Office of the Wet’suwet’en
| The Golden Rule is that whoever holds the wealth or financial power dictates how things are done. So follow the money to find out who is deciding the agenda. There are two primary factors involved, who are they getting funding from and who they are funding. |
You will need to read to the end, to discover the Office of the Wet’suwet’en should be dissolved, it is controlled by people who stole their titles and should never be allowed to pass on that theft to their own kin. There is no historic value to a stolen dictatorship. Using a democracy where every member has an equal vote is the only solution in the long term. The Office of the Wet’suwet’en is run by the Wet’suwet’en Five
The BC NDP Goverment has no money of its own, it belongs to taxpayers, and giving away revenue, is giving away taxpayers dollars. The Office of Wet’suwet’en exists under the non-profit society act, Under the BC Societies Act, non-profit societies in British Columbia are required to prepare annual financial statements and keep sufficient accounting records, but they do not submit these financial reports directly to the provincial government. it is obvious that the BC NDP Goverment have a policy of closed eyes in regards to the violations taking place. Public Access: Regular societies must provide copies of their financial statements to members of the public upon request (subject to reasonable fees). Member-funded societies are exempt from this public disclosure rule.
| BC NDP Goverment – Multi-year rights-and-title implementation funding to the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs $7.22 million in 2021) | BC NDP Goverment – Capacity and consultation funding through resource agreements (e.g., Forest & Range Consultation and Revenue Sharing Agreements that include annual revenue-sharing and capacity payments) (hidden total) | BC NDP Goverment – Project grants for specific items such as regulatory capacity ($50,000 from the Oil and Gas Commission in 2021) and community infrastructure (e.g., a $1.23 million grant to help purchase the former Lake Kathlyn school property) |
| BC NDP Goverment – Rural and economic-development grants – BC Rural Dividend grants) (hidden total) | Federal Liberal Goverment – Justice Canada – Indigenous Justice Program funding to the Wet’suwet’en Treaty Office Society (hidden total) | Federal Liberal Goverment – Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Fisheries and economic initiatives – Pacific Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative (hidden total) |
| Indigenous Watersheds Initiative | The American Tides Foundation, aka the MakeWay Foundation. $273,000 + $197,800 in 2024 = $470,800 |
Bulkley Valley Community Foundation $33,000 in 2024 |
| The American Tides Foundation – (hidden total) | W. Garfield Weston Foundation – (hidden total) |
Vancouver Foundation – (hidden total) |
| The Weston Foundation – (hidden total) | Pacific Salmon Foundation | Federal Liberal Goverment -NSERC – (hidden total) |
A lesson in Wet’suwet’en history. never allow them to re-write history to fit the agenda of land and title theft.
Now that we know who is funding them, there is so much more to expose, if we exposed it all we could write a thick text book so we will try keep it short.
The Office of the Wet’suwet’en claims “The Office of the Wet’suwet’en is a political and administrative organization based in Smithers, British Columbia, that is governed by the traditional Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs”
It is not an Indian Act band government and not a tribal council. What it really is, defies all legal definitions. Office of the Wet’suwet’en Society is the legal entity that governs the Office of the Wet’suwet’en. Historically, the board has been made up of house chiefs. A publicly documented 2020 composition listed seven: Na’Moks, Knedebeas, Madeek, Samooh, Kloum Khun, Wah Tah K’eght and Hagwilnegh. Now let’s unmask those names. In the same order, John Ridsdate, Warner William, Jeff Brown (deceased), Herb Naziel, Alphonse Gagnon and Henry Alfred (deceased)
The same list in order identifies 7 normal people, the Indian names are used like Hollywood credentials, hiding who they are in real life. The list given is a total re-write of the facts, and becomes part of the myth surrounding the history of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en.
Now the real list and the lies exposed. Let us start with the EVOLUTION (rewriting history) of the The Office of the Wet’suwet’en.
Now removed from history, was this next shot taken from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en’s own website, prior to the website rebuild.
Now let’s do some time travel back to 2016.
The above list of names is of critical importance. Why? Because it was written in to sworn evidence provided by the signatures on that document, they all read and signed it, knowing that each one was claiming the official capacity of Hereditary Chief. Let me repeat sworn documents, you cannot back out and say it was just something created to fight the pipeline, no its sworn evidence.
Now as they say the rest of the story.
