Dear Sir:

This is about the story of Harry Nyce when he was named to the post as president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

My name is Sim Git Luu T’aa. I am a matriarch from the house known as Wilps Sganisim Sim augit Sagaw’een.

I would like to comment on the subject of Sagaw’een, our hereditary name that is used in the article.

The name Sagaw’een rightly belongs to the house (Wilp) of Sganisim  Sim’augit  Sagaw’een. It does not belong to Mr. Harry Nyce, who is from the house of Hleek/Naws which has nothing to do with our House. This important hereditary name was taken from our House (Wilp) unlawfully, in our opinion.

The Gosnell/Nyce family misused their elected power as Nisga’a Lisims Government representatives in 2000, shortly after the Nisga’a Treaty was signed, and infringed on our right to use this family name. This is misuse of power in the highest order.

The name Chief Mountain Sganisim Sim-augit Sagaw’een (Saga w’een means “mountain peaks that look like jagged sharp teeth”) originates from Alaska – the Lax Luuks clan of the Eagle tribe.

The name did not originate from Canyon City on the Nass River, B.C. as misrepresented by Harry Nyce.

This important name was originally held by our great grandfather Chief Alfred Mountain. Upon his death, the name was passed to the next in line in according proper protocol. The next person properly named Chief Mountain Sagaw’een was our grandfather Sam Lincoln (formally Sam Robinson).

When he died, his chieftain name was passed to our uncle Hubert Barton and then, following due Nisga’a protocol, it was passed to James Robinson who is now Sganisim Sim-augit Saga w’een, Chief Mountain. And all hereditary chiefs who come from our community of Kincolith acknowledge this fact.

Chief Mountain believes that the Nisga’a Treaty took away too much of our ancestral lands and hereditary rights. The related court case is still in the Supreme Court of Canada.

In our tradition, Ayuukhl Nisga’a, it was never considered  honourable to use another person’s hereditary title and rights.

Fred and Rose Doolan,

Kincolith, B.C.

Addendum:

The following notice was served to the Gosnell/Nyce family in November 2008:

Our Ayuukhl are laws that regulate every aspect of Tribal protocol for people. These laws are a code of conduct. They were created to shape and set the standard for our culture. They define tradition. According to these laws every person belongs to a Wilp (Tribal House), which owns its Names, Songs, Crests, Dances, Stories and Ango'oskws (Traditional Land).

In our Ayuukl (Nisga'a Law) no Member of another Tribe can speak into another Chief?s House or remove Hereditary Names. We have been told that our Ayuukhl is very sacred as the Word of God and it cannot be altered.

When a Member from one Tribe or House speaks into another House without permission they have broken Ayuuk (Nisga'a Law). Every Chief and Matriarch knows that to breach and break our Ayuuk was and still is very severe. It is an insult to the very core of who we are as Nisga'a these laws continue to be practised to this day.

The Gosnell/Nyce families belong to the Wilp (House) of Hleek/Naaws. Nisga'a Lisims Government cannot take a Hereditary Name from our Wilp (named Sganisim Sim'augit-Sagaw'een) and give it to Mr Harry Nyce Sr. Therefore all such claims are Null and Void.

The elected Council of Elders is made up of representatives of four different Tribes, Laxgibuu, Laxsgiik, Ganada & Gisk'aast, therefore they cannot make the decision that you, Mrs Emma Nyce, Mr Joseph Gosnell Sr and Mr Harry Nyce Sr, have claimed.

We have many audiotapes and videotapes of our meetings with the Elders and of Feasts where the Chiefs and Matriarchs have confirmed that the Hereditary Names we hold do rightfully belong to our Wilp. (The Chiefs and Matriarchs were invited to speak by our Chief.)

We also have many tapes/CDs of the late Sim'oogit Kw'axsuu, Morris Haldane, who spoke on behalf of the House of Sganisim Sim'augit - Sagaw'een of the Git-Lax-Luuks clan of the Eagle tribe. We have documents from the United States from our late grandfather Samuel Lincoln and from Geoffrey Benson, and a historical account by Susan Marsden from the Prince Rupert Museum.

We also have statements from the late Sim'oogit Bayt N'eekhl, Gordon McKay, as well as Elders' video from Portland Canal and letters of support from different WILPS.

We wish to emphasize that there is no record of the late Chief Mountain (Samuel Lincoln) adopting Joseph Gosnell. The Lincoln family has confirmed this on many occasions that they are not related to Joseph Gosnell. As a matter of fact on one CD Sim'oogit K'amayaam, Graham Moore, confirms that the late Eli Gosnell (Joseph Gosnell's father) clearly told him that Eli Gosnell's family has no right to the Hereditary Names from the house of Chief Mountain-Sagaw'een.

We have a formal photograph taken in 1920 of mourners at the funeral of our late grandfather James Robinson. Behind the casket stands our grandmother Mary Barton with our father Edward Robinson next to Edward Haines and Samuel (Robinson) Lincoln. In the second row stands Emily Benson and close to her is an old gentleman with white hair who is Chief Alfred Mountain. Peter Calder, Frank Bolton, Elizabeth Morrison, Bessie Seymour, Robert Stewart and Peter Stewart are also present.

So, armed with this information, WE AGAIN REQUEST YOU, Emma Nyce, Joseph Gosnell Sr and Harry Nyce Sr, NOT TO USE ANY NAMES FROM OUR WILPS SGANISIM SIM'AUGIT-SAGAW'EEN OF THE LAX-LUUKS CLAN. AND WE ALSO REQUEST THAT YOUR FAMILY NOT CLAIM OR USE ANY MUSEUM EXHIBIT OR ARTIFACT OR ANYTHING ELSE BELONGING TO CHIEF MOUNTAIN SGANISIM SIM'AUGIT-SAGAW'EEN.