News & Events
Waywayseecappo honors long time Chief
May 27, 2010
Waywayseecappo held a ceremony honoring Chief Murray Clearsky, who served 10 terms as Chief there and one term at Birdtail Sioux. He was also a councillor for two terms at Waywayseecappo.
"Winning as many elections as Chief Clearsky has, that is a tremendous accomplishment," says SCO Grand Chief Morris Swan Shannacappo.
"Most of our Indian bands have an election for Chief and Council every two years. In non-native politics terms are for four or five years. Brian Mulroney only won two elections, but he pushed that into nine years as Prime Minister."
"Most people from outside the world of Indian politics have no idea of how much work there is to being a Chief," Swan Shannacappo says.
"In the morning you will be locking horns with a big shot in the provincial or federal government. That evening you will be back home and somebody will be calling about a broken window or parents need food or diapers for their baby. That doesn't happen with non-Indian politicians. When they go home, they sit back in their big fancy homes and relax for as long as they want."
Norbert Tanner, a family services worker who also served 12 years as a councillor at Waywayseecappo, organized the event, which was held May 26 at the community hall. He said people should return to honoring not just leaders, but one another.
"I think this is a start," Tanner said of the event attended by about 400 people. Several visiting Chiefs were present and the drum group was from Birdtail. "
"We have to go back to our culture in honoring people of all ages. The things, for our children have to start again... We honored our Chief to give him strength, support and the power to continue on as leader into the future."
When he addressed the gathering, Chief Clearsky said that unity is important. "The government is scared of us if we are together," he said. "Let's not stop here."
"I want to say 'thank you community members' - from Chief Clearsky."
He also thanked people for all of the gifts that were presented. The hall, which is attached to the arena, was one of the buildings constructed when Clearsky was Chief.
When he was elected Chief more than 20 years ago, there wasn't a single commercial or service building along Highway 45, which extended through the reserve. Within a decade Waywayseecappo had built a gas bar, a store shaped like a tipi, a hockey arena which housed the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, a hotel with a VLT lounge, conference centre, restaurant and swimming pool, and a variety of social service buildings.