Our Story
Tŝilhqot’in people have always fought to protect our lands - we are part of the land, and the land is part of us.
In October 2014, Xeni Gwet’in and Yuneŝit’in Governments, together with Tŝilhqot’in National Government, announced our intention to establish Dasiqox.
This decision followed 25 years of legal action to gain recognition by the Crown of our Aboriginal title and rights and a nearly decade-long fight to protect Teẑtan Biny (Fish Lake) and Nabas from a proposed copper and gold mine.
Dasiqox is an Indigenous-led conservation areas for land, water and wildlife that also offer options for aligning and reconciling competing interests in the area. Nexwagwezʔan (it is there for us) is our vision for an area that allows us to protect the land and revitalize Indigenous culture, while also creating opportunities for sustainable economic development for both Tŝilhqot’in and the broader community.
We are developing an alternative vision for the management and governance of the land in this area that reflects the values of our people, who live from the land. Our vision is based on three foundational elements:
Currently, we are working to define, both for the Tŝilhqot’in and the broader community, our proposed management plan for the area. Developing a management approach through community engagement, for an Indigenous protected area in a region where there is no existing model, takes time.
In 2018, we released our community vision and goals for the park for public comment, and in 2019, we released a follow up report summarizing what we heard. We will continue to reach out to Tsilhqot’in communities, as well as local residents, businesses, ranchers, community organizations and local governments as this process continues.
We’re looking forward to sharing more of our plans with you in the months to come, so be sure to visit this site again for the latest updates.