She found her passion in a political science class and it set her on a path to a legal career she loves, advocating for lands and title rights and carving out a path aspiring Indigenous lawyers can follow. Rosalie Yazzie is a Westbank First Nation member and practicing lawyer who works as general counsel for the Okanagan Nation Alliance. She is also Vice Chair of the BC First Nations Justice Council. A course she took on the constitution as an undergraduate where she wrote a paper on section 35 opened her eyes and sparked a desire in her to fight for lands and title rights.

When she first went to university, she tried a range of courses to see what appealed to her. She was looking for work as a young mother in her undergraduate studies and she decided to look into what it would take to get into law school on a whim. She applied to take the LSAT with her mom’s credit card, and bought an LSAT study book to prepare.

Yazzie went to UBC Law at a time when there was limited support for Indigenous students and ended up needing to take a break partway through. She worked for the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and was mentored by Grand Chief Stewart Phillip. After a couple years, she decided to return and finish her law degree and was called to the bar right after.

Being a good example to her son growing up was a strong motivator for Yazzie. Her great grandmother, Sophie Wilson, was a strong advocate for education. One of her grandmothers became a registered nurse and another had a master’s degree in social work. Her grandfather had a degree in native economic development. Her grandparents went back to school in their fifties, something that inspired to stick with her schooling when she was still young.

What made it possible for her to succeed in school was her parents taking care of her son while she studied. Yazzie didn’t need to worry about childcare and she was able to come up and visit him in the Okanagan on the weekends. This was in keeping with cultural practices, allowed her to pursue her dreams and her son was happy to be in his grandparents’ care.

These days, Yazzie’s work has her drafting documents, negotiating treaties, speaking at conferences, attending meetings, discussing provincial justice strategies and attending high profile events. Her days are long and she has to remind herself to take care of herself physically. She attends physical therapy due to a car accident as well.  

When it comes to inspiration, Yazzie looks to Grand Chief Stuart Philip, his incredible career and leadership. When she asked for the secret to his long career, he told her, “It's not enough to talk the talk. You have to walk the walk.” She understood then she had to lead by example, not living a party lifestyle and she’s been in recovery herself for seventeen years. Recovery was essential to her success in law school and in the legal profession due to all the stress.

Lately, Yazzie’s been inspired by the advocacy of the youth, something she didn’t see in her day, and how they are moving away from the intergenerational trauma her generation contended with. “Our parents and our grandparents weren't allowed to use our voices. They were beaten for it in residential school. As I see generations coming up after us, I love to hear of young people speaking their truths and being unapologetic for who they are,” she reflects. That’s why she’s passionate about supporting youth and young Indigenous women with mentorship and opportunities. Paying it forward keeps her going when times are tough.

Thinking of her hopes for the future, Yazzie hopes instead of seeing so many Indigenous people incarcerated to see more Indigenous people working in the criminal justice system as lawyers, judges, and sheriffs. She hopes to see more cultural safety in the legal system so people can speak to people who understand their issues and circumstances. She is encouraged by changes to the legal education system which is creating more opportunities for aspiring Indigenous lawyers and she hopes barriers for articling students will continue to be addressed. She also hopes to see continued progress around the recognition of First Nation title and rights in British Columbia.

Mentorship is something Yazzie strongly believes in and she wants to be an auntie for aspiring Indigenous law students. She suggests getting involved with youth, community organizations, and friendship centres. To find support, she also recommends speaking with friends’ parents, post secondary advisors, elders and residents, Chief and Council.

“There's no such thing as being perfectly balanced.”

To find more balance, Yazzie enjoys beadwork and making ribbon skirts. She learned how to bead from YouTube, though she comes from a long line of beaders. As she creates, she doesn’t strive for perfection, only to do something physical that is engaging her creativity.  Her advice to aspiring beadworkers is, “don't think about it too much. Just pick it up. It might not be perfect or whatever, but you get better with it.”

She used to love powwow dancing, explaining, “I feel closest to the creator on the dance floor, and I always have.” She got busy with school again, getting her MBA from SFU, so she hasn’t danced in a while. Otherwise, she likes to go to concerts, travelling to the American Southwest homelands of her Navajo husband.

In closing, her advice for Indigenous youth whatever they plan to pursue is, “Ask for help. Ask questions. Don't worry too much about what people think… Go find those aunties in your communities, or your uncles or those people that can help you. And success, I think, for Indigenous people, is largely collective in nature. We don't do things on our own. When we all work together, there's a larger opportunity for success to be part of that. That's one of the beautiful things about our communities is that we are inherently helpful people. We want to be involved. So where you are struggling, don't be afraid to ask for help.”

When Rosalie Yazzie found her passion in a political science class, it put her on a path to the legal career she loves. She spends her time advocating for lands and title rights and carving out a path aspiring Indigenous lawyers can follow, and setting an example for her son. Finding recovery helped her do what’s needed in a good way, helped along with mentorship she looks to pay forward every day.

Thank you to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article!