• We never negotiated our rights to our land.
• Families got together to make decisions.
• Women organized from the family base to preserve life/food etc.
• Hunting/fishing and respect of things were all regulated.
• Ruled through family heads, family units, co-operated on community work. The family xatus delegated work and duties by agreements.
• Elders of families took these roles and responsibilities to choose the best interest of all, as the basis to delegate work. It was a system meant to help one another to share, not for power.
• Hereditary Chieftainship is a truth as represented in our language, from our spirituality, and continuously, as we are with the land.
• A chosen spokesperson for each separate occasion. The elders or people with knowledge in mind of laws by which were governed was the basis of choice.
• Elders did the counseling and guidance of the people.
• There was always someone delegated to make sure the laws were kept.
• Elders in the family did discipline of children, not parents.
• Leadership is chosen through testing of spiritual and speaking clearly of our inherent right to the land and to the people. Based on how you approach things, how we pray and how we keep peace and not for ourselves or for glory, but for our entire people. In times of plenty, the chief is wealthy; in times of scarcity the chief was the poorest.
• There were (xatus) heads for hunting, fishing, weather control, fire making and medicine men and women and food gathering.
• Traditionally when big decisions were made, a spiritual ceremony was always held, like ten day sweats, and family head pipes were used before the subject was even talked about.
• One person from these heads is chosen as spokesperson for the family (xatus)
• These spokesperson for the family got together collectively to decide on things outside the family.
• One person from these heads is chosen as spokesperson for the village to be head chief (yilmixem).
• These spokespeople (xutus) are chosen and honored because they understood peace making and had knowledge.
• On bad issues, (not openly spoken of) to overcome those things, spiritual strength is part of the quality for village spokespeople and also for family heads status.
• When your heart and mind are one and then you speak of our truths as syilx then you speak in our language to know this to be the truth. When you make the right choices and can straighten the path to help others and each individual, then you qualify for the position.
• Gatekeepers were (suxtaxtem) were important as spiritual protectors and guides to all spokesperson, family heads, chiefs, elders and for the children.
• Only speaking of our traditional truths we know in our language, our sacred truths to be reminded of, which is clear and everyone can hear this in the language.
• In times of plenty, the chief is wealthy; in times of scarcity the chief was the poorest.
• Chiefs listened to the family heads to settle family and/or village disputes.
• There was suxkethachanm the one chosen and sent ahead to see any spiritual or physical danger, they were trained in both.
• There was suxkethkewhen or home guards for protecting warriors.
• There were suxtiewkwt (warriors), they are trained different and fit in both categories.
• When a person brought shame into the family, the person was dealt with not by receiving help from the family or village, ie; food, shelter, etc. they had to put up a ceremony, give-away to redeem themselves for forgiveness.
• Or they were delegated to work for the people they wronged, until they repaid their wrong doings (sinkulls).
- • Serious offenses gave the family the right to decide either to take life or to banish the individual from the village (throw them away).
• Physical fitness was a responsibility of the power keepers (tlakwilx) and was tested to keep the strength of healing alive.
• Hereditary chief's (Kal) children were tutored from childhood in thinking, history and process.
• Grandfathers passed on history in family clan, ensuring essential teaching hours after midnight into before dawn.
• The grandmothers, the oldest woman in the family clans was the main boss of the family and had the final say. She ultimately was the law in living form.
