Ron Mitchell – Blockader Profile – Viewpoint from the North

First things first, why is Ron Mitchell listed as one of the Blockaders.

Blockades is by design, and not a consequence of industry or CGL, blockades is the “Ways and Means” an objective to steal lands from other First Nations and bypassing the system of negotiations.

To fully understand the “how to” of implementing of this plan you need to first understand the background of this plan. A must read is Wet’suwet’en Land Claims Overlap. as it explains the problem that the Office of Wet’suwet’en aka the Wet’suwet’en Five have as the core of their problems.

In 2009 Don Ryan was invited to speak to the Office of Wet’suwet’en where he delivered the following advise on how to proceed with land claims. Feel free to prove me wrong.

He said the following, we will highlight the key points in dark red.

“The issues for us on the treaty table are a competing claim. You have people on the treaty table discussing these issues, and Carrier Sekanie is claiming the same thing in Prince George.

The band councils are doing different things. We must sit and talk to them and bring everyone together. There will be tension on these fronts. You have a situation where pipelines and competing claims must be sorted out.

The treaty process is not the right path for us.

This process takes your title away from you. We need to be aggressive as to what we can do on the land. I can quickly take you through the treaty process. They have a formula and figure how much they will offer you in cash. Our neighbors in the Nass signed a treaty, speak to them and they will tell you the same story. $750,000 per person is what they will offer you. When they give you that money, you will not own the land.

They will also offer you land and that will be around Moricetown. They also have a formula, one section of land. They are still trying to get you off the land. I’m interested in discussing the options with you.” Don Ryan 2009

Then later on in 2009 the following.

Quote from the Globe and Mail

The Unist’ot’en camp has been endorsed by five prominent Wet’suwet’en house chiefs, part of a hereditary system of 13 house groups that fall under five clans. The five men (with their Indigenous title, followed by their house group and clan) are: John Ridsdale (Na’Moks) from Rafters on Beaver House under the Tsayu clan; Warner William (Knedebeas) from Dark House under the Gilseyhu clan; Jeff Brown (Madeek) from Where it Lies Blocking the Trail under the Gitdumden clan; Ron Mitchell (Hagwilnegh) from House of Many Eyes under the Laksilyu clan; and Warner Naziel (Smogelgem) from Sun House under the Laksamshu clan.

Before we continue lets review the rules for becoming a Hereditary Chief. This needs to be done to prove Ron Mitchell’s legitimacy to the title of Hereditary Chief.

The following comes directly from the Office of Wet’suwet’en website, so you would think they follow these rules right?

Becoming a Hereditary Chief

Before nonnative contact, a Wet’suwet’en heir began their journey to becoming a hereditary chief while still inside the mother’s womb. Elders, Shaman’s and Chiefs would often feel the womb of an expectant mother and determine if the baby was destined to be a future Chief or Shaman. From the time of birth the child would be groomed or tutored to be a wise, strong and responsible leader. The child would start off with the following succession of feast names:

Birth name
Baby name
Child’s name
Adolescent name
Adult name
Sub Chief name
Wing Chief
Head Chief name

Before a person received a high-ranking chief name, they would have to travel into the wilderness to live with the animals for an extended period of time. They would learn the ways of the animal world before returning to the community to assume a Chief name. When they returned, they would have to demonstrate what they have learned. This exercise exposed the prospected chief to the human world as well as the animal world. Thus ensuring he or she had the utmost respect for both.

Wow, that is a high standard right? But let us look at what they do vs what they say must be done.

Let us do a review of history, let’s go all the way back to when Chief Gwen’U was the head of the Laksilyu (small frog) clan, his English name was Chief Stanaslaus George Nikal. Remember Wet’suwet’en title is held for life, let’s look back at this case Chief Gwen’U was never stripped of his blanket, it means he still holds that name and under Wet’suwet’en laws still holds the title to that land. Yet somehow we find that again without any Wet’suwet’en protocol whatsoever almost if the fairy godmother came along and with one quick swish of the wand, Ron Mitchell became the Hereditary Chief of the Laksilyu Clan, and now heads the House of Many Eyes, the same house Chief Gwen’U was never removed from as the Hereditary Chief.

Regardless of how many people hated Stan Nikal for what he was accused of doing, at no time was he officially stripped of his title. Unlike recent other cases Ron Mitchell did not get the title of Chief Gwen’U but instead used his own name of Chief Hagwilnegh and somehow that now became a Hereditary Chief’s title, it was nothing short of having a fairy godmother, because no Wet’suwet’en protocol was followed here.

The question the Wet’suwet’en nation needs to ask is by whose authority was this done? Was this an in house Office of Wet’suwet’en decision? Was this illegally done by other Hereditary Chief’s? Wet’suwet’en protocol says title cannot change hands until after the existing Hereditary Chief dies, and he is still very much alive today.

Timeout for a second, think about it, the Goverment of Canada and the Goverment of British Columbia is going to sign billion dollar treaties with people who acquired their status of Hereditary Chief with the wave of a wand? Go back and read the rules they themselves claim are applied? Read back to Becoming a Hereditary Chief.

