Indigenous Health Highlights

Date

Each week, the Indigenous Health department highlights good news stories from the North and from across the country.

Doig River First Nations celebrates new urban reserve

On June 21,2022, National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Doig River First Nation formally celebrated its plan to begin developing its new urban reserve, called Gat Tah Kwą, the name for Fort St. John by the people of the Doig River First Nation.

The new addition to reserve lands consists of three parcels of land covering nearly 21 acres in the city of Fort St. John and following approval from the federal government in April 2022, were officially added to Doig’s land base. The new lands are planned to integrate Doig River into the city’s economy.

“Doig spent more than 10 million dollars purchasing several parcels in and around Fort St. John in tandem with its treaty land entitlement claim with the federal government.”

One of Doig’s development priorities is Naache Commons comprised of eight acres of land across from the Margaret Ma Murray school in Fort St John. This will be a mixed hub that may consist of a gas station, office, and retail complexes as well as new apartments.

To read more about this historic event, visit the Alaska Highway News website.

Indigenous languages exhibit focuses on revitalization

A new exhibit is being hosted by the Fort St. John North Peace Museum until September 5, 2022 entitled, “Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices.”

The exhibit includes an interactive map that breaks down First Nations by traditional territory and the number of speakers in each distinct region of BC. There are also audio samples of the languages for visitors to listen to.

Indigenous languages and speakers have declined since 1890, due to the impacts of colonialism such as smallpox, which killed large numbers of indigenous people as well as residential schools that prohibited them from speaking their language.

“Many Indigenous languages have gone extinct or are considered ‘sleeping” due to the scarcity of speakers”, states Heather Sjoblom, Fort St. John museum curator. The hope is that the exhibit will assist in Indigenous languages being revitalized across BC.

Learn more and read the full story from the Alaska Highway News website.

‘Lheidli T’enneh release declaration affirming rights and title

Lheidli T’enneh First Nation (LTFN) made a public declaration on June 21,2022 affirming they are the Rights and Titleholders to their unceded territory.

In the Declaration, LTFN stated that as part of “the truth and reconciliation journey” the government and industry must follow the laws of the land of Canada, and there is a requirement that their rights and title “be properly and reasonably factored into the business calculus of natural resource development and extraction on their territory.”

The Declaration further states that unless all persons residing in, developing and extracting resources from their unceded territory have been provided prior and informed formal consent from Lheidli T’enneh, they are “engaged in an ongoing breach of their inherent and inalienable rights as Indigenous people.”

“Chief Logan said that it was important to make this declaration on National Indigenous People’s Day to help people understand Lheidli T’enneh First Nation’s history, culture and governance.”

To learn more and listen to the declaration visit the CKPGToday website.