Bare Mountain Three Years Later
Last Updated (Tuesday, 17 November 2009 17:41) Written by indymedia & Cheryl Bryce Tuesday, 17 November 2009 17:28
Nov 16th Marks the three year anniversary of the blockade that launched Spaet Mountain into the publics attention, and opened up our eyes to the injustices that Bare Mountain.inc was trying to quietly commit. The pre dawn action organized by first nation activists was to stop the developers from further despoiling the sanctity and ecological integrity of the SPAET cave. It also spurred many others to take action as well. Three years later Cheryl Bryce asks what has changed while government and private industry continue to do their best to decimate this and many other sacred sights.
I am writing to ask what you did on this day three years ago? What do you remember three years ago today? What are you doing today to protect Indigenous/First Nations homelands including our sacred sites? Please read below what I am remembering today.
Today I remember this day three years ago. I remember like it was yesterday or even today. Today first nations continue to fight to protect their homelands while the provincial government turns a blind eye, ignores and eve participates in the aggressive destruction of our homelands for economic development. This is one of the many shameful things the provincial government inflects on to the land and Indigenous people. Over 150 years ago this was genocide and colonialism. Today it is colonialism living and genocide.
There are other players in the old colonial game of destroying Indigenous homelands. Yes, corporations and developers. They are famous for casting the colonial stone wrapped in money and messages of, "My right to make money is more important then those "Indian's" and their false claim to their rights. This is my land and their is no sacred site or burials and if there was it my right to bulldoze them off my property!" That is putting it a lightly or polite colonial quote.
The corporate and developer's supporters roll in to cheer on the violent actions. Municipal government's are great supporters at defending and promoting development. They look all nice in their photographs cutting the ribbon or swinging their golf stick together, right. Your government bureaucrats do their time at their desk dodging questions, resist rightful actions and spin words and defining in legislation, treaties and policies to justify violent destructive decision and actions. When appears to be ineffective they will pass the buck.
In the end there were is your RCMP? There is no effective enforcement for the existing Heritage Conservation Act. There is no intention of implementing the HCA to protect Indigenous homelands. Regardless of the RCMP being an call enforcement officer to the BC Archaeology Branch (administrators of the HCA).
Below is on of many incident's first nations fought for their homelands over the past 150 plus years:
Remember:
http://www.firstnations.de/development/coast_salish-spaet.htm
http://members.crcable.net/pumpkinpatch/
For this I fought and I remember today.
Cheryl Bryce, Lekwungen (Songhees)