Approximately 15 protesters gathered in the parking lot of the Ta'an Kwach'an Council office on Industrial Road Friday morning to again denounce acting Chief Ruth Massie and demand a forensic audit to determine how the first nation's money has been spent.

'She is running a dictatorship,' says Bonnie Harpe, who had run against Massie for chief in 2003 but lost by two votes. Harpe is now embroiled in a legal dispute challenging the appointment of Massie as chief by the first nation's elders' council after the election was pronounced invalid.

Harpe challenged the appointment in Yukon Supreme Court but Justice Ron Veale upheld the right of the elders to appoint Massie as interim leader while awaiting an election. Harpe is now appealing that decision.

Protesters circled the parking lot shouting slogans like 'Our money is not for lawyers,' and 'Our kids have no future,' referring to large legal bills associated with the dispute between Harpe and Massie.

'No questions we asked have ever been answered, ever, and we want some accountability,' said Harpe. 'We want to know where our children's land claims dollars are going, because right now the only thing we see is it's going off to pay consultants and lawyers.

'Our citizens have just had enough, we've had no voice after Chief Massie became chief in 2004, we're tired of it, of not having a say in our government,' Harpe said.

'The people speaking up for the injustices that are occurring are outcasts and a majority of those people are the true traditional Ta'an people.'

'As of April 12, we've had no quorum at our board and we don't know how our first nation is conducting business with no quorum,' added Harpe.

She said she has filed seven complaints in the last two weeks to the first nation's judicial council. That council is designed to settle internal disputes and avoid costly legal battles.

Harpe says the current leadership has 30 days to respond to those complaints, and then the council can either call a hearing or pronounce a judgment.

Staff at the Ta'an offices said the acting chief would not be commenting.

The major issue the protesters were interested in on Friday was how the first nation's money is being spent.

'This is the one thing that's really important,' said Harpe, as protesters shouted, 'We want a forensic audit!' in the background.

'We've been calling for one since 2003,' said Harpe.

'We don't even know how much of our land claims dollars is left, what it's been spent on, no idea.'

Harpe said Massie has refused to get a forensic audit at this time due to huge expected costs.

'If we did get one, we would want one by an Outside firm, someone that has no ties to our first nation whatsoever,' said Harpe.

Elder Hazel Bunbury also attended the protest and read a brief statement to media.

'The leadership should not hire lawyers against their people and force our people to go to court,' she read.

'They should do the right thing and hold a GA (general assembly) and find out what everyone's concerns are.'

'We should have a byelection for deputy chief. We don't have a deputy chief now; that means when the acting chief goes away she can appoint anyone from the board of directors as acting chief in her stead.'

Bunbury is also concerned about the traditions of the Ta'an people.

'Do the leadership know where our traditional burial and cremation grounds are? Or ancient hunting areas?

'Our language and culture is dying. The elders on our council cannot teach it because none of them can speak it. The don't practise our tradition.'

'The people in the hiring divisions don't know the language culture or history. They will hire people from other communities who speak a different dialect and practise slightly different traditions.'

'The Ta'an dialect is unique. In hiring people from different communities who speak a different dialect, they are robbing our children of a chance to learn the true language of Ta'an.'

The RCMP received a complaint Friday regarding how the acting chief's car was scraped extensively, presumably by a key. The vandalism occurred between noon and 3:46 p.m., while Massie and other Yukon chiefs were meeting at the Yukon Inn with Premier Dennis Fentie.

Demonstrators also held a protest at the inn Friday afternoon.