Our Elders
Although age is often associated with wisdom, being an Elder in our community is not solely determined by age. Rather, an Elder is someone who has gained the respect of their community through their actions and words. They exhibit consistency, balance, harmony, and wisdom in their teachings, and often possess invaluable traditional and ceremonial knowledge.
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Following the proper protocols, which included offering tobacco and appropriate gifts to honour their knowledge, community facilitators approached three elders from our community in 2017. They were asked to provide insight on community development and share any pertinent community history. The elders, namely Michael (Mickey) and Flora Yuzicapi, Gladys Stonechild, and John Stonechild, graciously accepted the tobacco and gifts and shared their wisdom with the facilitators.
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We want to acknowledge here the passing of Elders Mickey & Flora Yuzicapi, and Gladys Stonechild after these interviews took place. We are grateful to Mickey, Flora, & Gladys for generously sharing their words with us and we hope that this written section bears accurate witness to their spirits and intent.
In Their Words: Voices of Our Elders
Michael "Mickey" Yuzicapi
Mickey was our oldest Elder.
At the time, he was 92-years-old and his partner, Flora, was 84-years-old.
Mickey was Chief of Okanese for seven years, from 1969 to 1976.
His parents were Will Yuzicappi and Flora Dumont, who both passed away in 1977.
One of Mickey's fondest memories of being an Okanese member was when he was adopted by the Nokusis family in 1944. At this time, he was gifted with a buckskin outfit from Jack Fisher and he says "old Alex Nokusis and Jack Creeley dressed me up" in these clothes. The ceremony drew people from near and far, such as Ochapowace and Standing Buffalo. By the standards of the day, generous gifts were given away such as a box of apples and a horse. During the ceremony, Mickey recalls, "They sang a song and I started crying. That was a big time for me."
Mickey also remembers Pimotaht (Walker), who used to dance pow wow, and old DayWalker who made a Sundance on the west side of the reserve, despite the Indian agent's prohibition on ceremonies. Ironically, the name of the Indian agent who opposed DayWalker at the time was called 'Mr. White'. The Indian agent's presence was a constant injustice as Mickey recalls his own father serving 30 days in jail for selling a cow he raised himself.
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The first election for Chief and Council was held on Okanese in 1952. Mickey was one of the first-elected councilors along with John Keewatin. Flora remembered that Mickey and his family's reputation as leaders were well known in the region, as she knew of Mickey's achievements long before ever knowing him personally.
Gladys Stonechild
Originally from Pasqua, Gladys married Ken Stonechild from Okanese in 1976. Glady's fondest memory of the community is one that persists into the present: "I found that all the Band...they come together all the time and they're always a close unit. We're all like a big family and that's the way it should be."
Gladys sees a lot of strengths in the community and its leadership, and is proud to be a member. "Oh I love everything, I love the people, I love the kids, I love the situation, I love everything that they do for us. Okanese is a good place to be."
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Her vision for Okanese is a process: to ensure that everyone in the community remains connected to one another and works together to 'make a good place for the kids to grow up'.
John Stonechild
At the time, John was 80 years old. His forefathers originally came from Rocky Boy, Montana, with old Chief Stonechild as one of the dog soldiers who came up from the U.S. John's mother was Rose.
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Some of his fondest memories are of cutting wood for the Elders when he was 9 or 10 years old and having councilors, like Uncle Jack Keewatin, Uncle Jack Walker and Uncle Harry Stonechild, pay his family visits "to see what you needed."
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"I'm a traditional man, I think that we should continue to teach our kids ceremonies. And especially our Sundance...because the hunger for culture is there, it's very deep.
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He also stresses the importance of young people focusing on their education, not using drugs or alcohol, and setting and achieving goals for themselves.​
