Posted on 10 June 2015

Councillour Murry Krause suggests Fort George Park be renamed:

“The renaming of Fort George Park to Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park commemorates, in a respectful way, a troubling time in our City’s history when Lheidli T’enneh people were forcibly removed from their land. The inclusion of the word memorial in the proposed name change acknowledges the presence of the Lheidli T’enneh Burial Grounds in the park. The cemetery is all that remains of the village that was destroyed in 1913. The permanent presence of their flag appropriately recognizes the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation as a level of government and is a reminder that this is the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh people.”

The proposal has the support of Lheidli T’enneh chief Dominic Frederick, and would include permanently raising the Lheidli T’enneh flag in front of city hall. If council supports it, the renaming would happen June 21 (National Aboriginal Day).
Seems like a nice middle ground in the debate over the wholesale renaming of Prince George that still finds a way to draw attention to the actual history of this place. And for more on that history and just how troubled it is, see “Even the churches of the Indians will be burned” and “Burn Your Village to the Ground (100 Years Since Lheidli)“.
Also:
Dzuhoonhdi Whuzadel (Let’s stop ignoring where we are)
Lheidli T’enneh (Where I Live)
 

Filed under: Indigenous, links, Prince George