wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 37
b) The Heiltsuk |
CANADA
04
TEMPERATE FORESTS
The Heiltsuk First Nation are a proud people with a rich history and culture, which over 11,000 years has been woven into
what is now British Columbia in western Canada. The lands of the Heiltsuk First Nation cover over 3.5 million hectares,
extending from the southern tip of Calvert Island, up Dean and Burke Channels as far as Kimsquit and the head of Dean Inlet
to the northeast, and up the Mathieson and Finlayson Channels to the north. The territory is part of the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the largest tracts of unspoiled temperate rainforests in the world. Its streams and rivers along the British Columbia
coast sustain 20 percent of the world's wild salmon and more than 400 species of fish. The coast is home to three of British
Columbia’s five major herring populations—88 percent of spawning rivers for eulachon. Hundreds of watersheds in the
region provide critical spawning habitat for approximately 58 percent of all anadromous salmon populations. In addition,
over 100 species of marine birds and over 25 species of dolphins, porpoises, pinnipeds, and whales are found in the area.
The Heiltsuk practice a system of governance based on their ǧviḷás (customary laws), which have been upheld to this day by
their Hereditary Chiefs since time immemorial. The Haíɫzaqv governing body comprises of an elected Chief & Council, who
make decisions in collaboration with the Yíṃás (Hereditary Chiefs). For the past decade, the Haíɫzaqv, along with other
coastal First Nations, have strengthened the connections between community, environment, and economy. The people
remain steadfast in their conviction that the environment should not be sacrificed to build a healthy coastal economy. The
Haíɫzaqv have led the way in Land and Marine Use Planning, which is integral for the nation in asserting their rights and
community values on developments within Haíɫzaqv ancestral territory. In 1999, the Hereditary Chief directed the people
to build an organization focused on creating opportunities for Heiltsuk youth and families to learn on the land and from the
land. This order led to the establishment of the Qqs Project Society. For the past 20 years, the society has strived to create
and nurture projects, programs, and collaborations that meet community-identified needs and uplift community-rooted
strengths and leadership. These activities are believed to be the path to a vibrant and resilient future for the people. The Qqs
work benefits from decades and recent political and programmatic leadership, and millennia of strength and values have
always been at the heart of Heiltsuk identity.
As part of a reclamation process, the people released the Heiltsuk Constitution. In an address, Chief Marilyn Slett said, "The
Constitution, for me, is a reclamation of our Heiltsuk governance. It's an exercise of decolonization: putting out there for the
world our Heiltsuk laws and Constitution." The Constitution defines Heiltsuk principles, morals, values, responsibilities, and
governance. It is described as a living document that includes Heiltsuk creation stories, homeland maps, membership rights,
freedoms and responsibilities, lawmaking authorities, government structure and process, financial law, code of conduct,
amendment process, and ǧviḷás – customary law. Community members describe the passing of the Constitution as a way to
make concrete and permanent Heiltsuk jurisdiction over land and resources, along with all aspects of the Heiltsuk world. In
addition, the Constitution puts into writing an inherited legacy of over 14,000 years of oral tradition and stewardship
practices.
Heiltsuk
NATION
ANNEXES
|
T E M P E R AT E F O R E S T S
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