“We are the ones that we are waiting for” - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 125

adequate provisions for all family members. Intricate socio-economic networks
based on trade and ceremony helped in the distribution of wealth and basic resources
throughout the extended communities (Suttles, 1963; Boxberger, 1993; Kennedy,
2007).
Performing unity and counter-mapping
In an effort to mitigate the historical (and contemporary) divisiveness of the con-
structed international border, the organizers of the Gathering employ strategic
exercises to help reinforce cultural connections. In addition, they use discursive
tools (i.e. maps, media coverage, literature) to empower communities and reframe
governance structures. For example, the facilitator of the Tulalip Gathering
suggested that, during the introductions, every participant add the phrase “And I
am Coast Salish” after their name. As the leaders affirmed their status, the powerful
words became increasingly impassioned: “I am Coast Salish . . . We are the same”.
Some respondents uttered their statements with such passion that applause, cheers,
and “whoops” would spontaneously erupt. This “performance” of unity helped
align the material and the symbolic concept of a (re)connected community.
Interestingly, this exercise plays on the very successful ad campaign by Molson, a
Canadian beer company that used the patriotic phrase “I am Canadian” to sell
their product, as described by Seiler (2002).
This exercise was also a way of establishing consensus. By repeatedly emphasizing
the connectedness of the community, the aim was to rewrite the discourse of a
fragmented community. As one participant of the Gathering reflected, the
affirmations remind the participants “regardless of which side of the border our
relatives happened to land, we are all interconnected”. A Coast Salish leader further
explained:
You might ask what we did today . . . We are learning to trust each other
again. There are no hidden agendas. If we agree as to who we are, we are
able to protect who we are. It is up to you to reach back and remember the
works of our ancestors and bring it forward. We have to bring hope and life
to our children.
Although the tribes and bands had and continue to have their own priorities, the
intricate relationships and shared connection to the land and water are important
components of the creation of the Gatherings and of the dedication to address the
environmental issues facing their respective communities and the Salish Nation as
a whole, particularly the decline in salmon.
In addition to re-establishing cultural continuity, the Gatherings provide the
space for the Coast Salish leaders to collaborate and speak with one voice.
Establishing consensus within the Salish communities serves an important purpose.
It helps prioritize issues and strategically organize efforts to tackle increasingly
complex and multijurisdictional environmental issues. The ongoing dialogue