Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Lyackson First Nation, Cowichan Tribes and the Province are celebrating a key reconciliation milestone that will enable the return of culturally signifciant land in the Cowichan River valley to two member communities of the Quw’utsun Nation.
Chief Pahalicktun (Richard Thomas), Lyackson First Nation; Chief Cindy Daniels (Sulsulxumaat), Cowichan Tribes; Premier David Eby; and Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, were joined by community members near Skutz Falls for a ceremony to sign an Incremental Treaty Agreement (ITA).
Under the agreement, B.C. will transfer a parcel of recently purchased private land to Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes. As part of the ITA, Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes have entered into an inter-community memorandum of understanding that holds the lands in partnership until a plan is put in place to divide the lands into equal, separate parcels.
“This day would not be possible without the support of our relatives at Cowichan Tribes,” said Chief Pahalicktun. “This collaboration is a living expression of our snuw’uy’ulh. I want to acknowledge Minister Rankin and Premier Eby for honouring their commitment to the Leeyq’sun Mustimuhw with the signing of this agreement. This is a historic day for our community – one we’ve been advocating for and working toward for multiple generations. It is the first step in bringing the Leeyq’sun Mustimuhw back together in a village, which will strengthen our community, our culture and our economy for today and for future generations.”
Prior to colonization, Lyackson had a winter village at the mouth of the Cowichan River, and for generations, their members have been advocating for a community base on Vancouver Island.
Lyackson’s reserve lands are currently located solely on Valdes Island, an island lacking ferry service, water supply, electricity, and other infrastructure and services needed to support a community. The agreement and land transfer are a historic step to address Lyackson’s long-standing need for a place to live, gather, access services and lay community members to rest.
Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes will seek to add the land to their respective reserves through the federal Addition to Reserve after the land transfer takes place and objectives of the inter-community memorandum of understanding have been achieved. This reserve creation for Lyackson First Nation has long been supported by Cowichan Tribes, guided by the shared teachings of nuts’a’maat shqwaluwun (working together with one mind, one heart, one spirit) and ts’ets’uw-wutul (helping one another).
“With the signing of this Interim Treaty Agreement, these unceded lands, which feature prominently in our oral history and hold great meaning for our families, are being returned to Quw’utsun,” said Chief Cindy Daniels. “I recognize the Province of B.C. for working with us to make this possible. Cowichan Tribes is pleased to support our Lyackson relatives in accordance with our snuw’uy’ulh (teachings) and divide these lands in a good and equitable way. Together, we are advancing a collaborative approach to addressing the urgent need for land for our citizens.”
Premier Eby said: “Everyone – and every community – needs a place to call home. This historic agreement creates a long-awaited home base for the Lyackson First Nation, while also supporting the Cowichan Tribes’ housing and community development priorities. None of this would be possible without the leadership of Lyackson Chief Pahalicktun, who has worked tirelessly for the past three decades to secure a strong future for his community, leaving a legacy for generations to come.”
The lands are near an existing Cowichan Tribes Indian Reserve known as Skutz Falls IR8, a small area of land adjacent to the Skutz Falls Provincial Park that is used for fishing and other harvesting and gathering purposes. For Cowichan Tribes, the upper regions of the Cowichan River and Lake Cowichan are of significant importance.
Quick Facts:
- The 312-hectare land parcel is valued at approximately $8.55 million.
- B.C. purchased the private forestry land parcel from Mosiac Forest Management.
- Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes are part of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group (HTG), which has been negotiating a treaty with B.C. and Canada since 1996 and is in stage 5 (final) negotiations.
- An Incremental Treaty Agreement is a legally binding pre-treaty agreement negotiated by the Province and First Nations.
- ITAs advance treaty-related benefits prior to a final treaty agreement.
Learn More:
To learn more about the Lyackson First Nation, visit: https://lyackson.bc.ca/ or
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/lyackson-first-nation
To learn more about Cowichan Tribes, visit: https://cowichantribes.com/ or
To access the signed incremental treaty agreement, visit the pages above, beginning Monday, May 13, 2024.
A backgrounder follows.
