Category Archives: Chinese Canadian History

Did Chinese discover BC first? Oldest new immigrants? DNA connections? Georgia Straight tackles the question?

Leave a reply

Did the Chinese discover North America 1000 years before Columbus?

“Who were BC's first seafarers?” is the cover feature on this week's Georgia Straight?

Daniel Wood writes a very interesting feature that addresses the Chinese legendary land of Fu Sang, interviews underwater acheologist enthusiast Tom Beasley, and explores the Gavin Menzies book 1421, the Year China Discovered the World.

I have written about connections between First Nations and Chinese people when Storyscapes was exploring the oral history of such meetings:  Vancouver Storyscapes: Where the Chinese met the First Nations peoples

It's not unfathomable that the Chinese discovered North America first.  Afterall, ancient Chinese civilization and science was much further advanced than European civilization circa 500 AD.  According to Menzies, the Chinese had huge boats 5X the size of Columbus' flagship.  A lot of trade and knowledge migrated to Japan from China, and Japanese glass fishing floats have regularly made their way to BC's shores, due to ocean currents.

I have often spoke with BC's First Nations people about Chinese-First Nations connections.  Afterall, my mother's blood cousin is Rhonda Larrabee, chief of the Qayqayt (New Westminster) First Nations.  Larry Grant, Musqueam elder, is half Chinese, like cousin Rhonda.

When I was up in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), I spoke with Haida people about the shared “mongolian birthmark” that both Chinese and First Nations people are born with.
Check out my stories:

Check it out:
http://www.straight.com/article-152876/who-were-bcs-first-seafarers?

“Tailor Made” wins Golden Rell Award for Best Short Film

Leave a reply

“Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors” wins prestigious Golden Reel Award for Best Short Film at the 2008 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

My friend JJ Lee sent me this message.  JJ was one of the real life characters in the documentary “Tailor Made.”  He is “the apprentice.”  The main character is tailor Bill Wong, who is the father of my friend Steven Wong.  Steven paddles on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  Our families have known each other for generations.

“Hi Todd. Just to let you know. Tailor Made just won Best Short Film at
the 2008 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. It's pretty cool and just
wanted to let you know.” – JJ Lee.



VANCOUVER, BC: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Realize Entertainment is thrilled to announce that their documentary
“Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors” has won the prestigious  Golden
Reel Award for Best Short Film at the 2008 Los Angeles Asian Pacific
Film Festival.   The award, presented during the Festival's Closing
Night program in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, is presented to artists
whose work exemplifies  artistic excellence and the potential for
future creative activity.
 
Directed by Calgary director Leonard Lee and Vancouver filmmaker Marsha
Newbery, “Tailor Made” follows 80-something brothers Bill & Jack
Wong for one year as they face the reality that they're getting too old
to run the little tailor shop their father opened in 1913…and letting
go isn't easy. With tailoring being a dying trade, finding someone to
take over the family business has proved impossible, but Bill refuses
to give up. From taking on a fashion journalist as an apprentice, to
selling the shop to a young hot-shot corporate tailor, Bill becomes
especially determined and pulls out all the stops.
 
“Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors” was commissioned for the CBC Newsworld strand, The Lens,
and premiered to a sold out audience at the 2007 Whistler Film
Festival.  It is also screening as a part of CBC Vancouver's
celebration of Asian Heritage Month on May 24th.  Please visit www.cbc.ca/asianheritage
for details and to book a seat.   Screenings are also being held by the
Vancouver Parks board all through May, please visit www.vancouver.ca/parks for details.

TAILOR
MADE is presented by Realize Entertainment and produced in association
with CBC Newsworld.  TAILOR MADE was produced in association with
 Knowledge Network,  and with the participation of The Canadian
Television Fund: License Fee Program and Equity Investment Program, The
Rogers Documentary Fund, Canadian Film & Television Tax Credit,
British Columbia Film Incentive and developed with the participation of
CBC British Columbia, Telefilm, and British Columbia Film.


Jason Kenney announces $5 Million for Chinese-Canadian community-based commemorative and educational projects related to immigration restrictions (re: head tax and exclusion act)

Leave a reply


Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity was in BC, and came to a ceremony at the Shiang Garden Restaurant in
Richmond, BC.

