An expert in Indigenous governance and business management shared his insights Friday into the ongoing pipeline dispute on the Wet’suet’en Nation in northern B.C.
The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs are protesting the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline through their land, and in recent days, rallies and railway blockades have taken place across the country in a show of solidarity.
“Their power comes from hereditary stories that have been passed down from the beginning of time,” said Don McIntyre, an assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge.
“And those stories are stories of how their clan, their family, must interact with the land.”
But not everyone on the B.C. nation is against the pipeline project, in fact, its tribal council supports it.
McIntyre said this type of divide is not unique to the Wet’suwet’en territory.
“Communities are saying, ‘I need a new car,’ and the same community is saying, ‘But I need to ensure that I continue to be who I am as an Indigenous person.'”
According to McIntyre, not enough questions are being asked about who within Indigenous communities should be consulted on projects like the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
“When you’re cherry-picking who you’re going to consult with, that’s where you run into this problem,” he said.
As for the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, McIntyre cautioned against anyone who would dismiss their view.
“To discount that voice is, I think, somewhat foolhardy if we are a country that actually identifies ourselves by how we associate ourselves with our land,” McIntyre said.
“At some point, the consultation has to be at that level — it has to be a consultation of Indigenous voices.”
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