When Audrey Moore watched a group of people with clubs and face paint get out of a van and knock on her neighbour’s door, she knew one of her greatest fears was coming true.

“They were coming for my partner,” said the Langford mother of two. “But they got the wrong house.”

article continues below

Moore suspected — correctly, as it turned out — that the people were from the Cowichan Tribes, and were planning to take her partner to a cultural practice called the spirit dance.

She said her partner is a Cowichan member but has not lived there for many years.

“He’s heard rumours for years that his family is going to put him in the big house,” said Moore, a teacher who is also First Nations, adopted during the “Sixties scoop.”

“He doesn’t want to go. He doesn’t want the cultural teachings because he doesn’t believe in them.”

Moore’s partner, who did not want his name in the newspaper, confirmed this, saying: “I left the reserve a long time ago and only go back once in a while. To me, these things are like a religion. Which is fine if you want it. I never did.”

He was not home the day the group arrived because he had taken their eldest son to a soccer game in Vancouver.

When Moore saw the van head toward her house, she called 911 and told their youngest son to hide.

“He was terrified,” she said.

When West Shore RCMP arrived, she said, they talked to the group and confirmed they wanted her partner to go with them.

“The officer suggested I speak to one of the elders and I did. But it did not go very well,” Moore said.

She said she was told her partner could be taken against his will and be gone for several weeks without any contact. She was especially concerned because her partner has health concerns.

“This is not OK. You can’t just take someone. … It’s against our rights, but whole thing is shrouded in secrecy.”

Coast Salish First Nations have practised spirit dancing for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. The practice is considered sacred and rarely spoken about publicly. It can involve family members nominating each other to participate, sometimes as an intervention in situations involving conflict or addiction. The initiation rituals can also be physically rigorous and go on for weeks.

Spirit dancing has been controversial because of several accusations of abduction and concerns that participation can be a health risk for some.

A Lyackson man from Valdes Island won a lawsuit in 1991 after he was “grabbed” against his will and taken to a Duncan longhouse. Dave Thomas testified that he was physically abused, bitten, forced naked into a creek and whipped with cedar branches. The judge rejected an argument the initiation was an aboriginal right and ruled Thomas was the victim of assault, battery and unlawful confinement.

The 2004 deaths of a 36-year-old Tsartlip woman and an 18-year-old Chemainus man after taking part in initiation ceremonies led to a coroners’ inquest. Since then, local chiefs and First Nations have consulted doctors to mitigate any risks or dangers. No further incidents of death or injury have been publicly reported.

The spirit dance initiation is directed by the families participating and is not regulated by the First Nation. Moore and her partner want the relative who nominated him to understand their wish not to be involved.

“I talked to my dad, who’s an elder, and was assured this would not happen again this year. He was upset, too,” he said. “The thing is, I don’t understand why they would want me. No one cares enough to visit or even know which house is ours. … We have a beautiful life here. We’re happy.”

He said he hopes he does not have to worry about this happening again to him, or ever happening to his children. He signed a longhouse refusal form provided by the RCMP that he said gives them permission to search for him on band land if he ever goes missing.

West Shore RCMP said they could not comment on the case because there were no charges. Lower Mainland District Sgt. Annie Linteau said these kinds of cases come up rarely and if police get involved, they may use a written agreement as mediation.

“This ensures that all parties involved are well aware of the person’s wishes and that the police’s responsibilities are clearly laid out. We have found that the agreement has helped to alleviate issues or concerns between the police and communities,” she said.

“Regardless of the police responsibilities around the legal requirements, ultimately it is our strong working relationships and ongoing conversations with our aboriginal communities, leaders and families that often find the solutions to these sensitive issues.”

spetrescu@timescolonist.com

This article has been edited from earlier version