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July 19th 2005
Telegraph
Elders,Tl’abānot’īn Clan and Iskut First Nations Block the passage of heavy
Industrial Equipment from entering the Sacred Headwaters:
Fortune Minerals plan to begin drilling for coal in the Kla-bon-a-tine
Sacred Headwaters Mount Klappan area hit a roadblock over the weekend.In a
display of growing Tahltan unity in opposition to failed leadership, the Iskut
First Nations, Telegraph Tahltan Elders and Tl’abānot’īn families put up a Blockade
at the junction of Hwy 37 and the Eulue Lake roadin northern British Columbia
on Saturday July 16, 2005. The Eulue lake road is the current access way into
the Mount Klappan Coalfields. Fortune Minerals was given notice that their
project infringed upon Tl’abānot’īn Aboriginal Title and Rights when the
company was granted tenure without honorable consultation with the family whose
traditional territory the tenure is located on. Fortune mineral to date has not
responded to the notice.
Oscar Dennis the spokesperson for the Tl’abānot’īn families states “The
Fortune Minerals project in the Tl’abāne area would directly impact our
traditional lifestyle, a lifestyle we’ve maintained for tens of thousand of
years and to date we continue to use this area on a regular basis. Matter of
fact a few of our campsites are set to be flooded with waste dumps. However, no
one will destroy our world without first consulting with us.”
The protesters felt that because of the breakdown in Tahltan leadership it
would be appropriate for Fortune Minerals to engage directly with the people
who would be mostly impacted by the proposed development.
On Monday July 18, Fortune Mineral’s Robin Goad met briefly to inform the
protesters that they will not engage with anyone other than the dully elected
Tahltan officials. However, the Iskut First Nations elected officials are
working with the protesters and some of the Iskut First Nations Council
supported and participated in the blockade.
“We told Mr. Goad that no exploration and drilling will take place without
the consent of our Elders and families. Fortune Minerals and the Crown made a
major mistake by agreeing to rights in our territory without engaging with us
first and we will maintain our Blockade until they begin to recognize our
Rights and Title to our territory” Says Oscar Dennis.
Fortune Minerals had plans to meet with Curtis Rattray of the Tahltan
Central Council, Jerry Asp of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation and
Victoria regulators on July 21, 2005 in the Klappan. The protesters
maintain that this will not take place!
A spokesperson for the Telegraph Elders asked Mr. Goad whether Fortune
minerals would respect Tahltan Elders Moratorium (Dena nenn Sogga neh‘ine)
imposed on February 25, 2005, which prohibited any further resource development
until certain conditions about governance, sustainability, shared
decision-making, and revenue sharing were dealt with; and his response was a
flat out “no they will not”
The Telegraph Elders have been very clear. No
further resource development is allowed in the Sacred Headwaters, until the
conditions in our moratorium are addressed and they insist they will do
whatever it takes to prevent their lands from being invaded and exploited. Only registered users can write comments.
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