Kwicksutaineuk-ah-kwa-mish First Nation

The Kwicksutaineuk, Kwikwasut ` inux or Gilford Iceland, officially Kwicksutaineuk - ah -ah- mish - Kwaw, are one of the First Nations in western Canada. They live in the province of British Columbia, specifically the opposite of Port Hardy ( Vancouver Iceland ) on the east side of Johnstone Strait. Their language is Kwak'wala.

They belong to the northern Kwakwaka'wakw and form, together with two other tribes, the Kwa -Wa - Aineuk and Tsawataineuk the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council. Your principal residence is Gilford Iceland, where according to own data, however, only 35 tribal members live in the village Gwa'yasdums.

History

The former residential area of Kwicksutaineuk was opposite the northern tip of Vancouver Iceland. In 1850 they lived in the neighborhood of the Kwakiutl, the Gwawaenuk, the Tsawataineuk and other Kwak'wala speaking tribes.

Reserves

Today they live mostly in the Gwayasdums Indian Reservation No. 1 ( 25.4 ha) on the west coast of Gilford Iceland, about 60 kilometers east of Port Hardy, on the east side of Johnstone Strait. Your ten reservations include a total of 172 ha Kye - yaa -la 1 (8.4 ha ) is located on Sail Iceland in Retreat Passage to the west of Gilford Iceland, and some offshore islands. Kyidagwis 2 ( 4.5 ha) is located on the west side of Wakeman Sound, as well as Dug -da- myse 12 (1.6 ha). Alalco 8 ( 118.7 ha) is located at the mouth of Wakeman River in the northern Wakeman Sound and is the largest reserve. Five other reserves are located in Gilford Iceland: Meetup 2 (6.4 ha) on Vinder sound, AHTA 3 (7.1 ha) at the mouth of the Ohta River at the Tribune Channel at the north end of the island, Kakweken 4 (4 ha) at Kakweken River at Thompson sound, Dakiulis 7 ( 0.7 ha) at the top of Islet Point in the west, eventually Kyimla 11 ( 1.1 ha) at the Trafford Point in the east.

Of the 270 tribal members lived in December 2007, only 46 in his own, and another 18 in other reserves, plus 198 members who live outside of reserves and 8 people who live crown land on any band. The 22 to 26 houses of the reservation to get running water, while sanitation was carried out by a septic system -. Till 1996, Since then, the supply of drinking water from plastic bottles takes place. The police and health care comes from Simoon sound. The public facilities include a band office, a nave, a community hall and a utility building. Economic activities take place in the forestry and tourism.

Current Situation

Only since about 1980, the island receives at least one monthly medical care. The infrastructure, such as water supply, collapsed in 1996 and was, until the end of 2005 catastrophically bad. Especially germ-free water is a big problem, so that water has to be imported consuming. The wells are too salty. Around three-quarters of the 26 houses from the 50s and 60s suffering from mold and were barely habitable. Chief Henry Scow designated in 2004, given the delays, Indian Affairs as the " worst enemy" of the tribe.

The food supply, which took place directly from the environment until a few decades is due to algae immigration, but mainly because of the damage from fish farms and factories no longer possible. 2003 alone there were at the Broughton Archipelago around 30 fish farms. Nowhere in western Canada, the concentration of fish farms is as great as here. 2002 broke the salmon populations (especially the pink salmon ) together, since there are no more salmon runs, which in turn starves the bear population and attracts other ecological consequences. Especially Heritage Salmon Limited and Stolt Sea Farm Inc. stand out here. 2000 was estimated with 3.6 million salmon, two years later, there were hardly 150,000 - Pink Salmons draw only every two years.

In 2003, the Indians turned with the help of the Sierra Legal Defense Fund to the British Columbia Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of British Columbia. To this end, they joined forces with the Tsawataineuk, Namgis and Gwaraenuk bands that are also affected.

Against the background of these and other experiences since 2005, for three strains each employee at the State Central Coast Land and Resource Management Plan, including the Kwicksutaineuk.

In Gilford Iceland a small Provincial Marine Park of 2 ha was established. Since 1995, the tribes of the region try including the Haida, with a stake in the Great Bear Rainforest to protect the largest remaining area of ​​temperate rain forest from further logging. They are supported by environmental organizations.

Judge Alfred Scow of the Kwicksutaineuk First Nation, Gilford Iceland band, and traditional chief, the first Native American who rose in British Columbia to a high judicial office is. He now sits the Provincial Court in Coquitlam before. He was born in Alert Bay, where he attended St. Michael's Residential School.