Updates from Wet'suwet'en Territory

03/02/22

Author:

First Nations leaders

The Struggle against the Coastal GasLink Pipeline and for Indigenous sovereignty on Wet'suwet'en territory continues despite the pressures from the RCMP and industry, and an ongoing pandemic.

Both the Unist'ot'en Village and Gidimt'en Checkpoint are seeking supporters who can come to the territory for weeks or months at a time in the coming months. The roads from the lower mainland to Wet'suwet'en territory have recently opened for travel after the disastrous flooding that took place in December.

Throughout the past year the Unist'ot'en Healing Center has been accepting clients and running culture camps for the Wet'suwet'en community. They are seeking supporters who can assist with day to day tasks like gathering and chopping wood, cooking and cleaning and other tasks to run the camp starting in mid February and into the spring and summer.

In that same time Gidimt'en Checkpoint has been the focal point of on the ground resistance to the Coastal GasLink pipeline. They are also seeking supporters who can spend at least a month on the territory in the coming months.

Info on traveling to the Unist'ot'en Village

Info on traveling to Gidimt'en Checkpoint

In the past weeks some excellent articles have been written on the struggle. They are shared below along with an upcoming online auction fundraiser, and recent and upcoming solidarity actions!

Artists Against Pipelines – Online Auction

This event is being organized by folks living in many territories including those of the Lekwungen, x m θk m (Musqueam) ʷ ə ʷəy̓ə , S w wú7mesh & Tsleil-Waututh ḵ x̱ , Tsawout, Quw’utsun, Penelakut & Hwlitsum, Stz’uminus, Snuneymuxw, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

THE AUCTION IS NOW OPEN AND ITEMS AN BE VIEWED HERE! Put your bid in the comments below the item you would like.

Resources are needed for expenses as the Wet'suwet'en continue their fight on the ground and in the courts. All funds from this fundraiser will go directly to Wet’suwet’en resistance - both Unist’ot’en and Gidimt’en (50/50 split)

Upcoming Action in Toronto

Callout from Gidm'ten Checkpoint Instagram:

xr.gta: Join Us in Solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en @yintah_access. We will be blocking an essential intersection in the City of Toronto.

Meet at 8AM at Bloor-Bedford Parkette near St. George TTC Station. Make it one less car on the road and TTC to St. George Station to meet us!

See you on the streets Feb 4th!

* If you turned on the event reminder notification and saw that it's an "online event" don't worry no option to change the setting... we're hitting the streets in person of course!

Recent solidarity actions at RBC banks and bank executives homes:

Recent Articles with Highlights and Descriptions from Gidmt'en Checkpoint Instagram:

We Are The Power: Canada's Indigenous Land Defenders Fight On

““Everybody sang songs and would take turns, even though it was hard to hear people talking - you had to lay down on the disgusting blood-covered floors to put your face right to the floor to talk underneath your cell doors to each other. Mostly it was the singing - we could hear it all down throughout the halls - that really lifted my spirits.”

Molly was released after five days but has to return to court in February, charged with violating a civil injunction. The fight is far from over, she says, and she is not giving up.

“This is my responsibility as a mother so that my kids can still drink out of that river [the Wedzin Kwa]. We live out here and they drink that water every day. So, it’s literally their health and wellbeing that I have to protect.”

Take Action:
- Host a solidarity rally or action in your area.
- Issue a solidarity statement from your organization or group. Email to: yintahaccess@gmail.com
- Pressure the government, banks, and investors. http://yintahaccess.com/take-action-1
- Donate. http://go.rallyup.com/wetsuwetenstrong
- Come to Camp. yintahaccess.com/
- Spread the word.

The Last of The Untamed: Wedzin Kwa and the Wet'suwet'en Fight to Save Her

New Article for @ricochet_en by @bmorinstories, photos by @photobracken .

“W Winding through mountainous wilderness in the heart of Wet’suwet’en territories is a glistening, sacred river. The Wet’suwet’en call it Wedzin Kwa — “the blue and green river” — and cherish it for its purity and healing powers.

This river system has been revered by the Wet’suwet’en since time immemorial. Ancient village sites around and along the Wedzin Kwa attest to the rich history and long connections the Wet’suwet’en have to this waterway. For millennia the clans of the Wet’suwet’en have depended on the river and the sustenance it provides — in particular, the different species of salmon that traverse this inland channel and its tributaries to spawn through most of the year.

“There’s one area you’ll walk through and you can feel the spirit from the water. You can feel it for probably just a second and then it’s gone. It’s just letting you know that it’s sacred.”

Full Article From the Tyee

In December, Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen released a letter to RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki asking her to review recent RCMP actions in his riding, including concerns raised “regarding force used by members of the RCMP during the enforcement action addressing protests.”

He didn’t specifically name the Wet’suwet’en conflict or related arrests on adjacent Gitxsan territory, but pointed to a “disturbing video in which two young residents in my constituency were arrested with undue force.”

Lucki’s response was equally nebulous, saying that, “officers will use as much force as is necessary to resolve the matter.”

The Struggle Continues!
-Unist'ot'en Solidarity Brigade

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Updates from Wet'suwet'en Territory