Shawn Atleo and the Comeback Trail

Shawn Atleo said he’s in a rebuilding phase just like the Canucks! After more than a decade in elected politics serving over 600 First Nations from all across Canada as the BC Regional Chief (03-09) and then National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (09-14), Atleo shared some of his learning and insights at a recent Lunch & Learn session at the Shaqthut Gathering Place at VIU (March 8th, 2016).

Atleo is a heriditary Chief from Ahousaht First Nations off the west coast of Vancouver Island. As a resident of a rural remote west coast community, Shawn asked himself ‘how is it that a Norwegian owned, Chilean run fish farm filled with Atlantic salmon opened up beside their village?’ So he started to get involved in activism which then led to politics and trying to make a difference.

Shawn’s father Richard Atleo, also a Hereditary Chief of the Ahousaht First Nation, is recognized as the first Aboriginal person in British Columbia to earn a doctoral degree at the age of 50. Shawn himself pursued an International Masters of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change that was partnered through 4 post secondary institutions from Sweden, South Africa, Australia and UBC. That’s where he learned about the term ‘hegemony’ whereby norms, philosophy and ways of thinking are blanketed over institutions so that they almost act like nation states. “The mainstream of society has many institutions working for them”. Shawn now holds at least 8 honorary doctorate degrees from various Canadian universities including Universities of Ryerson, Queens, New Brunswick, Guelph, Cape Breton and Nippising to name a few.

In January 2004, new to his role as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn was asked by Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin to attend a Special Summit of the Americas in Monterray Mexico with Presidents and Prime Ministers including George Bush and Hugo Chavez (President of Venuzuela). Even though one of the topics was Indigenous People’s, Shawn said he was the only Indigenous person there!

In 2007 Atleo marched in his Nuu-chah-nulth regalia along with 24,000 people in India, including poor farmers, landless workers and Indigenous peoples, to highlight land rights (or lack thereof) and the plight of those marginalised by India’s economic boom. It was a month long 600-kilometre (370-mile) journey from the central city of Gwalior to Dehli where 10 people died.

Shawn believes that Indigenous Peoples’ are on a come-back trail and some of the examples he gave include that First Nations in Canada have won 170 court cases across Canada to date, mainly against big business and resource extraction in traditional territories. The Chilcotin have 1700 square kilometres of their land recognized as title land; BC’s First Nations signed a ‘Health Accord’ in 2005 to transfer responsibility from Health Canada to local communities, in 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a National apology to former residential school survivors and there are 94 recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation report.

“Even though these are big steps in the right direction there is still so much work to do”, said Atleo. For example, even though the Nuu-chal-nulth have won their fishing rights in 2009 in the BC Supreme Court, they are still having to prove their rights in a ‘justification to negotiate their rights to sell fish. And the six Chilcotin Chiefs who were tried and hanged as murderers in 1864 after coming to what they thought would be peace talks, have yet to be exonerated.

From 2008 to 2014, Atleo was named Chancellor of VIU, becoming the first university chancellor of Aboriginal heritage in the province’s history. He is currently the ‘Shqwi qwal’ or speaker for Indigenous Dialogue housed in the Centre for Pre-Confederation Treaties and Reconciliation at VIU and supported by the provincial government. According to Shawn, VIU is the first institution in Canada to recognize elders as Faculty.

Atleo said that Universities must become more than institutions that develop human capital for a market economy. “What’s needed is institutional transformation to help develop civil society, supported by leadership but driven by the grassroots. Because only when we’re safe can we explore and have the vulnerability to make mistakes and learn from them so that innovation can arise” he said. He concluded his talk with a question “what can we do to support safety so we can explore, make mistakes, learn and innovate?”

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

Ken Hammer, former Vancouver Island University Faculty of Management member is wondering “where have all the leaders gone?” Ken gave a presentation and led a discussion about this question at a recent presentation sponsored by the Research and Scholarly Activity office at VIU.

In 2015 Ken attended an International Leadership Association Conference in Barcelona where one of the speakers challenged the audience to solve three of the world’s main challenges when it comes to leadership: greed, anger and hatred and ignorance. For the rest of the Conference Ken looked for the answers to these challenges and has been pondering this question ever since.
Ken has been teaching about leadership since 1982 and is a founder of Leadership Vancouver Island.

He wonders why these problems are still so prevalent when there are so many leadership programs the world over. Ken strongly feels that we have to start with youth leadership development and that opportunities like scouting and guides, boys and girls clubs that teach and promote leadership skills need to be more universally accessible.

Ken said that youth leadership needs to be value based, have lots of opportunity for ‘learning by doing’, should empower individuals gifts and talents, should be focused on collaboration and should value civility, citizenship, kindness and giving. Ken is currently working with the Brechin Elementary School youth leaders on a partnership program with a school in Africa, via skype, so that the kids can learn about what a week of life looks like for kids from another country. “The kids from Africa are amazed that the kids here get to skateboard and play video games after school instead of household chores and vice versa”, said Ken.

And then youth leadership needs to continue into adulthood. It needs to be practiced, reflected upon, and relationships need to be built on collaboration and caring. “And while leadership is important it’s only half the story”, said Ken, “followership is also critical”.

Ken concluded his presentation with a reminder that any solutions need to start with ourselves. His top five tips for becoming better leaders includes:

1. getting over ourselves;
2. understanding the reality of others and responding in ways that appreciate and nurture them;
3. being courageous and challenging our fears;
4. to become better followers and finally
5. to come from a place a love or what Ken refers to as getting our daily requirements of Vitamin L. 

Ken Hammer has recently redirected from his role as a faculty member in the Faculty of Management at VIU so he can explore these and other important life questions. He continues to do work in the local and international communities through Startup Nanaimo, Ken Hammer & Associates, Nanaimo Daybreak Rotary and the Brong Ahafo Research and Extension Centre in Ghana.