Elders of the Splatsin band, which is near Enderby, are meeting on Thursday to try and encourage a ‘no’ vote in an upcoming referendum on whether to accept a federal settlement payout compensating them for the loss of a ¾ acre first nations graveyard.
The land being dealt with in the vote has been farmed, but underneath it lies a Splatsin cemetery.
“In 1877, the Splatsin chief told the Government of Canada about this oldest ancestral Splatsin graveyard and and there was an agreement that it be designated within the boundaries of Splatsin reserve land,” spokesperson Jody Leon said in a news release.
“The agreement was not honoured and and the land was illegally transferred.”
Leon said Splatsin elders presented a signed petition to the chief and council asking for the referendum to be cancelled.
Despite this, they are planning to go ahead with the referendum which is scheduled for July 16.
Splatsin Chief Wayne Christian defends the referendum arguing it is a way for officials to find out what band members think of the settlement.
“We as a council could have just signed a band council resolution and agreed but we said, ‘No, we want a transparent and accountable process.’ That is why we are going to referendum,” Christian said.
“The referendum process is really about transparency and accountability with our members.”
Now, the elders are calling on band members to vote ‘no’ in the referendum and “send a message to Splatsin chief and council that the ancestors’ bones aren’t for sale.”
Christian sees the situation differently.
“I think the statement that we are selling the ancestral graveyard is not true because simply put that graveyard will always remain a graveyard no matter what happens in terms of process,” Christian said.
The concerned members are calling for a different approach. They want the graveyard to become part of the Splatsin reserve and the cemetery to be fenced and properly memorialized. They would also like an archaeological study done to identify the remains and their exact locations.
“The elders and supporters question whether this would be the same callous approach if a non-Aboriginal cemetery was in question,” Leon said.
The chief argues the band still has the option of trying to retain the graveyard and memorialize the remains later on.
“I think those options are still there even after the referendum,” Christian said.
The meeting of Splatsin elders and their supporters will be held at the Splatsin Community Centre at 1 p.m. on Thursday, and the public is invited to attend.