Introducing “Smogelgem” of the Sun House
One of the tragedies that befall aboriginals is when greed driven corruption finds the need to create a fiction history of a nation to cover the theft of a genealogy where birthright has monetary value. Such is the case for the Wet’suwet’en clan of the Sun House. Such is the case by the Owl house against the Sun house, two distinctively different and not so related families.
The irony of the uneducated younger generation thieves, vs highly educated elders. Look at the credentials Gloria George has, then look at the credentials of the thieves. Its not just credentials, its in large part work ethics as well. Its a hideous crime against elders we were once taught to respect and done by a Eco-obstructionist protestors, who we already know are in it for the money, we have proven that already.
Forgive me, this will be a long article, but a lot needs to be told, a lot of truth needs to be shared. The “Wet’suwet’en Five” made a mistake when they impose the message of unity “or else.”
The educated Wet’suwet’en find ways and means to operate around them, they did not go away, the dissension continues to divide, and trying to buy back support with feasts is the latest tactic. Even the attempt to sell the love for our forefathers has the smell of questionable motive written all over it.
Let me say this is my opinion piece, you do not have to like or agree with it, but as an old man with a somewhat still sharp memory, you cannot fool me yet. Let’s begin with a journey back in time, all the way back to 1977 and the Grand Opening of the Smithers Indian Friendship Center. For those of you who still need to know who I am, here is a clue, I was there for that grand opening.
It was great for a number of reasons, the first for me was the food, just kidding, but it was indeed great food. More importantly it was the union of non-aboriginals and aboriginals celebrating friendship and community with the entire community of Smithers.
Straying off topic, also at this time I know certain male Likhts’amisyu that are now chiefs, who back then swore up and down they were immigrants from Quebec, that they were 100% pure French. Some of you need to remember what they say about glass houses.
The reason we need to go back to that date is due to one of the hardest working aboriginal woman bar none who without her help and driving passion this day might not have happened. A lady in her own class by the name of Gloria George, who hailed out of “Georgetown” for you old timers, and for you young pups, just outside of Telkwa, years ago there were totem poles there across from the houses.
Gloria George - Goo-htse Awh Smogelgem was one of the victims of the “Wet’suwet’en Five” who did the proverbial hatchet job on one of their greatest leaders of all time. I am sure Andy, Leonard and Freddie are rolling over in their graves at what is going on here. So much for respect, it died when the last of the men in the George family departed from this earth. This group of Wet’suwet’en chiefs would never have dared to pull such a coup if these three bothers were alive.
In social media I was staggered by individuals I will not name at this point, who owed their careers to Gloria, but instead of standing by her, they like a pack of wild wolves went after her too in social media. Shame on the lot of you!
We have included 2 videos of interviews with this phenomenally humble lady, her message needs to get out there, especially to all Wet’suwet’en, and even all the other clans in the northwest. We need to honor and respect her, as one of the greatest gifts First Nations were ever blessed with. What the “Wet’suwet’en Five” did is beyond despicable. Watch the 2 videos so you can get a feel for the incredible woman she is.
Maybe if you get to know the woman she really is, you might grow some respect for her. This message is one that may well have a meaning for the “Wet’suwet’en Five”
When I heard Gloria say ” Many of our younger generation have no clue who they are” my first thoughts go to those young people up on Morice River Road, so full of hate and bitterness. Its not a healing center, its the core of the problem, the festering boil that needs to be cleaned.
Listen closely to how she describes that no matter what blood we have in us, we need to be proud of who we are, not hating that part of us that is not aboriginal, or the other way around.
We did a story that included her in the past, having no idea that this lady was one of the Hereditary Wet’suwet’en Chiefs who was axed by the men only club called “The Office of the Wet’suwet’en”.
If not for the role played by Gloria George, this “Wet’suwet’en Five” would likely be in retirement gowns not wearing prestigious Hereditary blankets. Gloria was such an ambitious woman with her organizing skills not only would the Friendship Center not be what it is today it might not even have existed without her, even the “The Office of the Wet’suwet’en” and the the famous Delgamuukw case, its questionable if they would have happened without her hard work.
