| Enter
Site
This page includes
Flash. |
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
office of the wet'suwet'en, wetsuweten, first nations, british columbia, bc,
canada, aboriginal, indian, treaty, treaty negotiations, land claims, native
land claims, hazelton, gitxsan, wetsuweten nation, canadian native, canada native,
delgam uukw, delgamuukw, delgamuk, delgamook, treaty negotiations, aboriginal
title, first nations title, self-government, native self government, wetsuweten
hereditary chiefs,Hagwilget, Moricetown, Burns Lake, Smithers, Telkwa, Houston,
Broman Lake, Skin Tyee, Nee Tahi Buhngisday wa, inuk nu'at'en, British Columbia
Treaty Commission, BCTC, first nations culture, native culture, hereditary chiefs,
clans, Gilseyhu, Laksilyu, Gitdumden, Laksamashu,Tsayu, witsuwiten