For generations, Dakelh people effectively stewarded the land through the Keyoh system—family territories with clear jurisdiction and responsibilities. Canadian colonialism displaced this structure, replacing it with Crown control and a volume-based forestry regime that continues to exclude Keyoh from decisions impacting our own territory.
Nak’azdli Whut’en and Yinka Huwunline are actively rebuilding our jurisdiction. We are reclaiming authority, revitalising Dakelh law, and strengthening our Keyoh system.
Limitations of Today’s System
Nak’azdli territory is pressured by multiple licence holders, overlapping authorities, and fragmented responsibilities. Under the Province of B.C.’s current system:
- Companies receive timber volumes [link?], not a defined land base
- Operators harvest where it benefits them, with little responsibility for whole-landscape stewardship
- Responsibilities to wildlife, regeneration, and cumulative effects are split among many parties with differing priorities
- No single operator is accountable for long-term outcomes on the land
- The Government of British Columbia remains the final authority
These limitations have led to deteriorating ecosystems, vulnerable wildlife, and worsening predictability for everyone who depends on the land for sustenance and livelihood.
Rebuilding Jurisdiction
Yinka Huwunline is working to restore a sustainable governance system that protects the land, provides clarity for industry and neighbours, and ensures decisions are guided by the people who have stewarded this territory since time immemorial.
We support the Keyoh system, including developing processes for Keyoh representation, boundaries, benefit-sharing, and dispute resolution. These ongoing efforts support free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and honour commitments made in the 2025 Pathway Forward Agreement 3.0 [link].