Malahat First Nation
The Malahat Nation inhabits land rich in natural resources and have throughout history and modern day made efforts to restore depleted species.
Aside from their spiritual backgrounds supporting the respect of nature, many of their goals for their community involve strengthening their resources after years of overfishing, and being settled in the 18th through 20th centuries.
As with other Indigenous Canadian peoples and Nations, residential schools have been surging in new information and new initiatives to better understand and combat the effects.
West of the Canadian coast, the environment of their homelands are defined by mountains, forests, rivers, waterfalls and an abundance of natural resources.
Past Chief, Michael Harry has suggested that buying the land outright was much more efficient than being tied up in the courts for years over rightful ownership.
Due to the complex nature of drilling there is careful consideration when it comes to the impacts about their local environment, such as carbon pollution and an abundant uptick in the use of fresh water.
In 2011, a large amount of gasoline and diesel fuel spilled on the Malahat Highway which led to a leak into the Goldstream River.
[13] Spiritual or religious rituals that the early Salish people performed were coming of age rites that focus on boys, but were not exclusionary towards girls.
[16] Coast Salish people tended to live the summer season in semi-nomadic conditions to take advantage of their abundant resources.
Through contact with settlers, Indigenous people across British Columbia were pushed out and off their traditional lands and lost great numbers to smallpox in the 1700s and the 1800s.
[15] Treaties have greatly affected the inter-relations of Indigenous people and modern day nations recognized through western governments.
As a culture within that, it was common for Saanich people to have good relations with other groups in the area when it came to accessing resources and the movement across territories.
Under new initiatives from the Canadian government, there is more willingness to discuss the sexual abuse, physical punishments, and politics behind these schools designed to re-educate and end Indigenous values in children.
These events also served as a way to bring people together to discuss current issues or politics, determine rank, and display material culture.
[12] Typically a potlatch would include giving away as many goods as possible which by distributing wealth and behaving generously, would solidify a prominent member's social status among the group.
[24] The Te'mexw Treaty Association is made up of five Nations within the Coastal Salish group including, the Malahat, Snaw-aw-as, Songhees, T'sou-ke, and Scia'new.
Working in conjunction with environmental groups, people in the Southwest of British Columbia have been proactive and vocal about pipelines and industrial construction on their homelands.
The main issues at hand were the desire to save the trees and to allow for First Nation leaders to come up with plans on how to navigate and negotiate with the logging companies.
While pointing at larger issues, this fight against climate change and rights surrounding traditional forests resulted in the arrest of 800 people.
As a result, the Malahat Nation are hopeful for unity against past treatment, and are currently commissioning totem poles to recognize the legacy of those who died at and survived the residential schools.
