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Ramona Bennett – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Little Shell Chippewa Recognition | References

Compassionate

Throughout all of her as a hardworking activist, Ramona never lost sight of what it means to be a leader to her people. A big component of her leadership qualities is compassion; Ramona has always had the well-being of everyone in mind as she fought for more Tribal rights. In 1978, Ramona was able to secure the National Indian Child Welfare Act. This act was solely intended for assisting Native children who would be possibly mistreated by the WA child service laws, which might separate the child from their family. Adding to her generosity and selflessness toward children, she founded the Rainbow Youth and Family Services in 1989. The goal of this organization was to protect Native children from any hate, abuse, neglect, or anything traumatic. More than that, this organization would connect these children to foster parents or to parents who are learning about the process of adoption and would like to take these traumatized children into their families. Ramona’s compassion is not forgotten by many, even after the many years that may pass after she has performed kind deeds for others. When Claudia Kauffman presented Ramona with the 2018 Bernie Whitebear Award, she recalled how helpful Ramona was toward her family. In order to allow Kauffman’s family to attend yearly powwows, Ramona would pick them all up, feed them sandwiches and snacks, and drive them all to the powwows. The compassion that Ramona Bennett has for her Tribe as well as her friends and supporters is remarkable. To this day, Ramona is active in fighting for Tribal rights while still making sure that everyone around her is well-cared for and protected, making her an amazing example of a compassionate leader.

Inspiring

Almost all of Ramona Bennett’s achievements would have never come to fruition had she not been able to rally supporters into action. She inspires her people, and has been inspiring them since back in the 1960s. Ramona led her people in a misunderstanding between her people and the law enforcement that resulted in what is now known as the BIA Takeover of 1972. There were threats made by the U.S. government to break down the doors and barge into the BIA office to arrest the occupants, but Ramona stood strong against these words and performed in such a way that inspired the people with her to stand strong with her. Later, in 1976, Ramona again led her people to seize the Tacoma Cushman hospital, claiming it as the property of the Puyallup Tribe. Alone, Ramona would have been unable to perform such a feat. But she was not alone; she had accrued a following in her time as the Chairwoman of the Puyallup Tribe, and her followers readily marched with their leader to take back their property. Even in recent times, Ramona has been present in the protests against the Tacoma Natural Gas project that will ruin Puget Sound. There is no doubt that a strong activist like Ramona Bennett bolsters the the protestors and makes them fight harder against the gas project. More than that, she gave a speech back in 2012 demanding clemency for Leonard Peltier, adding more fuel to this fiery battle for Peltier. For her entire career as an activist, Ramona Bennett has managed some incredible feats. However, many of these feats were made possible through her ability to be an inspiring character that her people would readily want to follow through thick and thin.

Ramona Bennett with Native Activists meeting outside the Bureau Of Indian Affairs in Washington DC
Ramona and other native activists outside the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington DC in 1976

Resilient

Despite enduring tumultuous hardships, Ramona has continued to advocate for the human rights of Indigenous peoples across America as well as Natives across the PNW. In the face of discrimination and violence, Ramona has accomplished and paved the way for multiple pieces of legislation to be passed. She has faced police brutality and numerous loses and setbacks but has continued to fight for Native rights for over sixty years. When she started participating in fish-ins she was not discouraged in the face of continuous police harassment and brutality. When police came with clubs and riffles, Ramona was arrested along with numerous other protesters, but she was soon bailed out and despite her fear, went back into the fray. In 2013 at a meeting for solidarity with Chief Theresa Spence, Ramona offered her own words on the perseverance of Indigenous activism: “Keep it up, keep shouting, keep fighting. If all you have is your body put it there. Your ancestors did, they fought for every right you enjoy! Freedom of religion, property, resources, and you know what your great great great grandchildren will do the same thing. That’s the indian, that’s who we are, that’s why we’re here.” At the age of 81, Ramona continues to fight for tribal rights today, as her own Puyallup tribe fights against a fracked gas facility being built on their land, and will most likely never stop. Her enduring spirit and unwavering devotion to her cause has inspired many to take up the fight for Indigenous rights and has allowed the Puyallup tribe to flourish. Her never-ending resilience throughout decades of turmoil has not only inspired others in her community but makes her a fantastic leader and shows what can be accomplished with dedication.

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Katie John (Athabaskan) – Atlantic Salmon Farming

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Atlantic Salmon | References

Katie John in Batzulnetas, with fish wheel in background.

