The legacy of matriarchs in the Yukon First Nations | Kluane Adamek

(Southern Tutchone and Tlingit)

Hello, my name is Kluane Adamek,

and I am from the Dakl'aweidi Killer Whale clan.

My Tlingit name is Aagé,

and it's so important to acknowledge (Traditional language), our grandparents.

I'm joining you from the traditional territory

of the Kwanlin Dün and Ta'an First Nations in the Yukon territory.

(Traditional language) Thank you. (English) Thank you.

I shared a little bit about myself

in my traditional languages of Southern Tutchone and Tlingit.

I continue to learn who we are as Yukon First Nations people.

We are a people that deeply value, honor and respect the roles of women.

We always have.

We're a matrilineal culture.

And so, traditionally, our matriarchs

would often guide and direct the speakers of the people,

otherwise known as the chiefs.

This important role of forging trade relationships,

forging marriage alliances

and ensuring that all of the business

that needed to take place in the community was happening

was all guided and directed by our matriarchs.

I definitely continue to see the ways in which we lead here in the Yukon

not quite being aligned nationally.

What do I mean by that?

Well, to be clear,

misogyny and patriarchy

are definitely not reflective of who we are as Yukon First Nations

or of the traditional structures

and the ways in which we respect women in decision-making.

And so I saw these gaps

and felt we need to have more women at the table.

We need to have different generations at the table.

And so, this is where I had to get a bit vulnerable.

I had to really look to myself to say,

"If not me, then who?"

And so I submitted my name to become the Yukon Regional Chief,

knowing that I come from a strong people

that continues to value and uphold women,

and knowing that the voice that I would bring

would be a voice that will be supported by my region.

But furthermore,

knowing that in every and any place where decisions are being made for women,

or those who identify,

how important it is that women are in every place and space

to be part of those decisions.

And so I gave myself permission

to put my name forward and to know that yes, I can serve;

that yes, this was the best way for me to take action

and to know that my voice needed to be heard

in the same way that other male voices were heard from across this country.

There aren't any prerequisites to being a leader.

It's not about having a title or being in a specific role.

Leadership is about showing up who you are, as you are,

being authentic,

leading from a place of values and principles,

and leading from that place, and staying true to yourself.

And so some might say, "Well, you're in an elected position.

What do you mean?"

Yes, I hear you.

There's some irony in that.

But let me explain.

Contribution is the most important thing.

For me, joining an executive of predominantly men,

creating a space in my office

where other indigenous women could learn and lead,

it was all about creating that space,

and by celebrating and acknowledging and contributing.

There's a story that dates back to over 10,000 years ago.

And the way that the story was shared with me is this:

The Killer Whale people, the Dakl'aweidi, came to this insurmountable, huge glacier.

They were traveling to make it back to their traditional homelands.

And so they came to this glacier

and they didn't know where they were going to go.

Were they going to try to climb and go above?

Were they going to try to follow it and see how far long it went?

It was the matriarchs that said, "We'll go.

We see a small opening there,

and so we're going to go, and we're going to try to go through it."

They didn't know if they would survive.

They didn't know if they'd make it through.

But they were fearless.

And that is who we are.

We are fearless because we understand the power of reciprocity.

We understand that it's important

to leave things in a better state and place than when we found them.

We understand that the importance

of connecting to the land and expressing gratitude

is truly what grounds us

and gives us the power and the abilities we have to lead.

Think of when you're walking by the water, for example.

Take a moment of gratitude

to thank the water for all that it gives you,

to thank the land for giving you everything you need.

It's always about making sure that you're leaving things

in a better place and space than when you found them.

It's about contribution.

All of us as women have been through so much.

And so this is about us finding ways to be supportive of each other.

It's about always making sure

that we're making that contribution and investment in the future generations.

That is about reciprocity.

There's so much that we can share with the world

and that the world can learn from us as women.

These are the challenges that we have for this future generation,

and these are the challenges that we need to accept together.

We need to give ourselves the permission to step into our own power.

We need to give ourselves the permission to connect

and to express gratitude to the land.

And we need to give ourselves the permission to take care of ourselves,

because if we're not being taken care of,

then how are we going to contribute to everybody else?

Gunalchéesh. Thank you.