Lac La Ronge Indian Band elects first female chief

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Tammy Cook-Searson was sworn in as the Lac La Ronge Indian Band's first female chief on April 7, following a March 31 election. Now the 33-year-old mother, business owner, marathon runner and former band councillor is settling into her new role as leader of Saskatchewan's largest First Nation. She's replacing Harry Cook, who chose not to run again after spending 18 years as chief. The changeover has been smooth so far, even though becoming chief also means taking on the title of president of Kitsaki Management Limited Partnership, the band's development company.

"We have excellent staff here," Cook-Searson said. "I've had so much support from them, and it's making the transition from councillor to chief less overwhelming. But it's a lot more responsibility. I have to review everything on a more detailed basis."

She also credits her family with making the adjustment easier. "I have a very supportive, loving husband and in-laws who help look after the children."

A good response from band members has helped, too. "It's been really positive, probably because I've been a councillor for eight years and I keep in contact with people."

Keeping the lines of communication open must have worked. Cook-Searson beat out seven other candidates in the race for chief by a margin of 160 votes over her nearest challenger.

Cook-Searson is encouraged not only by her win, but also by the fact that 60 per cent of eligible voters participated in the election.

"I think it shows a healthy democratic process and that people are interested in what we're doing as a band. But I thought it would be a very close race, where someone would win by only one or two votes."

While Cook-Searson's election platform focused mainly on education, health and economic development, there was something else band members were passionate about when she visited them.

"In my campaign, one of the major issues people wanted to talk about was that we need to maintain our culture and language. Our culture is here. It's alive. It's well. We don't have to just study it in history books," she said.

Cook-Searson knows first-hand the benefits of staying connected to traditions. She was raised on her parents' trap line near Brabant Lake and says that her upbringing instilled a deep respect for the land and for the ways of her ancestors. She's fluent in Cree and is excited about the possibility of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band starting a Cree Immersion program. She'd also like to see the continuation of culture camps, where Elders and youth gather in a learning environment.

Cook-Searson is happy with the direction the band has taken with many past decisions, but she hopes that some fresh initiatives can be implemented as well.

"We have a very solid foundation as a band," she said. "But we also have to look at new ideas."

Rotating the regular council meetings throughout the six band communities is one suggestion she's made.

Even with all the work that lies ahead of her, Cook-Searson is optimistic that she'll be able to handle the daily pressures of her new role.

"You just have to stay committed. It's not an easy job, but every job gets challenging." It will get even trickier in a few months time. Shortly before nominations were held, Cook-Searson discovered that she was expecting. She was open about her pregnancy throughout the election. She's confident that she can be chief and the mother of a newborn at the same time, especially in light of the fact that the first time she was elected to council she had a two-month-old daughter.

"It'll be good," Cook-Searson said. "It helps to keep things in perspective."