Jason Kenney affirmed the announcement below.  In addition, he
named Wesley Lowe, to head the advisory panel which will
oversee the evaluation of projects and disbursement of funds.  

While this announcement does not give recognition to the 99.3% of head tax certificates where the head tax payers or spouses are pre-deceased.  It allows the community to move forward to create projects that are commemorative and educational, to help all Canadians understand the terrible systemic racism that Canada perpetuated against a single ethnic cultural group that spanned over 62 years, by means of the Chinese head tax (1885-1923), and the Exclusion Act (1923-1947).

–

Canadian Heritage / Patrimoine

The Government of Canada Promotes Historical Recognition for
Chinese-Canadian Community's Immigration Experiences

TORONTO, May 8, 2008 – The Honourable Jason Kenney,
Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), today
announced $5 million in grants and contributions funding will be made
available to the Chinese-Canadian community for community-based
commemorative and educational projects related to immigration
restrictions.

“The Head Tax and other immigration restrictions, which affected
Chinese-Canadians, are an unfortunate chapter in our history and
deserve recognition,” said Secretary of State Kenney.

This funding is being provided under the Community Historical
Recognition Program, which was first announced by Prime Minister
Stephen Harper in June 2006. The Program will fund community-based
projects that will allow communities affected by Canadian wartime
measures and immigration restrictions to have their experiences
acknowledged in a way that is meaningful to them. Eligible projects
could include monuments, commemorative plaques, educational material,
and exhibits.

Other components of the Community Historical Recognition Program will
be announced in the days to come, as well as details regarding the
National Historical Recognition Program, which will fund federal
initiatives that educate Canadians about the history of wartime
measures and immigration restrictions and the contributions of affected
communities to the building of Canada.

Chinese-Canadians received an official apology by Prime Minister
Stephen Harper in 2006 for the Head Tax imposed on Chinese immigrants.
The Government also announced that it would make ex-gratia symbolic
payments of $20,000 to living Head Tax payers and to persons who had
lived in a conjugal relationship with a now-deceased Head Tax payer. To
date, more than $12 million in ex-gratia payments have already been
made to this community.

Wallace Chung collection at UBC: A national treasure about immigration to BC

Leave a reply

The Empress of Asian brought many Chinese to BC.  Wallace  Chung painstakingly rebuilt a model of it.


[photo]

The Vancouver Sun featured a April 16th story about the Chung Collection $5 million, 25,000 items and UBC = a collection with special meaning by Kevin Griffin.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=40d15d80-bc3f-4d79-b040-285019e20c9c

This is significant because Dr. Wallace Chung has always held a life-long interest in the history of Chinese Canadians.  He accumulated and donated his 25,000 item collection donation to the University of British Columbia.  The feature piece is a beautiful large scale model
ship, the Empress of Asia, which Dr. Chung spent many years reconstructing.  

I have known Dr. Wallace Chung and his wife Dr. Madeline Chung for many many years.  They have been friends of my parents.  Dr. Madeline delivered me as a baby almost 48 years ago, this Sunday, May 11th.  At the opening day of the 1986 Saltwater City display, she excitedly told people that I was One of my boys!  Dr. Wallace was Chair of the Chinese Cultural Centre at the time.

A few years ago, I created programming for Asian Heritage Month at the Vancouver Public Library, and introduced Dr. Wallace as he gave a slide show on the history of Vancouver Chinatown.

They have both been great philanthropists to the City of Vancouver, giving generously not only to the U.B.C,, but also to the Maritime Museum and the Chinese Cultural Centre.


[photo]

NEXT » 

Here’s an excerpt from Vancouver Sun April 16:

The collection includes documents,
rare books, maps, posters, paintings, photographs, silver, glass,
ceramic ware and other artifacts relating to the Canadian Pacific
Railway, the Asian experience in North America, and B.C. history.

Wallace Chung said he hopes the collection helps educate young people about the country’s history.

“I hope it shows people what hardships
Chinese people went through before they reached the stage they’re at
today,” said Chung, a vascular surgeon and professor emeritus at UBC’s
faculty of medicine.

