First Nations in B.C. forge alliances over shared environmental concerns – National Observer

August 8th 2024

Unity is hard to come by in an increasingly polarized world — except in Prince Rupert, B.C., where hereditary chiefs, leaders and supporters recently gathered to build alliances among Indigenous land defenders. Tsimshian, Wet’suwet’en, Gitxsan, Haida and Tlingit standing, learning, singing, laughing and working together.

Host Tsimshian Simoyget (Gitwilgyoots) Donny Welsley is clear about their interconnectedness. “What happens with John Risdale (Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief Na’Moks) happens to Donnie Wesley,” he said. “If something bad happens to their part of the river up there it happens to us.” It is this shared fight to protect the land, air, and water against extractive industries that brings them together.

Read More: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/08/08/opinion/first-nations-bc-forge-alliances-shared-environmental-concerns