KA'A'GEE TU/KAKISA - Twenty years ago, Lloyd Chicot began his first term as the chief of Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation in Kakisa.

Chicot said at the time he was inspired to vie for the position because of the support of local elders.

"They wanted me to be the spokesperson for the community and start looking at the issues, especially the land."

Between 1991 and June 2010 Chicot served continuously as the chief of the community. When elections were postponed last year because of a number of deaths in Kakisa, Chicot became the acting chief. On June 22 he was re-elected to the position.

Chicot received 22 votes while Wayne Simba, the only other candidate, garnered six. Although 20 years have passed since he first took the position, Chicot said his focus on the elders, the people and the land remains the same.

Many of the issues Kakisa is dealing with have also remained consistent. The land and its protection and management through the Dehcho Land Use Plan is a primary concern, especially for the elders, he said.

Chicot would like to see the plan approved and implemented. In the community, work related to the land in ongoing.

In previous years traditional place names and local trails were marked on maps. The maps are now being revisited and information is being gathered on what the place names mean and why the trails are located where they are.

"It's an ongoing thing, learning," said Chicot.

In addition to the Dehcho Land Use Plan, Chicot would also like to see the Dehcho Process concluded, an issue he plans to raise at the Dehcho First Nations' annual assembly.

"It's been going on for a long time," he said.

The process needs to be finished so Kakisa can focus on other issues, including economic development and working with neighboring First Nations on overlap issues, said Chicot.

"There's a lot of anxious community members that want to see things move forward," he said.

One of the areas of the negotiations Kakisa is interested in is the criteria for eligibility to become a band member. Kakisa had had a number of recent requests from people wanting to join the band membership, said Chicot.

Chicot will be joined by a new band council. The four councillors elected, Sheila Chicot, George Simba, Melaine Simba and Terri Lynn Simba, have not served in elected positions on the council before. All of the councillors, however, have represented the community in the past at meetings and events and George was a youth councillor for a number of years.

"They have a good grasp on what is happening in the region," Chicot said.

Electing new councillors, including a stronger female contingent than in the past, shows the community is looking for change, said Chicot. Things change and people have to be able to adapt to that, he said. The councillors will bring different ways of doing things and different ideas, he said.

Among the new councillors is Chicot's daughter, Terri Lynn. Chicot is familiar with having family members connected to the band's leadership; both of his parents are among the elders in the community that advise the council.

Over the next four years, Chicot said he will continue to follow an idea that came from the elders.

'Work together and you'll go a lot farther," he said.

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