- Alphonse Gagnon – If and I cannot put enough emphasis on IF you actually follow Wet’suwet’en laws, you will know that the Wet’suwet’en are a matriarchal society. Alphonse Gagnon’s mother is Gitxsan, so his credentials as a Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs are totally bogus, his wife is Wet’suwet’en, but that does not change the fact its a violation of Wet’suwet’en Law. See Alphonse Gagnon – Blockader Profile for further evidence on his mothers lineage. Alphonse Gagnon was a member of the Wet’suwet’en Five, who call all the shots for the Office of the Wet’suwet’en. Let me be clear, there never was 13 Hereditary Chiefs, there were only 5 that dictated all the terms of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en.
Screenshot from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en’s own website. - Gloria George – In a legitimate passing on of title Leonard George who did follow Wet’suwet’en laws chose as his heir, Gloria George to take over the name “Smogihlgim” the original spelling. Despite the erroneous claims “The Office of the Wet’suwet’en is a political and administrative organization based in Smithers, British Columbia, that is governed by the traditional Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs” At no time was Gloria George ever a part of the “Office of the Wet’suwet’en” even long before the gang of five stripped her of her title. See the following links In defense of the Wet’suwet’en Matrilineal Coalition, The bastardization of the Smogelgem blanket, Smogelgem Revisited – Who is the legitimate heir?, and Warner Naziel is not Chief Smogelgem
- Warner William – Warner William (Chief Knedebeas) On Dec 30th 2014 he wanted $40,000/year plus some other demands to give let me quote his exact words “On your approval of the above we will provide immediate assurance for the province that there will be unfettered access to our territory.” This was made in response to the proposed Coastal Gaslink Pipeline, it was on public record, and later he tried to deny he said it. See Chief Knedebeas (Warner William) offer to allow LNG through Unist’ot’en land
The name Warner William is almost synonymous with logging the Morice, and sitting on board of the Canfor Corporation. At the time Warner William became a hereditary chief, customs were pretty much non existent, and money could buy you anything, Warner had a lot, and bought his ticket to becoming a Hereditary Chief, the same way Alphonse Gagnon also used funds form his logging days to get his title. Its too bad there is no system in place with the Wet’suwet’en nation that every Hereditary Chief must prove he got that title following Wet’suwet’en Laws. That would most likely have 90% of the Hereditary Chiefs losing their claim to the title. A Must read is a letter by wife of the late Larry Tiljoe, Wolves in Fancy Blankets Warner William was a key member of the Wet’suwet’en Five. - Herb Naziel – (Chief Samooh) Herb Naziel has held the hereditary name Samooh since 1988. Samooh is the house-chief name for Kayex (Birchbark House), of the Gilseyhu/Big Frog Clan. In 2020, he became nationally prominent because he was the only sitting Wet’suwet’en house chief publicly supporting Coastal GasLink. He said he supported the project because he believed it could provide economic benefits to Wet’suwet’en people. At the time, there was considerable pressure within the hereditary-chief system over his position. Naziel said he was not afraid of losing/being stripped of the Samooh name. A current-ish 2026 overview of the hereditary system likewise identifies Samooh (Herb Naziel) as the chief of Kayex/Birchbark House. Interestingly, that source says he did not sign the 2020 eviction notice against Coastal GasLink and characterizes his current public position as unclear rather than saying he has left the position. Locally we do know what happened, he was ejected from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en by the Gang of Five.
- Ron Mitchell – let’s go all the way back to when Chief Gwen’U was the head of the Laksilyu (small frog) clan, his English name was Chief Stanaslaus George Nikal. Remember Wet’suwet’en title is held for life, let’s look back at this case Chief Gwen’U was never stripped of his blanket, it means he still holds that name and under Wet’suwet’en laws still holds the title to that land. Yet somehow we find that again without any Wet’suwet’en protocol whatsoever almost if the fairy godmother came along and with one quick swish of the wand, Ron Mitchell became the Hereditary Chief of the Laksilyu Clan, and now heads the House of Many Eyes, the same house Chief Gwen’U was never removed from as the Hereditary Chief. Another case of opportunist grabs a Hereditary Title without ever inheriting it. We highly suspect Ron Mitchell was appointed by John Ridsdale with another key player in the video above. Her name is Violet Gellenbeck and she also admitted she is a Gitxsan by matralineal rules. She was always an instrumental element in calling the shots for the Wet’suwet’en Five.
- Frank Patrick – December 2015, a Wet’suwet’en document lists “Frank Patrick (medical leave)” under Wah Tah Kwets, with Theresa Tait-Day (Wihaliy’te) participating as the delegate from a PDF document posted of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en own website. ( Wetsuweten_Newsletter_Urban_Vancouver_Gathering.pdf) By 2021, sources describe Patrick as the former house chief, and say that he had designated Theresa Tait-Day as the acting hereditary house chief/spokesperson for his house. Now everyone who has been following the antic of the Wet’suwet’en Five knows that this group of bullies also stripped her of the title, and have yet to appoint the individual who will steal that blanket.
