Grand Chief Bob Pasco's name was originally Poscah, nlha'kapamhhchEEn for hummingbird. Forbidden to speak his language at residential school, Grand Chief Pasco became a tireless protector of the language.
Chief Nathan Spinks was appointed Chair when the NNTC was first formed.
Grand Chief Bob Pasco, Chair of the NNTC for nearly four decades,
fought
tirelessly for the protection and advancement of Nlaka'pamux title and
rights - fighting for the language, the land and the fish. He will always be
remembered for stopping the train to protect the salmon, which resulted in
the longest standing injunction in the Commonwealth. Likewise, he will be
remembered for gaining recognition of the Nlaka'pamux in the USA. Grand
Chief Pasco continues to share his wisdom to guide the NNTC.
In 2020 Grand Chief Pasco's son, Chief Matt Pasco, became Chair of the
NNTC.
Chief Matt Pasco had worked with NNTC as Title Protector prior to becoming
the Tribal Chair. Chief Matt Pasco has been instrumental in furthering
Nlaka'pamux jurisdiction through the development of the Shared Decision
Making Model and has focussed on growing the "inescapable economic
component" of title.
Chief Matt Pasco is Chair of the NNTC. He has a diverse background: in addition to being father to Connor, Matt has worked with his own father as a rancher. He has competed in rodeos, sat on various boards and taught at NVIT.