Bunn excited about youth council position

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This article was published 04/05/2023 (1238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A young woman from Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation dreams of using her new position on the Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s youth council to spur change in her community.

Tréchelle Bunn wishes to one day become chief of her First Nation, located 135 kilometres northwest of Brandon, and being elected to the youth council will give her a taste of that dream.

“I was always kind of interested in being part of youth council, especially for the position of youth chief,” Bunn told the Sun. “It’s a good stepping stone to kind of step into what it takes to be chief of my community, the responsibilities and that kind of mindset.”

Bunn, who graduates next month from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor of arts in criminology and a minor in Indigenous studies, was elected female youth chief on April 29.

John Dorie of Sagkeeng Anicinabe First Nation was elected male youth chief, and the rest of council includes Indigenous youth from across southern Manitoba. The youth chiefs share a vote at the SCO summits, where important resolutions are passed.

Being elected as female youth chief is something she’ll always remember, Bunn said.

“The candidates turned their backs and then everyone would line up behind whoever they wanted to vote for. It was more of a traditional way of doing it, rather than writing a name down on a ballot and voting that way,” she said.

After some handshakes and congratulations, both Bunn and Dorie were wrapped in star blankets, something she described as very moving and meaningful.

“It was a super, super beautiful experience. They even had hand drummers and honour songs for both me and the male youth chief and the other council members from their regions.”

While she’s still in shock over her appointment and the responsibility it carries, Bunn isn’t letting the novelty of her position hold her back from all the good she wants to do during her two-year tenure as female youth chief. It’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly.

“Going into that leadership position, you need to make sure you are representing the voices who elected you in the first place,” Bunn said. “I’m so eager and motivated by knowing how many people supported me and believed in me and trusted in me to elect me for this position.”

Youth mental health and a return of traditional, holistic approaches to creating healthy communities are some of the things Bunn plans to focus on during her time as female youth chief. Specifically, she wants to share with others how movement and exercise are inextricably bound together with medicine and reconciliation for Indigenous people.

As the Sun previously reported, Bunn organized a half-marathon last September to raise awareness about the legacy of residential schools in Westman.

Bunn led others on a healing walk that began at the site of the former residential school in Birtle, which her great-grandparents attended.

With Bunn heading to U of M’s Robson Hall Faculty of Law, her hopes of becoming a lawyer and her family’s background — her father is an RCMP officer — will also play a role in the impact she hopes to make with her new position, she said.

“I’m going to be able to sit at the table with the other chiefs and bring my knowledge and background into that, and work to integrate our own laws and policies at those tables, integrating our traditional knowledge and really trying to bring back what we had before the first settlers and colonizers came here.”

Bunn credits her parents for inspiring her to dream big.

“They have so much faith in me, and they think I can really change the world.”

Her father’s lessons about her culture and what it means to be Dakota also helped shape Bunn into the person she is today — someone who is intent on sharing her culture with others and making other Dakota youths proud of their heritage, too.

“I feel really fortunate to have grown up immersed in my culture as an Indigenous woman and as a Dakota woman, and being proud of where I come from and who I am. It’s almost my duty and responsibility to ensure that I kind of capitalize on these opportunities that I have now.”

All leaders within the Southern Chiefs’ Organization — which represents 34 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations across southern Manitoba — have a sworn responsibility to improve the quality of life of its citizens, according to SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels.

“I want to offer my sincere congratulations to everyone who had the character and courage to put their names on the ballot,” he said in a news release on April 29.

The SCO also acknowledged outgoing youth chiefs Diandre Thomas-Hart of Peguis First Nation and Lyle Gabriel of Skownan First Nation.

“I want them to know how much the southern chiefs of Manitoba appreciate the sacrifice and work they put into their portfolios. I know they are destined for continued leadership and success in whatever their futures hold,” Daniels said.

Bunn, Dorie and the new council members were elected as part of the third day of Oshkii Wadizaag Ga Niiganwendamwaad/Tec’a pi hena wowapi yuka skan pi, a gathering focused on career development through workshops, cultural teachings, exhibitor booths and presentations.

Inspiring other Indigenous youth to seek out leadership opportunities and make a difference in their communities is another outcome Bunn hopes will develop from her tenure as female youth chief, she said.

“Even if one person can get inspired by my story and who I am, they can easily do it, too. It will take hard work and drive, but if you put your mind to it, if you do the work and you’re passionate about it, then you can achieve anything.”

» mleybourne@brandonsun.com

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