Lheidli T'enneh Band

Lheidli T'enneh First Nation
Lheidli T'enneh
Band number 611
Country  Canada
Government
 • Type First Nations Council
 • Chief Dominic Frederick
Population (Feb 2015)
 • Total 415
  66 males, 52 females on reserve. Remainder live off reserve[1]
Time zone Pacific Time Zone (PTZ) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) DST (UTC)
Postal code span V2K 5X8
Area code(s) 250
Website www.lheidli.ca
Main Office: 1041 Whenun Road, Prince George, BC, V2K 5X8

The Lheidli T'enneh Band also known as the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation and historically known as the Fort George Indian Band is the First Nations band government for the Lheidli T'enneh, a subgroup of the Dakelh people whose traditional territory includes the City of Prince George, British Columbia. The name means "The People from the confluence of the two rivers" in the Carrier language referring to how the Nechako River enters the Fraser River at Prince George.

The Lheidli T'enneh are Carrier people. Their traditional language, now spoken only by a few people, is a dialect of the Carrier language.

19th and 20th Centuries

The Fort George Indian Band Reserve was first established in 1892 where the Fraser and Nechako rivers meet, and the current site of downtown Prince George.

In 1911, federal Indian Agent W.J. MacAllan negotiated a land sale agreement between the Lheidli T'enneh, the federal government and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The 100 or so band members and their belongings were transported to land north of the city known as the Shelley Reserve. When the band assembly resisted being removed from their village, MacAllan participated in arson of vacant buildings to motivate band members to accept the move.[2]

21st Century

The Lheidli T'enneh Treaty

On October 29, 2006 the Lheidli T'enneh became the first people to initial a treaty with British Columbia and Canada within the framework of the British Columbia Treaty Process created in response to the Delgamuukw case. It remains for the treaty to be ratified by a vote of Lheidli T'enneh band members, by the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and by the Canadian Parliament.

On February 9, 2007 the Treaty 8 First Nations launched a legal challenge of the ratification of Lheidli T'enneh treaty. The Treaty 8 First Nations asserted that Canada, British Columbia and the Lheidli T'enneh did not adequately consult them about the overlap of the Lheidli T'enneh treaty area and the area of Treaty 8.

The Treaty 8 First Nations sought an interlocutory injunction preventing the ratification of the treaty until such time as the parties resolves the issues of the overlap. Justice Wilson of the Supreme Court of British Columbia denied the plaintiff's application for an interlocutory injunction.

A similar challenge was launched by the Secwepemc Nation on March 12, 2007.

The Lheidli T'enneh band members did not ratify the treaty in a treaty ratification vote held on March 30, 2007. In the vote 123 people voted against the treaty and 111 voted in favor of it.

In response to this outcome, the British Columbia Treaty Commission undertook a "Lheidli T’enneh Communications Probe" to determine why the treaty was not ratified. This included a survey carried out by the Mustel Group, a marketing and public opinion research firm based in Vancouver.

The Lheidli T'enneh nation is currently preparing for another ratification vote.

Canada Winter Games

The City of Prince George, as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations, hosted the 2015 Canada Games. The Lheidli T'enneh were the Official Host First Nation, the first time the Games acknowledged a First Nations as a formal partner.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Registered Population - Lheidli T'enneh". Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Peebles, Frank (Mar 7, 2015). "City's 100th anniversary built on village's ashes". Prince George Citizen.
  3. ↑ "Lheidli 2015". Host First Nations Secretariat. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
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