Gift of indigenous map shows place names

PALMER — Having just watched students perform a traditional welcome dance at the Mat-Su Borough building, mayor Larry DeVilbiss turned to one of his guests, Chickaloon Traditional Council Chief Gary Harrison.

“I should be welcoming you,” the mayor said.

“No, I believe we were here first,” Harrison replied during a ceremony Tuesday.

The chief and the mayor were on the top floor of the borough building. Members of the Traditional Council and students from the Ya Ne Dah Ah School sang and danced as part of a gifting ceremony.

The gift? A map of the Mat-Su Borough, labeled with indigenous place names.

Harrison said that the meeting was important for the council.

“Because you are the leader of the non-indigenous people that came to our lands we should let you know how we feel,” the chief said.

He gave the mayor a warrior’s necklace and used it as a metaphor.

“A lot of this area here has been ours to take care of,” Harrison said. “We’re supposed to take care of it for at least seven generations. If not, we end up like this bead here, a little bit messed up.”

DeVilbiss said he agreed with that sentiment.

“I share and agree with the sentiment that we are all stewards,” the mayor said. “We’re all stewards and we’re all charged with taking care of the land.”

The traditional council and the mayor have lately been on opposite sides of one of the more controversial topics in the borough — several potential coal mines near Chickaloon. DeVilbiss is staunchly in favor, while Harrison and many in his community are strongly opposed.

“What we should do is look at what we can do together,” he said.

For instance, the borough and the traditional council seem to be in agreement on the idea of an in-state natural gas pipeline and even agree that the pipe should go to Port MacKenzie.

“That’ something we can work together on,” Harrison said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.