A local woman was prompted into action after seeing RCMP officers raid the Unist’ot’en Camp in Northern B.C.
After the raid, the hereditary chief asked other First Nations people and B.C. Bands to come together to hold rallies, protests or events of support.
Madeline Terbasket took that ask seriously and set out to hold a fundraiser event.
Madeline felt the best way to get people together and raise some support money for the cause was to hold a silent loonie auction and karaoke party. The even was held this past Saturday. About 40 people attended with a wide-range of backgrounds.
Those that attended assisted with donating to the loonie auction, making protest signs and singing karaoke songs. There was a great mood within the gathering at Blind Creek Indian Reserve.
The event also garnered some of the top protest people in the valley.
The group included Chad Eneas, Chief of the Penticton Indian Band, who said he was impressed with Madeline for standing up. Chief Eneas added he considers Madeline to be “one of the brightest young people of her generation,” adding, “More people need to learn what’s going on with the whole Indian Title and Rights movement in BC.”
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He explained most of B.C. remains unceded territory and the Provincial and Federal governments cannot come onto traditional lands without consent from the hereditary chiefs.
“Money isn’t everything and people should be able to see the real treasure of keeping the land pure and in its natural state,” Eneas said.
Pauline Terbasket, who represents the Okanagan Nation Alliance organization, has served as a mentor for Madeline since she was young.
“I am really truly grateful for this experience to see this young woman bring all of us together in this room,” she said. “It’s good to see how many of us there are. This isn’t just an Indian problem. This is a people problem and by looking around this room, we can see we have allies from different cultures who feel the same way. Where there is an injustice, we need to stand up!”
Pauline talked about her experiences in protesting and the idea to protect people’s rights should be considered one of the highest duties in these times. She noted that this gathering was positive for all people who felt there was an injustice going on at the camp. She ended with a great statement, “This is one way to make it right.”
Dixon Terbasket, who considers himself an Indian as opposed to other words like First Nations or aboriginal, stated he had a long history of protest, which included a start with the American Indian Movement (AIM).
He talked about what has become of these protest as a result. He has seen change. Some good, some bad. But the biggest gain is that Indians cannot do it alone.
“There needs to be a people action and we all must talk. If we want it right, then it takes hard work. I see a lot of people in this room who can help with a lot of things. Some are writers, some are talkers, some know how others involved…we need this if we want to change these things for the better.”
More than $900 was raised at the event. Madeline was able to send that money off Monday to the Unist’ot’en Camp. The amazing part was the use of social media to gather additional funds throughout the night. Madeline was so happy the event turned out better than she thought.
“This worked out just the way I wanted it to go.”
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@TaraBowieBC
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