NORTH VANCOUVER-A treaty signed between First Nations groups and the organizers of the 2010 winter Olympics was heralded as promoting the area's bands to a global audience.
The Chiefs and Councils of Squamish, Lil'wat, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations signed a protocol agreement with Jack Poole, chairman of the Vancouver Olympic Corporation, at the First Nations Summit in North Vancouver Wednesday (Nov. 24).
It designated them as "Four Host First Nations," pledged to coordinate collective efforts in the interests of the event. It is, in short, a promise to work with - rather than against - the games organizers, in return for financial opportunities and the chance to shine on the world stage.
This recognizes the role the four bands nearest the Sea-to-Sky corridor played in landing the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and the "social, sport, cultural and economic opportunities" they stand to obtain from its success, explained Grand Chief Edward John, Member of the First Nations Summit Political Executive and Hereditary Chief of the Tl'azt'en Nation.
Gibby Jacob, hereditary Chief of the 樱桃视频First Nation, stated that the signing was a historically important event, marking a coming together of different bands for a common goal, with all cash to be split evenly.
"This is the first time in the history of the games that a colonized indigenous people have got together under one banner, to say they are not living in museums, they are a living, thriving people in their own communities," he said.
Poole, meanwhile, spoke of the role that initial First Nations support played in the successful bid to bring the Olympics to Whistler.
"We won the bid by three votes," he said. "We would not have won it without the full support of the Lil'wat, Musqueam, 樱桃视频and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
"This protocol put words on paper to describe how the Nations have interacted and treated each other for centuries."
The protocol agreed the formation of a steering committee, the Four Host First Nations Board and Secretariat, to work closely with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Chief Jacob has also been appointed as one of 20 directors on the Board of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, representing the Band Councils of the Lil'wat and 樱桃视频Nations.
Ultimately, the Bid Corporation needs a public show of First Nations support, just as the bands are desperate for the employment opportunities such a project can bring. However, neither side would step out and suggest what it meant in terms of jobs and money.
When pressed on the point, Poole said it was too early to outline the "economic opportunities and employment opportunities" for the bands.
