Tŝilhqot’in History: Reconciliation & Repatriation
Fighting for Indigineous Rights
The Tŝilhqot’in National Government and their six communities have fought for centuries to not only reclaim their right to Title Lands, but to have a formal apology and official recognition for the atrocities that culminated during the times of the Colony and that occurred during the “Chilcotin War of 1864”.
Decades after the events of the Chilcotin War, the Tsilhqot’in people continue to honour the past, and those that sacrificed so much to protect their way of life, as they chart the future for their nation.
Nemiah Territory Upheld for Tsilhqot'in History
Nenduwh Jid Guzitin (Nemiah) Declaration - 1989
On August 23, 1989, the Nemiah Declaration set a precedent for upcoming Supreme court Case: Tsilhqot'in Nation vs. British Columbia which proved Aboriginal Rights and Titles to a portion of Xeni Gwet'in Traditional Territories.
The Declaration was rooted in the traditional values to preserve and uphold reciprocal relationships with the landscape and stemmed from impending clearcut logging threats encroaching on the territories during this time in the area known as Tachelach’ed (Brittany Triangle). This declaration was led by Xeni Gwet'in community in a successful attempt to declare self-sovereign jurisdiction on Tsilhqot'in Territory.
Tsilhqot’in determination to control what they considered their land – and the legacy of the chiefs – was the backdrop to the court case and for disputes over industrial development, including the proposed New Prosperity project, a gold-and-copper mine that would fall outside the recently outlined title area.
BC’s Attorney General Apology & Memorial Plaque - 1993
In 1993, Attorney General of British Columbia, Honourable Colin Gabelman, apologized for the wrongs done to the Tsilhqot’in before and after the Chilcotin War.
He also funded first the excavation of the chiefs’ makeshift grave sites, and then their proper burial with a commemorative plaque at the site of the hangings to mark the grave site of the five Tsilhqot'in chiefs who were executed in the immediate aftermath of the Chilcotin War. In part, it reads: This commemorative plaque has been raised to honour those who lost their lives in defence of the territory and the traditional way of life of the Tsilhqot'in and to express the inconsolable grief that has been collectively experienced at the injustice the Tsilhqot'in perceive was done to their chiefs.
The day that the five Chiefs were hanged in Quesnel, October 26, is honoured as a national memorial day by the Tsilhqot’in people, known as Lhats’as?in Memorial day, formally established in 1999.
Canadian Landmark Supreme Court Case - June 2014
On June 26, 2014, for the first time in Canadian history, the Supreme Court of Canada Recognized Aboriginal Title by declared a small portion of the territory within the area of Nemiah Valley to the Tŝilhqot’in Nation.
They also declared that British Columbia breached its duty to consult with the Tŝilhqot’in in its planning and forestry authorizations. Commonly referred to as the Tŝilhqot’in Decision, this decision allows for full ownership, benefit and control of the Aboriginal title area by the Tŝilhqot’in people.
The Supreme Court of Canada’s historic judgment in Tsilhqot’in Nation marks another landmark in the history of the Tsilhqot’in people and their continuing struggle for recognition as the true owners and caretakers of their Tsilhqot’in homeland.
BC Government Exonerates Chiefs - Oct. 2014
on October 23, 2014, Tsilhqot’in members heard from then Premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, when she formally redressed the injustice of the wrongful trial and hanging of the six Tsilhqot’in chiefs in BC’s legislature. The Chiefs were exonerated by the Province of British Columbia on this day.
“The Tsilhqot’in people rightly regard these chiefs as heroes of their people. So today we offer this apology, a historic day 150 years later.”
On October 26, 2014, 150 years after the hangings and on the annual Lhats’as?in Memorial Day, the Premier personally apologized to the Tsilhqot’in Nation and their communities members at an official ceremony in Quesnel.
The Tsilhqot’in people have always honoured the Chiefs that lost their lives after the Chilcotin War for sacrificing everything in defence of their lands and their peoples. Such commitment and sacrifice continue to inspire the Tsilhqot’in leadership and communities, as they have fought relentlessly over the centuries to preserve their lands and culture in the face of ever-increasing threats from the outside world.
Nenqay Deni Accord - 2016
Following the 2014 Supreme Court of Canada Aboriginal Title and Rights case win by the Tŝilhqot’in Nation, the Tŝilhqot’in National Government entered into negotiations with colonial British Columbia.
These negotiations resulted in the Nenqay Deni Accord, a five-year agreement based on the inherent rights of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation to self govern and included significant commitment to reconciliation. The Nenqay Deni Accord rolled out the path in which colonial British Columbia and the Tŝilhqot’in National Government would begin moving forward.
Official Recognition by the Canadian Government - 2018
The following is a summation from a 2018 CBC news article source.
On November 2, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized to the Tsilhqot'in Nation and six communities, while on an official visit to the lands for the hanging of six chiefs more than 150 years ago in an emotional ceremony Friday that one chief says brought an end to a "difficult journey."
Speaking to hundreds of the First Nation's members in British Columbia's central Interior, Trudeau said the colonial officials of the day erred in inviting the chiefs for peacekeeping talks where they were instead arrested, tried and hanged. Trudeau said the chiefs are fully exonerated without any wrongdoing because they were acting as one independent nation engaged in war with another when they attacked and killed members of a road crew that intruded on their territory. By the end of the war more than 20 people were killed from both sides, including the chiefs. The Prime Minister had read a "statement of exoneration" in the House of Commons in March 2018 which resulted in members of Parliament breaking into applause and prompting the Tsilhqot'in chiefs to hold up eagle feathers in salute. Trudeau told MPs the chiefs acted in accordance with their laws and traditions and that they are well regarded as heroes of their people. Trudeau also said the federal government continues to work with the tribal council to develop a governance agreement by spring 2019.
“Those are mistakes that our government profoundly regrets and are determined to set right. The treatment of the Tsilhqot’in chiefs represents a betrayal of trust, an injustice that you have carried for more than 150 years.”
Gwets’en Nilt’i Pathways Agreement - 2019
The Gwets'in Nilt'i Pathways Agreement started in 2019 is a tripartite agreement between the Tŝilhqot'in National Government, colonial British Columbia, and colonial Canada.
In the opening purpose of the signed agreement it states “The purpose of this Agreement is to bring transformative change during the term of this Agreement to the lives of the Tŝilhqot'in peoples and to the relationship between the Tŝilhqot'in Nation, Canada, and British Columbia." The Gwets’en Nilt’i Pathways Agreement was signed onto by all three parties on July 25, 2019.
