On September 30th I had the honour of being present in an incredibly powerful moment: the Klabona Keepers in alliance with the Secwepemc lit a estsu kun’desk’ak’e – grandmother’s fire – at the entrance of Imperial Metals Red Chris Mine to gather the Indigenous and settler communities to unite, and in one voice demand action. On August 4th, 2014, Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine unleashed billions of gallons of toxic wastewater into the deepest glacier fed lake in the world and into the river host to second largest salmon run in the world making it the biggest mining disaster in history. It is common knowledge that sudden and catastrophic failure is a consistent and major risk of all large tailings storage facilities using earthen dams. The bigger the dam, the higher the risk. The Imperial Metals’ Red Chris mines storage facility in Tahltan territory is much larger and uses the same structure and technology as the Mount Polley Mine and so it is not a question of if, but when the storage facility would breach. Furthermore, Imperial Metals refuses to clean up their mess, but rather invests millions of dollars into opening Red Chris, the inevitable destruction of yet another integral salmon-bearing watershed, the Stikine River of the Tahltan territory. The Tshilqotin decision has affirmed the collective title and jurisdiction of unceded and unsurrendered Indigenous Nations. The Klabona Keepers and the Secwepemc are exercising their natural law, and asserting their jurisdiction to regulate industry in their own Territories. Imperial Metals’ bottom line doesnt run their territories, they do. I’ve spent the last month bearing witness to exactly that as I lived with the elders and families. I can now say, with understanding of the significance, the Sacred Headwaters is the unceded home of the Klabona Keepers. They act upon an ancient responsibility to uphold their beliefs, customs, values, and laws for future generations and they have shown me that there is nothing in this world that can undermine that. For millennia, Klabona Keeper Elders have protected their homelands and way of life in the Tl’abāne area, and in particular over the last decade, from gas fracking, coal mining development, and resident hunting issues. “We can not be blinded by money. The land and water is the lifeblood of our Nation and we will not compromise it. We are doing this for our future generations.” Mary Quock, Klabona Keeper Elder. There is little relationship between the Klabona Keepers, the BC Government, and third party developers in a way that respects and works with their Aboriginal rights and title. Yet, they have kicked out the second largest company in the world, Dutch Shell, they have kicked out Fortune Minerals and their proposed 4000 hectare open pit anthracite coal mine, they have blockaded the over hunting of the Tl’abāne area several times, this September they were met by heavily armed RCMP after peacefully occupying a Firesteel-Blackhawk mining drill pad… And once again there is an attempt to undermine the sovereignty of this nation with a court injunction that only serves jurisdiction within a broader illegitimate system. The Klabona Keepers know their rights and they know they lawfully can gather at the road that leads into Red Chris mine as it is not Imperial Metals to exploit, but theirs to protect. For future generations, for salmon, for the Sacred Headwaters and for the animals that depend on it they have lit the grandmothers fire at the front of Red Chris, blockading Imperial Metals until they are shutdown – and I have no doubt in my mind that they’ll be successful in doing so.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 00:19:11 +0000
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