Viewpoint: Whose land is it anyway? – Gulf Islands Driftwood

September 20, 2017

As a relative newcomer to Salt Spring Island — but a life-long resident on Turtle Island— I hope to offer a gentle reflection following the “yes/no” debates regarding the referendum to incorporate.

Although I do not identify as Indigenous, part of my personal commitment to reconciliation is finding ways to acknowledge and make visible that we are working, playing, living and dying everyday on the unceded traditional territories of the First Nations people of Turtle Island. We are guests here. In spite of ongoing “terra nullius” colonial myths, several nations have long histories of being on this land. Indeed, Tsawout First Nation still stewards land here, yet the voices of this island’s First Peoples were notably absent from the debates.

It is likely some of us heard Kathleen Johnnie of Penelakut First Nation speak at panel events. She cautioned that municipalities often get a free pass regarding consultation with First Nations. Is consultation really enough for Salt Spring Islanders? Based on previous experience with the colonial government, the word “consultation” makes my skin crawl. This bureaucratic language is too often a euphemism for token participation. In short, when consultants have their eyes on money and land, they are often unwilling to listen or change their minds, even when the very lives and livelihoods of First Nations people depend on it.