A special ceremony was held in Duncan on Sept. 14 at the Siem Lelum Gym on River Road in Duncan to honour Chief Pahalicktun Richard Thomas who recently stepped down as chief after leading the Lyackson First Nation for the last 30 years.
Hundreds were in attendance to honour the leadership of the former chief and all he accomplished over the years. Some of the special guests in attendance included Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels as well as other Cowichan Tribes council members, North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Grand Chief Steven Point, and Murray Rankin, minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation for B.C. who, during Saturday's ceremony said he had always thought of himself as a rock, and Chief Pahalicktun as a steady drop of water.
“Every time we met he would say ‘what about the fact our people don’t have a place to live," said Rankin. "What about the fact we don’t have a place to bury our people?’ He drilled a hole in the rock and finally we have some land back for the Lyackson people. Your dream has come true during your lifetime. It’s rare that we have an opportunity to honour someone for achieving their life’s goal.”
Pahalicktun's retirement follows the huge milestone he achieved this past year of acquiring land on Vancouver Island for the Nation, whose reserve lands are currently located solely on Valdes Island. Under the agreement, the province of B.C. transferred a parcel of recently-purchased private land to Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes. During the signing agreement ceremony, which which took place on May 11 of this year, Pahalicktun called it a historic day for the Leeyq’sun Mustimuhw (Lyackson people).
“It is the first step in bringing the Leeyq’sun Mustimuhw back together in a village, which will strengthen our community, our culture and our economy for today and for future generations,” said Pahalicktun.
The ceremony to honour Pahalicktun was hosted by his niece Shana Thomas (Laxele’wuts’aat) with support from other members of the Thomas family, and the Modeste and Charlie families. The ceremony featured a sacred mask dance, which included brushing Pahalicktun with cedar — a practice that is considered both cleansing and healing. He was also given several special gifts including a custom-designed Cowichan sweater vest, which was presented to him by Daniels and councillors of Cowichan Tribes. Special guests and dignitaries were more than happy to sing his praises around his leadership on a larger scale.
“He represented you with grace and strength and he never gave up,” said Robert Phillips, a member of the executive of the First Nations Summit, a group made up of most First Nations and Tribal Groups in the province to address treaty-related topics.
“I’m proud of your long, long journey and the tenacity and strength you’ve shown,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, a member of Syilx Nation and president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. “You’re so important to everyone in this room because they can look to you and see what leadership really is.”
Keeping up with traditional practice Grand Chief Steven Point, who was the first Indigenous lieutenant-governor of B.C., as well as the first Indigenous chancellor of the University of B.C., was asked to be an official witness for the ceremony. Point called on Lyackson Nation to name Pahalicktun (who remains an honorary Chief) a Grand Chief to honour his lifetime of service and leadership.
“The Elders put you in this position of chief — they don’t ask you,” said Point. “Sometimes you’re criticized for what you do but you carry on because you know there are things that must be accomplished. What can you say to someone who’s fighting for our people? Someone who has served their entire life? All you can say is ‘hych’ka’ [thank you].”
Pahalicktun appointed his niece Shana Thomas (Laxele’wuts’aat) to take up the role of Hereditary Chief of Lyackson First Nation following Lyackson law and protocols and celebrated the official transition on Sept. 3. Thomas, who has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in Indigenous Governance, not only served eight years as an elected council member for Lyackson Nation from 2002 to 2014, but also worked closely with her uncle and former chief to negotiate the incremental treaty agreement.
“Pahalicktun has dedicated over 30 years of his life advocating for the Lyackson people,” said Thomas. “Acquiring the land on Vancouver Island is his legacy. We wanted to clear his path for him to enjoy his retirement, brushing him off in this sacred way and publicly acknowledging him and all his hard work. Hearing from so many dignitaries, who travelled to be there to acknowledge him, is a special testament to his leadership.”