- Henry Alfred – Wah Tah K’eght – Henry Alfred received the name through the feast system in 1967/68. There is no publicly accessible record that establishes the date or details of the feast at which Henry’s successor, Cecil Alfred, formally received the name. The Office of the Wet’suwet’en declared Cecil Alfred as Wah Tah K’eght and head chief of the Tse Kal K’iyekh (House on Top of the Flat Rock). This clearly indicates the the Wet’suwet’en Five strike again Another chief with no legitimate claim to the title.
- John Ridsdate – Is the self declared leader of the Wet’suwet’en Five There is no record to show that John Ridsdale was in line for the title of Hereditary Chief There is overwhelming proof that it should have gone to Dan Michell and the opportunist John Ridsdale stole the title. John Ridsdale is hop scotching all over the world serving as a puppet wear his custom for American funded environmental groups. Read – John Ridsdale aka Hereditary Chief Na’Moks – Delgamuukw – Fabricated Identity? , John Ridsdale aligns himself with Terrorists , Wet’suwet’en Actors or just John Ridsdale?, The “obstructionist” profile of John Ridsdale, Woke “Reconciliation” activists scamming Canadian Taxpayers .
- Dan Michell – Another legitimate Hereditary Chief has his title stolen by a thief. Read “The Tale of Two Tsayu, Beaver Clan Chiefs” and the evidence that shows Jogn Ridsdale simply took the title with any legitimacy. Read what was written on the Delgamuukw Supreme Court transcript, it clearly states Dan Michell was the designate heir of the Na’Moks title as passed on by Emma Michell.
- Bill Naziel – Chief Kweese (Bill Naziel – Mutt) The Office of the Wet’suwet’en material indicates that the Kweese position itself was vacant, with Mutt/Bill Naziel serving as wing chief. The interesting part: he seems to disappear from the public record. By the time of the 2019–2020 Coastal GasLink conflict, Bill Naziel is largely absent from the public-facing list of hereditary chiefs. We have it on good authority coming directly from a Wet’suwet’en matriarch whose name we will protect for her safety, tell us that Chief Mutt (Bill Naziel) was removed from his position from at the Office of the Wet’suwet’en for supporting the Wet’suwet’en Matrilineal Coalition. Again the bullies the Wet’suwet’en Five strike again
- Jeff Brown – one of the leaders in the the Wet’suwet’en Five who was a primary supporter of the Unist’ot’en Camp. Jeff Brown worked at Babine Forest Products for pretty much all of his adult life and in his retirement could easily afford to buy his title within the Office of Wet’suwet’en. There is no evidence whatsoever that he inherited the title of Hereditary Chief This is yet another case of buying the title in complete contradiction to Wet’suwet’en laws. With his passing the illegitimate title was passed on to Sherri Green, however until anyone is able to prove that Jeff Brown was not appointed as opposed to inheriting the title, it will put into question the legitimacy of Sherri Green as the heir to that title.
- Alfred Joseph – “Alfred Joseph, whose traditional name is Gisday’wa, was a Wet’suwet’en chief, “knowledge holder,” carver, teacher, orator and noted defender of Wet’suwet’en rights.” are words spoken about a man who was a true leader in his time. Fred Tom “did not follow the traditional methods required to become a Hereditary Chief even if he is using the title “Gisday’wa” there is no evidence he was the legitimate heir to that name. It appears Fred Tom was appointed, and our guess is once again a collaboration between John Ridsdale and Violet Gellenbeck However that is speculation on our part, but it is logical. Fred Tom plays an intricate role in the Wet’suwet’en Five
- Darlene Glaim – The legitimate heir to the title of Chief Woos, she received it in a legitimate passing on of title from Roy Morris, Sr who passed away March 11, 2011. Chief Woos was the hereditary chief for Casyex House in the Gitdumden Clan. She was un-ceremoniously stripped of that title be the Wet’suwet’en Five. (Even those by Wet’suwet’en Laws those titles belong to that person as long as they are alive, and Darlene Glaim is very much alive. To fully understand this theft of title by a man who is from the Lake Babine Band and not the Wet’suwet’en Nation. Read Frank Alec – or is it Chief Two Hats?
As anyone who is willing to do research will see, this is all about money and pwer and nothing to do with Wet’suwet’en tradition or laws. its a power grab by 5 very desperate individuals.