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(Southern Tutchone and Tlingit)
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Hello, my name is Kluane Adamek,
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and I am from the Dakl'aweidi
Killer Whale clan.
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My Tlingit name is Aagé,
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and it's so important to acknowledge
(Traditional language), our grandparents.
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I'm joining you
from the traditional territory
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of the Kwanlin Dün and Ta'an First Nations
in the Yukon territory.
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(Traditional language) Thank you.
(English) Thank you.
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I shared a little bit about myself
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in my traditional languages
of Southern Tutchone and Tlingit.
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I continue to learn who we are
as Yukon First Nations people.
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We are a people that deeply value,
honor and respect the roles of women.
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We always have.
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We're a matrilineal culture.
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And so, traditionally, our matriarchs
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would often guide and direct
the speakers of the people,
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otherwise known as the chiefs.
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This important role
of forging trade relationships,
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forging marriage alliances
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and ensuring that all of the business
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that needed to take place in
the community was happening
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was all guided and directed
by our matriarchs.
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I definitely continue to see the ways
in which we lead here in the Yukon
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not quite being aligned nationally.
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What do I mean by that?
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Well, to be clear,
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misogyny and patriarchy
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are definitely not reflective
of who we are as Yukon First Nations
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or of the traditional structures
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and the ways in which we respect
women in decision-making.
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And so I saw these gaps
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and felt we need to have
more women at the table.
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We need to have different
generations at the table.
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And so, this is where
I had to get a bit vulnerable.
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I had to really look to myself to say,
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"If not me, then who?"
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And so I submitted my name
to become the Yukon Regional Chief,
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knowing that I come from a strong people
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that continues to value and uphold women,
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and knowing that
the voice that I would bring
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would be a voice that will
be supported by my region.
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But furthermore,
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knowing that in every and any place
where decisions are being made for women,
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or those who identify,
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how important it is that women
are in every place and space
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to be part of those decisions.
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And so I gave myself permission
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to put my name forward
and to know that yes, I can serve;
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that yes, this was the best way
for me to take action
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and to know that my voice
needed to be heard
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in the same way that other male voices
were heard from across this country.
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There aren't any prerequisites
to being a leader.
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It's not about having a title
or being in a specific role.
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Leadership is about showing up
who you are, as you are,
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being authentic,
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leading from a place
of values and principles,
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and leading from that place,
and staying true to yourself.
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And so some might say,
"Well, you're in an elected position.
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What do you mean?"
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Yes, I hear you.
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There's some irony in that.
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But let me explain.
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Contribution is the most important thing.
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For me, joining an executive
of predominantly men,
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creating a space in my office
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where other indigenous
women could learn and lead,
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it was all about creating that space,
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and by celebrating
and acknowledging and contributing.
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There's a story that dates
back to over 10,000 years ago.
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And the way that the story
was shared with me is this:
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The Killer Whale people, the Dakl'aweidi,
came to this insurmountable, huge glacier.
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They were traveling to make it back
to their traditional homelands.
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And so they came to this glacier
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and they didn't know
where they were going to go.
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Were they going to try
to climb and go above?
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Were they going to try to follow it
and see how far long it went?
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It was the matriarchs
that said, "We'll go.
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We see a small opening there,
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and so we're going to go,
and we're going to try to go through it."
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They didn't know if they would survive.
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They didn't know
if they'd make it through.
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But they were fearless.
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And that is who we are.
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We are fearless because we understand
the power of reciprocity.
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We understand that it's important
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to leave things in a better state
and place than when we found them.
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We understand that the importance
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of connecting to the land
and expressing gratitude
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is truly what grounds us
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and gives us the power
and the abilities we have to lead.
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Think of when you're walking
by the water, for example.
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Take a moment of gratitude
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to thank the water
for all that it gives you,
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to thank the land for giving you
everything you need.
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It's always about making sure
that you're leaving things
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in a better place and space
than when you found them.
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It's about contribution.
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All of us as women
have been through so much.
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And so this is about us finding ways
to be supportive of each other.
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It's about always making sure
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that we're making that contribution
and investment in the future generations.
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That is about reciprocity.
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There's so much that we
can share with the world
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and that the world can
learn from us as women.
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These are the challenges that we have
for this future generation,
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and these are the challenges
that we need to accept together.
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We need to give ourselves the permission
to step into our own power.
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We need to give ourselves
the permission to connect
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and to express gratitude to the land.
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And we need to give ourselves
the permission to take care of ourselves,
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because if we're not being taken care of,
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then how are we going
to contribute to everybody else?
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Gunalchéesh. Thank you.