News Room
September, 2007
Community drives journey to self-governance
What does a community-driven process toward change look like?
It’s a question that the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation in Saskatchewan has started addressing.
“When you decide to make a change, you only need to look at what is behind it; the Indian Act. It has not and will not work for our people”, says Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation Chief Rick Gamble during opening remarks at his community’s first governance committee meeting.
The Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation is the first community in the Prairies region to invite the NCFNG to be a part of its journey toward self-governance. It has created a Community Governance Committee to establish a self-governance structure.
For many committee members, this new and exciting venture provides them the opportunity to contribute their vast skills and experiences and demonstrate their available capacity to create change.
For Chief Gamble, it’s an in-depth understanding of what is needed to implement self-governance. Prior to becoming Chief, he served at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) as the Chief of Staff and later on as the Executive Director of the Treaty Governance Process. When he decided to commit to community politics in a leadership role, he set a priority to achieve significant change with a lasting legacy.
“When there is new leadership, the band’s governance process should remain intact”, he says. And he believes that it’s a process involving the entire community. “We have a large land base, lots of people and little else. But when people decide to work together they can make great things happen.”
And happening it is. In March 2007, at the invitation of Chief Gamble, the NCFNG provided a presentation featuring Stephen Cornell, professor of sociology and public administration and policy at the Native Nations Institute-Arizona University and NCFNG President Satsan (Herb George). Cornell’s presentation focused on two approaches toward economic development for First Nations: The Standard Approach (pretty much what most people have been doing for years) and The Nation Building Approach (being invented by Indigenous nations today). Complimenting this was a presentation by Satsan on the Inherent Right Strategy. Both presentations inspired everyone in the community.
This was followed by an invitation by the Chief to his people to create and participate on a volunteer governance committee; an invitation that has resulted in tremendous enthusiasm. This committee has been meeting on a regular basis working on key fundamental issues and questions important to the community. One of the most significant questions the committee is currently tackling is: “What is a constitution and what will Beardy’s constitution look like”? Members are mindful that answering this involves a collective understanding of the terminology – a task they’ve turned to the NCFNG to help accomplish.
As such, NCFNG Prairies regional staff and Chief Operating Officer have met with the committee to help them address this question using a process of facilitation called ‘world café’. This process helped committee members bring forth creative ideas, thoughts and opportunities to be used in their planning process.
Although the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation has just started its journey towards self governance, it is already proving to be a good example of how, when a community organizes, a new destination and reality becomes possible.
But, it is understood that there will be bumps along the way however with the encouragement and support of leadership, those bumps can be overcome.
“In 25 years you will be able to look around and see the positive change that we were part of…this is what we are starting today”, says Chief Gamble.
