Viola Wyse

Viola Wyse (née Drake; August 29, 1947 – August 17, 2009) was a Canadian Coast Salish tribal leader and civil servant. Wyse was the first woman to be elected chief of Snuneymuxw First Nation, Nanaimo, BC, a post she assumed in 2006 and held until her death.[1][2] During her tenure as chief, Wyse secured protocol agreements with governments bodies such as the City of Nanaimo, Island Trust and Nanaimo Port Authority for infrastructural protections and development, cultural protections, service to the tribe, and economic growth.[3][4][5][6][7]

Viola Wyse
Viola Wyse in 2007
BornViola Drake
(1947-08-29)August 29, 1947
Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada
DiedAugust 17, 2009(2009-08-17) (aged 61)
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
OccupationTribal chief
Accountant

Early life and education

Wyse was trained as an accountant at Nanaimo Vocational School.

Career

After graduation from school, Wyse spent two decades working with the Department of Indian Affairs. From 1995-2001 she worked as a Snuneymuxw band administrator.[8] In 2002 she was elected councillor of Snuneymuxw First Nation, Nanaimo, BC. In 2006, her fellow councillors and family encouraged her to run for chief against incumbent chief John Wesley. She became the first woman to be chief after earning 169 votes of 436; Wesley earned 134. During her three years of chiefdom, the Snuneymuxw built 39 hew homes — before this, Snunymuxw had gone 16 years without any new construction. Wyse administered deals to bring more water and sewer infrastructure on the three Snuneymuxw reserves in Cedar. Wyse further secured protections for a cemetery (burial site) of more than 80 people. The burial grounds were uncovered during excavations for a condominium complex in 2007 at Departure Bay. B.C. Governmental Premier Gorden Campbell followed Wyse's petition to protect the site, which led to its purchase soon after for an undisclosed amount.[9]

Leadership

Indigenous self-governance had increased visibility through Wyse's inclusive collaboration with Canadian governmental bodies. According to Snuneymuxw councillor Bill Yoachim, Wyse demonstrated leadership that built bridges between the tribe and local governments, giving the Snuneymuxw a voice about activity taking place on tribal land.[10] For instance she went out to give public talks about substance abuse in schools, highlighting Snuneymux Healing and Justice community programs as an example of tribal governance in the aftermath of Canadian Indian residential schools, earning mention in a book collection about educational programming.[11] She was also interviewed by Robina Anne Thomas (Qwul’sih’yah’maht), a doctoral candidate who completed a book length manuscript about indigenous women in leadership. Thomas wrote that Chief Viola Wyse was a "household name," well known and respected for her inclusive leadership style: "When discussing relationship building, [Wyse] said, " 'They’re not going away and neither are we.'"[8]

References
  1. "Viola Wyse: Obituary". Times Colonist. 19 August 2009.
  2. "Viola Wyse: Obituary". The Vancouver Sun. 20 August 2009.
  3. Thompson, Kate; Wyse, Chief Viola; Korpan, Mayor Gary (20 September 2007). "B.C., Nanaimo Sign Agreement With Snuneymuxw Nation" (Press release). NationTalk.
  4. Community mourns visionary chief -- Viola Wyse. Windspeaker [serial online]. September 2009:23. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 4, 2017.
  5. Walker, Dustin (7 April 2011). "Departure Bay: Ancient burial site remains a neglected waterfront lot". Nanaimo Daily News.
  6. British Columbia; Ministry of Forests and Range; Wyse, Viola; Bell, Pat; Snuneymuxw First Nation (2009-01-01). Interim measures agreement (the "Agreement"): between Snuneymuxw First Nation as represented by Chief and Council ("Snuneymuxw First Nations") and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of British Columbia as represented by the Minister of Forests and Range (the "Government of British Columbia") (collectively the "Parties') (PDF). Victoria, B.C.: Ministry of Forests and Range.
  7. Notable deaths in 2009. (2009, Dec 29). CanWest News Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/459095857
  8. Thomas, Qwul'sih'yah'maht Robina Anne. (2011). Protecting the Sacred Cycle: Xwulmuxw Slhunlheni and Leadership, (PhD dissertation). University of Victoria. Available UVicSpace.
  9. Walker, Dustin. "Group of Vancouver Island geocachers discover possible aboriginal burial site". www.vancouversun.com. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  10. "Viola Wyse; Aug. 29, 1947 -- Aug. 17, 2009." Nanaimo Daily News (British Columbia). August 19, 2009 Wednesday . Date Accessed: 2017/03/04. www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic.
  11. 1987-, Mallenby, Jeremy (2002). Essays in world history : an undergraduate perspective. First Choice Books. pp. 85–86. ISBN 9780978059316. OCLC 190768976.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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