|
Dear Members and Friends of the BC Marine Trails
This is a fundraiser appeal to help maintain and enhance our First Nations engagement program. DONATE HERE.
Wherever you paddle in British Columbia, people have paddled before -- for thousands of years, as the primary form of transit essential to a life of fishing, hunting and whaling. Now, centuries later, we must confront this history.
The process is called reconciliation. This means developing an understanding of this sweeping history and building relationships to reconcile that past in harmony with the future. Visitors to the British Columbia coast have more to consider than most when it comes to the issue of reconciliation. The locations we are apt to visit -- those places that are the most appealing and most suitable for our purposes -- were likely used the same way throughout history.
In most cases we visit without accounting for this heritage, without acknowledging that we are within traditional lands and visiting the homes of ancestors gone but not forgotten. BC Marine Trails is working on a collaborative strategy with First Nations to reconcile public recreational use of traditional lands with the cultural, historic and economic interests of the First Nations that hold these lands dear. This process is not simple. Yet we have made in-roads with several Nations already.
 Everyone will benefit from the result. The protocols and guidelines established will give assurances that visits can be respectful and in harmony with the interests of these First Nations, while First Nations can be assured those following the established guidelines will ensure respect of cultural and historic sensitivities, while also acting respectful of future economic and environmental concerns.
Support BCMT through its reconciliation program.
Sincerely
Paul Grey
President BCMT
|
|
|
|
