I’ve been working with the Sliammon First Nation up the coast a little ways for over a year now. Sliammon is in the process of reviving traditional governance structures and practices but they are giving them a modern day tweak to work with the existing Indian Act governance structures and the realities of governing a modern community in a resource rich territory.
The process we have been animating is called “Sijitus” which means “advisory” in the Tla’amon language. Traditionally Sijitus was a gathering of family heads who met to provide direction and advice for the community’s leadership. Sliammon has revived Sijitus using Open Space Technology. For the past year we have met about once a month in Open Space with representatives from the families of Sliammon to look at issues facing the community and to craft recommendations and advice to the various governing institutions of the community. Overall the process has worked well to create an inclusive forum for voices to be heard and for overcoming some of the differences that can deeply split small communities.
Today I note that Sliammon has revived its treaty society website and they have posted their tradtional teachings toolbox. This work represents years of interviews with Elders, studies of anthropological sources and work on the land to assemble a Sliammon history, a set of guiding principles and a very deep collection of Kwuth Ta-ow: traditional teachings. These teachings cover everything from leadership to medicines to the ways in which the community traditionally provided for itself, and they are fascinating to read. Sliammon families practice their culture today in a myriad of ways and so the toolbox is meant to capture the underlying values behind these practices. We have used this document for the past year to work with and shape our Open Space meetings to align them with the community’s culture and to bring this reincarnation of Sijitus in line with both the traditional and contemporary realities of Sliammon community governance, and now I really pleased that it’s available to a wider audience.
Have a read through the toolbox and ask yourself these questions: in your community or organization do you have a clear understanding of the origins of your governance and leadership proactices? Are they rooted in a solid historical foundation that informs but does not constrain their expression? Can you imagine doing something like this?
Pretty cool altogether.
