The Wet'suwet'en Nation of northern British Columbia, Canada includes Hagwilget, Moricetown, Burns Lake, Smithers, Telkwa, Houston
The Wet'suwet'en Nation had initially joined with the Gitxsan Nation to form the Gitksan Carrier Tribal Council in response to the Wet'suwet'en and Gitksan Hereditary Chiefs seeking a declaration of ownership and jurisdiction over their traditional territories. A few years later the organization changed its name from the Gitksan Carrier Tribal Council to the Office of the Gitksan Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs to reflect the Wet'suwet'en Nation's distinctive role in the work that faced the respective nations.
In 1994 the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary chiefs decided to establish an office of their own and a site was selected in Moricetown. The initial Nation office was a small two room building that was the first health office for the village of Moricetown. In 1995 the office expanded into an office attached to the Moricetown Band Administration Office, an office which housed considerably more staff as the office grew. In the early winter of 1997 the entire Nation office was lost in a tragic fire; the oral history of our Elders, many community members which are no longer with us. Their oral histories and knowledge were recorded and stored on cassettes, as written translations and on videotapes. A significant amount of information was just recently catalogued in a newly developed library. This was all lost.
Since the fire in November the Nation office has situated for eight months in the village of Hagwilget. In July of 1998 our office relocated to Moricetown into a two story house.
From the beginning the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs' have endeavored to have the governments recognize our ownership and jurisdiction over our traditional territories. Our office has grown from a joint initiative with the Gitxsan Nation to our office with its own programs and employing 30-75 people (summer time being the highest employment opportunities). The Office of the Wet'suwet'en established the Wet'suwet'en Treaty Office Society for incorporation in 1985. The incorporation of the Society was needed in order to receive funding from various forms of government.
The Wet'suwet'en Nation of Northern British Columbia is 5000 Wet'suwet'en strong. The governance and social structure is based on the traditional Hereditary system. Wet'suwet'en families belong to five family groups or clans, they are Laksilyu - Small Frog, Gil_seyhu - Frog, Tsayu - Beaver, Gitdumden - Bear and Laksamishu - Fireweed. Each clan consists of members determined by matrilineal decent (mother's side). The five main clans further divide into Thirteen Houses, each House is responsible for their House Territory and their members.
The Wet'suwet'en Nation are from the linguistic Athapaskan family. Our territory surrounds the Bulkley River in the northern interior of British Columbia. The area includes the Wet'suwet'en communities of Hagwilget, Moricetown, Broman Lake, Burns Lake, Skin Tyee and Nee Tahi Buhn and the communities of Smithers, Telkwa, Houston and Burns Lake. Wet'suwet'en means "people of the lower hills".
Historical Background
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