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LETTER: Soowahlie kids have right to attend Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt

Chilliwack School District making ‘abhorrent assault’ on Indigenous kids by barring them from new school
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Crews work on the construction of Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt near the Vedder River on Thursday, April 1, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress file)

As Canadians, we will take Sept. 30 from here on as a day to commemorate Truth and Reconciliation. However, here in Chilliwack we have an issue which is in opposition to this solemn day. The issue at hand concerns a decision being made by the Chilliwack School District which pertains to the community’s First Nations children.

Let’s begin with three facts: the school (Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt) is on traditional territory of the Soowahlie First Nations (FN), it has taken an outdoor education stance (a way of learning which more closely resembles that of traditional FN education), and the school has taken a traditional FN name.

Yet, the closest Soowahlie community of Cultus Lake has been denied the right to be included in the catchment.

I, as a middle-class Caucasian, think this is absolutely appalling. This needs to be addressed.

This month on Sept. 30 the federal government has declared a national holiday to pause, remember, and reflect – to declare that “Every Child Matters.” This solemn day is, just as Remembrance Day, a day to remind us to do better –to take a stand to value and uphold humanity. Yet, our own school district 33 has taken the land, the name and the traditions of our own local Soowahlie people and blatantly denied inclusion to FN children. The excuse given is population and access to busing; yet, the privileged of Promontory, Greendale and Yarrow have all been included even though Mt. Slesse is closer and more direct for Yarrow and definitely for Promontory.

By excluding FN children, the school district is blatantly repeating history and making the asinine decision to give precedence to affluent caucasians for reasons of political policies and financial interests.

This isn’t just an oversight and a mockery, it goes much deeper. During a recent town hall meeting a Soowahlie councillor asked why their children weren’t included. The school district didn’t have the decency nor the respect to give an answer.

During a time where we are all wearing orange and declaring that “Every Child Matters,” the school district is making an abhorrent assault on FN children by barring them from Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt.

Soowahlie children have the right to attend this school. We, as the privileged, have an obligation to ensure that this happens and that the rights of children are recognized, respected and upheld. Chilliwack School District 33, do the right thing: apologize and take the necessary steps of reconciliation by prioritizing and ensuring the inclusion of Soowahlie FN children into the catchment of Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt.

Erin Schartner