b'COMMUNITY & LEADERSHIPCredit: Willow Fiddler.A Commitment toBy Bryan HansenCULTURAL IDENTITYQ&A with Chief Michele Solomon of Fort William First NationIn June 2023, a transformative figure emerged within Fort Williamunderstanding of the social issues in the First Nation as Michele Solomon assumed the role of Chief.communitynot just my community, Having previously served as a Councillor for the First Nation, shebut many communities across Canada. brings a wealth of experience and a vision for positive changeHaving that understanding of not only the social issues, but how our colonial to her new role. One element on her agenda is the exploration ofexperience has contributed to where we renaming the community to honour its traditional roots, reflectingare at sitting. Understanding the intergen-her unwavering dedication to preserving and revitalizing theerational trauma experiences that people cultural heritage of her community. have and how those have factored in.What have been your biggest What inspired you to runhealth, addictions and communityaccomplishments so far? forChief?development, I felt I had some goodWhile I havent been Chief that long yet, I think the biggest inspiration wasskills to bring to the role. I would say receiving positive feedback the eight years that I was part of thefrom members of the community. Council. During that time, I supported aHow did your previousTheres always something to critique, lot of the work of the Chief and certainlyroles prepare you for yourthere are a lot of issues to deal with, but had some understanding of what thecurrentone?the support from the community is a role entails. I would also say [thatI think how my previous roles haverewarding feeling, knowing that people with] my experience working in mentalcontributed to this role is through myfeel heard, people feel understood and 28 INDIGENOUS INNOVATORS, ICONS & INFLUENCERS |ISSUE 1, 2023'