Harriet Nahanee

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Harriet Nahanee (born 1935 – February 24, 2007) was a Indigenous/Aboriginal rights activist, residential school survivor, 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. She married into Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish). Harriet was sentenced to a provincial jail for criminal contempt of court for her part in the Sea-to-Sky Highway-expansion protest at Eagleridge Bluffs. She was then hospitalized with pneumonia a week after her release from the jail. ^[1]
It was widely suspected that Nahanee's condition worsened during her incarceration at the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre, a facility set up predominantly for housing male criminals. An independent public inquiry into her passing 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.^[2]

1 Quotes
2 See also
3 References
4 External Links

[edit] Quotes

“

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.[1]

”