Katie John grew up learning how to live off the land, also known as subsistence living, specifically fishing. Many tribes in the Pacific Northwest also grew up this way. When one grows up in a certain ecosystem with certain animals, any change can throw off the entire system. Atlantic salmon are being farmed in the Pacific Northwest and due to human error, these fish break free sometimes. This leads to many issues such as the disease and parasites that the salmon contract. Katie John would be against Atlantic salmon farming in the Pacific Northwest because it interferes with the natural balance of the eco system. This effects those that survive off of the salmon like she did growing up. Natives that are still fishing for substance will not eat the disease ridden Atlantic salmon in their waters, for obvious reasons. Katie John already fought for the right to fish on her land, she would not be okay with the fish being tainted.

A salmon with sea lice.

A great concern that came upon the impact the Atlantic salmon issue brought upon was the impact it Native Pacific salmon. These Atlantic salmons are invasive species which then lead to the problems of them being competitors whether it be of finding food or even eating the other species. Not only does this negatively affect other species in the same ecosystem, but it also economically affects the people there too. Although other corporation might see this event as a great thing due to the increase of production and selling they could do off it, Katie John knew this would hurt her people. Not being able to use their sources because they have been interfered with lead to the decrease of what they could use to benefit themselves. Along with this, she would be against any idea of not trying to fix this problem, even if that meant taking action herself.

The way of life of Kate John’s people was one of subsistence . You took what the land gave, you did not take more than you could use, and you worked to replenish it when you were done. Katie once said, “Our land , air and water have always been good to us.” The land and animals took care of you, and you took care of them. For many tribes, this lifestyle was common, but it has been interrupted by colonialism–often by commercial and capitalistic ventures. These ventures have been shown to deplete and damage the land, and are often not sustainable. Katie John believed that the western world did not know how to take care of the land, and she knew that it was up to her and her people to fight for it. The case of Atlantic Salmon farming is a clear parallel to her fight in Alaska, and she would strongly support and advocate with tribal rights to those lands and lifeways.

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Ely S. Parker – Maori Land Ownership

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Maori Land Ownership | References

 

The Maori people are indigenous Polynesians currently facing land ownership issues in their home of New Zealand. Between 1250 and 1300 CE, settlers from the Polynesian islands began to make canoe voyages to New Zealand, where they developed into a distinct culture. Europeans arrived In the 17th century. Initially, relations between the Maori and Europeans was amicable, but the Europeans were eager to claim this land for their own. In 1840, after years of negotiations with the indigenous people on the island, the Europeans and Maori leaders signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty established British governance over the island and gave the Maori people the full rights and privileges of British subjects. Most importantly, it guaranteed full ownership of the Maori lands, forests, fisheries and other possessions. The treaty made both parties happy at first, but disputes over the wording of the English and Maori versions of the treaty have lead to problems of land ownership in New Zealand. Since the treaty was established, Maori land has frequently been sold without its peoples discretion. This problem continues today.

Maori Leaders Signing the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi

In 2004, the New Zealand parliament passed the Foreshore and Seabed Act, which granted the ownership of the intertidal zones all around the island to the government. This zone held plentiful natural resources, such as fish, that the government wanted to sell for extra money. The Maori people, however, had been using those lands since they arrived in the 13th century, so under the treaty, they were rightfully the owners of this land and thus it was illegally claimed by the government.

This act has been protested by the Maori since 2004, and in 2009 the act came under official review and revision. Revisions were put into the Marine and Coastal Area (Takuti Moana) act of 2011. This act made the coastal land public again, and also gave the Maori the right to claim ownership of the land under two conditions. The people had to prove they were holding the land in accordance with their customs, i.e. they were engaged in traditional fishing tactics and generally not abusing the land, and they also had to prove that they have occupied the area from 1840 to now without substantial interruption. Obtaining and presenting this proof to the government was and still is difficult, and thus many people have lost the lands their families have lived on for many generations, despite the fact that the treaty of 1840 granted them full rights.

If Ely S. Parker were alive today and serving the New Zealand government instead of the US, he would have greatly opposed the 2004 FAS act and would have upheld the Treaty of Waitangi. He would have endeavored to make sure that no Maori people would have their land illegally claimed and sold away.

