From the late Wilfred Peltier: “It takes a long time not to feel like an alien, a long time to search out and discover who you are. But if you go all the way with that exploration it takes you beyond race, beyond colour, beyond class, beyond every kind of category, and you discover you belong to humanity. And that’s who you are. If you go all the way with that search, it takes you beyond property, beyond lumber, fish, furs, metal, oil, beyond “resource” industry, beyond commercial food production to where you find you belong to the land. And that’s who you are. And when you are that, there is no foreign land. Wherever you are is home. And the earth is paradise and wherever you set your feet is holy land.”
“I’m Ahousaht, native to this land in Canada. I’ve long since accepted our present day situation. Non indians, came, saw, liked & decided to lay claim to this huge land, making every excuse to say they had every right to do so. They never realized that indians would put down the spears, bows, war clubs, & arrows, pick up on learning the white mans ways to read, write and document what’s happened & what is happening. We learned the use of the pen & all this wonderful technology we have today. I know that us native Indians are here to stay, as are all the whites, blacks, Asians & Mexicanos are also here to stay. Let’s learn how to co-exist. Neither of any of our parties are going away any sooner or later. I am here to stay our white friends & bro’s. Chuu. Wick neesh pish shukk muughsa.”
Kupp-Chah, Corbett George, the eldest son of the late great Chief Earl Maquinna George.