Let us review the evidence, the rules that even the Office of Wet’suwet’en claim they follow.

Then I want to bring your attention to a book “Niwhts’ide’nı̈ hibi’it’ën – Ways of Our Ancestors” that the Office of Wet’suwet’en had published as an education tool for local schools. Once again they too admit there are normally four feasts held, now lets review all of the existing Hereditary Chiefs and see who among them followed the rules, and who did not. More specifically how many of them held legitimate feasts at all? Feast specifically held in the name of passing on the title?

Take the time to read what was said by those original hereditary chiefs that testified at the Delgamuukw trial, the truth is here, in their own words.

To establish what the rules really are let us review what was said in the Delgamuukw testimony entered by Mary Joseph on December 7, 1988 in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. References see https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/delgamuukw/items/1.0018481 or see it below.

delgamuukw-1.0018481

Page 22 line 21-24

Question.
All right. Now, when someone in a Wet’suwet’en house who has passed away, is the name given to the person in the house who makes the largest contribution at the feast?
Answer.
When a person passes away, whoever contributes the most is considered as the successor.
Question
All right. And does the name — if the person that contributed the most was in the same clan but in a different house, would they get the name?
Answer.
It’s always when a person passes away; it’s always the person in the same house.

So Ron Mitchell became the head house chief, Hagwilnegh took his chief name in 1985, 10 years prior to what is shown as the date Stanaslaus George Nikal was found guilty of his convictions. So it’s clear that power shifted hands from Stanaslaus George Nikal to Ron Mitchell, and at no time was Stanaslaus George Nikal ever stripped of his Hereditary Chief title after he was found guilty and sent to prison.

The single greatest threat to Wet’suwet’en Nation comes from the abandonment of the word “Hereditary” there was nothing “Hereditary” about the power-shift from Stanley George Nikal “Chief Gwen’U ” to Ron Mitchell “Chief Hagwilnegh” as head of the “House of Many Eyes” of the Laksilyu Clan (Small Frog Clan)

its time for a full review of what took place here, to determine if this was one of the many inheritance grabs that have been taking place within the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

Below are some more quotes regarding Ron Mitchell

Quote from the Globe and Mail

The sockeye in the Morice are on endangered species lists, yet they are being sold in Smithers, again the majority of Wet’suwet’en obey the law, but those who are the law, do little or nothing about it.

Laksilyu clan meeting 2009.

“Ron Mitchell: Fisheries and rangers. There a couple of charges pending with our fisheries and DFO are encouraging our rangers to charge them. We won’t charge our own people. We will not have rangers charge our own people. The government is using our rangers to have our people charge one another. That is something to think about.”

We run into this double speak all the time, the rule for one, does not apply to another, one Wet’suwet’en told me in humor, it depends on where you are on the totem pole as to what rule applies and when it applies.

Four out of eleven chiefs made the decision to strip the 3 female chiefs of their title, this is based on what they admitted to the Globe and Mail. Clearly these 4 have made a new Wet’suwet’en law, that they have more authority than the remaining 7 Hereditary Chiefs, and any negotiations outside of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en are breaking Wet’suwet’en law.

Not reported to the press was the subsequent dismissal of Chief Mutt (Bill Naziel) from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en for supporting the Wet’suwet’en Matrilineal Coalition. (Sub chief)

The 13 Hereditary Chiefs now serve the authority of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, and the office makes up laws as they feel the desire to create them.

It’s hard to believe people actually dream up stuff like this, but it’s most certainly a power grab by 4 chiefs who defy anyone to disagree. 4 chiefs laying down the law on 11 Hereditary Chiefs. Does anyone other than me, see there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

No wonder we have four out of six communities not wanting anything to do with this hostile takeover of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

There are 11 Hereditary Chiefs (at this time) plus two vacant positions.

Four out of Eleven

John Ridsdale (Na’Moks)
Jeff Brown (Madeek)
Fred Tom (Gisday’wa)
Alphonse Gagnon (Kloum Khun)

The remaining Hereditary Chiefs

Chief Smogelgem, Gloria George
Chief Woos, Darlene Glaim
Chief Goohlut, James Namox (representative for vacant)
Chief Wah Tah Kwets (Frank Patrick) designated house spokes leader Chief Wihaliy’te, Theresa Tait-Day
Chief Knedebeas, Warner William
Chief Samooh, Herb Naziel
Chief Hagwilnegh, Ron Mitchell

Vacant Hereditary Chiefs

Chief Wah Tah K’eght, Henry Alfred (deceased)
Chief Kwees, Florence Hall (deceased)

Regardless of if or not the other chiefs agree to go along with the first four, is not even relevant for what I am saying next. For 4 Hereditary Chiefs to act alone without consent, to do something never ever done in the history of the Wet’suwet’en Nation is nothing short of reckless.

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Ron Mitchell – Blockader Profile

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