Aboriginal culture not religion, B.C. First Nations group says
Aboriginal culture not religion, B.C. First Nations group says
By Megan Thomas, CBC News
Posted: Nov 17, 2016 3:54 PM PT
A First Nations group on Vancouver Island says it is disappointed that a complaint over a traditional spiritual ceremony held in a Port Alberni, B.C., elementary school has ended up in court.
A mother in the Vancouver Island community has taken School District 70 to court, alleging her children were forced to participate in a Nuu-chah-nulth ceremony that she considers religious in nature and inappropriate for the classroom.
The case has sparked a debate over whether First Nations ceremonies should be considered religious or cultural. But a leader of the First Nation involved says there should be no debate.
"Our way of life isn't a religion. It's our way of life. It's our culture. It's who we are," said Ken Watts, vice-president for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nuu-chah-nulth-say-spiritual-ceremonies-cultural-1.3855725
https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Servatius-v-SD70-Filed-Petition.pdf
