UBCIC: Our Homes Are Bleeding

About the UBCIC archival records available on this web site

Several of the photographs and all of the audio and video recordings on this website are records created by the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. They are records of either the UBCIC Communications Department or the Land Claims Centre. The transcripts of the McKenna McBride testimonies digitized for this website were created by the UBCIC Land Claims Centre.

The following archival description for these records provide the context in which these records were created.

Union of BC Indian Chiefs Communications Department records consist of textual records, graphical materials including photographs, moving images, sound recordings, and records on microfilm from 1971-2001.

The Communications department activities have included recording meetings and workshops, transcribing minutes and meeting notes, publishing newsletters, photographing UBCIC activities, communicating with First Nations people in the province, producing press releases, developing educational materials, events planning, developing publications such as Our People Speak and Indian Nations and the Constitution: A Position Paper and producing films, including The Land is the Culture, We'll Do Our Fishing and Sinumwak [Bella Coola Oolichan Fishing].

The records have been in the custody of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs or its elected officials. The Resource Centre has physically organized the records by media, keeping similar sound and moving image recording together; separate from textual records and photographs and maps.

The collection of records consists of meeting minutes, publications including posters, photographs from the Children's Caravan and newsletters, newspaper clippings, photocopies of articles from journals, magazines and newspapers, audio and video recordings of meetings, workshops, maps and other research materials, recordings of television and radio programs, public events and conference promotional materials, materials from Annual General Assemblies and Chiefs Council meetings, and press releases.

Media formats of this collection includes VHS, UMatic, and Beta records, apx 120 8 and 16 mm colour film reels, computer disks, audio cassette and reel sound recordings; 19 albums and 8 boxes of photographs. More accruals are expected.

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Land Claims Centre records consist of textual records, moving images, sound recordings, and records on microfilm from 1972-1975.

The Land Claims Centre opened in Victoria in 1972, with Philip Paul as Director. Staff included Jan de Klerk, Lou Demerais, Bob Manuel and Reuben Ware. Resource people included Barbara Lane and Doug Saunders. The Centre conducted claims research, legal analysis, and policy analysis, compiled legal, historical and cartographic research materials, typed and distributed copies of the transcripts of testimonies given at the McKenna McBride Royal Commission from 1913 to 1916. Staff at the Land Claims Centre dealt with freedom of information issues relating to access to government records and archives, and prepared materials for the negotiations with the federal and provincial governments relating to the cut-off lands. The Centre's work included researching Aboriginal Title (Native Title), and specific claims on cut-off lands, and relates to comprehensive claims and government fiduciary obligations. The Land Claims Centre developed the publications Our Homes Are Bleeding and The Lands We Lost.

The records have been in the custody of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs or its agencies. When the UBCIC chose to reject government funding, the records of the Vancouver office were taken to the Land Claims Centre. When the Victoria office was closed in 1975, the records were moved to new offices in Chilliwack. Many of the Land Claims Centre records and research materials were added to the Resource Centre's library collection in 1977. The Resource Centre has physically organized the records by media, keeping similar sound and moving image recording together; separate from textual records and photographs and maps.

The collection of records consists of position papers, meeting notes, research materials and notes for specific claims, policy research, audio and video recordings of meetings and workshops, maps and other research materials, legal research and council, microfilm copies of records from the National Archives and the Provincial Archives of British Columbia, and technical reports.

Media formats in this collection include UMatic and video reel recordings, microfilm records, maps, and reel sound recordings. No more accruals are expected.

About the Records