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The Gustafsen Lake standoff between the Ts’peten defenders and the RCMP began on Aug. 18 1995 and ended on this day, Sept. 17, 1995.
The confrontation was the most costly operation (at more than $5 million) undertaken by the RCMP in Canadian history, with 400 hundred officers involved, and supported by the Canadian military. They were attempting to remove Indigenous people occupying land in unceded Secwepemc/Shuswap territory.
By the end of the 31-day standoff, police had fired as many as 77,000 rounds of ammunition, killing a dog and injuring people.
It had begun with the Sun Dance. Spiritual leader Percy Rosette, along with wisdom holders, had a vision about the site, located near 100 Mile House in B.C. They refused to leave the sacred area, and dug in when the ranch owner had presented the Sun Dancers with an eviction notice.
The Sun Dance ceremony had been done at the site for a number of years, by agreement reached between the rancher and Rosette. But that agreement had conditions set by the rancher, including the number of years he would allow it. But the Sun Dancers asserted their Indigenous right to practise their spirituality on the unceded lands.
As the situation between Sun Dancers and the RCMP who had been called in worsened, Rosette sought the help and guidance of Stoney spiritual healer John Stevens. Stevens had been called to the site by Rosette after long days in RCMP crosshairs. Rosette was worried that by the time Stevens came to the camp, the protesters would all be laying dead.
Despite very strict controls the RCMP attempted to put on Stevens’ trip to the site, he and his family, who acted as helpers and spiritual interpreters, finally got into the camp and were able to safely bring out the final occupiers.
For more information about this story, please visit our AMMSA.com archives at http://ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/spiritual-man-wants-no-fanfare