This film review was originally written and recorded in Summer 2020 for my Cities and Crisis course
Podcast Review
Written Review
C̓əsnaʔəm, the City Before the City is a documentary which tells a story of modern activism. I review this film from the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations where I live, work, and study.
As many celebrate 153 years since Canada’s confederation in July 2020, others reject this nationhood and instead recognize centuries of Indigenous resistance. C̓əsnaʔəm is a great example of this, highlighting several Musqueam voices talking about removal from the land, depletion of resources, and theft of cultural materials. C̓əsnaʔəm is a Musqueam site near the Arthur Laing Bridge and the Vancouver Airport. It was revealed in 2012 that this inconspicuous lot held buried human remains and materials, but the province allowed digging for a new building development. Musqueam’s fight to protect this ancient village is a testament to their duty and responsibility to their people. The film is directed towards anyone from Turtle Island and beyond, but especially the uninvited settlers here. It is a film made by Musqueam people to highlight the fight for C̓əsnaʔəm and the ongoing environmental issues which they face.
Vancouver is commonly known to welcome people from all over the world to work and live here. But there is still so much colonial neglect for this land and its First Peoples environmentally, economically, and socially. Musqueam people have lived here since time immemorial, their territory stretching far north to Howe Sound and south to Tsawwassen. They now live on one of the smallest reserves in the province. C̓əsnaʔəm was designated as a heritage site in 1933, so there was a lot of confusion and anger when developers started to dig up bones from their resting place. This was an act of erasure for Musqueam people and their ancestors. In response, Musqueam members sat at the site to hold a 200-day vigil, and eventually blocked the Arthur Laing Bridge. The province saw this strategy and stopped the construction. It was solidified as a heritage site, but the government made Musqueam purchase a portion of the land. This makes it seem like the government simply views C̓əsnaʔəm as property, a colonial concept, and not as inherently valuable. As said in the film, it is not just a midden or burial site, it is a place of living. This story of C̓əsnaʔəm exemplifies a modern and complex crisis between Indigenous peoples and “Canada”. Recognizing existing rights and title (not granting it) should be the precedent, but we still have a long way to go. If we consider crisis as a turning point or a time of decision-making, the movement for C̓əsnaʔəm’s protection is a crisis for Musqueam. This film poses the vigil and blockade as a key crisis event, but also as a crisis that is ongoing through fish stock depletion, land theft, and colonial disrespect. Why did they protect C̓əsnaʔəm? Powerfully put, “It’s not our place to give up that fight”. They are always fighting for their ancestors, preserving culture, and letting sacred material rest. Near the end of the film, they call for more robust legislation and action to protect this site and others like it. Many Musqueam sites have been subject to legal and illegal excavations throughout the years, and remains and artifacts are strewn in collections across the world. Something that many settlers don’t understand is the connection between Coast Salish peoples and their land. Their worldview since time immemorial is to value the land and water, treating it with mutual respect. Being able to fish, hunt, and have ceremonies keeps Coast Salish culture alive, but government policies and racism have created barriers to this (I learned this in INDG 186: Coast Salish Studies). As Albert McHalsie argues, protecting a place protects culture and peoples.
The City Before the City does not go into detail about the urban Indigenous crisis in Vancouver. Though, it was not the purpose to discuss missing and murdered women, poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, houselessness, and racism. The film keeps a good focus on the immediate Sea Island and Musqueam region, including C̓əsnaʔəm, and it allows the viewer to feel a personal connection to the interviewees and their stories. The events in this film do not summarize the entire Indigenous-Colonial urban crisis, but that would be a daunting task. It highlights a narrative on property and site preservation in areas which most settlers do not see hiding in the shadows. I worked at the airport for eight months in 2019 and didn’t know about C̓əsnaʔəm, or that some of my Musqueam coworkers helped organize the vigil. It is unfortunate that even if you live or work near a traditional site the government doesn’t make an effort to make it known and preserve it. Overall, I see this as a good documentary because it highlights Musqueam voices and their real lived experiences on the land. At the airport I got to meet some of those people: Larry Grant, Mary Point, and others. I asked Larry in a language workshop how many people can fluently – or close to fluently – speak Halkomelem (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) [hall-ko-may-lem]. Poignantly, he said it was only the people in that boardroom. This struck me. It is part of the reason that I have pursued Indigenous Studies courses after returning to SFU.
Crisis in the case of C̓əsnaʔəm and the fight for Indigenous sovereignty has the potential to shape Metro Vancouver. As we move towards society valuing Indigenous lives and voices more, it may mean governments granting land back to their original First Nations. We have already seen this recently with Sen̓áḵw [sen-awk] in what is now Kitsilano. This small strip of traditional territory has been designated for a Squamish-led development project. There is potential for remapping and spatial reconciliation through the preservation of sites like C̓əsnaʔəm, which the film demonstrates well.
Source
Miller, B. G., Angelbeck, B., Bierwert, C., Boxberger, D. L., Galloway, B. D., Grier, C., . . . Schaepe, D. (2014). Be of Good Mind: Essays on the Coast Salish. Vancouver: UBC Press.
marina miller 