Chief Marilyn Slett
K̓áwáziɫ, Marilyn Slett is the elected Chief Councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council. She is currently serving her fourth consecutive term as Chief Councillor, beginning in 2008.
Chief Wígviłba Wákas | Harvey Humchitt, Haiłzaqv
Chief Wígviłba Wákas | Harvey Humchitt is a Haíłzaqv chief from Bella Bella, British Columbia. Growing up and throughout his lifetime, he and his family have sustainably harvested and prepared traditional foods such as salmon, herring eggs, seaweed, clams, cod, and abalone in his ancestral territory. His father’s chieftainship was transferred to him through ceremony at a memorial potlatch in 1989. In 2007, Harvey was a community curator for the exhibit Listening to Our Ancestors: The Art of Native Life along the North Pacific Coast at the National Museum of the American Indian. In 2011 he spearheaded a repatriation project resulting in the return of 63 ancestors for reburial. Harvey has actively protected wild salmon, herring stocks and stood up against clear cut logging.
As a community leader, Harvey has been committed to protecting Heiltsuk territory and upholding Gvi’ilas, the laws of the Haíłzaqv ancestors, throughout his life.
Together with his wife Brenda, they raised their four children in Bella Bella and are proud grandparents of three grandchildren and one great grandson in whom the teachings of Heiltsuk ancestral values and ways are carried on.
You are invited!
Join RAVEN in welcoming Heiltsuk leadership and lead lawyers from their legal challenge as we reflect on the restoration and restorying following the 2016 Nathan E. Stewart oil spill in Heiltsuk waters. Over the last seven years, Heiltsuk Nation has faced the challenge of surviving the loss of a vital part of themselves; Gale Pass and Gale Creek, the areas most affected by the oil spill, are more than just a body of water to the Heiltsuk people. The waters are a relative, a way of life. They are protected under Ǧvi̓ḷás, sacred Heiltsuk law. They are survival.
In this one-hour webinar, we will delve into the stories of Heiltsuk Nation’s ongoing challenges since the spill — while staying grounded in the hope that propels the Nation forward. Join us on October 19 to explore the threads of Heiltsuk resilience and witness a discussion on the reclamation of Ǧvi̓ḷás and Heiltsuk ways of being.
This webinar is a fundraiser for Heiltsuk Nation’s legal challenge. Register now to act in solidarity with Heiltsuk Nation.
