Nisga'a Nation Commemorates 100 Years of the 1913 Petition
NEWS RELEASE
May 22, 2013
Gitlaxt’aamiks, B.C. – Nisga’a Nation President H. Mitchell Stevens and the Nisga’a Nation commemorated the 100th anniversary of the famous 1913 Petition yesterday. “May 21, 1913 was the date that the Nisga’a Land Committee formally lodged the Petition to His Majesty’s Privy Council in London, England in which they asserted their Aboriginal rights and ownership of our traditional territory.” explained Stevens.
While the 1913 Petition achieved little for the Nisga’a Nation with colonial governments in 1913 – it is evidence that the Nisga’a assertion to have exclusively possessed, occupied and used and exercised sovereignty over Nisga’a traditional territory - the same area of land the Nisga’a received constitutionally protected rights to in the Nisga’a Final Agreement – has been consistent over generations. “Our leaders (of the day) were astute enough to know that over time there would be evolution.” concluded Stevens.
President Stevens went on to encourage Nisga’a youth and citizens to familiarize themselves with such major milestones as the 1913 Petition, stating “those historical milestones are what give us our mandate. It’s important that we understand our history.”
The Nisga’a Nation also commemorates a number of other significant milestone events from our history books – including:
- 100 Years – 1913 Nisga’a Statement of Claim and Petition are adopted by the Nisga’a Land Committee and sent to Privy Council’s Office in London, England.
- 40 Years – 1973 Calder Decision in Supreme Court of Canada
- 20 Years – 1993 Establishment of Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a Institute (WWNI)
- 13 Years – 2000 Effective Date of the Nisga’a Final Agreement
To view the 1913 Petition, click here
For further information on the history of the Nisga’a Nation, visit our new website at www.nisgaanation.ca.
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Contact Information:
Edward Allen, Director of Communications & Intergovernmental Relations
T: 250-633-3000
