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It is there that the Gwa’sala and ‘Nakwaxda’xw Nations conducted our governance and community business.
In 1964 when we were forcefully relocated out of our territories, the federal government promised a new Gukwdzi here in Tsulquate ….57 years later, we still do not have one. Building a Gukwdzi has started to take shape and become a reality at long last.
Here you can learn the initial steps of the Bighouse project, how it has evolved, and our hopes for the future.
As part of the Winalagalis Treaty group, the Treaty Office supported research on how traditional governance informs or shapes modern governance. The role of the pesa or potlatch within the Gukwdzi was a key piece of the research report.
The GNN Treaty Office spearheaded work to incorporate a GNN Bighouse Society
Bighouse Society Board of Directors:
Working with the Lands and Resources Office (LRO), the Band Manager and the k’awat’si Economic Development Corporation (KEDC), the Treaty Office negotiated with the BC Government to use timber from the Homelands for the Gukwdzi.
Getting Financial Support
The GNN Treaty Office convinced the federal government to provide funds to build a carving shed where Master Carvers will create the posts, beams, and other parts of the Gukwdzi.
Guiding the Work
With support from the Treaty Office, the Bighouse Society created subcommittees to engage with families on the carving of the Crossbeams and posts.
Building on Governance
GNN Treaty Office applied to the New Relationships Trust to engage with the community in revisiting the initial draft Constitution. This evolved into meetings with Chief, Council, Hereditary Chiefs and Matriarchs, and focused on teachings of the Bighouse.
Four Master Carvers were contracted to complete the Crossbeams and posts for the Gukwdzi and, in the process, mentor four GNN members as apprentices in carving.
GNN Treaty Office, along with directors of the Bighouse Society, hired a researcher to prepare a job description for the position and facilitated the hiring of a Project Coordinator.
Management Team
Terry Dunn, Capital Project Specialist for GNN, assisted the Gukwdzi Project Coordinator in the initial planning process of Gukwdzi construction. This includes continued work on funding proposal applications to Indigenous Services Canada and related service bodies. Other consultants are called in from time to time for assistance with applications (Tony Wong, Quintry Management Consulting, and Sharlene Frank, Policy).
Today, Terry Dunn is working with a KEDC Project Manager on further proposals for funding required to complete the engineering, architecture and construction of the Gukwdzi.
Hereditary Chiefs Guide Protocols
From the start, the Directors of the Bighouse Society recognized the need for the involvement of family, Hereditary Chiefs, and community. The “Parliament Building” must reflect the Gwa’sala – ‘Nakwaxda’xw people properly and traditionally.
Meetings were held, for example, with Hereditary Chiefs to discuss carvings of house posts and Crossbeams, the ground-breaking ceremonies for the Ga’a’las (Carving Shed), and the location of the Bighouse.
As the construction is getting underway, it is important to implement the Executive Committee of the Bighouse Society and appoint six Hereditary Chiefs to act as advisors to the Bighouse Society Board as they carry out their role.
Continued communication with community members, Council and administration, is also key to a successful project. Proposed next steps in this area are to add a Bighouse tab onto the newly revised website and to provide more frequent updates on social media.