The Ulkatcho First Nation has sworn in a new Dayi (Chief).
Tina Alexis was officially appointed as Dayi in a ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Ulkatcho First Nation Community Hall.
Alexis returned home to take the position after former Dayi Derech Sill resigned in September. She will be in the position for six months, until an election is held by the First Nation in April 2027.
“It feels great to be put in this position even though it’s temporary,” says Dayi Alexis. “The community asked me to step forward, so I did. It’s a responsibility, a kinship responsibility for us when we’re called on by the community.”
Alexis added that her goal during her tenure is to restore trust, accountability, transparency, and unity in her community and the Ulkatcho people.
“I believe that leadership is about serving our people, not controlling them. Our elders carry the knowledge, our community carries the voice, and chief and council have the responsibility to listen, to act, and to remain accountable to the membership,” says Dayi Alexis.
“I also want to bring our people back into decision-making that strengthens our traditional Dakelh governance systems, and to ensure that our nation’s resources, programs, and economic opportunities benefit our members both on and off the reserve.”
An educator by trade, Alexis teaches at the University of Calgary and the University of Saskatchewan, and held a position at the Yellowhead Tribal Council.
She has an undergraduate degree in Indigenous Studies from the University of British Columbia, a Master’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and while she is doing her responsibilities as Dayi, Alexis will be finishing her dissertation for her PhD with the University of Saskatchewan as well.
Alexis acknowledges that her tenure will be short for now, but she believes that changes can happen in these short six months.
“I really do believe that it can happen, and we can do it. I speak semi-fluent Dakelh as well. I was raised by grandparents in the community. People know me for being very transparent about everything… The biggest thing for me is that I want our people to feel heard, to feel respected, to feel informed, and proud of who we are as Ulkatcho Dakelh people.”
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