who are the leaders?
"Early days one man chief of stamis, and all little villages up Squamish Rivers; that's before; that's early days; they not call them chiefs, but he's bigger man... it's a boss, like... he is the best talker, not chairman, Indian have no chairman - - but man who says the most wise things"
- August Jack 1955
The story of the "chieftainship" begins with the colonization and assimilation of the Skwxwu7mesh peoples. In the early 1800's, Christianity was spreading faster then how pokemon spreaded in 1999. With more people becoming "civilized" the ways of our people started to change because of Christian and Gov't involvment. Some things that would change society and become apart of "SQUAMISH" culture.
Assimilaton was the game, and the Squamish people were the arena. With the Catholic church trying to come up with ways to convert the non-believers and gov't trying to convert us to western society we we're being killed on a completly different level. One way of making it "easyer" was to govern us, in a more efficent way. From then on, the SQUAMISH people had Chiefs. Not leaders of the old, but Chiefs of the new era.
Let's take a step back before "contact". To when we had a "utopian" society among the Salish (Skwxwu7mesh) peoples. It goes like this. Noblity were people who had either their own resource site, special skills or special knowledge. Some of these "nobility" was leaders. Who posesed knowledge and skill and the resource sites to share his gifts and wealth with the people. (Weither it be the knowledge, skill or resources). These people were regarded as a "siyam". These siiyam had special renown and respect from the people. The more these siiyam distributed the wealth, the higher their status became and the more respect their gain. (The weath not only being resources but also their knowledge and sharing their skill.)
OKAY, got the idea of what a "Siyam" or nobility was BEFORE contact. Let's jump back to this game. The church decided that their progressed would be faster if they had one person to report to them and to do what they needed to the people. If they had one person appointed in a village, he would be able to help the church get others to become christian. It would be better then the alternative of the church trying to convert everyone indivudualy. This new idea became known as "Chief". A chief was selected out of each village to help the church "christianize" that village. Inevitabily it worked. But their was a side effect...(DUN DUN DUN!!!)
Everything changed from their on. As "siyam" before were seen and respected on the basis of "generosity, leadership, knowledge, and inegrety" it all changed. Siyam were regarded as "Chiefs" and chiefs were obideint, status quo, christian indians. People who followed the Catholic way and what they said would of been chosen as "Chief". Anyone who did not, we're disregarded by the church. For example, a highly respect, wealthy man back in the time had 3 wives. This would be regarded as nobility because he can take care of 3 wives by him self. It was a sign of nobility to have many wives, but to the church is was a SIN. This man would never be chosen to be a "Chief" even though, he had high status in the old ways. Siyam are not of the old but of the new christian way.
(Note: This idea of "creating" chiefs caught on so quick that the goverment followed suit and ratifyed these "chiefs". Making them offical chiefs in the eyes of the Indians Agents and DIA)
You'd think the indians would never surcome to this but, yes, they did. How do we know the indians gave up and collasped to the "christian" way with their "Christian God" and "Savior"? Because we have "Hereditary Chiefs" today. The evolution of the "Chief", created by the chuch, it turned into a cultural thing. The culture was twisted and bent around these "Chiefs". It made things even simpler because, a christian indian would of corse raise his children to be, yes you guessed it, christian children. His chieftainship would be passed onto another "civilized" christain and be hand in glove with the Goverment and Church all once again.
As the goverment had no need for these chiefs because of population out number the indians and the goverment having more control to legilature, the "Cheiftianships" became souly apart of the "culture". (Note: Squamish Culture and not Skwxwu7mesh culture) Chieftainships would still be handed down through a hereditary line, still following that "obideint, status-quo, christian way. The old values of leaders still did not exsist. Only status quo, residential school taught leadership was left in the wake of of assimilation. Where o where are the real leaders of the old ways?
We now look at this day in age of our "Chiefs" and how they play apart in this game. We have chiefs "demanding respect" and vying for the title of "Chief" yet have nothing to do with the generosity, leadership, knowledge, and inegrety of their stauts. Hold it, you might say. Our chiefs are very honorable people, people who are leaders. You could be right, but it still does not deny the fact they are not the leaders of the old because they still do not have the same qualities of the old leaders.
Demanding respect is one example. "Hi my name is Chief John Doe." "Hello, you have reach Chief John Doe, please leave your name and number after the beep and I'll get back to you". "Hi, here is my business card..."*(then it says on the card "Chief John Doe)*
Let's compare shall we!
Old CHIEFS: Obident to the church, listened to the church, comprimise his beliefs, society and ways of life for the church. All for the better goodness of everything.
New CHIEFS: (Otherwise known as aboriginals.) Would sacrifice and negotiate with the goverment and the Canadian way. To be obiedent and not to resist the way. Shake hands and play "poker" and "chess" with the devil, known as the white civilization. It's all a game they say, but it's the white mans ways still influencing them. Thus mimicing the OLD CHIEFS.
The chiefs selected by the goverment and the church are still around us today. Their spirit to negotiate and agree are inside our chiefs of today. Are they the leades who will leaders us out of this war and bring us back to the old ways to move us forward? How can this happen if we have "Status-quo" leadership, brought on us by the church. How can any of the "Christian" and WHITE value every lead us through? It wont happen intill we decolonze ourselves and leader us to surive. But of course, aboriginals wont do this, because, Aborigianls are the end game in this game of "assimilation".
You see people fighting for these titles of "Chief" but all it will ever be is a mask. (Not the mask people create and think are Skwxwu7mesh) Masks that they where for power, title, and respect. Oh how these words all bring into mind somthing. But if I could only remember what. Oh yes, that is right. The Western White way strugle to fight for power, up have A title and never earn their respect in the process. These are not the qualities of a siyam but the ways of the white man. (Of old and now.)
We are now faced with these "Chiefs" and no powerful leaders. Leaders who have special skill, knowledge and resources for his people. Who shares his wealth with the people who put him their in that high ranking status. The siiyam of old were raised high by the people. Not by title of themselves. They earned their respect through the people... Oh how things have changed...
And now I ask you, where are these siiyam of old. These leaders who are willing to give to the people and will sacrfice himself but not for power or title but for his people. The leaders and siiyam raised up high BY the people? Do they exsist only in legends? We have them now, but our people too blindly follow and argue in disaray with these Chiefs. The need is great. The need for everything from the past. The need is now. The need for what? The need aganst this war of colinial dominion. What is the alternative? The ultamate death of people through assimilation.
What are you going to do?
