Photo courtesy: MMFN Website
A First Nation along the west coast of Vancouver Island filed a claim Thursday in BC’s supreme court claiming title to their traditional territories and compensation.
At a news conference in Victoria, BC, two chiefs from the council of chiefs of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) say they were on the land long before Capt. Cook set foot on the territory in 1778 and wants the province to recognize that.
“For centuries the province has been making decisions in our territory without our consent that have had devastating cultural, spiritual, environmental and economic harms, and very little benefit to MMFN,” said one of the chiefs, Mike Miquinna. “The Crown has acted as if it is the sole decision-making authority for our forests; however, MMFN has been exercising jurisdiction regarding forestry management in our territory since time immemorial.
“Through this Aboriginal title claim, MMFN aims to ensure a sustainable future for our community and future generations.”
Chief Jerry Jack is another member of the five person council of chiefs for MMFN. Their territory covers approximately 430,000 hectares.
“We’re also pursuing monetary compensation for the unjustified infringement and/or breach of Crown duties owed to the Mowachaht/Muchalaht peoples. Our territories are bare,” Jack said.
The chiefs said they’ve learned from previous cases and have spent countless hours consulting historians and academic experts to support their claim.
Chiefs says they were on the land long before Capt. Cook arrived
Jack said artifacts from the territory can be found in museums all over the world, showing they occupied the land since time immemorial.
“I just recently came back from New York City because we had a whaling shrine that was found there,” Jack said.
“I don’t like that we have to prove that we owned it before they showed up to our territory. It gets my blood pressure up a little bit.”
The chiefs reassured property owners and those with third party interests in the territory that they are not going after them, but the province.
Jack said the people were stewards of the land a long time ago and they want to reclaim title in order to protect it.
“Title claim will enable Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation to protect the territory through sustainable forestry practice that align with the laws and values and beliefs in combating climate change,” Jack said.
He believes they’re in a climate crisis, not just experiencing climate change.
“We have a hard time getting land back because of climate change we’re losing physical land. We’ve lost about 100 feet of beach because of rising water,” Jack said.
“We wouldn’t be in the crisis we are in today if we were able to look after it ourselves. That’s what we want to do.”
Editor’s Note: The size of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht territory has been corrected.
