A gift for a very dear friend

After the JRP inappropriately and disrespectfully cancelled the first day and a half of the hearings in Bella Bella, the hearings finally began on Tuesday afternoon. I was so impressed with the poise and resolve of the Heiltsuk people. They refused to be intimidated by the panel’s actions yet they were equally determined to prove the panel’s negative assumptions and prejudices wrong. They were respectful and complied with the panel’s requests in regards to how the hearings should proceed yet they cleverly showed their solidarity in ways that were not forbidden by the panel. A great example of this was…