Viola Wyse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Viola Wyse
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Viola Wyse in 2007
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| Born | Viola Drake August 29, 1947 Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | August 17, 2009 (aged 61) Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation | Tribal chief Accountant |
Viola Wyse (born Viola Drake; August 29, 1947 – August 17, 2009) was an important Canadian leader. She was a Coast Salish tribal leader and worked for the government.
Viola Wyse made history as the first woman elected chief of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. This is a First Nations community in Nanaimo, BC. She became chief in 2006 and served until she passed away. As chief, she worked with local governments. She made agreements to protect land, support their culture, and help the community grow.
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Viola Wyse's Early Life and Training
Viola Wyse was born in Campbell River, British Columbia. She trained to be an accountant. She studied at the Nanaimo Vocational School. This training helped her later in her career.
What Did Viola Wyse Do?
After finishing school, Viola Wyse worked for the government. She spent 20 years with the Department of Indian Affairs. This department works with Indigenous peoples in Canada.
From 1995 to 2001, she worked for the Snuneymuxw First Nation as an administrator. This means she helped manage the daily operations of the community. In 2002, she was elected as a councillor for the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
Becoming the First Woman Chief
In 2006, her fellow councillors and family encouraged her to run for chief. She ran against the chief at the time, John Wesley. Viola Wyse won the election with 169 votes. This made her the first woman to be chief of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
During her three years as chief, many good things happened.
- The Snuneymuxw community built 39 new homes. Before this, they had not built new homes for 16 years.
- Chief Wyse also made deals to bring more water and sewer systems to the three Snuneymuxw reserves in Cedar.
- She helped protect an important burial site. This site had the remains of over 80 people. It was found during digging for a new building in 2007. Chief Wyse asked the government to protect it. The government bought the land to keep it safe.
How Viola Wyse Led Her Community
Viola Wyse was known for her leadership style. She worked with Canadian government groups. This helped the Snuneymuxw First Nation have a stronger voice.
A Snuneymuxw councillor, Bill Yoachim, said that Chief Wyse built "bridges" between the tribe and local governments. She made sure the Snuneymuxw community had a say in what happened on their land.
She also gave public talks. She shared information about programs like the Snuneymuxw Healing and Justice programs. These programs helped the community heal after the difficult times of residential schools. Her work was even mentioned in a book about educational programs.
Chief Wyse was interviewed by Robina Anne Thomas, a researcher. Thomas wrote that Chief Viola Wyse was "well known and respected." She was known for her way of bringing people together. Chief Wyse once said, "They’re not going away and neither are we." This showed her belief in working together.
