Those driving along Highway 101 coming into Tla’amin will notice a new sign at the side of the road that proudly proclaims “Welcome to Tla’amin Nation.”
The first nation won’t officially celebrate its treaty implementation until April 5, but 2016 is the milestone year when self-governance finally comes for Tla’amin.
More than 20 years in the making, the Tla’amin treaty could be a guiding piece of legislation that will render the 140-year-old Indian Act null and void. To say it is overdue would be a vast understatement.
Outdated, invasive and controlling, the Indian Act serves to regulate day-to-day lives of first nation reserve communities. Self-governance will be a reality for Tla’amin in April and the several hundred first nation bands in Canada still held under the Indian Act will be watching closely.
The upcoming treaty will not even come close to solving all the problems Tla’amin Nation still faces. There is still much healing to do from over a century of oppression, and an even longer history of genocide against first nations peoples, but a treaty is a step in the right direction and will hopefully begin a stronger relationship with government and City of Powell River.
Autonomy is an empowering tool and there is no doubt Tla’amin Nation will use it to strengthen itself in all areas, including infrastructure, finances and community programs.
Residents of the area who do not belong to the nation can support its efforts by trusting and encouraging the treaty-implementation process while recognizing and validating Tla’amin’s independence.
Tla’amin Nation’s right to their land is often downplayed, sometimes even forgotten. Perhaps self-governance will serve as a constant and much-needed reminder of the true history of our area; how much the original peoples nurtured and protected the surrounding environment, and the debt and gratitude owed to the area’s ancestors.
The “Welcome to Tla’amin” sign is a strong, handcrafted symbol of a proud nation that has a momentous year ahead of it. April 5 is just over the hopeful horizon.
