Dakota Plains First Nation has undergone financial corruption for decades.

That's from residents of the community of Dakota Plains, who note an individual has rallied a minority of band members to resist their chief's position and to change the leadership in the community. But they claim it's to maintain the opportunity to allow people to continue to take advantage.

The reserve is still holding onto one of its last traditions of having a hereditary chief system in effect. Community members say former chief Orville Smoke was always a good-hearted leader but was taken advantage of by those who requested to assist in acquiring funding from various amounts of money that were available through opportunities such as grants. They note money would come in, and only a bare minimum of it was actually used for the purpose for which it was requested, and those involved in initiating the application kept the remainder.

Hereditary chief Don SmokeThe Dakota First Nation people have been without a treaty in Canada ever since our country's founding. As a result, Canadian governmental authorities and policing services have been unable to render influence and bring an end to the corruption that has plagued the small First Nation. Residents say the lack of accountability through the years has enabled this kind of dilemma and the chief is doing his best to stop it.

Although Smoke was placed as hereditary chief, meaning there is no electoral process involved, everyone is willing to have an election. However, they say, this major problem has to end first.

Back in the mid-90s, Don Smoke attended University of Lethbridge to take self-government courses in preparation to be leader of the community one day. 

Smoke inherited the position of chief after his father, Orville, passed on in October. Residents say it was at that time that a band meeting with the membership was held and the decision was made for an operational review to look at where they were at in terms of finances, and make budgets for the next couple of years.

They note they wanted an analysis of the several gaps in the community regarding the services that were provided.

They explain a select few took the stance that they didn't want to see that.

Residents said they felt it was an opposition to accountability and transparency. This led to the formation of a small group wh began submitting band council resolutions, naming themselves as a council. However, they explain that Indigenous Services Canada recognizes Smoke as hereditary chief, as well as the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Southern Chief's Organization, and AFN.

They say that didn't stop dissidents to get through to a bank where their accounts are frozen, leaving them unable to write a cheque without all three parties agreeing, including those causing opposition. This includes the latest series of social services cheques that were prepared by the chief and Matthew Smoke from the band office that were denied. Band members say those cheques were returned and designated NSF (non-sufficient funds). The community band office is also in debt amounting to $80,000 and unable to pay bills seeing as the dissident party has caused the bank to freeze their accounts and disabled them from paying bills.

Leslie Smoke is one of the elders of the community and founding member of the First Nation.

"I was born and raised here and I'm still here and now," says Smoke. "So, I'm very concerned about Dakota Plains. I wanted things to run the right way and this is what we're running up against. We want things done right, be honest above all what's going on. This is my concern over all the years that I can remember. The position of hereditary chief was handed down from my dad. And then handed down to another brother, and then from there, it shifted down to another brother. Now, it ended up over to my our chief Brother Don, my nephew."

Smoke says the community looks at his nephew as the chief and does not recognize anybody else. 

"It seemed like the finances were taken away from me," continues Smoke. "It wasn't that they'd ever showed me anything of what they did in the past. And I wanted to know this, and I wanted to know where all my life and finances are being taken. Where is it going? And then I look around to see what's come up with all these finances that come up, I don't have anything to show you that we got around here with all those finances that came in. There's got to be something somewhere. The finances came in, but it's hidden away from us. They don't want us to see our finances. Maybe their pockets are too big. Maybe that's what I see. So, what do I see around our little reservation? Nothing to prove them that they had done this for me and did that for the people here in Dakota Plains."

Matthew Smoke shares his thoughts of what's happening.

"I did work off-reserve for some time," says Smoke. "It was only due to the lack of jobs and whatever. In the past, the possibility of jobs has been there, except that a lot of the money has been that's come into the reserve has not made it to the people or even opened up any opportunities for employment or any other projects that could have gone forward. We should have been a lot further ahead from some of the bands that have prospered in our area with social development, for one, economic development. We've had a lot of opportunities. I've seen them come, and nothing's ever come of them. And I've always wondered what happened to them. The opportunity comes up and then we have a meeting, but then at the end of that, when you go back to find out what happened, it seems to have just dissipated. They say, 'Oh, it didn't work out,' or they give us all different accounts about of what happened -- even if we had a number or an amount of money that came in for something from many other groups that have been out there, there's nothing to show for it. A company called Enbridge was around. There were sums of money that were brought in by them, but we never saw any on the ground level for the people. So, stuff like that."

Smoke explains they haven't had any answers since a certain individual first came in 20-plus years ago. He says they noticed the misappropriation of funds. Smoke explains there was a lot of money that comes in through different programs. 

"It's always brought to the table, but it never comes down to the people," adds Smoke. "They would come up with different excuses as to why, or it fell through, or there were all kinds of excuses. So, people never really got to make anything or have any opportunities. It was always just kind of a day-by-day, thing. And so, when I came back from working off-reserve, I heard that Chief Don Smoke took over and I was sceptical of the whole thing. I didn't know where everything was and I've been away for so long -- like 10 years. Then I attended a few meetings to find out for myself. That way I'm not wandering and listening to rumours. I heard that he had 10 heads of the families, which I think was great to see. And having the original family members present as well -- Leslie Smoke and Ron Smoke. They originally founded the reserve. So, when the hereditary chief came in and came into play, I said that's good. That's perfect. We're moving on. But as soon as I heard that Don Smoke's name was there, I said, 'This is good.'"

He notes he then attended meetings to learn more.

"The first few meetings came up and I went and with them," adds Smoke. "By the second meeting, I said, 'Okay, this is good,' because he put the people first. He went through any ideas that were coming up -- the operational review, and the jobs, and everything -- we wanted the people involved. That's what we've always wanted. I saw my dad there, other members there, and I sat there taking it all in and I thought this is good. This is really going to move forward and that's what I liked about it. I saw how honesty and transparency came up. I thought, 'That's perfect,' because, unfortunately, not many a lot of reserves don't have that."

Smoke says the amounts of dollars can go on forever, including the last number of years, members have seen the numbers of how much money was planned to come through and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"I know those exist because I got those papers, myself, and I looked at them," adds Smoke. "This tells the truth of where things came in and didn't go. But we know where they went -- to certain people because there are names attached to these. So, that is something that was very alarming for a lot of the people to find out the actual numbers that came in, even in the past 20 months."