Chief Clarence Louie doesn't mince words - ever. He speaks frankly on subjects that may make First Nations themselve uncomfortable. He often speaks at other FN communities with a message of pull up your own socks, stop blaming others and embrace your culture before you lose it.

He is chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band in south-central BC (just north of the Washington border) and has led his community on an enviable path of self-sufficiency and prosperity. Check out the long list of diverse businesses that the Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corporation under "Busineses" (hover your mouse cursor over the Businesses link). Not bad for a fairly small native band.

http://oibdc.ca/

I think the Talhtan have a comparable outlook. Their geographic isolation has just left them a few years behind. They realize that oportunities outside of low volume tourism (fish & hunting guides) are few and that the rich mineral wealth and hydro power within their traditional territories is the pathway to their own prosperity.