Creekstone Press Author
Alfred Joseph
Born in the Witsuwit'en village of Hagwilget in 1927, Alfred was a member of Këyikh Winïts (House in the Middle of Many) in the Gitimd'en Clan. He spent his early years on his house territory south of Houston, BC and much of his later childhood in Hagwilget and on the family's territories. After four years at LeJac Residential School, he spent several years travelling and working in BC, Alberta and the Yukon before returning to Hagwilget where he married and raised five children. In 1974, he was chosen to take the chief's name Gisdewe. Grounded in the wisdom of his elders, Gisdewe Alfred Joseph wove respect, kindness and courage into his years of service to the Witsuwit’en people. As an artist, teacher, chief band councilor, house chief and lead plaintiff in Delgamuukw-Gisday Wa v. BC – one of the most important Aboriginal title cases in Canada – Alfred relied on the lessons he learned as a boy to deal with a pervasive colonial reality. In 2009, he was granted an honorary doctorate from UNBC. Alfred, who worked with Ross Hoffman for eight years on the manuscript for Song of the Earth, died in 2014.
Creekstone titles by Alfred Joseph