Hereditary chiefs slam Vancouver Island city council for remarks on restoring Indigenous place names

The hereditary chiefs of the Liǧʷiłdaxʷ nations on Vancouver Island have sent a scathing letter to the mayor and council of Campbell River, B.C., regarding their remarks on a proposal to restore the Indigenous names of three geographical areas. 

The comments were made at a council meeting last month, during which one councillor questioned whether changing the names would be pushing reconciliation efforts along too quickly.

Hereditary chief Gigamae Yakawidi, also known as Shawn Decaire, told CBC News they sent their response letter to council on Thursday. He also posted a copy of it on his Facebook page. 

"We have to say that not only are we disappointed but also frustrated and appalled by the remarks made by council members in regard to restoring the place names to the titles they have held since the beginning of time," the letter says. 

"To say that reconciliation is moving too fast and that you struggle to pronounce the names of the lands on which you ride is spitting on the Indigenous people, as well as any hopes of working towards reconciliation with the Indigenous people."

Earlier this year, the Liǧʷiłdaxʷ Nations — which include the We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and Kwiakah First Nations — submitted a proposal to the B.C. Geographical Names Office to restore the Indigenous names of Discovery Passage, the Quinsam River and Tyee Spit.

The changes would include:

• Discovery Passage to Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ Passage (pronounced lee-gwith-dow) 
• Quinsam River to Kʷənsəm (pronounced quin-sam)
• Tyee Spit to ʔuxstalis (pronounced oox-sta-lease)

In the past few years, other First Nations throughout B.C. have successfully changed the name of key geographic locations. 

On southern Vancouver Island, Saanich's council supported the change of Mount Douglas to PKOLS. On the Sunshine Coast, Wilson Creek is now called ts'uḵw'um and Saltery Bay is now sḵelhp. 

In the Lower Mainland, the park formerly known as Belcarra Regional Park has been officially renamed to təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park, in recognition of the ancestral home of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

Pace of reconciliation 'debatable': Councillor

At a city council meeting on Oct. 8, Campbell River councillors discussed a letter sent by the B.C. Geographical Names Office inviting comments on the name changes. 

Coun. Ben Lanyon said he thought the changes would benefit tourism but added that he found the Likʷala name for Discovery Passage difficult to pronounce.

He then went on to say the name changes may be "moving out of step with the state of public opinion." He later added that the pace of reconciliation is "debatable" and "may do more harm" if accomplished too quickly.

"There is a rising level of opposition to these measures," he said. "This is just going ahead at a certain pace and I think this needs to be pulled back a bit."

The letter from the Liǧʷiłdaxʷ First Nations hereditary chiefs condemned those comments. 

"Do you think the impacts of residential schools moved too quickly? Do you feel that stripping our people from their traditional lands and rights was too quick? Do you feel that the raping, abducting, beating, and killing of the Indigenous people moved too quickly?" the letter reads. 

"The names of these places are our hereditary right and should be labelled as such and not be considered a move to promote tourism, but a motion to restore and building on a relationship with the Indigenous people."

More consultation a 'disservice': Elected chiefs

At the Oct. 8 meeting, some councillors did say they were in support of the name changes. But council didn't move to state the city's support in a letter to the names office and debated asking the province to hold information sessions instead. 

Councillors also discussed concerns about navigation charts, and costs associated with changing signs and documents. 

At a subsequent meeting on Oct. 24, Wei Wai Kum Elected Chief Coun. Chris Roberts appeared as part of a delegation alongside We Wai Kai Elected Chief Coun. Ronnie Chickite, and said the comments were "worrisome."

Roberts requested the city either send a letter stating that the city supports reconciliation and supports the name changes, or simply reply with "no comment" — "because it would be a disservice to invite more consultative processes on this matter."

Council voted to discuss their response at an upcoming in-camera meeting.

CBC News has contacted Lanyon and Mayor Kermit Dahl for comment but neither has responded.

'Big divergences' on reconciliation

In their letter, the hereditary chiefs support what Roberts said at the meeting, but add "this is our traditional territory and we do not require [the city's] permission to call it by its rightful name." 

"Tell us again how inconvenient we are to you, or do the right thing and try to mend the ties which are seemingly more broken than ever before."

Decaire said he has requested that their letter be added to the agenda at the next council meeting. 

Speaking with CBC News, Chief Roberts said the Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ generally have a good relationship with city council.

He thinks the discussion might have been influenced by the recent provincial election, which drew "two pretty broad, big divergences on policy approach toward reconciliation."

Despite his concerns about the comments and actions of the council, Roberts is hopeful the community will move forward with the name changes and its obligations toward reconciliation as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

"The work that we do as elected officials ... it's always tempered by the public trust and the people have to be brought along with this," he said.

"Obviously, not everyone is going to agree. So often it comes down to having to make difficult decisions that aren't always popular."

Roberts pointed to other First Nations in B.C. that have successfully reintroduced Indigenous names to their traditional territory, like many people referring now to the Salish Sea instead of the Georgia Strait. 

Other examples Roberts cited include the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.