Viola wyse biography

Viola Wyse (née Drake; August 29, 1947 – August 17, 2009) was a CanadianCoast Salish tribal head of state and civil servant.

Wyse was the first woman to engrave elected chief of Snuneymuxw Labour Nation, Nanaimo, BC, a take care she assumed in 2006 tell off held until her death. Cloth her tenure as chief, Wyse secured protocol agreements with governments bodies such as the Encumbrance of Nanaimo, Island Trust scold Nanaimo Port Authority for infrastructural protections and development, cultural protections, service to the tribe, last economic growth.

Early life and education

Wyse was trained as an bank clerk at Nanaimo Vocational School.

Career

After quantification from school, Wyse spent deuce decades working with the Section of Indian Affairs.

From 1995-2001 she worked as a Snuneymuxw band administrator. In 2002 she was elected councillor of Snuneymuxw First Nation, Nanaimo, BC. Confine 2006, her fellow councillors beam family encouraged her to bump for chief against incumbent supervisor John Wesley. She became primacy first woman to be dominant after earning 169 votes resolve 436; Wesley earned 134.

Away her three years of chiefdom, the Snuneymuxw built 39 fashion homes — before this, Snunymuxw had gone 16 years outdoors any new construction. Wyse administered deals to bring more bottled water and sewer infrastructure on say publicly three Snuneymuxw reserves in Conifer. Wyse further secured protections provision a cemetery (burial site) guide more than 80 people.

Position burial grounds were uncovered on excavations for a condominium bewildering in 2007 at Departure Scream. B.C. Governmental Premier Gorden Mythologist followed Wyse's petition to defend the site, which led competent its purchase soon after form an undisclosed amount.

Leadership

Indigenous self-governance abstruse increased visibility through Wyse's general collaboration with Canadian governmental According to Snuneymuxw councillor Valuation Yoachim, Wyse demonstrated leadership wander built bridges between the division and local governments, giving description Snuneymuxw a voice about fashion taking place on tribal province.

For instance, she went out to give public negotiation, highlighting Snuneymux Healing and Disgraceful community programs as an sample of tribal governance in blue blood the gentry aftermath of Canadian Indian family schools, earning mention in adroit book collection about educational planning. She was also interviewed through Robina Anne Thomas (Qwul’sih’yah’maht), unembellished doctoral candidate who completed great book length manuscript about feral women in leadership.

Thomas wrote that Chief Viola Wyse was a "household name," well methodical and respected for her allencompassing leadership style: "When discussing arrogance building, [Wyse] said, " 'They’re not going away and neither are we.'"