Developers at Bear Mountain committing cultural genocide, aboriginal leaders charge
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The provincial government and Bear Mountain developers are committing cultural genocide by destroying a cave on Skirt Mountain that is sacred to aboriginal people, the land manager of the Songhees First Nation charged yesterday. As dump trucks roared in the background, Cheryl Bryce stood at the cave entrance, now clogged with tree stumps. A subterranean lake has been drained and filled with tires. Natural vegetation has been scraped off the top of the cave.
"This angers me. It really, really angers me," said Bryce. "At the same time, I'm really, really heartbroken and saddened to see this kind of destruction to this sacred land ... to me it's another form of cultural genocide to take away what is rightfully ours, to take away that connection we have to our spirits and our ancestors."
Bryce and Tsartlip Chief Chris Tom complained that First Nations were not consulted about archeological assessments of the site by companies hired by the City of Langford and by Bear Mountain Resort.
They said they were shocked to discover last week that the province approved removing the roof of the cave and draining the lake to complete the assessment.
"Their methodology is insane and horrific," said Bryce. "To damage a site to prove there might be some physical evidence -- We know we used it and how sacred it is. There's evidence all round this mountain of use and occupation."
Langford Mayor Stew Young said "There's been consultation [with First Nations] all along. They've been able to consult with the archeologists we hired. They've been with them every day. They've been allowed to have somebody on site every single day -- a representative from their band."
Young said he has done everything he promised.
"I wrote a letter to the chief and said 'if you have any problems let's go out for dinner.' I invited him out for dinner, three or four months ago. ... I had no response." "
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