This book is wrong on so many levels, so we felt compelled to add to the existing article with one of our own.. The writer Tyler McCreary in his book, is cashing in on colonial madness, created and funded by anti oil and gas activists for self employment and self promotion as the saying goes follow the money. Tyler McCreary is yet another American from the Florida State University cashing in on funding set aside for Indigenous reconciliation, the motive becomes abundantly clear in his latest book “Indigenous Legalities, Pipeline Viscosities: Colonial Extractivism and Wet’suwet’en Resistance,” that they plan release soon, (early in 2024)
When you get a known activist like Tyler McCreary coming to Smithers to write a book, we should have known there was something fishy going on. More intriguing is how none of this information was published in our local rags when they spent so much time talking about it, was it due to a complcict press or were they just that uninformed? They published a ton of accolades about this man and said nothing about his anti oil industry background. Recall NDP Nathan Cullen and his anti tanker legislation? Well would you be surprised to learn that back in 2010 that Tyler McCreary wrote the following article? “Oil and water cannot be allowed to mix along B.C.’s stunning coastline.” on the website of Rabble, a left wing socialist ideologies website. I apologize if I am starting to sound like a broken record, where are we at now a ratio of 100 outsiders to one radical local? This is just one more socialist professor and outsider sticking his nose into our backyard.
So clearly it was never about the history of Smithers, it was about jumping on board with the anarchists trying to block the CGL Pipeline.
Before you even read the book “Shared Histories – Witsuwit’en – Settler Relations in Smithers”, have a look at the people behind this project, they all fit the motive, and Tyler’s last book is quite clear he all but makes the case for “Reconciliation equals the end of Oil and Gas“, he all but says reconciliation cannot happened unless we shut down industry in Canada, and hand over the parliamentary keys to indigenous radicals. The book Shared Histories – Witsuwit’en – Settler Relations in Smithers is a prelude to their goal, to publish an anti oil and gas industry book, using First Nations as a ways and means to undermine industry in Canada. However only the radical minority and not nations themselves.
This book is not about the history of Smithers, its about how to block the CGL pipeline and other pipelines from coming though our province, all through the eyes of an American professor. Yet all the lefties are sending praise and accolades to this betrayal of the residents of Smithers and the Canadian people.
Participating organizations like the Bulkley Valley Research Centre are directly connected to the NDP and Taylor Bachrach, see the screenshot below. Who do you think owns Bachrach Communications? For more details on the lefty connectors see Shared Histories – Witsuwit’en – Settler Relations in Smithers 1913 – 1973
The term “Reconciliation” has become yet another excuse to fleece the pubic wallet so a select few can cash in on the movement that was accelerated by a lobby of Americans who were afraid Canada would no longer wholesale oil and gas to the United States, and cash in on the difference themselves. To those of us who are already familiar with how Tides funds the (pardon the expression) shit disturbers, please read our many articles dedicated to explaining the how and why.
Under the pretext of pretending its about unification, the entire gong show using the descriptor them vs us, colonials vs First Nations is intentional race baiting, please read our original book review here. So it should come as no suprse that locals are being “used” to meet thier anti industry objectives
You could say its Tyler’s niche to attack the people who built our nation as a means to earn a quick buck at the expense of hard working citizens.. There have always been lefties telling First nations were so sorry for the evil we perpetrated on you, now how do I cash in on the anger it generates? The largest bone that I have to pick with Tyler’s modus operandi is insured by way of who he selected as contributors, and who were excluded from contributing. Almost without exception one could say that it was only the extreme left, the eco fanatic environmentalists, and NDP that were able to provide our community history. The book was a clever ruse to cover up its real intent, selling guilt to open wallets, they had many experts but refused to use them. Likewise the book and the people behind it are heavily promoted by our NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, Gladys Atrill and the Bulkley Valley Museum whom are all leftists connected at the hip.
The book belongs in the fiction section of our library, despite having a lot of truth in it, the truth is being used to cover up the lies
If we are going to write a history book on local and Wet’suwet’en residents, then let’s not use Gitxsan antagonists to do that job.
