Yellowknife: An Ethical Dilemma

On April 8, 1967 Joseph Drybones was found drunk on the floor of the lobby of a hotel in Yellowknife. On April 10, Drybones, speaking for himself without a lawyer, plead guilty to being an Indian who was drunk off a reserve and in breaking of section 94(b) of the Indian Act. Drybones was found guilty of this offence by Justice of the Peace Thompson. He was to pay a fine of $10 or face three days imprisonment. Drybones gave notice on April 27, 1967, that he was appealing the charge. In an action ahead of the Northwest Territories Territorial Court, Drybones’s counsel argued that Drybones did not understand English; therefore he did not understand the proceedings, making his guilty plea invalid and accountable to withdrawal. The motion was decided and the guilty plea was nulified by Drybones, the Court ordered a new trail. …show more content…
The crown also called on Joe Sangris as a witness, a past chief and leader of the Indian village at Yellowknife for 16 years. Sangris announced that he had been familiar with Drybones since his birth, and also with his wife and his father. Sangris also testified Drybones got treaty money once a year. A different crown witness involved David George Greyeyes, one time the regional director of Indian affairs. Greyeyes was the officer in charge of the preservation of Indian records. Greyeyes brought official records of Mr. Drybones, married to Madeline Crapeau and no children. Both Greyeyes and Sangris testified there were no Indian reserves in the Northwest