Justa Monk (1942-2018) was a leader of the Dakelh people of the central interior of British Columbia. He was known as a strong advocate for indigenous rights, for protection of the environment, especially fishery, and for the maintenance of his Carrier language. [1] [2] The first part of his life was documented in a full-length biography by Bridget Moran. [3]
Born the youngest of nine children on November 20, 1942, and raised in Tachie [4] , he grew up on the land and was a fluent speaker of the Carrier language. [5] He spoke only Carrier until he was 10 years old and started school at Lejac Residential School, where he was forbidden to speak his language. [6] He and his brother ran away from the abuse at Lejac when he was 14, in grade 7, during a tuberculosis outbreak. [7] [8] He worked in the forest industry for the next ten years. [4] In 1967, when he was 24, while drunk, he stabbed his brother John with a hunting knife, killing him, for which he served a prison sentence of two years less a day. [7] After further education in Dawson Creek he returned to Tachie where he worked for the band, Tl'azt'en Nation, in maintenance, [4] initially driving a snow plow. [6]
Monk eventually became band manager, the top staff position, and was then elected chief. He focused on bringing electricity and clean water to the village and on improving roads. [4] He was also instrumental in founding Tanizul Timber, a company owned by Tl'azt'en Nation, which obtained Tree Farm License 42, the first tree farm license owned by a First Nation. [9]
He was the founding chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, serving from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1990 to 1994. [5] In this role he pushed for self-government for indigenous people and for the closure of the Prince George office of the Department of Indian Affairs and for the reassignment of its budget to First Nations. [4] He played a major role in the ultimately successful opposition to the Kemano Completion Project, which would have further reduced the flow of water in the Nechako River. [10] [7]
He also served as co-chair of the Northwest Treaty Tribal Nations. [1] At the provincial level, he served two terms as co-chair of the First Nations Summit. [1]
He continued to serve his community until poor health intervened. He was elected Tl'azt'en Nation chief in December 2013 [11] and served until his resignation in 2017. [12]
Monk was married twice. With his first wife, Theresa Monk, he had five children: Sharon Monk, Bonita Monk, Darcy Monk, Justa Monk Jr., and Shania Monk. [6]
He died on March 14, 2018, in Tachie. [12] He was buried in Tachie on March 19, 2018. [13]