In Loving Memory
Tłatłatlawis
George Cecil Cook
Sunrise: July 17, 1927
Sunset: October 27, 2022
George descended from noble lines that reached back to several Kwakwaka’wakw tribes, the Komoks, Northern Vancouver Island and the Mowachaht of Friendly Cove. Proud of his lineage, George built cultural connections and maintained life-long friendships with his cultural family.
George stepped into his political and community leadership by becoming the Chief Councillor of the Namgis in 1969. George was known for his thoughtfulness, humility, and kindness. His leadership was also valued by many with his various roles on several not-for-profit boards. George sat on the Board of Directors of M’akola Housing Society and M’akola Development Services for over 30 years.
George was involved in the Friendship Centre Movement for over 30 years. He was elected President of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) for nine consecutive years. And in 1989, George became the first Vice-President of the BCAAFC. Following his term as BCAAFC Vice-President, George became a founding member of the BCAAFC Elders Council.
On December 18, 1954, George married his wife, Ruth. As a couple, they worked to model truthfulness, humility, grace, and service. Dedicated to decolonizing the effects of residential schools and other colonial policies, George and Ruth Cook were tireless in pursuing happiness for themselves and their family. How George carried himself in the community was a testament to the commitment, work, the healing he did for himself. This kind of courage was mentored and welcomed by many.
It touched George’s heart when the younger generation took the time to visit and to tap into his extensive knowledge of our land, waters, and politics. He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, a man who crossed over many generations and eras of development. He was worried about the salmon and the lack of water for them to return to the rivers to spawn, ironically the day after his passing we received a massive rainfall providing water to our rivers.
Knowing of George’s love for the land and water and how he adored sharing his knowledge with the younger generation, M’akola would like to honour George’s warrior spirit by offering a bursary to students enrolled in or those who have been accepted into studies of Environmental Sustainability with a credible post-secondary institution in B.C.
We would also like to share the following: Being a planner, George prepared a biography for his family to share. In the words of Tłatłatlawis:
Born in Alert Bay in 1929 at home in the Cook house. My mother (Nellie Cook) and I were taken by seine boat to St. George’s Hospital after my birth as there was no road then just a trail. I attended the Day School at the Council Hall until I was pulled from school to work in the Cook General Store. Papa Cook (Stephen Cook) had the Cook house built up the hill and when I was a child many family, extended family and community members came to live at the house for various reasons, ie. Schooling, loss of a parent, preparing to get own home, medical.
Granny (Jane Cook) and Papa Cook taught me about everyday life and the importance of caring for people. To reach out to people in need because I saw them help out whenever they were needed. I was taught everyone is equal and that’s what I did with all my crew members treated them the same. Papa taught me responsibility by having me work as storekeeper to learn to deal with money and how to treat people right. Granny Cook taught me to be involved with community and to speak your truth, speak what you think is right. I saw through example my grandparents being good hosts by the amount of people that came through the Cook house over the years and learned to approach everything with an open mind and heart. This is what I saw growing up.
I started fishing with my father (Reginald Cook) at age 12. He taught me all I knew about being an engineer on the Winnifred C. I also fished with my Uncle Chris, Herbert and Gilbert Cook. I became a skipper of my first boat, the Qualicum L. at the age of 26, and then skippered the Cape Mudge, Cape Knox and Cape Henry. The first boat I owned was the Winnifred C. After over thirty years of fishing, I sold the Winnifred C. to the Canadian Fish Company and I retired from fishing. Some of my favourite fishing memories are travelling with Ruth close to Alaska on the Cape Henry watching the twilight cause it never really got dark there. I enjoyed visiting the village along the way. I enjoyed making big sets when the fish was really plentiful. I miss crab fishing, seaweed picking, clam digging and trolling for blue back fish around Easter time at Burnett Pass. I remember one tough winter Ruth and I had to dig clams to survive and clams were sold for 75 cents a box. Seaweed/clams/deer/ducks/sockeye/pinks/dog salmon. We used to like to smoke the pinks and dog salmon. We picked huckle berries and sprouts. Sprouts were a meal in itself that we would dip in grease. Granny Cook would come in the house with an arm full of sprouts that she had picked. We jigged for red snapper and ling cod. We made our own fishing line with lead for jigging. We would melt down the lead and then as it was cooling we would stick a hook in the lead and then that became our jigger. Back in those days we didn’t need a permit to harvest our own traditional food. The traditional harvest was plentiful and we always shared it with family and friends.
I was 15 when I started playing soccer with the Cormorants. I played with the Cormorants until I went to the TB Hospital in 1956 for 18 months in Nanaimo. I had one lung removed in the hospital which sadly ended my soccer career early. I missed the great tribal rivalry (rivalry in a good way) between Kingcome and the Cormorants when I had to leave the game early.
In 1969, when I was elected the ‘Namgis Chief Counsellor, the White Paper came out. I toured the west coast of Vancouver Island with the late Dave Dawson talking against the White Paper policy and the possible devastation to our communities it could have caused. I was at the formation ceremony in Kamloops of 194 Chiefs when they formed the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. I was a member of the Native Brotherhood and canvassed membership in our village. I remember my dad being part of the Native Brotherhood negotiations for fish prices.
