We are not all chiefs, we are not all Canucks and we are not canadians

I woke up with that thought for a title.  Reminded of public school days of learning my Indigeneity from red-neck farmer kids and playing sports on 'white' teams. Non-Indigenous people or most Canadians, still pretend to know nothing of Indigenous realities but truth be known, they pick and choose what they need to know and can ignore the rest.  This I learned from the non-Indian parents of my "friends" who had very specific rules for my visits, even getting chased out of the house whenever the father came home.  He built his empire on indigenous lands but he chose not to see "those filthy people" outside of his business.  Takeovers were common on the Saanich Peninsula by leasing, municipalities, the province,and corporations usurping unceded territories.  Actions of the colonialist government divided up lands according to department of Indian affairs (DIA) surveyance and agents. Much has since been lost in dividing the WSANEC nation, the actions of DIA over time has encouraged the five 'village' sites to barely maintain true governance, physically, or socially. Many sites overlap within Band lands and the surrounding territories, but land recognition as shared or as part of a families CELANEN are no longer considered, like a lost art or skill, like the oral tradition.  Elders said HWINITEMS took the best for themselves, and slowly erased from our memories the actual size of our Indigenous landscape.  THE WSANEC Nation includes all the southern tribes on Vancouver Island, and those particular bands south of the 49th, Lummis, Cllallam, San Juan Islands, Semiahmoo. WE ARE THE SALTWATER PEOPLE. WE ARE THE EMERGING PEOPLE. There is story in the geography, how islands meet, how people meet, celebrate, trade, and marry. The truth in being friends and relatives, since time immemorial. Our nationhood makes us strong.  Instead of continuing to divide ourselves we need to come together in true unity.
It's wierd how 🌎 situations impact upon us on the reserve. It is in times like this, when COVID19 is running rampant world-wide, that I am very thankful for my heritage.  My parents provided me with a very good understanding of sustainability and being able to take care even in sickness. I learned from their way of life, how to be healthy and strong. Sure you can say times are different now and I can say that many things are still the same.