ee October 1996. Burning of slash piles subsequent to industrial logging in the previously pristine Elaho watershed. On the September 28, 1996 trek to the pro- posed “Stoltmann Wilderness Area’, the guest who probably travelled farthest was ta-lall-SAHM-cane. Not in terms of physical distance — Squamish Nation reserves are closer to Vancouver than Sims Creek — but in terms of social and cultural distance. Ta-lall-SAHM-cane joined in with the week- end trekkers anonymously, wanting to find out first hand and in his own way what was going on with a campaign that advertised its goals as the preservation of ecological integrity without refer- ence to First Nation title to the land. His signature on a form for those wanting more information fol- lowing a presentation by Clarke at the Robson Square Media Centre on the Stoltmann campaign brought no reply — and this despite indicating to whoever was collecting the signatures that he was affiliated to the historic custodians of Sims Creek. Ta-lall-SAHM-cane did not know the excur- sion in which he was participating was the final trek of the season for the ecological activists and wilderness enthusiasts. Or that a gift-giving cere- mony had been planned by Nancy Bleck to acknowledge the work of John Clarke and other volunteers in celebration of two years of bringing members of the public on treks into the proposed wilderness sanctuary. In the minutes prior to people assembling for the ceremony, Bleck introduced herself to ta-lall- SAHM-cane. Only then did she learn his identity, and only then realize that, among all the ecologi- cal activists there, probably she alone recognized the importance of ta-lall-SAHM-cane’s willing presence. She commented to me recently, “I’ve never felt right about environmental work being done. without input and participation from First Nations peoples whose land is at issue.” With this awareness of ta-lall-SAHM-cane’s stature came responsibility. However limited it was in this regard and however hard it had been come by, Bleck’s stock of knowledge compelled her to ask permission of the Squamish chief for the trekkers to be present in Squamish territory. As things stood, the logging road cut into the area by International Forest Product Limited without Squamish Nation permission and used by the trekkers to enter the site themselves meant the conditions did not obtain for a proper welcome to be extended to Bleck and her colleagues. But ta- lall-SAHM-cane’s willingness to remain for the ceremony and for the speeches about to be given was at least mildly encouraging. Ta-lall-SAHM-cane’s reference to protocol for the welcoming of visitors prompted Bleck to con- sider how to approximate respectful engagement with the Squamish Nation chief in the highly com- promised situation of eco-trekkers about to cele- brate themselves in disregard of First Nation title. As the convener of the gift-giving ceremony, Bleck was in a position to call upon ta- lall-SAHM-cane to be the first to address the assembled celebrants. But having this sort of power over the situa- tion is not enough, nor is it appropriate by itself, to arrive at the kind of solution Bleck needed to receive ta-lall-SAHM-cane in a meaningful way. Without any foresight on her part, Bleck’s own life experiences and learning came into play to fill the breach. Bleck’s acquaintance with First Nations proto- col has been hard won. She received guidance in traditional spiritual practices, including a vision quest, in order to deal with the aftermath of a life- threatening assault. A gift that this effort brought to her from James Nicholas, a friend of Cree ances- try, was an eagle feather. From the time she received it, she kept this personally and culturally sacred item nearby. On September 28, 1996, some four weeks after her vision quest, it was in her back pack at Sims Creek. That day, it became a gift to ta- lall-SAHM-cane. In looking back at gifting away her feather so recently after the ordeal for which it was a person- al signifier of healing and recovery, Bleck com- ments: “First Nations cultures are very gift giving, to the point that you give away the thing that means the most to you. In that moment, I knew eee : that although it really hurt to do it I had to give away my feather. It was ironic, but I had to do it. It just felt right.” The guest who travelled farthest — across the immense distance that genocide and political sub- jugation places between aboriginal peoples and colonizing populations — was, fittingly according to tradition, accorded the honour of having a feather passed to him by Bleck and being invited to give the keynote address to the group. This was done with the most profound resource that can ever be available to us — the generosity to trans- form the grief one is carrying about privately, to transform it into a sublime, unrehearsed personal gesture of public deference that celebrates both the presence of another person and the history that dignifies that person. onths later, asked by me to talk about Bleck’s introduction to him and about being requested to take the lead role in addressing the gift-giving ceremony at Sims Creek, ta-lall-SAHM-cane commented, “With that recog- nition at the start of a discussion, it creates a dis- arming of an individual.” In his speech, he