Aboriginal people all across Canada owe their status cards to Gloria who was part of the group that had the law changed, so all aboriginals could be considered aboriginals, even Violet Gellenbeck has her Indian status thanks to Gloria.
Imagine Warner Naziel whose history started as an artist, with him winning the design for the Friendship Centers new building, end of accomplishments. And he will take over the prestigious title held by one of Canada’s hardest working aboriginal women is nothing short of the biggest contradiction in aboriginal history, and the least accomplished chief ever to hold the chiefs name “Smogelgem”.
If there was a single ounce of gentleman’s blood in that group of 5 dictators, they would have honored these women, who all have done so much for First Nations. They did not even have to agree with them, but like gang of thugs they went after 3 women who dedicated their lives to working for First Nations.
I am going to include a massive copy paste, because everyone needs to know the truth about who Gloria was and remains, one of the greatest Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs of all time. The original text can be found here.
Gloria Mary Maureen George, Indigenous politician, activist and public servant (born 24 July 1942 in Hubert, BC). A tireless advocate for non-status Indians, George was elected president of the Native Council of Canada in 1975, becoming the first and only woman to lead a major Indigenous political organization.
Early Life and Education
Gloria Mary Maureen George, who uses an English name for interacting with Canadian authorities and in her professional career, was born of Wet’suwet’en (Dakelh), St’át’imc, Cree, Welsh and French heritage. George’s Wet’suwet’en name is Goo-htse Awh, which is the title of sub-chief in her Laksamshu (Fireweed) clan. She also holds the title of hereditary chief, Smogelgem. George was raised traditionally, on a small farm in Hubert, British Columbia (near Prince George), in the ways of the Wet’suwet’en people. George grew up with her siblings and extended family, learning to respect the land and each other.
When she started attending school, George became, in her words, a “chameleon” because she dressed in the contemporary fashion for school, but returned to traditional dress afterwards. From a young age, George learned how to effectively move between the worlds of Indigenous traditionalism and Western culture.
However, in a 2011 interview with the We Can BC campaign — an initiative to end gender-based violence — George expressed that this move between two cultural worlds was not easy. George said that at school, she was subjected to racism, stereotypes and discrimination. In addition, George disclosed that she had been abused as a child by older men and by a missionary on different occasions. She also shared how her parents removed two of her brothers from residential school after learning that they were being mistreated. This act of defiance caused her parents to lose their Indian status. George would go on to advocate for non-status Indians in her adult life. Her and her family’s victimization created deep and long-lasting psychological wounds that George only came to fully address later on in life. “Alcoholism,” George stated in the interview, “brought my family to its knees.” Now sober, George has advocated for Indigenous peoples suffering from the intergenerational trauma of residential schools, from abuse and addictions, and from being disadvantaged.
George attended the University of Saskatchewan’s Native Law Program, and she earned her Bachelor of Laws at the University of British Columbia in 1989. As of 2011, she was pursuing a Master’s degree in First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia.
British Columbia Association of Non-Status Indians
The late 1960s was a politically charged time for Indigenous people in Canada. The Trudeau government’s 1969 White Paper, which called for the removal of any special status for Aboriginal peoples, paired with increased oil and gas exploration in traditional ancestral lands by extractive industries, provided ample reason for Indigenous peoples to organize into formal policy organizations to protect their livelihoods, lifeways and traditional homelands. (See also Indigenous People: Political Organizations and Activism).
The British Columbia Association of Non-Status Indians emerged from this environment in 1969. George was one of the first involved with the association, serving as an officer. In this capacity, George worked to improve the opportunities for non-status peoples to receive quality education. She also pushed to uphold Indigenous women’s rights, and to eliminate discriminatory government legislation and policies based on fabricated concepts of Indian status. (See also Rights of Indigenous Peoples).
Native Council of Canada
Over time, more organizations emerged to represent both status and non-status peoples. While groups like the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) worked to represent those who had status, others, like the Canadian Métis Society, developed to represent those without status. By 1971, the Canadian Métis Society was renamed the Native Council of Canada (now the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples), and served as the national voice of both provincial and territorial organizations that worked to represent Aboriginal peoples who did not have Indian status.
