Dr. Bonnie Henry has been given a Gitxsan name.

In a ceremony conducted at Majagaleehl Gali Aks Elementary School (MGA) in Hazelton and attended by Dr. Henry via Zoom May 22, the province鈥檚 top doctor was named 鈥淕yatsit sa ap dii鈥檓鈥� meaning 鈥渙ne who is calm among us.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty apt description,鈥� said Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson, who also attended via Zoom and described the ceremony.

鈥淭hey had a number of teachers and hereditary chiefs in the gymnasium at MGA, and they were all self-distancing, and like is done in the feast hall, her name was called out three times to verify it by different people chosen to call her name.

鈥淪he seemed very, very touched. She spoke and thanked the Gitxsan, she was emotional for sure.鈥�

A number of other people also spoke, Donaldson said.

鈥淚t was really nice, it was an uplifting ceremony.鈥�

School District 82 acting school superintendent Janet Meyer also spoke, thanking Henry for her work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meyer said she appreciated Henry鈥檚 calm approach, noting that she has used some of Henry鈥檚 own words in her communications with school district staffers and families of students.

Donaldson, who has lived all his life in the Hazeltons, said while it is not uncommon for Gitxsan houses to adopt people based on family connections or skill sets needed within the house groups, this was a bigger occasion.

鈥淚鈥檇 say it happens infrequently enough that it鈥檚 still special,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚n this case, it was clear it was an all clans ceremony and just in recognition, people thanked her so much for her work and obviously her (Gitxsan) name certainly reflects that.鈥�

Black Press Media is also reaching out to Dr. Henry for a comment.

Henry came to daily prominence in B.C. after the coronavirus pandemic reached the province and has been lauded by other governments and the international media for her methodical and reassuring approach to the crisis.

She is largely credited with the success B.C. has had in flattening the curve of virus transmission and keeping the province鈥檚 number of infections and death rate relatively low.

Henry has been provincial health officer (PHO) since 2018. Prior to that she served as deputy PHO, executive director of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, coordinated Toronto鈥檚 response to SARS in 2003 and worked on the front lines of Uganda鈥檚 Ebola outbreak in 2001.