What is the Work?
A project to revitalize traditional leadership in our Kwakwaka'wakw communities
The Giga̱me’dzikas “Many Chiefs” project, through the Kumugwe Cultural Society is aimed at the reconciliation, restoration, and repair of Kwakwakw’wakw cultural significance and territorial governance, leadership and systems. We aim to revitalize traditional leadership in our Kwakwaka’wakw communities to address the cultural gaps between hereditary chiefs and their families by assembling hereditary chiefs to discuss what is needed to restore their leadership to namima and their namima’s place in the culture of the Kwakwaka’wakw.
A strategy based on cultural safety
Calling in the Circle
Sanya’kula translates to being knowledgeable together. This informs our approach; our team commitment calls for inclusion, collaboration and relational practice. We cannot do this alone; to accomplish this work, we commit to “calling in the circle,” an indigenous notion that right thought leads to right action. The Kwakwaka’wakw circle is rooted in the traditional house (symbol of our respective ancestors) located at the centre of our domestic, ceremonial and social life. As a symbol, it speaks to the principle of Awitnakula, being one with all things, and our thinking, feeling and doing, must be in alignment with this.
We must ensure our chiefs, matriarchs, cultural leaders, women, children and LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, 2Spirit and beyond) have a voice in shaping our cultural future.
Gathering - Nov 5, 2023
The Kumugwe Cultural Society – Giga̱me’dzikas ‘Many Chiefs’ project hosted a gathering at Crown Isle Resort November 5, 2023 that brought Kwakwaka̱’wakw hereditary leaders and matriarchs together. During our time together we were able to connect with one another, learn about Giga̱me’dzikas research objectives and outcomes, and strengthen the bonds of our hereditary leaders. It was a wonderful opportunity to visit with one another, laugh, share hopes and dreams, and continue to build and foster relationships new and old. A highlight of the day was the honouring of some of our cultural heroes, Evelyn Voyageur, Robert Joesph Sr., June Johnson, and Bill Cranmer who passed 2 months later; they were gifted and blanketed for their lifelong journey of advocating for, promoting, and preserving their culture. Halakas’la
My Culture Belongs to Me! Our songs, dances, names and crests were handed down by our ancestors since time immemorial; no colonial government, organization or agency, elected or appointed, have the authority to dictate our culture. Nusux̱ da gwayi’elasix̱!
The Project Team
Chief Wedlidi Speck
Wedlidi is culturally connected to the Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuuchanulth, North Vancouver Island Coast Salish E’ikʷsən and K’ate’mot families. Wedlidi self-describes as a family man, placing his family as a priority and, through his cultural work, provides them with the opportunity to connect to and develop a cultural identity, to know the origin story, and develop cultural competence.
From a young age, Wedlidi set out to learn his culture, learning cultural stories, teachings, and traditional values. He emphasized knowing family connections, traditional family systems, rituals and ceremonies. Initiated as a hamatsa, his leadership reflects the strength and passion of his ancestors and the importance of protecting Indigenous ways of knowing and relational practices.
Wedlidi has gravitated to the Kumugwe Cultural Society because in his own words, “The Kumugwe family walk with integrity and hold the same values about family and culture.” Here, members of the Society are afforded the opportunity to express themselves in meaningful cultural ways.
Chief Nagediz - Rob Everson
Rob Everson brings his experience as a hereditary leader and elected Indigenous leader to Giga̱me’dzikas ‘Many Chiefs’. As the Hereditary Chief of the Gigal’ga̱m ‘Walas Kwagu’ł, Rob advocates for and actively works for Indigenous cultural rights, governance, and revitalization through the Kwakwaka̱’wakw potlatching system as well as through the https://kumugwe.ca/ where he has been Treasurer for the past 15 years. He also served for 4 years as the Elected Chief for the K’omoks First Nation where he negotiated regularly with representatives of the municipal, provincial, and federal government.
Rob has spent his working life in the construction industry and the governance/leadership business. Named ‘Nagedzi’ for his grandfather, Rob has Kwagu’ł, K’omoks, and Pentlatch ancestry. As a family man with three grown children and three grandchildren, Rob has dedicated himself to the service of his family, culture, and community, which is reflected in his personal and professional choices.
Along with the Kumugwe Cultural Society, Rob has served on a number of boards including the Pacific Regional License Appeal Board (4 years), North Island College Board of Governors (6 years), Atlegay Fisheries Board (4 years), and the Nunwakolas board (4 years).
Lee Everson
Lee Everson is a guest on the traditional unceded ancestral lands of her family, the Pe̕ntłatch, E’iksen and K’omoks Peoples and is wife to Nagedzi, hereditary Chief Rob Everson of the Gigalga̱m Wala̱s Kwaguł and Pe̕ntłatch peoples. As a proud mother of three, and, Adha (Grandmother) Lee is deeply embedded in her family’s culture and carries the name Ke’nakwa̱las. She is fiercely proud of her family and grateful to be part of the feasting and potlatching community.