Look at Rita George, we have one of the most literate Wet’suwet’en whose was raised to become an expert on Wet’suwet’en history and laws. however as she was not anti-industry so she was replaced by Violet Gellenbeck. As a historian why would you ignore the experts and employ a radical? Look below at Rita’s credentials. The reason for refusing Rita was her connection to Gloria George and again its impossible that Tyler was so uninformed that he did not know this. Rita George is the legitimate Smogelgem.
Ms. George belongs to the elected Wet’suwet’en First Nation, which is part of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. She is both a band member and part of the hereditary system. “There is no love, there is no respect. That’s not the way of our ancestors,” Ms. George said, saying she is speaking on behalf of the matriarchs and elders of her community. “If I keep quiet, if I don’t come forward to address our point of view, it will look like we are supporters. We are not.” Ms. George says she was a young woman when her Wet’suwet’en community selected her for a leadership role that she knew she would spend a lifetime fulfilling. A grandmother of 10 who speaks Witsuwit’en, Ms. George was once entrusted by her community to help translate the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision in Delgamuukw. That case established for the first time that aboriginal title had not been extinguished. The case was fought by the Wet’suwet’en and neighbouring Gitxsan. (Copied from the Globe and Mail)
Its impossible that the omission was an error, the problem would be she would have refuted far to much from the agenda of this book written for propaganda purposes. By no means am I making the claim its all a lie, what I am saying is lies are more easily hidden when surrounded by truths.
Why would a historian turn his back on written history, the total absence of any president in Wet’suwet’en history (Eagle Down is Our Law) or any other historical review of the Wet’suwet’en Nation that would condone the stripping of the title of a Wet’suwet’en hereditary Chief? He had to agree with one side of the debate or issue in order to reject hearing both sides of the conversation. Who does that unless you have already decided the outcome? The act of stripping titles was simply put an act of rage by 4 or 5 grumpy old men and should not be recognized by any Canadian authority.
There is so much evidence that the book “Shared Histories” was simply a stage on which Tyler would play his role as researcher when in fact he already decided on the conclusion. Why was Gloria overlooked or refused? She spent more time in our community than Violet ever did. How many years did Violet live in Terrace, anyone care to admit the truth here? Its only in recent years that she was able to move to Witset, and her childhood years in Smithers.
They could have interviewed other experts like Theresa Tait Day “Hereditary Chief Wihaliyte” or Gary Naziel, a Wet’suwet’en hereditary subchief the same rank as Violet Gellenbeck, however recording real history was obviously not the objective here. Clearly they had opportunities to interview real credible experts, and chose not to.
HISTORY – POINT ONE
One of the key contributors was Violet Gellenbeck who was a known supporter and advocate of the illegal blockaders on the Morice River Road, but it does not end there. Violet Gellenbeck was also behind the stripping of Hereditary title of Stan Nikal. Hearsay evidence claim that Violet Gellenbeck coached the 4 victims that testified against him. Regardless of if or not he was guilty, his title “Chief Gwen’U” was stripped and Ron Mitchell was given the head of the clan HC title, I say given as he did not inherit it in the tradition way of passing on title. It becomes very clear Violet played the role of kingmaker and did so with great expertise.
The problem today is we do not have independent historians keeping track or recording history, it seems were waiting for enough time to pass to turn fiction into facts.
It is important to note as she herself proved in her own comments below that the Bazil family follows matrilineal lineage, and Violet clearly identifies her great grandfather was married to a Gitxsan, making the Bazil family Gitxsan. So The Bazil family does NOT belong to the Laksilyu Clan as all the current family members are claiming. Violet and the Bazil family claim to be Laksilyu Clan, and as such was instrumental in placing Ron Mitchell as their Hereditary Chief.
There are few people who would dare suggest that the Wet’suwet’en nation is not a matrilineal society, (also called matriliny, group adhering to a kinship system in which ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal lines (the latter being termed patrilineage or patriliny). So following the mothers lineage is how both the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en determine who will be the hereditary chief. Violet Gellenbeck posted the following, and I fully understand how the mixed up ideas occur when mixing the Canadian system of patrilineality and fathers being Wet’suwet’en and believing you are one also. But if you do that you are denial of the matrilineal system, even if its inconvenient, or even earth shattering, you are born what you are. Get over your incorrect beliefs and accept the reality, you are Gitxsan, and so are your children, unless their mothers are from another tribe. If you want to insist you are now Wet’suwet’en then do not claim you are a matrilineal society.
