Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Monday May 21, 2001
CPTers Janet Shoemaker and Natasha Krahn left on a visit to Indian Brook First Nation (IBFN) in Nova Scotia. In Richibucto, NB, they met with someone who told them about the intricate relationships between corporations and fisheries. They then met a community leader from Big Cove First Nation who gave them an overview of the history between the government and First Nations people.

At Esgenoopetitj members of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC) visited the team. A member of the community told CPT that it is important that their work is visible and that they continue meeting people in the community.

Tuesday May 22, 2001
William Payne and Ellis Brown began a study of court cases arising from, or related to, the fisheries dispute. They visited with an elder who described how children had to watch their parents and relatives being beaten on the water last year. In the evening, Brown, Payne, and Jane Wright attended a confirmation ceremony for about twenty teenagers at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Esgenoopetitj.

Shoemaker and Krahn traveled to IBFN. This community was forcibly resettled from their traditional homes near the sea to the interior of Nova Scotia in the 19th century to open the land for European settlers. They met with a man who explained the IBFN fishing plan and the band's history. IBFN fishes on St Mary's Bay, about 300 kilometers from their residence.

Shoemaker and Krahn were invited to attend the IBFN Fishers' Association meeting that evening. IBFN has decided to fish, beginning in June, and told Shoemaker and Krahn that someone like CPT was needed on the shore with cameras.

Wednesday May 23, 2001
Lena Siegers and Jane Wright walked to the community centre where Siegers had a conversation with a woman who spoke of feeling pain instead of joy this year when the ice began to break up. She used to love lobster but it now reminds her of the suffering of her people. Several mothers of men who now have charges against them as a result of last year's fishing expressed deep apprehension about the upcoming fall fishing season.

Shoemaker and Krahn met with two members of the Mill Brook First Nation, also in Nova Scotia. They also returned to Indian Brook and met with a woman fisher. She re-issued the invitation for CPT to a establish a presence there.

Saturday May 26, 2001
Siegers, Wright, and Brown went to the nearby town of Tabusintac to take part in a community cleanup campaign. The head of the Tabusintac Watershed Association said he recognized the CPTers "from court". The team later learned that the stretch of land they cleaned was Esgenoopetitj reserve land.

In the evening some of the team went to a senior citizens' potluck dinner in the town of Miramichi where they talked to individuals about CPT's presence in the region. Siegers had a discussion with a woman who was very critical of the First Nations' position, but who indicated a willingness to continue the conversation. That evening they attended mass at St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in the nearby town of Bartibog.

Tuesday May 29, 2001
The team spent the day in court, in Miramichi, accompanying men from Esgenoopetitj who had been charged last August in fishing skirmishes. (see release "Community Service") Some defendants had their cases stayed, as they will be using an aboriginal rights defense. The judge decided that they require state-funded counsel to ensure a fair trial.

Friday June 1, 2001
In the evening the team went to a friend's for a bonfire, and his mother shared childhood recollections of the Indian Agent on the reserve. (See forthcoming release, "Indian Agent--History Revisited."

A Canadian Coast Guard vessel the size of a freighter hovered on the horizon of the bay for most of the afternoon and evening.

Saturday June 2, 2001
The Coast Guard vessel remained in the bay for part of the day.