTW̱ Nation will put its share of funds toward the $20,000 annual operating cost of its new longhouse. The 14,000-square-foot building opened its doors in October 2022, replacing a former longhouse that burned to the ground in 2009. That loss devastated the community and, 13 years later, Pelkey can’t overstate the importance of having a gathering space again. “This place is very significant to us. It’s the heart of our community."
