Laws of Matriarch

Loss In fleeting moments, joy breaks through,   Yet shadows linger, sadness too.   I feel the weight of your absence near,   A silent echo that I hold dear.   I shed my tears, sometimes for me,   For those I've lost, who used to be.   My son, my sister, my brother, my kin,   My grandma, my husband—where to begin?   I reached for them when times were tough,   Sought their laughter, their warmth, their love.   But now the silence stretches wide,   A space where memories and heartache abide.   I know they dance in skies so bright,   In realms of joy, in purest light.   Yet part of my spirit left with each one,   A bond that lingers, though their time is done.   It’s not just sorrow that I bear,   But a physical ache, a weight of despair.   Still, I hold close the moments we shared,   The laughter, the love, the times when we cared.   The spirits are with us, they never stray,   Whisperi...

In our Gitxsan culture, we understand the concept of shaming, and we hold a shame feast, or potlatch, when a member of our house "soils their blanket" by committing a serious crime against someone from another Native Nation or tribe. It is a significant event because only Chiefs use blankets, and wearing one is a great honor. The entire house works together to support their Chief and keep the strength of the house and tribe intact. Everyone belonging to the house is held 100% accountable, and we are seen as one united family. In cases of unforgivable crimes, such as child rape or murder, the house may allow the offender to be taken "hunting," which signifies a death sentence. The death of that house member is mourned deeply, just like any other loss. A feast or potlatch would follow, which would include payments to the victim, the house chief, and the members of the community. While this practice isn't followed in Canada today, we recognize that Gladue Rights ca...

The potlatch continues, and today we refer to it as the Feast since it had to go underground for a time. In our tradition, it’s not just the Chiefs who play a role; the Houses themselves are responsible for paying witnesses and workers with new items and food. The House supports the Chief, showcasing the strength of both the House and the Tribe. I may have shared this before, but when I was a child, we Gitxsan would hold a feast. A feast is something that fits within the framework of acceptable Christian events. The Indian Agents, who later became the RCMP and the band management, would allow us to gather, but only for Christian events. The Chiefs were aware that if we held a potlatch, someone could end up in jail, as had happened before. So, the Chiefs found a clever way to communicate and continue our traditions. From 1885 until 1951, the federal government banned the potlatch as part of an effort to destroy Indigenous culture and religion. This ban was part of the Indian Act, which ...