Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Providence (Jun 29/01) - Sam Gargan says he will relinquish his mayoral duties to serve as chief of the Deh Gah Got'ie Kue.
Gargan said he was encouraged by many community members to seek the chief's seat. After being elected last week, he decided to terminate his role as mayor, which he had only fulfilled for six months.
"You can't serve two masters. It's pretty difficult," he said. "I'm a Dene person. Dene politics is closer to my heart than non-Dene politics."
He said he sees a greater opportunity to unite the community as chief.
"We want to put personal differences aside. We're there for the people ... we shouldn't be looking at our own personal agendas," he said.
Among the priorities he outlined as Deh Gah Got'ie leader will be to better inform Fort Providence residents about the Deh Cho Process, addressing land and taxation issues and possibly constructing a cultural programs centre and band office.
Dene principles
Gargan's victory was a narrow one -- he received five votes more than Berna Landry -- and Fort Providence elders were subsequently asked to review the results. He said Dene values and customs play an important role within band affairs, but the elders weren't about to overturn the results of the election.
"The people had spoken and they (the elders) have to respect the people's position," Gargan said, adding that the elders were simply ensuring that there was no corruption or mismanagement in the outcome.
In the several weeks prior to the election, an initiative was undertaken in Fort Providence to instill more Dene values and customs in local governance. Gargan said he's in favour of establishing criteria for community Dene governments that would apply across the entire Deh Cho region. For instance, clearly defining the role of elders in the Deh Cho Process and politics in general would be a useful exercise, he said.
Gargan, who speaks Slavey, also said he believes the Dene language is an important part of Dene governance.
"Under the aboriginal vocabulary, there's always a lean towards unity, as opposed to when you start speaking English you (denote) possessiveness," he said.
Possessiveness has become evident not only words, but in actions, he suggested.
"At one time it was one land, one people ... you are equal with the land and all living things on it, but now I think we tend to view the land as a treasure chest. It's changed. I'm afraid it's not for the better."
