Western treaty nations talked about possible protocols to preserve the herds they traditionally hunt, as one of the agenda items at a two-day summit in Prince Albert.
The group of chiefs and leaders from the three prairie provinces know it’s their inherent treaty right to hunt and trap, and certain provincial and federal limitations don’t apply on their traditional lands.
It’s important to plan and create their own rules to protect their way of life, said PAGC Vice-Chief Joseph Tsannie.
“The people that rely on these herds can work together and communicate for the future generations that there’s going to be enough caribou for the long term,” he said.
Tsannie said Dene people are nomadic when it comes to hunting animals like caribou, and last winter he needed to visit family in northern Manitoba to track the herd’s migration.
“It was a tough year for our people, for families. With the cost of food in the north, that’s another big issue. The cost of fuel for people to get some fuel to get on their snowmobiles to go hunt. Some of them are saying 16 to 17 hours snowmobile rides just to get to the herds. Usually only takes about an hour,” he said.
Because of that mobility, people from different territories need to be on the same page, he said. During discussions of the protocol, PAGC’s Leonard Hardlotte pointed out that modern snowmobiles have changed people’s reach when it comes to hunting.
Vice-Chief Tsannie says his people need to take their own steps to give longevity to their cultural practices, and to make sure people don’t abuse those rights.
“As people of the land, stewards of the land, we need to make sure that we have laws in our place. We have our own laws for our people and people understand these laws and regulations that we put forward,” he said.
With environmental factors like climate change to consider, Vice-Chief Tsannie said he understands why it’s important to respect the limited resource of caribou and moose.
The Natural Resources Treaty Agreements summit’s agenda included the signing of a memorandum that lays out protocol for hunting on indigenous lands.