Defenders of indigenous lands at COP15
Nii Lax Aks, also called Denzel Sutherland-Wilson, is Gitxsan. He was part of the group of indigenous youth from the West Coast who attended the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), which took place from December 7 to 19, 2022 in Montreal.
These young people went to testify about their actions in favor of the reoccupation of territories and how indigenous sovereignty protects biodiversity. In preparation for this trip, Nii Lax Aks prepared by collecting cedar trees in the forest to make fumigation sticks. Aya Clappis, who is of Somali origin and Huu-ay-aht, was also part of the group as a panelist. “I am here because where I come from, land and water are under threat from industry and governments,” says Aya.
The final COP15 agreement includes a goal of protecting 30% of the world's land, water and marine areas by 2030. This is the objective that scientists campaigned for and is the minimum threshold for halting the loss of global biodiversity and protecting Earth's capacity to harbor complex lives. “When governments talk about keep 30% of the land, in reality, they are giving themselves permission to continue using the rest,” Nii Lax Aks believes instead.
A sharing
Listening to these young land defenders, you need to understand the meaning they give to the word “land.” Nii Lax Aks, who is Gitxsan, is more likely to use the word” Lax'yip”. Lax'yip does not refer to something that an individual can own. “It is something that is shared between all of us, including with other species and with those who come before us and after us,” he explains. This is very different from the capitalist vision, which holds that the earth is an inanimate object that humans must control.
At the same time, biodiversity is considered to be an inseparable aspect of life, and of ourselves, as Willo Prince, who is Nak'azdli Whut'en, points out. “We cannot talk about it as if we were separate from it, because it is in this separation and this distinction that all these problems lie. Colonization lies in this separation, capitalism is located in this distinction,” says Willo.
In the process of assimilation, Nii Lax Aks denounces “the erasure of our own governance and philosophies.” “There are a lot of indigenous leaders who also believe that land should be controlled and exploited,” he adds. This belief leads to the idea that resources must be extracted, exploited, for our presence or our relationship with the earth to be valid. This conception of things played a central role in the case. Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, which occurred 25 years ago. “The decision rendered in this case only half recognized our belonging to our Lax'yip, not how the industry operates on Earth,” recalls Nii Lax Aks.
The young man thinks of his grandfather, who selectively harvested trees using horses. Today, as he walks through the forest, he sees the mossy stumps that are still there, in the middle of a beautiful, healthy and diverse forest, where his ancestors exploited trees for thousands of years.
The truth
Land defenders were invited to participate in the discussions during COP15. But what is the scope of this participation?
“Our inclusion has been limited,” says Nii Lax Aks. He mentions rooms with a capacity of 25 to 30 people. “We were given half the time and half the capacity of the others. Meanwhile, everyone is saying that we need Indigenous leadership, Indigenous knowledge, and Indigenous solutions to these problems.”
Willo Prince agrees: “It's true. But that's not the whole truth. We cannot content ourselves with having our world views and lessons taken from us without this being accompanied by an end to colonial violence on our land. It's just another form of extraction. It is another form of bleaching. It's another form of erasure.”
For Willo, it is imperative to address the following themes: “Colonial violence and the indigenous worldview in the fight against climate change.” Otherwise, there will be consequences, continues Willo: “The governments of this federal state may avoid accountability.”
“Think for a moment about what forests would look like today if mutual relationships guided exploitation. The ability of Indigenous nations to manage their forests well has been hampered by Canada, which is actively trying to destroy Indigenous thought and spirituality,” continues Nii Lax Aks.
“It is by telling yourself the truth that you acquire greater awareness, and that is how you achieve acceptance,” believes Willo Prince. It is about the acceptance of everything that may have happened, but also of what could be. And it is only with this awareness that we are able to dream, hope, and consider.”
We swear on the lives of those who are not yet born
that we are creating a better world for them than this one.
A part of this world exists in each of us,
and that's how I know it's possible.
— Excerpt from What I Know to Be True Is This (Here's what I know to be true), by Aya Clappis
Of hope
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was seen as a promising sign “on the path” to reconciliation, redress, and justice. Nii Lax Aks warns against any “instrument of false hope” used to keep people complacent. “The idea that these rights come from an international forum, rather than from our responsibilities, our ancestors, our connection, and our intuition, can potentially be harmful, or paralyzing,” he says.
For her part, Aya Clappis is not waiting for Canada to grant her rights to live with and on her ancestral lands and waters. “My birthrights stem from thousands of years of taking care of our Haouthli and to take responsibility for everything that is there,” says Aya. ” Haouthli ” translates to the lands and waters to which the Huuas (indigenous peoples) belong — and therefore refer to a concept that is broader than that of territory.
“How long have they given us hope? asks Nii Lax Aks. “I have the impression that when they feel that the earth is escaping them, they give us a glimmer of hope,” he says. It's completely understandable that people are looking to UNDRIP for protection, because of all the violence and criminalization we've faced. But I don't see it on the ground. We are on the front lines, where UNDRIP should be acting, to create change.”
Nii Lax Aks himself found himself in situations where the RCMP would not have taken them into account. “Police officers yelled at me: “UNDRIP is not the law!” Then, they arrested and expelled indigenous people from their land,” he said.
Witnessing the big meeting of nations and businesses at COP15, land defenders were also there to disrupt the status quo. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to “our beautiful lands,” Indigenous youth responded by playing drums. They were able to leave the premises freely and, as Nii Lax Aks notes, UN security avoided reacting with force. “They wouldn't do it in front of the whole world,” he believes.
Once out of the room, the participants were chased by security. They retorted again with their drums, before finding the exit. Nii Lax Aks indicates that shortly after Mr. Trudeau invoked freedom of expression in Canada, the group was surrounded by the RCMP. They were not arrested, but “detained for investigation purposes.”
An officer reached for his gun and asked, “What is that in your hand? What is in your hand? “It's cedar,” said Nii Lax Aks, who was holding her fumigation stick.
He said that the members of the group continued to play the drums, while slowly making their way to the place where they were staying. Once there, friends opened the door for them and they snuck in, away from the RCMP.
The way forward
Nii Lax Aks takes comfort in her relationship with Lax'yip, which is vast, abundant, and healing. “Our ancestors developed all sorts of knowledge about animals, plants, minerals, and the other natural forces that nourished them. This knowledge is necessary to live in balance with the earth. They can increase abundance and could be a catalyst for profound change,” he explains.
“Moving forward is not about pushing responsibility forward, but about taking responsibility into the present, and understanding that we are first and foremost responsible to indigenous law, which is natural law,” says Aya Clappis.
When land defenders talk about reoccupying the land, taking over the role of our ancestors and managing it, they mean managing it in a way that promotes food abundance for humans and other animals through balanced relationships. “To have good relationships with the rest of the world, you have to have a good relationship with the rest of the world, you have to have a good relationship with the land and be an integral part of it,” says Nii Lax Aks.
Returning to the concept of Lax'yip — a place where different worlds composed of different peoples and species coexist and feed on each other —, Nii Lax Aks declares the following: “Our ancestral knowledge considers that animals have their own societies, their own laws and their own consciousness. These laws were taught to us at some point. There are a lot of people in our community who still believe in this knowledge, who own it, and who use it when they are on the land.”
“Today we are at a point where I am hearing the whole world say that this is what we need. The question is whether this will be respected,” asks Nii Lax Aks. “But how genuine is this call to action? ” he asks in conclusion.
This article was published in English in the Watershed Sentinel.