The New Westminster Indian Band is modern creation, an Indian Act

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

based at suite 105 - 3680 Rae Avenue in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The band administration uses the unofficial name "Qayqayt First Nation" in its public communication. The New Westminster Indian Band is one of the smallest First Nations in Canada and the only one registered without a land base.

History

The New Westminster Indian Band was created on June 30, 1879 to house migrant labourers and fishers from different First Nations, who were seasonal residents of New Westminster and worked in the canneries. The reserve was designated as an "In Common Band" for "All Coastal Nations" and was not for a single First Nation as typically is the case for other reserves. The New Westminster Band was not a nation in its own right, but was instead a geographic designation for a place where Indigenous people of any nation could camp. The Seabird Island First Nation, which was also established in 1879, is another example of a composite "in common" band created by Indian Agents. The modern-day reserve of Pekw'Xe:yles in

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, BC is a current example of a similar in-common reserve. The New Westminster Indian Band was made up of a block of three reserves next to New Westminster, and another reserve on Poplar Island, which was used to house Indigenous people who had contracted an infectious disease. The reserves in New Westminster were closed by the McKenna–McBride Commission on April 13, 1916 and the residents returned to their home communities. Poplar Island reserve was sold to the city of New Westminster for $16,260 in 1945. On page 634 of their report, the McKenna-McBridge Commission described the New Westminster Indian Band as: "Composite band, its members residing chiefly on Musqueam No. 1 and Langley No. 8 ..This Reserve allotted for Coast Indians, in common.". The Indian Agent responsible for the Band explained that none of its members had origins in the Indigenous Kwantlen and Musqueam bands, however some came from Scowlitz and

Sts'ailes The Sts'ailes (also known as Chehalis) are an indigenous people from the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Their band government is the Chehalis First Nation, formerly known as the Chehalis Indian Band. The band's name community i ...

First Nations. In testimony to the Commission, George Roberts, a representative of the New Westminster Indian Band identified Poplar Island as a graveyard for members of the Kwantlen First Nation. Roberts also explained that the New Westminster reserves were claimed by Kwantlen, Musqueam, and Tsawwassen Nations, however governance of the New Westminster Indian Band was managed by the Musqueam Chief. Roberts explained that the people who lived on the New Westminster reserves permanently were not considered "Indians" though some had remote ancestry at

Katzie Katzie First Nation ( hur, q̓ic̓əy̓) is an Indigenous band located in the Lower Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. They are part of the Sto:lo Coast Salish group of peoples, historically referred to by European settlers as Fraser Riv ...

and Chehalis (now called Sts'ailes). Finally, Roberts described how the Indigenous residents of the New Westminster Band were relocated by priests to the Musqueam and Kwantlen reserves at the historic community of qayqayt. He explained that this was done without those nation's consent, and against their resistance to the intruders. The New Westminster Indian Band, as it exists today, was reconstituted in 1994 by its present chief, Rhonda Larrabee, after she discovered that her mother's family was one of the last to live within the former reserve. Larrabee's story is documented in the NFB film ''A Tribe of One''. Marie Lee Bandura, who grew up as part of the New Westminster Indian Band in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

, British Columbia, was orphaned and believed she was the last of her people. She moved to Vancouver's Chinatown, married a Chinese man, and raised her four children as Chinese. One day she told her daughter Rhonda Larrabee about her heritage: "I will tell you once, but you must never ask me again."

Demographics

Number of Band Members: 15. This is an increase from 9 band members in 2017.

Chief and Councillors

Prior to its re-creation in 1994, the New Westminster Indian band was administered by the Musqueam Indian Band. The modern New Westminster Indian Band has a hereditary chief and hereditary council. Members of its administration are appointed by the hereditary chief for an indefinite period. The last addition to council was in 1995. Hereditary Chief Rhonda Larrabee Councillor Rodney Bandura Councillor Ronald Lee Councillor Robert Bandura

Band finances

The New Westminster Indian Band's finances are audited by MNP. Under the First Nations Financial Transparency Act bands are required to publish audited financial statements, and statements on remuneration. The New Westminster Indian Band has not publicly posted information on their finances since 2017. MNP's audited statements for this band note that because many transactions are done in cash, and are poorly recorded, it is not "susceptible of satisfactory audit verification".

Treaty process

The New Westminster Indian Band is not officially involved in the

British Columbia Treaty Process The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations. Two treaties have been ...

References

External links

* Short fil
''A Tribe of One''
{{Coast Salish New Westminster First Nations governments in the Lower Mainland