“My great- grandfather, Mooseskin Johnny, and his wife Teresa, who was Gitksan, ran a hotel, where the workers used to stay.there was a picture posted on this page, a while back. That showed where the hotel stood, you see the tops of the building our Mom Ghu’he’ always had wonderful stories of her Granmother Teresa.”
If indeed this matralineal rule is true, then Violet just proved her family, all of the Bazil’s are Gitxsan and not Wet’suwet’en.
HISTORY – POINT TWO
In point one we see that Violet was instrumental in changing Hereditary Chiefs in the clan she claims to belong to, in Point Two we will see how she was instrumental in replacing three more hereditary chiefs. Now I want to bring your attention to the stripping of three more legitimately acquired positions of Hereditary Chief. They were stripped by men who bought their titles. Now consider another issue that nobody was supposed to know, the man who stole the title from Rita George was Warner Naziel, he is Violet’s aunts grandson. (putting the title in her family)
Watch the video “they” created for their own promotion, and watch Violet Gellenbeck acting as a wing chief of a Nation she is not even a member of. I am sure our article here will infuriate all of the family who really speaks a lot about history, but does not know their own history. We do know our website has been the target of some of social media haters, (keyboard warriors) they never contest what was said, they attack the writers here, and it almost acts as a confession that we are right, if we were wrong they would simply show the truth, by putting the facts on the table. There are so many of them now, Gitxsan posing and inheriting rights that strictly belong to the Wet’suwet’en people. This problem is not limited to the Bazil family, it extends to other chiefs as well.
This has created quite a dilemma for the eco fanatics, who dance with history with one foot and put blinders on history when it refutes what the protesters are saying. They are the cancer that prevents the two nations from sorting out the lineage issues.
Look at the following screenshot it goes beyond words to think 4 men all who share the black kettle have given themselves the right to do what has never been known to happen in Wet’suwet’en history, there is no precedent, it was an act outside of the laws in Canada, and as there are no legal precedent within the Wet’suwet’en Nation, it begs the question of who does Canada negotiate with now? Who has legal aboriginal title?
From right to left, the first is John Ridsdale, a man who now has a criminal record, and no history to support his legitimacy to that title. Read this article The Tale of Two Tsayu, Beaver Clan Chiefs
The next from the right is Jeff Brown a resident from Burns Lake (Lake Babine Nation) he is not a Wet’suwet’en.
Third from the right is “Fred Tom who did not follow the traditional methods required to become a Hereditary Chief. The name came from Alfred Joseph, whose traditional name is Gisday’wa, was a Wet’suwet’en chief, “knowledge holder,” carver, teacher, orator and noted defender of Wet’suwet’en rights.” Be sure to read more about Tom here.
The last of the four is Alphonse Gagon who is also by way of matrilineal lineage a Gitxsan. See The Globe and Mail story here. (screen captures below)
As always, we accept that to err is human, so if for any reason you feel our facts are wrong, then contact us and prove to us that we are not right, it will allow us to retract and explain what the correct information really is, oddly we now have 460 plus articles, and to date we have only had to make one correction, and we did, it was in regards to two matriarchs with the exact same maiden, middle and last names. So we fully expect the people being exposed will throw a lot of stones, the truth hurts, and use the standard blanket statement that its racist and its not true, however they never table the truth either. But then again it could all be smoke and mirrors on their part as they hope and pray nobody catches on to their schemes.
At the end of the day its quite conclusive that the book was never about the history of Smithers but a stage to publish the anarchist theme, to tell Canadians that aboriginals want to shut down the resource industry, this is the lie they are trying to perpetuate. Most aboriginals now fully support and are participating in the resource industry, its where their bread and butter comes from, its where pride comes from, its where the drop in alcohol and substance addiction comes from. You radicals should try this one day, I am talking about work, try it it might give you a reason to love your neighbours instead of hating them.
"Now you know the rest of the story"
brought to you by
"Two Feathers"
In the event we are using copyrighted material, we are doing so within the parameters of the Fair Dealing exception of the Canadian Copyright Act.
See our Copyright Notice
Leave a Reply