“It really tells us what it means to be
a Canadian. Even though we were badly treated initially, we now have
landed in a very fortunate position. That story is told in all the
artifacts and documents.”

As a child, Chung was obsessed with the
Empress of Asia for two reasons: it was the ship that brought his
mother to Canada from China, and a poster of the luxury ocean liner
hung in his father’s tailor shop in Victoria.

[…]

Here’s a link to a sampling of photos from the collection, including one of Mr and Mrs Chung, and the Empress of Asia.

Todd Wong supports Raymond Louie's campaign to be Vancouver Mayor

Leave a reply

Vancouver city councilor Raymond Louie asked me to support his bid to be Vancouver Mayor.  Raymond would be a great mayor… I immediately said “Absolutely!”

CIMG0204

Raymond
stands in front of Historic Joy Kogawa House on April 25th, 2008.  This
was his first visit to the house, after supporting motions on city council to help save the house from demolition, and plant a cherry tree graft at Vancouver City Hall in 2005.  Raymond holds some of Joy Kogawa's books to share
with his wife and children – photo Todd Wong

Raymond Louie could be Vancouver's first Chinese-Canadian mayor.  He is
a multi-generational Vancouverite from the East Side.  He is a second
term Vancouver city councilor.

Raymond Louie has been getting some very significant endorsers including:

George Chow, Vision Vancouver Councillor
Joy MacPhail, former Deputy Premier and Leader of the Opposition
Doug McArthur, former Deputy Minister to the Premier
Wayson Choy, author of “The Jade Peony”
Richard Tetrault, artist
Darlene Marzari, former Vancouver City Councillor and B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs
Eddie Chan, Chairman Zhongshan Allied Association
David Black, Canadian Office and Professional Employees Local 378 Vice-President
Margaret Birrell, Community Activist
and now….. me!

  My statement of endorsement is now featured on Raymond Louie's website:

“Raymond Louie actually lives the culturally diverse Gung Haggis Fat
Choy lifestyle that is my creative world. His own family straddles many
cultures and many generations, and he actively demonstrates that he
understands the many facets that can make our city shine like a
diamond. I have seen how Raymond makes things happen as a city
councilor, bringing together different groups and perspectives such as
arts, economics, heritage and cultures. As a mayor that empowers others
to be their best, Raymond will be dynamic and our jewel of a city
should shine even brighter.”

Todd Wong, arts advocate and creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy

To support Raymond as the Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate, you have to
1) Join Vision as a member – click here!
2) Vote at the Vision Vancouver meeting on June 15th, Croatian Community Centre.

Raymond has recently made some wonderful statements on:

He has also currently “advocating for the
creation of a non-profit foundation that will establish a long-term
funding source for the chronically underfunded Childcare Endowment
Reserve.”

I have personally known Raymond since the fall of 2002, when he ran for
city council.  Initially, I met his wife Tonya first, because she was
on the board of Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society, where I had
volunteered for, and then was hired as a program coordinator.  I
finally met Raymond at the Chinese Cultural Centre when Mike Harcourt
endorsed COPE mayoral candidate Larry Campbell. 

After that our
paths just seemed to keep crossing, as Raymond was invited to present
the Queen's Jubilee Medals to VAHMS board members Jim Wong-Chu and
Kuldip Gill. As well, Raymond attended the opening of the “Three
Pioneer Canadian Chinese Families” at the Chinese Cultural Centre
Museum and Archives.  My great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan's
family was featured, and I was one of the featured stories as a
descendant.  Raymond attended because he was distantly related to H.Y.
Louie, whose family was also featured along with the family of Lee-Bick.

I have seen Raymond at many events throughout Vancouver over the past 6 years.  He is an effective city councilor and is active in the community.

To see him in action at City Council check out this video:

YouTube – EgoDensity Round 1
Raymond Louie criticizes Mayor Sam Sullivan's Eco-Density program

Here are some of the highlights when Raymond and I have shared together:

Raymond_Louie

Raymond climbed on top of the Taiwanese Dragon Boat head… and reaches out to simulate grabbing a flag before crossing the finish line.  I taught him how to climb onto the dragon head – neglecting to tell him it had never been done in Canada before.  Raymond lost the demonstration race to Olympic medalist Lori Fung. – photo courtesy of Taiwanese Cultural Festival.

