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Urge Canada to recognize rights of Southeast Alaska Tribes
Southeast A.
started this petition to
Justin Trudeau, Gary Anandasangaree, Josie Osborne, Steven Guilbeault, David Eby
Salmon knows no borders
We have been living on and stewarding the Taku, Stikine and Unuk watersheds for tens of thousands of years. Regardless of the immense cultural significance these life-giving rivers hold for us, their headwaters region is where British Columbia is permitting major gold and copper mining development — without our free, prior and informed consent.
The Canadian government has denied us our sovereign right to care for these waterways in their entirety, from headwaters to saltwater, as our ancestors have done since time immemorial. We’ve been left out of the decision-making processes in matters that have direct impact on us. our traditional ways of life.
Decades ago, the Unuk River was glacier blue. I remember the ooligan fish coming in, their fluid, silvery forms filling the river. There were so many, it seemed as though you could cross the water upon their backs.
Today we are in a salmon crisis, and seeing an ooligan population that is barely holding on. Nothing in nature respects the international border. Salmon knows no boundaries. The rivers cannot be expected to thrive when divided, cut off from their origins.
By honoring the lessons passed down by our foremothers and drawing strength from our ancestors, we are standing up against the forces that have taken so much from us. As we challenge one of the most powerful industries in the world, we stand for true prosperity for both current and future generations.
Stand with us, a consortium of 15 sovereign Indigenous governments in Southeast Alaska, against Canada’s violation of our human rights. Sign the open letter to demand that the Canadian federal government and government of British Columbia recognize and respect our rights and engage in deep consultation with us on all projects upstream from us.
-Lee Wagner, assistant executive director, Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC); Tsimshian, Haida, and Łingít of the Niisk’iyaa Laxgibuu (wolf clan)
We have been living on and stewarding the Taku, Stikine and Unuk watersheds for tens of thousands of years. Regardless of the immense cultural significance these life-giving rivers hold for us, their headwaters region is where British Columbia is permitting major gold and copper mining development — without our free, prior and informed consent.
The Canadian government has denied us our sovereign right to care for these waterways in their entirety, from headwaters to saltwater, as our ancestors have done since time immemorial. We’ve been left out of the decision-making processes in matters that have direct impact on us. our traditional ways of life.
Decades ago, the Unuk River was glacier blue. I remember the ooligan fish coming in, their fluid, silvery forms filling the river. There were so many, it seemed as though you could cross the water upon their backs.
Today we are in a salmon crisis, and seeing an ooligan population that is barely holding on. Nothing in nature respects the international border. Salmon knows no boundaries. The rivers cannot be expected to thrive when divided, cut off from their origins.
By honoring the lessons passed down by our foremothers and drawing strength from our ancestors, we are standing up against the forces that have taken so much from us. As we challenge one of the most powerful industries in the world, we stand for true prosperity for both current and future generations.
Stand with us, a consortium of 15 sovereign Indigenous governments in Southeast Alaska, against Canada’s violation of our human rights. Sign the open letter to demand that the Canadian federal government and government of British Columbia recognize and respect our rights and engage in deep consultation with us on all projects upstream from us.
-Lee Wagner, assistant executive director, Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC); Tsimshian, Haida, and Łingít of the Niisk’iyaa Laxgibuu (wolf clan)
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