recalls acknowledging the positive value of the work and motivation that had gone into the weekend trips to Sims Creek, such as the one on September 28, 1996. “They provided an avenue for individuals to realize the importance of trying to maintain a part of Mother Earth in its traditional form rather than having it be part of somebody’s bank account in downtown Vancouver.” The speech also provided him the opportunity to update his listeners on the efforts of the Squamish Nation to have their cus- tody and jurisdiction over the area restored. What was manifested in the interaction between Bleck and ta-lall-SAHM-cane, and was quickly shared with the others present, was a will- ingness and ability to suspend habitual, casual ways of acting. In other words, ongoing and assumed priorities were deferred (at least temporarily) in favour of introducing and quickly expanding a realm of mutual understanding and reciprocal engagement. In offering speeches within a context of heightened solemnity and sincerity, each side had the opportunity to bring its motivation into the open before the other. Moreover, each side had the opportunity to relate its motivation to stakes which had a larger bearing than the area of imme- diate concern, stakes such as justice, ecology, cul- tural integrity and social-historical responsibility. Opening up one’s preconceived agenda for consideration by another person is evident in how Bleck and ta-lall-SAHM-cane comported them- selves to each other. So is the admission to one another of the self-justifying limits of one’s accus- tomed interpretation of realty. And so is the recip- rocal willingness to let this interpretation be unsettled and tested (to a point) by self- con- sciously inviting an interaction with strong poten- tial to strip away justifications not sufficiently grounded in realities deeper than an individual self, realities such as justice, ecology, cultural integrity and social-historical responsibility. The need to break through the constraints of careless, self-justifying interpretations emerges as well in how John Clarke positions his efforts with- July 12, 1997. Ninety-two people who have travelled from the Roundhouse past a logger’s blockade listen to Bob Turner giving a talk on Sims Creek geology. in ecological activism: “The days are over when environmentalists could do no wrong. The public is tired of being preached to by environmentalists as much as they are tired of being preached to by corporations, by governments, and by loggers. I can preach. Sure, I can preach. But the best reac- tion I get to my slide shows is people coming up to me afterwards and saying, “Thank you for leaving it up to me how to decide what to do with this information.” Fuelled by the humility, openness and determi- nation that charged the communication at Sims Creek during the gift-giving ceremony on September 28, 1996, Clarke, Bleck, ta-lall-SAHM- cane, Kirk, Brown and others met regularly over the next few months in an attempt to figure out how to conserve and build upon the interactive space that brought common understandings to the december 1997 / planet of the arts 9 fore in spite of significantly different personal his- tories and a wide range of how the individuals involved are placed within society. he three things we wanted the narrative of the Witness project to satisfy were: an indi- cation that disjunctive agendas were in contention with each other; evidence that individ- uals successfully engaged one another to get past these disjunctions; and, evidence of the outward growth of this engagement into something with a public or social existence. In other words, thesis, antithesis, synthesis, and’an intertwining dialectic that wraps them up with each other. Of the three, the component that remains to be narrated here is the synthesizing process that pooled the efforts and experiences of people at the Sims Creek ceremony of September 28, 1996. We need some insight into what occurred that allowed a public phenomenon to take shape as the Witness Arts Exhibition at the Roundhouse Community Centre. There is no magic formula that can be invoked in a room of people seeking a strategy to propel their obscure initiative into something with an existence beyond themselves. Good karma might allow you to fly across a room cross-legged, but it doesn’t yield much in the way of non-trivial polit- ical action. In the search for a politically effective strategy, ta-lall-SAHM-cane was able to offer a suggestion whose implications were as profound as Bleck’s earlier gesture of personal transformation — but which had a cultural and historical foundation. His suggestion was to introduce the Coast Salish prac- tice of witnessing in order to enliven the purpose of people coming to Squamish Nation territory and spending a day or two travelling through it. The difference between participating in a wilderness hike and participating in a witnessing ceremony surfaces in the vocabulary employed to summarize the range of prospects available in the set of activities we can call hanging out in the Sims Creek watershed. The prospect supposedly lying before the hiker is “raw contact with nature” whereas the witness participant faces the prospect of participating in “a cultural intervention in the woods.” The notion of “raw contact” is