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Sagkeeng objects to petroform proposal

By: Aldo Santin

Posted: 09/3/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

The province's decision to co-manage sacred aboriginal sites in Whiteshell Provincial Park with the Brokenhead Ojibwa Nation has drawn protest from another First Nation that claims the park land is part of its traditional territory.

Donovan Fontaine, chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation, said his community has filed a claim to much of the same land that Brokenhead has also claimed.

"We gave the province and Brokenhead notice in 2008 that we were going to put in a claim for that land," Fontaine said. "Just because our claim hasn't been settled yet doesn't mean that we should be ignored. If there is going to be co-management of those sites, we better be involved."

The province and Brokenhead announced Aug. 30 they are committed to negotiating a co-management agreement for several hundred acres of land in Whiteshell Provincial Park that contain petroforms -- believed to be ancient rock illustrations created by aboriginal people for ceremonial purposes.

Brokenhead had chosen the land as compensation in the treaty land entitlement process but the province wouldn't consider the sites. Brokenhead threatened to blockade the park for the September long weekend and that prompted Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie to personally intervene, which led to Monday's agreement.

Fontaine said the threat of the blockade worked for Brokenhead but added that Sagkeeng would not threaten public access to a park to secure its rights.

Fontaine said the Whiteshell land had been a meeting ground and religious site for several Indian tribes, adding the province should invite them all into the discussions it will hold with Brokenhead.

A provincial spokeswoman said the deal reached August 30 with Brokenhead recognizes that other First Nations have an interest in the Whiteshell lands and that they will be consulted during the negotiations with Brokenhead.

Fontaine said Sagkeeng had not yet been consulted or invited to participate. "We should be part of that next meeting," he said.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 3, 2010 A8

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