Mel Bevan, who led Kitselas First Nation to cusp of historic treaty, dead at 82

A Kitselas First Nation councillor and hereditary chief who played a key role in changing treaty rights in British Columbia is being mourned after he died at the age of 82.

Mel Bevan is being remembered for a long and storied career fighting for Indigenous rights in Canada after his passing from brain cancer on Tuesday.

Bevan — also known as Sm'ooyget Satsan — was a leader of the Kitselas First Nation in the Terrace region of northwest B.C. for more than 50 years. Among his contributions at local, provincial and national levels, he was chief negotiator for the Kitselas in their three decades of treaty negotiations with the provincial and federal governments.

That treaty — which, according to the Kitselas Treaty Information Source website, seeks to get Kitselas out from under the Indian Act and make the nation self-governing — has been under negotiation since 1993 and is expected to be finalized this month.

It is considered the largest modern treaty settlement per capita in B.C. history.

Bevan was also a close advisor to Phil Fontaine, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and, earlier in his career, he served as a consultant to former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

In an interview with CBC Radio's Daybreak North, Bevan's son-in-law, David Try, said he spoke with Bevan in hospital before Bevan's passing and told him treaty negotiations had been successfully completed.

"I'm absolutely confident he's delighted to feel that that key part of his life has now been accomplished," Try told host Carolina de Ryk.

"There's lots of administration and paperwork and formalities, but the essence is now done of this treaty and we'll move to a vote probably about 13 [to] 14 months from now."

Try — who worked with Bevan on treaty negotiations — said his father-in-law always pointed out that the vote by the Kitselas people would be the most important part of the process.

"He always instructed me … 'It's not our treaty, it's the people's treaty and they will decide whether they want to be a treaty nation or … some other alternative.'"

'He always wanted to serve the people of his nation'

According to an obituary posted by Bevan's family on the Kitselas Treaty Information Source website, Bevan was born on Jan. 23, 1941 on the Kitselas Indian Reserve, at a time when being off-reserve without a licence was still illegal.  

The obituary calls Bevan "one of the last true hereditary chiefs" and says he was "raised and trained from birth to assume a leadership role with the Kitselas First Nation."

Try said a positive vote on the treaty would be Bevan's biggest legacy.

"He always wanted to serve the people of his nation, of Kitselas Nation," Try said on Daybreak North. "He was honoured to help British Columbia First Nations, and [of his] national efforts ... He was proud of those things but his deepest desires always struck me as serving the people of this nation."

Bevan became chief councillor in 1969

The Kitselas Treaty Information Source website says Bevan first served as chief councillor for the Kitselas First Nation in 1969. He was also band manager for decades — not just for the Kitselas, but for the Telegraph Creek and Kispiox First Nations as well.

Among his other contributions, Bevan co-created the Muks-Kum-Ol Housing Society for Indigenous housing in Terrace and served as president of the Kermode Friendship Society in the city. He also helped establish two legal libraries and service centres in northwest B.C. and was instrumental in starting Canada's First Nations Radio (CFNR), which broadcasts to communities and reserves throughout the central and northern parts of the province.

Bevan also participated as an Elder in Residence at the University of Northern British Columbia's Terrace campus.

A letter from the Prime Minister

Nationally, Bevan acted as a campaign co-chair for Fontaine, who was national chief from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2003 to 2009. As well, Bevan played a key role in the development of the First Nations Fiscal Management Act, and assisted with a review of land management policy through Canada's former Department of Indian Affairs.

In 1981, Bevan was part of discussions with then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau around changes to the Indian Act, which had been in place since 1876 and gave the federal government sweeping powers over First Nations identity, political structures, governance, cultural practices and education.

Before Bevan died, he received a signed letter from current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

According to Try, the letter said, in part, "Your work has been instrumental in the journey towards reconciliation, the embodiment of mutual understanding, and the advancement of Indigenous rights."

Try said Bevan "was very proud" of the letter, while describing his father-in-law as "a very quiet and humble man."

Since Bevan's passing, tributes have also come from other leaders and organizations.

In a social media post, Terrace Mayor Sean Bujtas wrote of Bevan: "I was fortunate enough to sit with him at the treaty table, where I saw the great respect the entire table had for Mel.

"His loss is a great loss to Kitselas, the Skeena region, and our country as a whole."

In a media release, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs called Bevan "a powerful voice" and said "his strength, resilience and advocacy will continue to live on in the many lives he touched."

Indigenous people want to stay Indigenous

On a personal front, Bevan was a lifelong teacher and learner and had thousands of books, "all of which he read," according to the obituary on the Kitselas Treaty Information Source website.

Bevan also wrote a book called Silent Voices: Rule by Policy on Canada's Indian Reserves, in which he detailed his lifetime of experiences in First Nations governance. The book was published in 2021, and the obituary says it "serves as a guide for those wanting to achieve more for their First Nations community."

In an interview with the Terrace Standard in 2020, Bevan said he learned through his work and travels that Indigenous people in Canada don't want to be assimilated into a colonial system.

"The most important thing to everybody, all across the country, is to stay who they are," he is quoted as saying. "The Haida, they don't want to be anything but Haida. The Nisga'a, they don't want to be anything but Nisga'a."

A memorial service for Bevan will be held on Monday in Terrace, with a funeral to follow on Tuesday.