The Province of B.C. has refused to allow a Campbell River couple to register their baby91裸聊视频檚 traditional Kwak91裸聊视频檞ala name because it uses specialized First Nations lettering.
91裸聊视频淢y partner91裸聊视频檚 from this territory,91裸聊视频� Chrystal Smith said. 91裸聊视频淲e just want to honour the land we91裸聊视频檙e on.91裸聊视频�
位ug史al蓹s K91裸聊视频檃la91裸聊视频檃sk Shaw was born on Jan. 12. Smith and her partner Raymond Shaw had planned to give him a traditional name since before he was born. Shaw is Wei Wai Kum (Campbell River), Smith is Tsym91裸聊视频檚yen and Haisla and has been adopted into the Heiltsuk Nation.
They had discussed the possibility of a traditional name with the head of Shaw91裸聊视频檚 family. They were particularly interested in a place name from somewhere in the Wei Wai Kum territory. When 位ug史al蓹s was born, they settled on a name of a mountain in Loughborough Inlet that translates to 91裸聊视频渢he place where people were blessed.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a back story that goes with that mountain,91裸聊视频� Smith said. 91裸聊视频淎nd we decided that91裸聊视频檚 who 位ug史al蓹s was. That91裸聊视频檚 who he is. There91裸聊视频檚 no other name for him.91裸聊视频�
But when they went to register the name using the province91裸聊视频檚 online registration system, it wouldn91裸聊视频檛 accept the Kwak91裸聊视频檞ala characters in the name. So, they sent in a paper copy of the application but that attempt ran into a technical glitch and so they had to re-do it. During the second attempt they pointed out the correspondence had spelled the name wrong. Smith offered to email the name with the proper lettering but was told by the staff member that they couldn91裸聊视频檛 do that. So, she spelled it all out and the employee wrote that down and said it would take a couple of weeks.
But on March 3, they received a letter from Registrar General Jack Shewchuk saying the proposed name contravened the Vital Statistics Agency91裸聊视频檚 current naming standards which only recognizes the standard letters in the Latin alphabet, the standard set of French characters (the acute and grave accents, the circumflex, the umlaut and cedilla) and the use of apostrophes, periods and hyphens as long as they are not next to each other or lead to confusion in interpretation.
91裸聊视频淲hile the agency continues to meet with our business partners to facilitate the use of additional diacritic characters, we are currently unable to accept your child91裸聊视频檚 name as you have proposed it,91裸聊视频� Shewchuk wrote. 91裸聊视频淭he reason for this is the impact that the registration of this information would have on our partners and their systems that are unable to accept these symbols or reproduce them onto their secondary identification documents such as a driver91裸聊视频檚 licence or health care card.91裸聊视频�
The letter offers variations on the couple91裸聊视频檚 names that would be acceptable to the system included Aug91裸聊视频檞alas or Augwalas but Smith and Shaw won91裸聊视频檛 compromise on the name.
91裸聊视频淭here is no compromise. He is 位ug史al蓹s and he won91裸聊视频檛 be registered until we91裸聊视频檙e allowed to register him, which is ridiculous,91裸聊视频� Smith said. 91裸聊视频淵eah, I91裸聊视频檓 done compromising. Indigenous people have been compromising since colonization happened.91裸聊视频�
Smith and Shaw91裸聊视频檚 situation is not unique. A Squamish woman was in the news recently about being unable to register her baby91裸聊视频檚 name which includes an 91裸聊视频渦nacceptable91裸聊视频� character. Salia Joseph and her partner Joseph Currie, whose heritage is Cree and Blackfoot, have named their daughter Al铆la7, which means wild raspberry. The province, however, won91裸聊视频檛 recognize the 7 character in the name.
To Smith and Shaw, what91裸聊视频檚 additionally annoying about the situation is that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has an article that references the use of Indigenous languages, writing systems and names. It says, 91裸聊视频淚ndigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons.91裸聊视频�
On top of that, the B.C. government just unveiled a five-year action plan on implementing the UNDRIP.
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91裸聊视频淵eah, it is super-frustrating,91裸聊视频� Smith said. 91裸聊视频淎nd with the 97 Calls to Action (from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report), with the adoption of UNDRIP, like, ridiculous that we have to do this, that we have to continue to fight like this just to be recognized. And that91裸聊视频檚 what it is, they91裸聊视频檙e not recognizing us. Still.91裸聊视频�
Speaking to CTV News about the Salia Joseph story, Health Minister Adrian Dix commiserated with First Nations families, acknowledging that the situation could be 91裸聊视频渄istressing.91裸聊视频� A statement from the ministry to CTV said the government is committed to ensuring that Indigenous languages are living, used, taught and visible, including ensuring parents can register the births of their children with traditional names.
editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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