August to September 2003, Raymond Louie was instrumental in helping to launch the inaugural Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race.  Raymond helped stickhandle through bureaucratic channels during a Vancouver Port strike, and participated as the flag grabber vs '84 Olympic gold medalist Lori Fung in a demonstration race.

November 3rd, 2005, Raymond supported the Save Kogawa House campaign at Vancouver City Hall, when we appealed to City Council for help.  City council used an unprecedented motion to delay a demolition permit application by 3 months, to give us time to fundraise and purchase the house.  Raymond also said that this project was so important he asked all the city councilors to make a donation that day.

January 2006, Raymond brings his family with wife and 3 kids to Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.  The featured performers are Rick Scott & Harry Wong, and the No Shit Shirleys.

IMG_2578

July 2007, Raymond Louie calls for mediation to end the Vancouver civic workers' strike.  Mayor Sam Sullivan and the NPA decline mediation and let the “unnecessary strike” drag on for 3 months, before a mediator is finally called in on Thanksgiving weekend to settle a contract very similar to what other municipalities already settled for 3 months earlier.  Following a July 29th rally at Vancouver City Hall, Raymond Louie comes out to talk with members of Vancouver's civic unions.  I introduce him to my fellow workers of CUPE 391, Vancouver Library Workers – photo Todd Wong.

January 25th, 2008.  Raymond Louie appears on Rock 101's Bro Jake show with “Toddish McWong” to help promote the Gung Haggis Fat Choy event.

Gung Haggis 2008 Dinner 242

January 27th, 2008.  Raymond Louie wears a kilt to Gung Haggis Fat Choy. photo Gung Haggis collection.  A highlight of the evening is Raymond on stage with a group of men wearing kilts as a “Toast to the Lassies” chorus with co-host Catherine Barr – photo VFK.

Raymond Louie for mayor

March 13th, 2008, Vancouver Sun reports Raymond Louie's declaration to run for Vancouver mayor.  Raymond  invites me to be one of his supporters in this photo taken at the Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard.  I am standing on the far left with many key supporters of the Chinatown business and community organizers.  Dr. Kerry Jang is 5th from right – Kerry will run as a candidate for councilor with Vision Vancouver. photo Bill Keay Vancouver Sun.

Photo Library - 2645

April 6th, 2008.  Tartan Day is officially proclaimed in Vancouver. Raymond seconded the motion in City Council, moved by Heather Deal, which passed on April 1st.  As deputy mayor, Raymond reads the proclamation prior to a Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team practice.  In this photo l-r: Chinese-Scottish-Canadian Michael Brophy holds the Scottish flag, Todd Wong, Raymond Louie holds proclamation, bagpiper Joe McDonald-  photo Todd Wong/Georgia Thorburn

CIMG0301

Raymond Louie speaks at the CUPE 391 Vancouver Library Workers annual general meeting.  He encouraged everybody to get involved in their union in order to help make positive changes.  He was very nicely received by the CUPE 391 audience.  In this picture, Raymond stands in front of another Vision mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson MLA for Vancouver-Fairview, while CUPE 391 president Alexandra Youngberg moderates – photo Todd Wong

CCNC launches 150 Years Culture Online Project – celebrating Chinese Canadian history and culture

Leave a reply

Chinese Canadian National Council has launched the Chinese Canadian 150 Years Culture Online Project:

150 years is a short time for a culture that spans five thousand years,
but it is a long time when compared to a country that is only 141 years
old. 

Chinese Canadian history is not all about gold seekers, railway workers or the head tax.  It is also about adventure, endeavor and suffering – all universal experiences of every immigrant group to Canada.

The following is from the webiste at  http://www.ccnc.ca/cc150/

The Chinese Canadian National Council is proud to present the Chinese
Canadian 150 Years Culture Online Project (CC150). This exciting new
online project showcases writers, musicians, videographers and artists
in the Chinese Canadian community. CC150 brings together a special
collection of exceptional work, based on the theme of 150 years of
continuous Chinese community in Canada with many submissions from
youth.

