From the
Peace River Valley we headed west, visiting the Circle (A) Ranch for an evening
before we continued towards another territory in resistance, for another river,
the Widzin Kwa. Back in 2013, the Brigid
Edition of the Earth First!
Journal graced the inner cover of the magazine with a full color photographic
poster of the biodiversity impacted by the Quimbo Hydroelectric Project in
Huila, Colombia. The same edition of the journal had the cover story of how the
Unist'ot'en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation had recuperated their
ancestral lands and through the Unist'ot'en Camp 
are protecting their territory
from the construction of a network of gas and oil pipelines all connected to both
the infamous Tar Sands of so called northern Alberta and the associated
fracking in Northeastern British Columbia that intend to reach Pacific Coast
ports to fulfill the demands of Asian markets.
The Tar
Sands of northern Alberta are considered to be the world´s third largest
petroleum deposit after those found in Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The Athabasca
River Valley, the territory that was sacrificed for industry, development, and
jobs, is now a place with no ground water, where there is no game to hunt or
fish to catch, and where the remains of pipeline spills and clouds of chemicals
cover the land and sky. Respiratory diseases and cancer are a constant amongst
the local inhabitants. The territory of the Dene and Cree First Nations peoples
that has been consumed by the voracious appetite of industry, growth, capitalist
progress, and development are a grim reminder of what awaits other communities
and ecosystems of peoples not capable of defending their territories from such
interests.
 |
| Found on www.zoeblunt.ca |
The Tar
Sands and all of its associated infrastructure projects such as the pipelines
and ports goes beyond just northern Alberta. The entire project would leave a
path of destruction throughout countless territories and has already more than
contributed its share to pushing the entire planet further into the current climate
crisis downplayed as, climate change.
Whether
PM Trudeau wishes to recognize it or not, the massive conflagration that
consumed much of the area around Fort McCay in early May 2016 has everything
to do with the global climate crisis and the role of the Tar Sands, both
regionally and globally in this industry created crisis.
 |
| Found on warriorpublications.wordpress.com |
The corporations vested in spreading the pipeline projects in the west include Chevron’s nearly
300-mile Pacific Trail natural gas pipeline, the 725-mile Northern Gateway
crude oil pipeline, and TransCanada’s +400-mile Coastal GasLink natural gas
pipeline. The Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline has led to deep tension
between industry and resistant First Nations clans like the Unist’ot’en.
Unique
within much of North America´s colonial history is that many First Nations
peoples of what is now known as British Columbia never formally had any diplomatic
relations with colonial governments, and for the most part have not signed any
treaties, making the whole of their territories unseceded land, such as is the
case of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation. While the Canadian State and the British
Crown have yet to decide if they will recognize over a hundred of First Nations’ land claims to
territories that have been under indigenous stewardship since time immemorial, like
the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, many are returning to their traditional
territories, and the log standing push for autonomy is gaining in momentum. 
Many First Nations peoples have been forced
to live in towns and reserves often far away from their traditional lands in
order to go work or school and land defense has been a means to change this.
Through processes of land defense such as the Unist'ot'en Camp, many First
Nations land defenders have had the opportunity to recuperate traditional
practices that for various reasons they were not been able to prior to the establishment
of camps based on cultural reclamation, such as to plant and harvest, hunt, fish,
trap, relearn traditional crafting
skills, and regain knowledge to live with the land again. Land defense for many
has essentially become a way to further decolonization.
With the
magnitude of the projects associated with the Tar Sands, and the threat posed from
both the companies and the state, through pipeline construction in unseeded and
autonomous territories, it should be of
no surprise that the amount of First Nations communities and clans establishing
territorial defense camps in response have increased.. These acts of
self-determination have not been without reaction. In the case of the Unist'ot'en
Camp, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RMCP), along with unmarked individuals,
have continually harassed, threatened, and attacked the camp, as well as people
traveling between the camp and neighbouring communities. 
Companies like Coastal GasLink and Pacific Trail continue to harass land defenders,
and is continually looking for new ways to enter a territory which they have no
claim to. Workers are dropped off by helicopter far from the camp in order to
advance the necessary referencing for the pipeline´s route. This has led to
land defenders having to split off from the main camp and spend shifts in the
forest on the lookout for these incursions.
Companies like Coastal GasLink and Pacific Trail continue to harass land defenders,
and is continually looking for new ways to enter a territory which they have no
claim to. Workers are dropped off by helicopter far from the camp in order to
advance the necessary referencing for the pipeline´s route. This has led to
land defenders having to split off from the main camp and spend shifts in the
forest on the lookout for these incursions. 
Since the Unist'ot'en
setup camp on the Widzin Kwa six years ago, the Gitdumden and Likhts'amisyu Clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation have also set up blockades against the
construction of pipelines. Neighboring the Wet’suwet’en, the Wilp (house) of
Luutkudziiwus of the Gitxsan Nation are resisting the construction of
TransCanada´s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission
Project (PRGT) by means of the Madii Lii camp. This
camp, like Unist’ot’en. has also fostered a return of many to the territory,
and practices of living with the land. Further south, near Vancouver, the Burnaby/Langley
– Kinder Morgan pipeline has had continued resistance from the Kwantlen Nation
and its supporters. 
