Kwakwaka'wakw

Tom Child is being featured on the UVic website for his work on determining the quality of the traditional foods we eat (https://www.uvic.ca/current/): Sea of concern Does local seafood pose a health risk for Vancouver Island’s First Nations people? by Jessica Gillies When Tom Child was growing up in the Kwakiutl community of T’saxis on northeastern Vancouver Island, gathering traditional foods from the ocean was as natural as the rhythm of the seasons. It still is. But now there are concerns about the quality of the food First Nations communities are harvesting and whether the health risks posed by environmental contaminants outweigh the known benefits of a traditional seafood diet. “All the origin stories and legends that exist for First Nations on the coast involve the natural world, so our culture itself is dependent on a healthy environment,” says Child, a grad...

I have been reflecting for the past few months on my treaty stance. I believe that instead of just stating the negative side of signing a treaty in its current form, I should also provide alternatives to explore deeper. One topic that keeps coming up in my mind is economic development. Coming from a business background I can understand the concepts, but when it comes to treaty negotiations I have yet to transform these words into action in the real world. It seems to me that the number of job possibilities that are talked about in treaty discussions may be clouding our judgment. It is almost like some spontaneous event will make us economically free from government handouts - if we just get this treaty signed. I wonder if this is the case… A good question to ask is: will these jobs be around for our children? Because signing a treaty is more than what is immediately in front of us. More than a $10,000 cheque. More than lofty promises that have no plan to be achieved because, ...