premised upon a direct, self-sufficient experience that is bounded by narrow, individualized space and time; the notion of “cultural intervention” is premised upon a medi- ated, shared experience that is bounded by wide social space and a broad historical time frame. One of the deepest disjunctures between eco- logical activism, such as the Stoltmann Wilderness Area advocacy, and First Nations efforts to reclaim title to their traditional territory is cognitive — reclaiming title is much more wide- ly bounded in cognitive space and time than enjoying the outdoors. The systematic work done by Heather Kirk, John Clarke, Nancy Bleck and their wilderness col- leagues was about giving individuals the opportu- nity to gather information. But the social reality to which these individuals returned was the formless, anonymous public space of a culture largely defined by privacy and the personal consumption ‘ctber 196. uring f ssh ples subsequent to industrial ggg in the previously pstne Elo watenhed (On the September 28,1996 trek to the pro: poted “Stltmann Wilderness Are’ the gust who probably travelled farthest was t-llSAHM-cane [Not in terms of physical distance ~ Squamish [ation reserves ate doer to Vancousr than Sims (Creck-butin tems of socal and cultural distance. ‘Trl SAHM-cane joined in withthe week- nd telkers anonymously, wanting to Find out firsthand and in his own way what was going on With a campaign that advertised its goals as the preservation of ecological integrity without refer. ‘ence to First Nation tet the lan. His sgnature ‘onaform for those wanting mor information lowing a presentation by Clarke at the Robson Square MediaCentre onthe Stltmann campaign brought no reply ~ and this despite indicating to whoever was collecting the signatures that he was afflated tothe historic custodians of Sims Creek, ‘Tell SAHM-cane did not know the excur- sion in which he was participating was the final ttekof the season for the ecological activists and wilderness enthusiasts. Or that a git-giving cere- ‘mony had been planned by Nancy Bleck to acknowledge the work of John Clarke and other volunteers in celebration of two years of bringing 1members ofthe public on tek int the proposed wilderness sanctuary. Tn the minutes prior to people assembling for the ceremony, Bleck introduced herself otal: SSAHM-cane. Only then dd she leat his identity, and only then realize tht, among all the eclog: cal activists there, probably she alone recognized the importance of tall SAHM-cane’s willing presence. Ste commented to me recent “I never felt right about environmental work being done without input and participation fom First Nations peoples whose land ist issue” With this awareness of ta-al:SAHM cane’ stature came tesponsbiliy. However limited i as in this regard and however hard it had been come by, Blck's stock of knowledge compelled her to ask permission of the Squamish chi for the trekkers tobe present in Squamish territory As things stood, the logging road cut int the area by International Forest Product Limited without ‘Squamish Nation permission and used by the ‘tekhers to enter the site themselves meant the conditions didnot obtain for a proper welcome to bbe extended to Bleck and her colleagues. But ta- [aILSAHM-cane's willingness to remain for the ‘ezremony and forthe speeches about tobe given ‘was at least mildly encouraging ‘TL SAHM-cane' reference to protocol for the welcoming of vistors prompted Bleck to con- sider how to approximate respectful engagement withthe Squamish Nation chien the highly com- promised situation of eco-trekhers about to cle- borate themselves in ditegard of Fest Nation tle. As the convener ofthe gift-giving ceremony, Bleck ‘as na postion to call upon tall SAHM-cane tobe the ist to addres the assembled celebrant. But having this sort of power over the situa: tion isnot enough, not sit appropriate by itl, to ariv at the kind of soltion Bleck needed to teceive t-lall-SAHMccane in a meaning ay. Without any foresight on her part, Bleck’s own lie experiences and learning came into pay t fill the breach, Blck’s acquaintance with First Nations proto col hasbeen hard won, She received guidance in traditional spiritual practices, including a vision ques, in order to dea withthe aftermath of ie threatening assault. git that his effort brought tober fom James Nicholas, frend of Cree ances: try, was an eagle feather. From the time she received it she kept this personaly and cltrally ‘sacred item nearby. On September 28,196, some four weeks afte er vision quest it wasin he back pack at Sims Creek. That day, it became gif tot Ia SAHM-cane In looking back at gifting away her feather so recently after the ordeal for which twas a person al signifier of healing and recovery, Bleck com ‘ments: “First Nations cultures are very git giving, to the point that you give away the thing that means the most to you. In that moment, I knew ~ July 12 1987. Ninety-two people who have tn that although it eally hurt to doit had to give aveay my feather It was iron, but had to dott just ee ight™ ‘The guest who travelled farthest - across the immense distance that genocide and politcal sib- jgation places between aboriginal peoples and «colonizing populations — was, tingly according to tradition, accorded the honour of having