For the past 15 years she has been volunteer administrator for the Kumugwe Cultural Society and Dance Group, organizing events such as National Indigenous Peoples Day, The Annual Red Dress Awareness Campaign and Installation, Walking With Our Sisters K’omoks (the first location in BC) and the curator for Potlatch 67-67: The Potlatch Ban – Then and Now, which was a multi-artist thematic program that examined the impacts of the Potlatch Ban and the resilience of Indigenous peoples in preserving their culture and language for future generations.
Throughout her life, Lee has worked as an ally with Indigenous organizations, which has fostered a passion for learning the ways of her family’s ancestors. She honours their protocols and traditions, and has great respect for understanding Indigenous ways of knowing, always seeking guidance from traditional leaders and knowledge keepers.
Indigenous Rights and Title, social discrimination, anti-racism and awareness of the true shared Canadian history are a few topics that Lee has educated herself on. It has deepened her commitment for change, reconciliation and healing for all.
Lelaina Jules
Carrying the ancestral name ƛa̓ kwapiqa, which can be loosely translated to ‘copper on top’, Lelaina Jules is an educator from the Hesquiaht First Nation, one of the fourteen Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. She comes from the House of Kinkwaaštaqumł. Proud of her roots, her father Steve is from Hesquiaht on his father Stephen’s side of the family and Ahousaht through his mother Jean. Lelaina’s heritage also includes Danish and Estonian through her mother Karen. She grew up on Hesquiaht Indian Reserve #6 located in Hot Springs Cove. ƛa̓ kwapiqa is a mother, wife, sister, daughter, auntie, cousin, friend, learner, and a teacher living in the unceded and traditional territories of the Pentlatch, E’ikwsən and K’omoks Nations. Lelaina has been an educator since 2011, graduating with a Master Degree in Leadership, Bachelor Degree in Education, and Bachelor of Arts Degree in First Nation Studies and Anthropology.
It has been truly an honour to work for and learn from the Kumugwe Cultural Society in their important work and natural way of upholding their cultural teachings.
Keisha Everson
Carrying the name Laḻtłaṉ Dala’og̱wa from her great-grandmother, Keisha Everson is from the Gigalgam̱ ‘Walas Kwaguł of the Kwakwaka’̱wakw (Vancouver Island, Canada) and a member of the K’omoks First Nation with ancestral ties to the Tlingit of Tongas Valley (Alaska) and Europe, particularly the Netherlands. For the past 10 years Keisha has had a deepening passion for learning and teaching Kwakw̕ ala, the first language of her grandmother U’magaḻis who recently passed. She is being trained to step into her grandmother’s cultural matriarch role.
Keisha has a Bachelor of Arts (English and Greek and Roman Studies), Bachelor of Education (Secondary), and Masters’ of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization from the University of Victoria. Keisha worked in School District 72 as a District Indigenous Language and Culture Teacher for 6 years before stepping away from the classroom to be home with her two children. Today she is a contractor who works with Island Health, the Naṉ wakolas Council, and the Kumugwe Cultural Society to facilitate workshops of various topics include cultural awareness, Indigenous history, and Kwakw̓ ala. She enjoys sharing Indigenous teachings, perspectives, and history through meaningful conversation.
Through her work with the Kumugwe Cultural Society, Keisha is pleased to work with Bryony Onciul and the University of Exeter to build relationships and understanding about repatriation, reconciliation, cultural awareness, and Indigenous stewardship.
Jeannine Walker
Jeannine Walker is an Indigenous educator living and working on the traditional unceded territory of the Pentlatch, E’ikwsən, Sahtloot and Sasitla peoples, also known as K’omoks. Her ancestral roots branch out from the Anishinaabe of the Tootinaowaziibeeng Nation, Cree of the Cote Nation, and various Scottish and Norwegian ancestors. Jeannine’s life path has been guided by her mother Jackie and grandmother Gertrude, who fostered her reconnecting with ancestral teachings and ways of being. As an educator, Jeannine works to increase Indigenous inclusion and promote community and land based learning. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in First Nation Studies along with a Bachelor of Education and is pursuing a master’s degree in Indigenous Education.
Gawala x̱a ha̱matłala
“How to lead by example.”
To lead by example is to be aware of your potential to influence others and your ability to navigate the culture, your own and other’s learning, measure your performance, and motivate others. This kind of self-location enables the chief to be reflective and connect to the needs of the family, ‘na’mima and people of the community. Being humble, kind, inclusive and transparent is important in your position as a chief or matriarch. We, as leaders, are not expected to know everything, so asking others for help, advice, and direction is an important quality. Cultural advisors played an important role in the leadership of the ‘na’mima.
