Kitsumkalum
strong, proud part of the Tsimshian Nation
This declaration is made by the Elected and Hereditary Chiefs of Kitsumkalum on behalf of all Kitsumkalum.
KITSUMKALUM INDIAN BAND OF THE TSIMSHIAN NATION
ABORIGINAL TITLE AND RIGHTS
TO PRINCE RUPERT HARBOUR AND SURROUNDING COASTAL AREAS
This declaration is made by the Elected and Hereditary Chiefs of Kitsumkalum on behalf of all Kitsumkalum.
Kitsumkalum is a strong, proud part of the Tsimshian Nation. We take exception to attempts to deny us our rightful place within the Tsimshian Nation and to deny us our rightful place on the coast, with its sites and resources that are an integral part of who we are.
This denial is more than an attempt to separate us from our lands and resources, it is an assault on who we are as people. We are supposed to be moving forward with Canada and British Columbia in a spirit of recognition and reconciliation. Instead, we are met with denial and resistance.
In this declaration, we once again assert who we are and what is ours. We are a part of the Tsimshian Nation that exclusively occupied the Prince Rupert Harbour and surrounding coastal and inland areas as of 1846. Within that area, we hold exclusive ownership over and responsibility for specific sites in accordance with ayaawx, Tsimshian Law. We have aboriginal rights to fish, harvest, gather and engage in cultural and spiritual activities throughout the coastal part of our territory.
There is much at stake – in particular with a Liquefied Natural Gas (“LNG”) industry at our doorstep. It is only through recognition on the part of Canada and British Columbia of our rights and title and an acknowledgment of your legal obligations to consult meaningfully with us that we can move forward in a spirit of mutual respect and work to achieve results for our mutual benefit.