Through this community-based effort, we hope to provide a venue to
share our experiences and our stories and to instill pride and cultural
understanding. We encourage the public and Chinese Canadian communities
to connect, interact and to build understanding and respect for
diversity. 
 
Objectives of the Chinese Canadian 150 Years Culture Online Project:

  • To showcase Chinese Canadian perspectives and experiences from across the country
  • To enrich and educate everyone about the diverse Chinese Canadian cultures and histories
  • To be welcoming of youth participation
  • To build stronger relationships between communities and groups across Canada and abroad
  • To celebrate 150 years of continuous Chinese community in Canada

Features of the Chinese Canadian 150 Years Culture Online Project:

  • A special anthology of stories written by or about Chinese Canadians
  • A unique music and short video collection by Chinese Canadians
  • A showcase of Chinese Canadian artists
  • A one-stop resource page of relevant events and websites
This project was made possible with the support of the Chinese
Canadian National Council, Department of Canadian Heritage through
Canadian Culture Online and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

150 years of BC Stories: The Rev. Chan Family

Leave a reply

CBC is helping to celebrate 150 years of BC history.  There is a website collecting family stories and pictures
Check it out: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/150/your-story.html

The 60th wedding anniversary of Rev. and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan (holding flower bouquet), August 15th 1934.

I have submitted a short story about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan:

Rev. Chan Yu Tan ministered to the Chinese pioneers who built the railroad, searched for gold, as well as became shop keepers and labourers in Vancouver Chinatown, Victoria Chinatown, and later Nanaimo and New Westminster, where he eventually retired.  The Chinese Methodist Church also helped teach English.  Rev. Chan Yu Tan emphasized learning Canadian ways, and it showed in his family.  His son Jack loved playing golf, and eventually  became the first Chinese Canadian to serve on jury duty.  His youngest son Luke became an actor in Hollywood.  The sons of daughters Rose and Kate –  Victor Wong, Daniel Lee, Howard Lee and Leonard Lee, enlisted in the Canadian armed forces during WW2,  eventually helped to gain Chinese-Canadians the vote in 1947, and later help organize the Chinese Canadian veterans associations.

Rev. Chan Yu Tan’s great-grand daughter Rhonda Lee Larrabee became Chief of the Qayqayt First Nations Band, and subject of the NFB film “Tribe of One”.  Another great-grand daughter Janice Wong, became an internationally known artist and author of the book CHOW from China to Canada. a memoir book of family history and recipes from her father’s restaurant.

Our family history has been an integral part of Chinese-Canadian history, and I have recently addressed the cross-ethnic fusion of culture and marriage with my event Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a mixture of Robbie Burns and Chinese New Year.  There have been inter-ethnic marriages in every generation of our family – each of my maternal cousins have married non-Chinese.

I helped to tell the story of our family’s 7 generational BC history, in the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy . http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generations

This picture is at Rev. and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan’s 60th wedding anniversary in New Westminster.  4 generations are included in this picture.

Chinese head tax redress deadline March 31st: now it's time for inclusion of sons, daughters of pre-deceased head tax payers

Leave a reply

The deadline for the ex-gratia payment is March 31, 2008.

Applicants must have been alive by Feb 6, 2006.



If my grandfather was alive, he would have been 140 years old.  IMPOSSIBLE!!!

He worked hard to pay back the head tax, most likely borrowed from
relatives and family friends.  $500 was charged from 1903 to 1923,
after initially imposed at $50 in 1885 and raised to $100 in 1900.



$500 was equivalent to two years wages of a Chinese labour at
the time. Meanwhile, Chinese were denied Canadian citizenship.
In all, the Federal Government collected $23 million from the
Chinese through the Head Tax.  It was enough to pay for the entire cost of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which many Chinese workers helped to build, enabling British and European immigrants to come to British Columbia.  What was their reward?  A head tax and an exclusion act.


It could take 10 years or more to repay the money borrowed to pay for head tax money. 

Imagine if all Canadians were presently asked to go into debt for 2
years worth of wages.



What about Dak Leon Mark's head tax certificate? 

Dak Leon Mark (now deceased) asked NDP Member of Parliament Margaret
Mitchell to help reclaim his head tax money.  Margaret Mitchell brought
the issue before Canadian Parliament in 1984. 