Parker valued fairness above everything else, and at all times in his life sought to uphold the law of the United States. He saw ratified treaties as the final word on disputes, regardless of the contents of the treaty. When Native Americans or white politicians attempted to change treaties, Parker followed the Supreme Court decision of Fellows vs Blacksmith, which stated that a treaty, once ratified, had to be followed whether the Native Americans had knowingly assented or not. In the case of the FAS act, Parker would maintain that the treaty had to be followed, whether whites liked it or not.

Parker was also a pragmatist. He valued the continuation of Native peoples and communities, but he was flexible about methods. He would be eager to support the diversification of Maori incomes, so they were not reliant on fish. As he provided Native tribes with farm equipment and training, he would seek to provide the Maori with resources that would allow them to leave the shore behind. Currently, the Maori use the intertidal zones for fishing, gathering seaweed, travel, and burial grounds. They have a long cultural connection to the land. Parker did not spend much time worrying about cultural heritage. In his early career, he supported land allotments and removal of Native Americans in an effort to compromise. Later in life, he regretted his strong stances on both matters, realizing that many Native Americans had stronger connections to their land than he did. Depending on when in time he was asked about the FAS act, his views on it would evolve.

No matter Parker’s views on the nuances of FAS, he would still uphold the Treaty of Waitangi. He followed the law at all times, carefully overseeing his position as Commissioner of Indian Affairs and taking great pains to keep everything in order. He would never have allowed his own government department to cheat indigenous people out of their land.

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Louis Riel (Métis) – Biographical Timeline

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Sixties Scoop Settlement | References

 

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Katie John (Athabaskan) – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Atlantic Salmon | References

Strong-Willed

Katie John with Staff

Strong-Willed is great word to use to describe Katie John. She was raised in an environment that many would not be able to withstand. Substance living is arguably one of the best ways for both personal health and the health of the planet. However, substance living requires strong people because it is not easy.

She learned English as a teenager. Learning a new language past the age of ten is proven to be far more difficult than when a child. She was married young and raised so many children. She then helped create a written alphabet for the language that she was raised with. Part of her being strong-willed is the will to keep her language alive, while so many factors of western culture is trying to erase it.

To credit her will once again, she started a court case to have Alaska state permit substance fishing. She was determined and fought for this for the remainder of her life. A huge part of her culture and the way she was raised is substance living. Once again Western culture tries and eliminate an indigenous culture, Katie John saw it as her duty to keep her language and way of living still going.

Frank

John did not mince words, beat around the bush, or play games. Throughout her life, she spoke plainly and directly about the issues she fought for and against. It did not matter who you were, what your status was, or what you thought of her, Katie John just told you what she thought. This was apparent in her leadership in Mentasta Village, where she once told her own son and other tribal members that they had to leave the village for a certain amount of time, and could not come back until they changed their ways.

Katie John watches as Governor Tony Knowles struggles to hold on to a salmon.

Further, when she went to the Supreme Court to fight for substance rights, she did not change the frank way in which she talked, and in fact, seemed to utilize it as a way to break through the formal barriers of the court. After the court case had been determined in favor of her and the tribe, then Governor Tony Knowles could have appealed on behalf of the state of Alaska, and she simply invited him to their fish camp, which was illegal at the time. They spent the day together, and she spoke in her frank manner about the importance of fish to her people and their way of life. However, this is not to say she spoke with humor, or without intelligence, and when the Governor accidentally let a fish fall back into the river, she asked if he had granted it a “gubernatorial pardon.”

Determined

Katie John receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Being that Katie John was well known for obtaining rights for her people, it is clear to see that this job was not easy. Challenges she faced, especially that of being a Native woman, come to show how determined she was when standing up for what she believed in. Katie John knew well what things to take in consideration that would potentially be both positive or negative, but did not let that stop her from reaching her goals.

Katie received many rejections over the period of years in which she fought for her and her peoples rights, that including the one towards the Alaska Board State of Fisheries. This movement that began in 1985 by Katie herself, continues up to this day, even after her passing. This comes to show that although what she fought for was what she believed to be their rights, she was determined to do this not only for the period of time in which she lived, but for the future of her people. Despite many obstacles Katie faced while trying to obtain their rights, she did it all with love and honor and did not stop fighting up until her last days, making her a very respected Native American woman.

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Katie John (Athabaskan)- Biographical Timeline

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Atlantic Salmon | References

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Chief Leschi – Biographical Timeline

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Schaghticoke Nation Lawsuit | References

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Billy Frank Jr. – Biographical Timeline

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Fishing Rights in Alaska | References