Cecilia Point, c̓əsnaʔəm and Indigenous Environmental Activism

Cecilia Point talks about her Musqueam heritage, the values she grew up with, her mixed ancestry and how her family came to live in the Musqueam area. Cecilia also talks in depth about c̓əsnaʔəm, the Musqueam seasonal village her community lived in along the Fraser River in what is now South Vancouver. Cecilia tells the story of a developer implementing a construction site on the midden in 2011. The Province did not properly consult with the Musqueam band, so digging on the property commence after permits were issued. As soon as the Musqueam heard what was happening, there was an out crying of support from the community to halt the digging process that had begun. Unfortunately, during the process of the dig, human bones were unearthed and lay in buckets on the property. Cecilia states that the Province refused to stop the digging and were responsible for issuing multiple digging permits to the developer. Soon Cecilia states she was appointed by the community to be a spokesperson to the media and government, stating she took the call to heart. Even when the community held a press conference, started a petition and marched in solidarity, nothing was done to stop the digging by the Province. After 200 hundred days, thankfully the digging permits were no longer issued and the digging stopped. Then the Musqueam were able to remove the skeletal remains and have a proper ceremony for them in community longhouse. The Musqueam were able to purchase the property and want to make it a commemorative community focal point, honouring the village of c̓əsnaʔəm and the people who lived there.