CONFIRMED: the so-called Sto:lo Tribal Council letter is not from Sto:lo Tribal Council as Marilyn Gabriel had claimed
At the start of December, former chief Marilyn Gabriel and her gang sent a letter to Band Members, claiming that it was from the Sto:lo Tribal Council (STC). The message was supportive of her continuing as hereditary ruler over our nation. Media sources have now confirmed that Marilyn Gabriel’s group was wrong.
In a December 27th investigation by 'the Fraser Valley Current’, reporter Tyler Olsen wrote:
“Some other Stó:lō leaders have since waded into the dispute. Two Stó:lō Grand Chiefs, Doug Kelly and Clarence Pennier, penned a lettercalling on the Kwantlen to resolve the dispute outside of the courts and urging members to “continue to support your Hereditary system.” They declared Gabriel’s appointment, which they attended, to be in keeping with Stó:lō custom; they suggested November’s meeting did not meet that threshold.
Kwantlen’s incumbent council forwarded the letter to members, and asserted that it was from the Stó:lō Tribal Council, a cross-Stó:lō political organization that includes chiefs from more than a dozen Stó:lō First Nations. But although the letter appeared to be written on STC letterhead, Kelly confirmed to the Current that it solely reflected his and Pennier’s personal opinion, not that of the larger tribal council and the other chiefs who serve on it.”
This is one of many misleading statements that have been sent to band members by Marilyn Gabriel. Each shows her disrespect for Kwantlen people.
The full article by the Fraser Valley Current can be found by clicking here - it includes interviews with several different authorities on Sto:lo traditional governance.