The Province of B.C. has refused to allow a Campbell River couple to register their baby香蕉视频直播檚 traditional Kwak香蕉视频直播檞ala name because it uses specialized First Nations lettering.
香蕉视频直播淢y partner香蕉视频直播檚 from this territory,香蕉视频直播� Chrystal Smith said. 香蕉视频直播淲e just want to honour the land we香蕉视频直播檙e on.香蕉视频直播�
位ug史al蓹s K香蕉视频直播檃la香蕉视频直播檃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 Tsym香蕉视频直播檚yen and Haisla and has been adopted into the Heiltsuk Nation.
They had discussed the possibility of a traditional name with the head of Shaw香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播渢he place where people were blessed.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 a back story that goes with that mountain,香蕉视频直播� Smith said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd we decided that香蕉视频直播檚 who 位ug史al蓹s was. That香蕉视频直播檚 who he is. There香蕉视频直播檚 no other name for him.香蕉视频直播�
But when they went to register the name using the province香蕉视频直播檚 online registration system, it wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 accept the Kwak香蕉视频直播檞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 couldn香蕉视频直播檛 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 Agency香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淲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 child香蕉视频直播檚 name as you have proposed it,香蕉视频直播� Shewchuk wrote. 香蕉视频直播淭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 driver香蕉视频直播檚 licence or health care card.香蕉视频直播�
The letter offers variations on the couple香蕉视频直播檚 names that would be acceptable to the system included Aug香蕉视频直播檞alas or Augwalas but Smith and Shaw won香蕉视频直播檛 compromise on the name.
香蕉视频直播淭here is no compromise. He is 位ug史al蓹s and he won香蕉视频直播檛 be registered until we香蕉视频直播檙e allowed to register him, which is ridiculous,香蕉视频直播� Smith said. 香蕉视频直播淵eah, I香蕉视频直播檓 done compromising. Indigenous people have been compromising since colonization happened.香蕉视频直播�
Smith and Shaw香蕉视频直播檚 situation is not unique. A Squamish woman was in the news recently about being unable to register her baby香蕉视频直播檚 name which includes an 香蕉视频直播渦nacceptable香蕉视频直播� 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, won香蕉视频直播檛 recognize the 7 character in the name.
To Smith and Shaw, what香蕉视频直播檚 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, 香蕉视频直播淚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.香蕉视频直播�
On top of that, the B.C. government just unveiled a five-year action plan on implementing the UNDRIP.
RELATED:
香蕉视频直播淵eah, it is super-frustrating,香蕉视频直播� Smith said. 香蕉视频直播淎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 that香蕉视频直播檚 what it is, they香蕉视频直播檙e not recognizing us. Still.香蕉视频直播�
Speaking to CTV News about the Salia Joseph story, Health Minister Adrian Dix commiserated with First Nations families, acknowledging that the situation could be 香蕉视频直播渄istressing.香蕉视频直播� 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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