On the coast near the city of Prince Rupert, the Malaysian company
Petronas seeks to create an LNG Gas Terminal where all the pipelines would
arrive to process and export the gas and oil by the Pacific Ocean. In the days
we were visiting the Unist'ot'en Camp, the Lax Kw'alaams Nations’ warriors
successfully defended Lelu Island by denying access to the territory to workers
responsible for initiating construction of the LNG terminal.
Land defense camps and blockades led by First Nations have not only been successful in
halting pipelines and Tar Sands related projects, but also in stopping bear hunts,
hotel developments, the creation of salmon farms, and logging. In many cases
the land defense camps have not only served as a time and space for elders to
share and transmit knowledge to the youth of their own territory, and to
decolonize relationships with the ancestral lands some may have grown distant with,
but also as a place where youth from other First Nations communities can come
as well to learn and to heal, as many have lost their own traditional
territories to the pollution and destruction of wildlife that these kinds of
projects cause. The land defense camps have become a place where diverse groups
of allies of all ages, backgrounds, interests and capacities convene in
supporting the construction of Native autonomy and self-determination. 
It was
under this context and time when we experienced the Unist’ot’en Camp. After passing
through the town of Houston, we turned onto a gravel road, and after driving
some hours we approached a bridge blockaded with signs, logs, and other
obstacles. Some distance away we pulled to the side before getting out of the
car and walking over to the bridge. As so many before us, and so many since, we
were asked “Name? Do we work for industry? What skills do we have to offer? How
long will we be there?” After radioing
in, we were given the okay to enter, and crossed the bridge by foot. Throughout
the landscape of the north and even on the gravel road we drove in on, seeing
large expanses of land clear cut of trees was common, though not here. 
The
forest was thick with layers of life that due to the season, being mere weeks
before the first snow fall, was preparing to enter into slumber.
The
forest was thick with layers of life that due to the season, being mere weeks
before the first snow fall, was preparing to enter into slumber.
Walking
throughout the camp it was incredible to witness what had been accomplished in
the past five years since its creation. There structures where people stay, a
healing center that also serves as a kitchen and a dining area, and gardens and
grow beds. Throughout the space we met a variety of people coming from
different places with different
experiences and backgrounds, who all shared the necessary values to find
themselves there contributing their droplet of water, and their grain of sand
for the defense of this territory. Because of limited time, we were not able to
visit further within the territory where a traditional pit house was in the process
of being erected. 
After
making our rounds through the camp, we met with Freda Huson. We shared about
our rivers, territories, and processes. And we asked for permission to exchange
gifts between
territories, and from other rivers in resistance. Freda explained how “The
waters of this river heal. In the warmer months people will enter into the cold
waters and as it flows over them it heals. You can drink this water right from
the river”. And it was healing. As the elements from the territory were
exchanged, we could feel the icy waters wakeup the entire body, even though it
was just our hands that were getting wet. That evening was spent in the Healing
Center where the Mesoamérica Resiste piece was presented, along with a
performance by hip hop artist Testament, and a presentation about the experiences
of Ríos Vivos, and anti-Canadian gold mining. 
The
following day we returned to Houston and at the Friendship Center, thanks to
the Unist'ot'en Camp
Solidarity House, a meal was shared, Mesoamérica Resiste was again presented
and Testament performed. From Houston we continued to Prince George where we
shared Mesoamérica Resiste and the experiences of Ríos Vivos and Polinizaciones
at the University of Northern British Columbia. After Prince George we
continued to the small mining town of Wells, and then on to Forest Grove for
performances by Testament and presentations of Mesoamérica Resiste.
As tour
life required being on the road for long hours each day and spending little
time in any one place, large amounts of time were available for reflection,
though this entry is being written nearly six months after the fact. Now,
months later, thinking of the role of land defense strategies such as the Unist'ot'en
Camp, and how it has also functioned as a place for people to decolonize, we
can’t help but naturally think of Asoquimbo´s land liberations in central Huila
in 2014, and the land blockades around the dam site that were erected so many
times between 2011 and 2014. 
Understanding the relationship between colonization
and the worsening of the global climate crisis, as well as the root causes,
such as the Tar Sands (where fires raged this year in northern Alberta), the
direct actions of land defense and Earth liberation against these dirty
projects, with camps like Unist’ot’en, or initiatives like Project Mesoamérica,
and IIRSA, are imperative if this planet´s current inhabitants, nonhuman and
human, are to stand a chance in the storm that is building.
Understanding the relationship between colonization
and the worsening of the global climate crisis, as well as the root causes,
such as the Tar Sands (where fires raged this year in northern Alberta), the
direct actions of land defense and Earth liberation against these dirty
projects, with camps like Unist’ot’en, or initiatives like Project Mesoamérica,
and IIRSA, are imperative if this planet´s current inhabitants, nonhuman and
human, are to stand a chance in the storm that is building.
For more information about or how to support the Unist’ot’en Camp please visit: http://unistotencamp.com/
 |
| Picture by Gidagaakoonz Mooz Ndootem |
