Nishnawbe Aski Nation leadership simply has no idea who the chief of Hornepayne First Nations is.
This week about 45 members of that community began occupying NAN’s Fort William First Nations office. Their purpose for the occupation seemed simple on the surface – they wanted NAN to recognize the community’s election results.
Those results elected Ron Kocsis as chief, who was among the protesters occupying the local NAN offices.
“They totally disregarded (the election),” Kocsis said of more than a dozen letters to NAN, including a petition with more than 100 signatures.
In most cases dozens of letters, a petition and legitimate election results would make the identity of a community’s chief clear. But Hornepayne First Nations isn’t most cases.
While the community is recognized by NAN, it is unique in that it does not have actual band status or land. So depending on who you ask, Hornepayne First Nation’s recent election was an attempt to rescue the community from oppression, or was a case of an outsider trying to take advantage of people in a unique situation.
Kocsis champions the former description. Laura Mederois does not.
Since 2001 Mederois has been the leader and while listed as chief in the past, there is no actual land, most members living in the town of Hornepayne.
"I'm president of an incorporation," she said, explaining her unique status in a unique community.
The members have been fighting, researching and arguing for more than a century to get land and band status, work that Mederois said she'd been continuing until last July. That's when an election was called and a new chief, Ron Kocsis was elected.
And that is where NAN comes in, unsure of who is actually chief of a community called Hornepayne First Nations.
In a letter to both Kocsis and Mederois dated Feb. 3, NAN representatives said it respects the primacy of every First Nation. Hornepayne has two people claiming to be chief and until the community settles the matter, it can't be registered as a NAN member for voting or other purposes.
"We do not know who the chief is," the letter states. "NAN cannot recognize a Hornepayne Chief until the leadership dispute has been resolved, whether by a final court order or a written settlement agreement."
Kocsis believes NAN is disrespecting the wishes of Hornepayne members, who will occupy NAN's office as long as it takes until the organization meets with them.
Elders and other members, including a 90-year-old woman, slept in the office overnight.
Mederois said Kocsis, who is from Saskatoon, is taking advantage of her people and elders especially should not have been bused to Thunder Bay. She said she understands why NAN wants to stay out of the dispute.
"I don't blame them either. That guy's fighting everybody," she said.
Kocsis was the founder of Kocsis Transport and a former Saskatoon mayoral candidate. He also started the Muskeg Lake Watchdog, an online forum, after his economic development plans were denied by the Saskatchewan Cree Nation's council.
Mederois said members of Hornepayne think he's rich and that he'll help the community but he's only taking advantage of them.
"I'm ashamed of those people. They're so stupid to listen to that guy," she said.
In a media release NAN Grand Chief Harvey Yesno said he's doesn't agree with Kocsis' disruptive tactics and that NAN's executive council offered to meet with him Wednesday. Kocsis said the group wants to meet at NAN's office, not a local hotel.
"NAN staff have been intimidated and work processes have been effected by the occupation," Yesno said.
Yesno said NAN has made helping find a resolution a top priority.
Elder Rosabell Goulet said Friday that the group wants to meet with NAN to get the organization to explain why it won't recognize the community's July 2014 election results.
"All we need is answers," she said. "That's why we came here."
"We didn't want to come here and sleep on the floor."
Alice Donnie, a former chief for the community agreed.
"If they would've met with us we would've been gone all these elders would be home in their warm houses," she said.
"They should've come and respected the elders."