Did his Mr. Mark's spouse claim the redress ex-gratia payment?  or did
she die too?  Did he have children?  Should his beneficiary's be able
to receive what rightfully belonged to their father?



It is now time for STAGE 2 of the Chinese Head Tax Redress ex-gratia program

It is time to address the 99% of head tax certificates NOT addressed by the Conservative government program

It is time to address the hundreds of thousands of Chinese Canadian
head tax descendants who will VOTE in the next federal election.

It is time to fulfill the CCNC's proposal to the Conservative
government submitted in 2005. Or did Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney
conveniently forget about the sons and daughters left behind by their
pre-deceased head tax payers and spouses.

According to the current program. http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/multi/redress-redressement/faq_e.cfm

Q20: What happens if a Head Tax payer was alive on February 6, 2006, but died before applying?

In the case where a Head Tax payer was alive on February 6, 2006,
but has since died, a person that was in a conjugal relationship with a
Head Tax payer who is now deceased will be able to submit an
application for the ex-gratia symbolic payment, once the
Department of Canadian Heritage has finalized the specifics of the
application process for these persons.

Q21: What happens if a Head Tax payer dies after he or she has made an application, but before a payment could be issued ?

In the event that the applicant dies following the submission of the
application, and is assessed to be eligible to receive a payment, and
it is determined that there are no persons living who are or who were
in a conjugal relationship with the Head Tax payer who have applied for
payment, the designated beneficiary named in the application form will
then receive the payment.

ROLL BACK the age of death to 1947, when
the Chinese Exclusion Act was lifted.  This is symbolic because it is
the date when Canadians of Chinese heritage were granted full
citizenship rights for the country they were born in.

It is symbolic that 1947 ended 24 years of legislated exclusion of
Chinese immigration – the only ethnic group that was racially
discriminated against in this way.

It took the Canadian government 46 years to redress the wrongful
internment of Canadians born of Japanese ancestry during WW2, in 1988. 
Surely the Canadian government can address 62 years of legislated
racism from 1885 to 1947, then a further 59 years of ignoring even an
apology until 2006.

2008 is the 150th Anniversary of British Columbia.

Chinese have been in BC for 150 years,
as long as other ethnicities or even longer than others.  It is fitting
that after 150 years, Canadians of Chinese ethnicity be treated with
full respect that other ethnicities have been.

If the government charges a wrongful tax, admits they are wrong, but doesn't give the money back… is this fair?

$500 in 1923 dollars with compound interest has been estimated to be
$300,000 in 2005 dollars.  The head tax ex-gratia payment announced by
the government in 2006 was $20,000.  The Chinese Head Tax redress
campaign is only asking for symbolic compensation

Ignoring 99% of head tax certificates is not only wrong, it's shameful.

Todd Wong

Rhonda Larrabee, chief of Qayqayt First Nations, in CTV's One Women Tribe

2 Replies

This is the CTV documentary about my cousin Rhonda Larrabee's struggle to resurrect Canada's smallest First Nations band the Qayqayt. 

Once upon a time the band flourished on the banks of the Fraser River.  Then White settlers moved into their territories and renamed it New Westminster.  The Qayqayt were put on a Reserve, but that was taken away from them too. 

Rhonda's mother fled her homeland territories due to racism and shame.  She came to Vancouver's Chinatown, where she met Rhonda's father.  Rhonda grew up into her teenage years thinking she was Chinese.  Then she discovered she was First Nations.

Now Rhonda Larrabee is resurrecting the Qayqayt Nation.

Tribes & Treaties

This show originally aired on January 26

Tribes & Treaties


Updated: Tue Feb. 05 2008 18:04:25

ctvbc.ca

One Women Tribe:

Rhonda Larrabee discovered the startling truth about her family
origins. She was not of Chinese and French descent as she was told
while growing up in Vancouver's Chinatown. Rhonda's mother was First
Nations. Then an even bigger shock – Rhonda discovered that she is the
last surviving member of the Qayqayt Tribe (New Westminster Band). She
is now striving to preserve the cultural legacy that her mother felt
forced to reject.

see the pod cast:
http://www.ctvbc.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080127/bc_firststory_women_tribe_080127/20080127/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome