September 7, 2005 06:31 PM
August 10: The Deh Cho Region, Denendeh
“If we have our way? First of all, we own the land and Canada has to listen to us. Anybody in the world should feel lucky to have such partnership as with the Deh Cho.”
September 7, 2005 06:28 PM
August 10: Zhati Kóé (Fort Providence), Pehdzéh Ki (Wrigley) & Liidlii Kué (Fort Simpson) of the Deh Cho Region, Denendeh
Every community in Denendeh faces similar possible impacts of a proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, but some regions have specific concerns; Zhati Kóé (Fort Providence) is not on the actual route of the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project pipeline. What could happen to the community is not mitigated or lessened by the geography of the situation, however.
August 25, 2005 08:17 PM
August 8: Somba Ké (Yellowknife), Akaitcho Region, Denendeh.
This article is simply impressions: there was little to no actual “research” or interviews conducted in this writing of my feelings and reactions to Somba Ké/Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. With that disclaimer, here are some thoughts on Somba Ké, nestled on the north side of the Great Slave Lake.
August 25, 2005 08:07 PM
August 15: Reflections from The Valley
There are many places like this one, overlooking the village of Tulita & the Deh Cho (here in the Sahtu region) leading north downstream. The view encompasses such an expanse; The river goes off until it almost disappears into a dark outline of a mountain range. That range puts a dark dividing line, another outline of the peaks along the middle of a yet further range, one that appears from behind the first. This second range is much lighter to the eye from here, indicating that I am looking several hundred if not more miles in this direction.
July 18, 2005 03:39 AM
July 6: Tahltan Nation
The Stikine Canyon is one of the more beautiful places in the world of nature; the area is loaded with grizzlies, brown and black bears, moose, grouse, bighorn sheep, elk and every river is traditionally a run for salmon of many kinds. The north end of the Coast Mountain range runs through the whole of Tahltan Territory, very imposing and producing creek water that, to this day, is “potable” and so clean you can barely taste it. The reason that all of these things described remain true is the resistance of the Tahltan Nation to Canadian colonialism, successfully, in recent decades.
July 1, 2005 06:00 PM
June 30: Lax Kw'alaams
The village of Lax Kw’alaams, officially a reserve and still usually referred to as Port Simpson, is a short floatplane ride or ferry trip from Prince Rupert. This band of the Tsimshian Nation have settled here on and off for tens of thousands of years, living off of Pacific Ocean fishing—salmon (spring, pink, coho and sockeye), halibut and north up the coast, oolichan— along with some hunting, on the central west coast of what is today known as British Columbia. A visitor will notice immediately the large number of eagles, hawks and equally powerful crows everywhere along the water. They fly in and around the area called Rose Island where they nest, as majestic as they have ever been. The eagles and hawks may not be here much longer; their diet consists strongly of various fish—fish that have been nearly wiped out. This lack of fish threatens more than these birds; the whole Nation is threatened.
July 1, 2005 05:34 PM
June 24: St'at'imc Nation
Millions of people a year travel a couple of hours north of Vancouver to visit Whistler. Using an image of being nestled in pristine wilderness, ski slopes have shaved off the sides of the mountains, housing has sprawled throughout the forest and concrete has been poured throughout the area. While most animals have fled to safer grounds, when the village town for disposable incomes does contact wildlife, the outcome for the animals is often deadly, with many bears being “destroyed” annually after addiction to human waste sets in.
Further north on Highway 99, there is a valley visited by perhaps thousands of people a year; animals from grizzlies to wolverines continue to roam, wild berries and vegetables grow abundantly, life itself maintains dominance in the area. The St’at’imc Nation has lived with, off and as a part of this land and in an area from just north of what is now Vancouver to Lillooet, and east over the mountains to Harrison Hot Springs “from time out of mind”.
June 20, 2005 04:17 PM
June 18: Blackfoot Country
The way that “George” Sikappi Yellowhorn found out that he was going to begin attending Residential School was when his mother woke him up early one morning, just shy of his seventh birthday. After eating breakfast, Sikappi’s mother began to dress him up. He asked why, quite confused. He was told by his mother that she had received a letter from the Indian Agent informing her that her son was to go to school, or else the RCMP would seize him for the same. Every detail of the morning is spelled out when Sikappi tells the story.