Harriet Nahanee also known as Tseybayotl-t[1] (December 7, 1935[2] – February 24, 2007) was an indigenous rights activist, residential school alumna, and environmental activist. She was born in British Columbia, Canada. She comes from the Pacheedaht who are part of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Indigenous peoples from the Vancouver Island. As a child, Nahanee attended both Ahousaht Residential School and Alberni Residential School, and would later testify about the horrible treatment she received there. She married into the Squamish (Sḵwxwú7mesh).
Harriet was sentenced to two weeks in a provincial jail in January 2007 for criminal contempt of court for her part in the Sea-to-Sky Highway expansion protest at Eagleridge Bluffs.[3] She was then hospitalized with pneumonia a week after her release from the jail, at which time doctors discovered she had lung cancer. She died of pneumonia and complications at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver on February 24, 2007, one month after her original sentencing.[3][4][5][6]
Nahanee had been weak from the flu and asthma in January, and it was widely suspected that Nahanee's condition worsened during her incarceration at the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre.[3] An independent public inquiry into her death was called for in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on March 5. Solicitor-General John Les said the provincial government expressed regret for the passing but denied any government responsibility and refused opposition requests for an inquiry.[7]
Quotes[edit]
What I would like to see is people with [traditional] knowledge to teach the small, little people how to grow up with pride. This generation is lost. My generation is lost − they're assimilated. They don't think like an Indian. What I'd like to see is our five-year-olds being taught their language, their songs, their games, their spirituality, their Indian, eh, their Indian-ness. I'd like to ask all the people out there to reclaim their culture − practice it, teach the children, and let's reclaim our backbone, our culture and put some pride in our children.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Hitler's legacy comes to the streets of Vancouver". Dave. Human powered. 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
The $800 million cost of the Sea-to-Sky/Eagleridge Bluffs Highway Project that killed Tseybayotl (aka Harriet Nahanee) could have more than doubled the bus fleet (1,000 now; up to 1,600 new).
- ^ "First Nations - Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia".
- ^ a b c "First Nations elder Harriet Nahanee (1935–2007)". Institute for the History of Science. 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ Harriet Nahanee Did Not Die in Vain, Rafe Mair, The Tyee, March 5, 2007
- ^ "First Nations Activist Dies after Release from Jail: In memory of Harriet Nahanee, age 71 | The Dominion". www.dominionpaper.ca. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
- ^ "B.C. native protester dies of pneumonia in hospital". Retrieved 2019-06-12.
- ^ Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Hansard Services. Afternoon Session, March 5, 2007
- ^ "All That's Left is Struggle".
External links[edit]
- In the Spirit of Warrior Harriet Nahanee Weblog – Weblog created on updates following Harriet's previous work, and the case following her death.