Hereditary chiefs of the We Wai Kai Nation on Vancouver Island have sent a scathing letter to the mayor and council of Campbell River, British Columbia, regarding their comments on a proposal to restore the Indigenous names of three geographic areas .

The comments were made at a council meeting last month, where one councilor questioned whether changing the names would move reconciliation efforts too quickly.

Hereditary Chief Gigamae Yakawidi, also known as Shawn Decaire, told CBC News he sent his response letter to council on Thursday. He also posted a copy on his Facebook page.

“We must say that we are not only disappointed, but also frustrated and dismayed by the remarks made by council members regarding the restoration of place names to the titles they have held since the dawn of time,” the letter said.

“To say that reconciliation is moving too fast and that you have trouble pronouncing the names of the lands you are riding on is to spit on Indigenous people, as well as any hope of working toward reconciliation with Indigenous people.”

Earlier this year, the Liǧʷiłdaxʷ Nations – which includes the We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and Kwiakah First Nations – submitted a proposal to the British Columbia Geographic Names Office to restore the Indigenous names of Discovery Passage, the river Quinsam and Tyee Spit.

The changes would include:

• Passage Découverte at Passage Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ (pronounced lee-gwith-dow)
• From the Quinsam River to Kʷənsəm (pronounced quin-sat)
• Tyee Spit in ʔuxstalis (pronounced oox-sta-location)

In recent years, other First Nations in British Columbia have successfully changed the names of key geographic locations.

On southern Vancouver Island, Saanich council supported the change in From Mount Douglas to PKOLS. On the Sunshine Coast, Wilson Creek is now ts’uḵw’um and Saltery Bay is now sḵelhp.

In the Lower Mainland, the park formerly known as Belcarra Regional Park was officially renamed təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra regional parkin recognition of the ancestral home of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

Pace of reconciliation ‘questionable’, adviser says

At a city council meeting on October 8, Campbell River councilors discussed a letter sent by the British Columbia Geographic Names Office seeking feedback on the name changes.

Advice. Ben Lanyon said he believed the changes would benefit tourism, but added that he found the name Likʷala for Discovery Passage difficult to pronounce.

He then added that the name changes could “be out of step with the state of public opinion.” He later added that the pace of reconciliation is “questionable” and “could do even more harm” if carried out too quickly.

“There is a growing level of opposition to these measures,” he said. “It’s moving at a certain pace and I think it needs to be slowed down a little bit.”

The letter from the hereditary chiefs of We Wai Kai condemns these comments.

“Do you think the impacts of residential schools happened too quickly? Do you think the deprivation of our peoples of their lands and traditional rights has been too rapid? Do you think the rape, kidnapping, beating and murder of indigenous people happened too quickly. “” reads the letter.

“The names of these places are our hereditary right and should be labeled as such and should not be seen as a measure to promote tourism, but rather as a motion to restore and develop a relationship with indigenous peoples.”

More consultations are a disservice, elected leaders say

At the October 8 meeting, some councilors said they were in favor of the name changes. But council stopped short of expressing the city’s support in a letter to the names office and debated whether to ask the province to hold information sessions instead.

Councilors also discussed their concerns about navigation maps and the costs associated with changing signs and materials.

At a subsequent meeting on October 24, Wei Wai Kum was elected chief councilor. Chris Roberts appeared as part of a delegation alongside We Wai Kai, elected chief advisor. Ronnie Chickite, and said the comments were “disturbing”.

Roberts asked the city to either send a letter saying it supports reconciliation and name changes or simply respond with “no comment” – “because it would be a disservice to invite more consultative processes on this question.

Council voted to discuss its response at an upcoming closed meeting.

CBC News reached out to Lanyon and Mayor Kermit Dahl for comment, but neither responded.

“Major differences” on reconciliation

In their letter, the hereditary chiefs support what Roberts said at the meeting, but add “this is our traditional territory and we do not need permission (from the city) to call it by its rightful name “.

“Tell us again how much we’re bothering you, or do the right thing and try to mend the bonds that seem more broken than ever.”

Decaire said he requested that their letter be added to the agenda for the next council meeting.

Speaking to CBC News, Chief Roberts said the Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ generally have a good relationship with city council.

He thinks the discussion may have been influenced by the recent provincial election, which sparked “two fairly broad and important differences on the political approach to reconciliation.”

Despite her concerns about the council’s comments and actions, Roberts hopes the community will move forward with the name changes and its obligations toward reconciliation, as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“The work we do as elected officials… is always tempered by public trust and it requires people to be involved in that,” he said.

“Obviously not everyone will agree. A lot of times it’s about having to make tough decisions that aren’t always popular.”

Roberts pointed out that other British Columbia First Nations have had success reintroducing Indigenous names to their traditional territory, as many people now refer to the The Salish Sea instead of the Strait of Georgia.

Other examples cited by Roberts include the Musqueam, Squamish And Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.