a feather pase to him by Bleck and being invited to five the keynote address to the group. This was done with the most profound resource tht can ‘ver be avaiable to us ~ the generosity to tans {orm the grief one is carrying about privately transform itintoa sublime, unreheareed personal seture of public deference that celebrates oth the presence of another person and the history that ignites that person onths later, asked by me to talk about Bleck’ introduction to him and about being requested to take the lead role in addressing the gift-giving ceremony at Sims Creek, ‘tall SAHM-cane commented, “With that recog nition atthe start ofa discussion it creates die arming ofan individual” In his speech, he recalls acknowledging the postive value ofthe work and motivation that had gone into the weekend tips to Sims Creek, sch a the one on September 28, 1996. "They provided an averse fo individuals to realize the importance of trying to maintain ap ‘of Mother Earth its traditions form rather than having it be part of somebody’ bank account in doventown Vancouver” The speech alto provided him the opportunity to update his isteners on the efforts of the Squamish Nation to have their cus: tody and juris What was manifeted in the interaction between Bleck and t2-alLSAHM-cane, and was quickly shared withthe others presen, was a will ngnss and ability o suspend habitual casual ways of acting. In other word, ongoing and assumed rors were deferred (atleast temporarily) in favour of introducing and quickly expanding a realm of mutual understanding and reciprocal ‘engagement Inofering speeches within a context ‘of bightened solemnity and sincerity, each side had the opportunity to bring its motivation into ‘the open before the other. Moreover, each side had ‘the opportunity to relate its motivation to stakes ‘which had larger beating than the area of inme- ite concer, stakes such a justice, ecology, cle tal integrity nd socia-historcl responsi ‘Opening up one's preconceived agenda for ‘consideration by another person is evident in how Bleck and tall SAHM-cane comported them: selves to each other. So i the admission to one another of the sl justfyng limits of one's accus- tomed interpretation of ety. And so isthe recip. cal willingness to let this interpretation be unsetled and tested (1 & point) by self con- ‘ciouly inviting an interaction eth trong poten til to strip away justifications not sufcenty grounded in realities deeper than an individual sel, realities such as justice, ecology, cul Integrity and socia-historical responsi ‘The need to breakthrough the constraints of careless, elfusifVing interpretations emerges as well in how Jon Clarke positions his efforts with ion over the aes restored velled from the Roundhouse pasta loggers blockade listen t0 Bob Turner giving a talk on Sim Creek geology. {in ecological activism: “The days ate over when environmentalist could do no wrong. The public Istiredof being preached to by environmentalist, as much as they ate tied of being preached to by ‘coxporations, by governments, and by loggers. 1 «an preach Sure, I can preach, But the best reac- tion getto my side hows is people coming upto ‘me afterwards and saying, Thank you for leaving it up to-me how to decide what to do with this formation” Fudled by the humility openness and determi- ration that charged the communication a Sims Greek during. the gift-giving ceremony on September 28,1996, Clarke, Bleck, t-al-SAHM- ‘ane, Kit, Brown and others met regularly over ‘the next few months in an attempt to figure out how to conserve and build upon the interactive space that brought common understandings tthe december 1997 / plonet of the orts 9 fore in spite of significantly diferent personal his- tories and a wide range of how the individuals involved are placed within society. ths tag ated he mae of T he Wen pel end citi wih eh te ec ata ti cy engi oe scr og a ton i de ett ot ron is gs thing wth Fa eal ec a hrc nl tlhe ch Otte he component ht ein to posed hele ancxpreer of ppt Sis lec mony Seer 2196 We i Geant Pediat fs eer Cimtly Cone, Tt gl dtd Ra eg th oar nlite ne someting ih a ip ae Oa ei aaa Foley Soaa es ieee soon fl lr of we iolsee Ine wa «lily trate, Ste rl wr peti ow eso wp wth CC em of po tern wih dsc andra done epee odie Co lpr ead ee aber pee ag Spl try pala oe lg Urea wade ie and parang nig ei Ata i Yolen 6 sti tang f pres alent infect we cna hag oti at coe cea eV So Soe thew ‘The notion of "raw contact” is premised upon a dizet,sefsfcent experience tats bounded by ey yiyet ra ‘narrows, individualized space and time; the notion of*eutual intervention” premised upon a medi ated, shared experience that is Bounded by wie social space and abroad historical ime frame, ‘One ofthe deepest dsjunctres between ec: logical activism, such as the Stoltmann Wilderness Area advocacy, and Fitst Nations flontsto reclaim title to their traditional tesitory is cognitive ~ reclaiming tt is much more wide: ly bounded in cognitive space and time than enjoying the outdoors The systematic work done by Heather Kik, John Clarke, Nancy Bleck andthe widernes col Jeagues was about giving individuals the opporta- nity to gather information. But the socal reality to hich these individuals returned was the formless, anonymous public space of a culture largely