In 1972, George was elected the Native Council of Canada’s secretary-treasurer, a post she held until 1974, when she was elected vice-president of the organization. From 1975 to 1976, when George was president, she became the first woman to become an elected leader of a major Aboriginal political organization. As president, George advocated for greater government recognition of the Native Council of Canada and more consideration from police and the justice system with regards to the human rights of Indigenous peoples throughout the country.
Canadian Human Rights Commission
In 1977, Parliament passed the Canadian Human Rights Act with the expressed intent of providing equal opportunity to individuals who may have been victims of discrimination. As a result of this statute, the Canadian Human Rights Commission was established to investigate complaints of discrimination. George was elected commissioner of this organization in 1978, a post she held until 1980.
British Columbia Human Rights Commission
In 1980, George was appointed, alongside Charles Paris and Renate Shearer, as a commissioner of the British Columbia Human Rights Commission. The commission actively worked to distribute grants, to engage with the media on human rights issues and to produce educational booklets and short videos for teachers to instruct students on instances of discrimination. As vocal critics of the government, the commissioners worked consistently to reform and improve the code on which the commission was based. However, the commission’s recommendations for amending the Human Rights Code were never enacted. The commission was disbanded in 1983.
Indian Status and Indigenous Identity
After the passage of Bill C-31 on 28 June 1985 — an amendment to the Indian Act — George regained her Indian status, which she had lost as a child when her parents had also lost their status (see Indian and Indigenous Women and the Franchise). Although many saw Bill C-31 as a step forward in the protection of Indigenous women’s rights, George has stated that her Indian status carries little real value for her. George does not want to be defined by the Indian Act. As she told the We Can BC campaign in 2011, “No government should tell [Indigenous peoples] who we are.” George sees true Indigenous identity as defined by and connected to one’s Indigenous nation, culture, community and heritage.
We Can BC Campaign
In support of the We Can BC Campaign, George participated in an interview program called Breaking the Cycle. A project of the Justice Education Society of BC, Breaking the Cycle featured Indigenous leaders speaking about violence in their communities. George told personal stories and spoke about Indigenous identity, violence and abuse, and the ongoing intergenerational trauma of residential schools. She also offered advice on ways to break cycles of abuse, part of which, George argues, involves reconnection to Indigenous identity and heritage.
Teaching
As of 2011, George lived in Prince George, British Columbia, and was an instructor in the Northern Advancement Program at the University of Northern British Columbia.
Significance
George has worked to protect the rights of non-status Indians, Indigenous women and Indigenous peoples in general in Canada. Her efforts have raised awareness about the socioeconomic and historical factors that have disempowered many Indigenous peoples, the painful legacy of residential schools, Indigenous rights, and how stereotypes about Indigenous peoples must be identified and overturned.
Further Reading
Gail Guthrie Valaskakis, Madeline Dion Stout and Eric Guimond, eds., Restoring the Balance: First Nations Women, Community, and Culture (2009).
Dominique Clément, Equality Deferred: Sex Discrimination and British Columbia’s Human Rights State, 1953–84 (2014).
Editors Note: For those of you who read the original posted article and wonder why its changed, it was done so by request, due to threats made against the young adult we quoted. (I am already concerned for my personal safety, which is why I would like you to remove your latest article with all of our families photos.)
Also see these related articles.
The Sun House responds to the hostile land takeover by Adam Gagnon and Warner Naziel of the Owl House
Warner Naziel is not Chief Smogelgem
Smogelgem Revisited – Who is the legitimate heir?
Stolen Titles – Unist’ot’en – CGL Eviction
Parrot Lakes – Fiction and Fantasies
Parrot Lakes Recreation Site – No Free Prior and Informed Consent
Objection to Warner Naziel’s building a camp at Parrot Lake Recreation site
All Hereditary Chiefs are and remain Legitimate
In defense of the Wet’suwet’en Matrilineal Coalition
Fake Chiefs and Deadbeat Dads
Wet’suwet’en Strong – The Symbol of Male Dominance over women.
Off site related articles, the following is an excellent explainer in regards to the Matrilineal Coalition. Written prior to the BC Supreme Court judgment, it played a large part in the ruling against the Office of Wet’suwet’en and against Freda Huson, as well as the Unist’ot’en.
Activist-backed male chiefs’ attempt to ‘unperson’ female leaders ends up in court
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