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For the past while Gerry Johnson has been going by "Chief Kiapilano", claiming to be chief of all the Squamish people.  He says it's his birthright and that he is the head chief.  A few weeks ago him and a few others tried to evict numerous church's in Vancouver for being on "Squamish Nation Territory".   He also likes to be known as "Royal Hereditary Sovereign Chief Kiapilano".  I also heard reports of him trying to evict newspaper reporters/writers who wrote articles about his friend Kevin Annett.

I am Skwxwu7mesh, a "band-member" of the "Squamish Nation".  I grew up on in two Skwxwu7mesh villages, Xwmelch'stn and Eslha7an in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  I've also studied the history of my people in regards to the hereditary chieftainships, but by no regards consider myself an "expert".  I've just been able to deduce a few things and understand the complexity of the situation.

I've reported on my blog a few times about the hereditary chieftainship system.  A shorter explanation is that the hereditary chieftainship system was originally created by the Catholic Church to convert the mass population in the numerous communities and villages.  Historically, my people were not that stratified and organized in it's political system.  Prior to contact, each family had a "siyam", or a respected person.  This was not a "bossman" or "chairman" like position, but simply someone who was respected by the community and people followed because of the character this person had.  Their status among the community could be raise through a few ways like, distribution of family wealth in potlatching, conduction of spiritual ceremonies, or display of cultural values and principles.  August Jack Khatsalano, a "siyam" born in the late 1800's, and died in the 1970's, was regarded as one.  He potlatched a lot during his time, passed on the knowledge of our ancestors, and conducted mask and spiritual ceremonies in our longhouse.  He said in his book "Converstations with Khatsalano", siyam means a person who is "...the best talker - not chairman, (our people) have no chairman -- but man who says the most wise things".

To what I mentioned earlier, the Catholic Church went around creating "chiefs" over each of the villages.  Later after the passing of the Indian Act and the designation of the reserve, the Indian Agents assigned a chief to each of the reserves.  This is where the current "hereditary chiefs" come from.  They are chiefs of the different reserves in Skwxwu7mesh territory.  In 1923 these hereditary chiefs signed the amalgamation and became a single "Squamish Band" or "Squamish Nation".  I will point out, it wasn't black and white.  Many of these hereditary chiefs were in fact siyam.  They followed our traditions, practiced our ceremonies, and lived strong indigenous lives, but at the time the government would only listen to the band council and so many bought into it.

In the 1980's, a non-confidence vote occurred on the corrupt band council of the time.  For decades the band council was hereditary, but changed in the non-confidence vote and the election codes were changed to create a 16 elected band council.  This is the current governing system of the Squamish Nation.  16 elected band councilors for the 16 hereditary chiefs.  A few of the hereditary chiefs have positions on the elected band council.

Gerry Johnson is not a hereditary chief.  Nor is he a siyam.  He has never once given a potlatch, in distributing his family wealth to the people.  He has never once had a ceremony to take on this name he claims.  He does not work with his people.  He does not have the support of any of our elders.  The "hereditary" position could belong to his family, but birthright and living by our custom are both needed.

He claims to be chief of all the Squamish Nation, but no where in history of my people has such a title or position existed.  There has never been a singular chief of all the Squamish Nation.  16 chiefs, for each of the villages, and before that, multiple chiefs for each of the longhouses in the villages.

Although I don't support the band councils way of governance, Chief Kiapilano's claims are false.  He cannot "evict" who ever he wants.  He cannot go around demanding authority for some birthright he may or may not have title too.  He is simply another Skwxwu7mesh fed up with the current status quo of politics with my people.

Former church minister solicits Survivors' stories, misuses names. Some Residential School Survivors have shared stories of abuses they suffered in the church-run schools. When a personal disclosure is given in confidence, it should be kept private.

Kevin Annett is a former minister with the United Church. Annett, who has recently claimed that he is Metis, runs a website called "Hidden from History," and has made a film called "Unrepentant." He had a radio show on Vancouver's Co-operative Radio station. (Vancouver BC) Also he has started an organization he calls the "Truth Commission into Genocide in Canada."

The subject of all of these media programs is the genocide against native people, but specifically the Indian Residential School system. Much of the accusations he makes against the church and Canada in regards to their role in covering up the horrors of residential schools can be verified by Survivors. However, Annett has used peoples' private disclosures without their consent, he has misrepresented people on radio and in print, and has betrayed the trust of many Survivors by using their stories in various ways without their permission.

James Craven, a professor of economics at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, talks about the abuses of trust and truth being carried out by Mr Annett, who has recently taken to calling himself "Eagle Strong
Voice." According to Craven, a long time friend of the late Elder Harriet Nahanee from Squamish, Annett published her testimonies that she had told him, but without her knowledge or permission. Before her
passing, Nahanee circulated a letter to this effect. The late Kitty Sparrow also wrote a similar letter about her experience with Annett. It is unclear why someone would do these things to people who have surely
had enough suffering for one lifetime.

There may be a clue in that the subject of the movie "Unrepentant" quickly turns from that of Survivors' stories to the story of Kevin Annett. Yet that story remains something of a mystery owing to contradictory claims and reports. Annett claims that he was dismissed from United Church ministerial duties when he started asking his
superiors what was being done about residential school crimes. Another dissident minister from the same church contradicts that, saying Annett never mentioned residential schools until well after he had been
dismissed.

Survivors desperately want to be heard. They want to tell their story to someone. A person who claimed to be seeking justice from the church and Canada, and had himself been a self-appointed representative of god in
the United Church, would be in an ideal position to gain the trust of a wounded soul. James Craven's mother, a Blackfoot woman, was victimized at a residential school in Idaho, and actually committed suicide
because, as she put it, the demons had come home to roost. "The thing that really gets me going is that the cause is sacred. The things he says about murder and genocide are true. That's why you don't want him
involved with this cause - because the cause gets impeached with him," explains James. "In my protected opinion, he exhibits the characteristics of malignant narcissism and psychopathology."

Helen Michel is a Carrier Sekani woman who suffered terribly in residential school. She met Annett some years ago, and disclosed to him some stories of residential school impacts in her home reservation community. "Kevin said a lot of things on the Co-Op radio, apparently he said we said those things, but he twisted around our stories. No one's ever given him permission to repeat their stories, he just uses what he can get. When we confronted him about it, he started saying I and my husband were RCMP informants." Annett claims on his website that he believes Helen and her husband Frank are undercover agents from a division known as "RCMP-E," and that their codenames are "Redman 1 and Redman 2." Annett has also stated on his website that Michel assaulted him in public by running into him with a scooter. No charges have come before a court on this alleged incident.

Mrs Michel spoke about these experiences to this newspaper because she wants other Survivors to be warned of what has happened in the past. "We've been working on human rights and land rights issues for 20 years.
He made our credibility go downhill after we started hanging out with Kevin, and we soon found out we weren't the only ones."