Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 05/99) - In March of 1987, Bill Erasmus decided he wanted to be leader of what is now 30 Dene/Metis communities with a combined population of 20,000.

He was elected Dene National Chief three months after making his decision and has held the position ever since.

There are few people in Yellowknife who don't know someone from the Erasmus family. Bill (left) was born and raised here with five brothers and six sisters. He describes his parents, Fred and Florence, as a driving force that taught him and his siblings to be vocal and to speak their minds.

Two of his brothers also became involved in politics. Roy became a lawyer and is now MLA for Yellowknife North. George, the oldest brother, is currently in charge of the $350-million Residential Victim's Fund and has helped shape Northern political life. Bill holds a degree in political science from the University of Alberta.

News/North: What was it like growing up with a person like George Erasmus?

Bill Erasmus: George was always involved in the political scene and he quickly became one of the prominent leaders in the North. I was in my teens when he was directly involved in making change in the North. That made myself, and I think most of my brothers and sisters, want to also participate and influence change.

N/N: How about before he was a politician?

Erasmus: George was interesting because he was the oldest, so he kind of made up the rules. He was always in charge of making things work. We were always a part of it but he always had a way of making sure things worked the way he wanted them to.

N/N: What was Roy like?

Erasmus: He was involved in a number of initiatives before deciding to go to law school. What happens with our people is, if you have a half-decent education, a basic knowledge of the people and how they operate, you're in demand. That's basically what happened to Roy and myself.

N/N: When you were a child, did you ever think you'd become a role model and leader of your people?

Erasmus: I always knew I'd do well in whatever I did because I think our parents and our extended family gave us the confidence to believe in ourselves. We were taught to always be responsible and to care for ourselves and others. I had to make a decision whether I was going to work for myself or for someone else, and I chose to work for other people.

N/N: Yes, but did you say as a kid growing up, I want to be National Dene Chief someday?

Erasmus: It evolved. I never did want to be National Chief. I never dreamed I'd be it and I never worked towards it. But thinking back, I did work towards it in terms of gaining the skills to be able to do the job. I believe when I was elected into the position I was prepared because I acquired the skills, the learning and the expertise that is necessary to do it. It wasn't whether I could do it or not, it came down to whether I wanted to.

N/N: What personal challenges did you have to overcome to gain the strength needed to be a leader?

Erasmus: The main thing to being an effective leader is to be able to know your people. You have to study people, know how they think, what they eat and where they're at, all the time. The minute you underestimate your membership, for example, they can get rid of you very easily -- to put it bluntly.

N/N: Can you elaborate on that?

Erasmus: If you underestimate people and think, 'Well they don't really know -- I have to decide for them,' then you've crossed a very fine boundary. But if you believe in your people and you realize that they have to have information in order to make good decisions, and you work with them and you trust them -- then they believe in you. It's learning how to synchronize your membership and to never put yourself above other people.

N/N: There was a Dene leadership restructuring about three years ago, how has that affected you as a leader?

Erasmus: I've had to learn how to be flexible. At one time, we had a staff of 90 and now we're down to less than 15. Our budget, at one point, was close to $10 million annually and now it's less than $2 million. What happens is the money drops but the expectations and demands rise every day. So it's organizing and prioritizing to be most effective.

N/N: Why the drastic drop in resources?

Erasmus: Mainly because government pulled funding from us and we were unable to develop our own independent resources.

N/N: If you were to paint a picture of the Northern Dene people 20 years from now, what would it look like?

Erasmus: Well, it would be of a people who had a secure land base with a structure of government they developed themselves. It would be something they're happy with. They would also have the resources necessary to function. That would include working with all other peoples and sharing. That's basically our philosophy.

N/N: What's the message you'd like the Aboriginal youth out there to hear?

Erasmus: The main thing we'd like them to hear is they need to feel good about themselves and they need to do the things they dream of doing. If they want to be a pilot, then they shouldn't let anyone discourage them, they should find a way to be not only a pilot, but a great pilot. For example, I don't say just to stay in school. I say stay in school and get good marks -- anyone can stay in school, but not everyone can get good marks.

N/N: What sort of basic ideas have to change for youth to believe in themselves? What will it take to ensure that happens?

Erasmus: The parents have to help the child from day one, the parents have to make the child believe in him or herself. You have to take the time to teach them the language, the culture and the different activities necessary to be a complete person.

N/N: Let's jump ahead. I understand the recent Friends of Democracy court ruling upset you. Why?

Erasmus: Okay, the reason why, as leader of the Dene, I'm concerned with the judgment concerning the Friends of Democracy, is because the judge gave less significance to the collective and said individual right is paramount. That's what I have a problem with.

N/N: Is it the fact that they want more seats in the legislature?

Erasmus: I fail to understand why these people want more seats. Is it because they want control outside of Yellowknife? Is it because they're afraid First Nations people are going to take away their private property, or stability -- their security in Yellowknife?

N/N: I don't know, can you answer that?

Erasmus: The whole principle we've always used in constitutional talks is that one community or region is not going to dominate the other. We in Yellowknife should not be telling the people in Fort Simpson what to do. The people amongst the Gwich'in should not be telling the Akaitcho Territory what to do. We have respective differences and we want those people to decide for themselves. That's a basic principle we've always used.

N/N: So what's your take on the proceedings so far?

Erasmus: I don't think it's a question for a judge to determine and I don't think the judge wants to determine it. I sat in the courthouse today and I could see the judge was very reluctant to make any kind of decision that would determine what the North would look like.

N/N: Your term is up in 18 months, are you going to run for the National Chief position again?

Erasmus: I don't know. I'd have to talk to my family about that. I've done this for a long time and there's a lot of people that could do the job. I could do a lot of things but I need to feel confident that the organization is in good standing and will continue to function in a positive way.

N/N: What type of legacy do you think you'll be leaving after more than a decade as National Chief? Are you proud of how the Nation has developed?

Erasmus: Well, I really don't know how people see me and I don't ask. Mind you, I'm afraid sometimes to open a newspaper and find out.

N/N: Are you proud of what you've accomplished?

Erasmus: What I do is try and be honest, to maintain consistency and hang on to the principles I was brought up with. That's always been able to carry me through the days. It's been an interesting journey and I'm sure it's going to continue that way.

N/N: Any last thoughts?

Erasmus: I guess I'd just like to remind people to recognize that we are indeed governments in our own standing. Our people have always been governments, we've always had laws, we've been a society that has functioned in a very complex way. If we didn't, we would never have survived. We have our own economy and our own world view. Other peoples are slowly starting to understand and appreciate that. We're finding the things we were saying 10 to 15 years ago are now being implemented so it's enlightening to see that shift occurring.