Some time has passed dear lovelies since we last shared an update. Wulf flies East to join beyon in Mass. in a week to begin a whirlwind 6 weeks making the long awaited book, Voices: Indigenous Women on the Front Lines Speak. It’s been nearly a year and a half journey so far and there are many more days to come.
Let us set aside the catch up for now and go to where this project began and a place we return to. For now we want to talk about the place where one Wulfgang and one beyon became friends just over 2 years ago. We’d like to talk about the Unist’ot’en Clan, their territory Talbits Kwa and the work of Freda and her family.
Eight years ago Freda Huson, spokeswoman for her family, the Hereditary Leadership of the Unist’ot’en Clan of the
Wet’suwet’en Nation, moved back onto her traditional territories to live full time. The Wet’suwet’en of her generation
were voicing growing concerns to their elders, concerns regarding the rapid destruction of their territories and the unceasing devastations of colonialism upon their families. Following the direction of her father, Elders and the voices of her generation Freda set out to defend the Unist’ot’en Yintah, Talbits Kwa, from the emerging threat of pipelines.
Many have heard of the Unist’ot’en Camp; a site of resistance, of asserting Indigenous Sovereignty, of defeating pipelines, turning away the RCMP and defying colonial aspirations.
What the Unist’ot’en yintah Talbits Kwah also is, is Freda’s home. Freda and the matriarchs of her family have created a place within their territory where people can come from all over the world to drink directly from the ancient waters of the river Wedzinkwa. They have created a place of healing for their people, where ancestors and councilors can guide the people on paths of coming back to healthy living. Where youth come to pick berries, hunt and trap and learn new old ways of being in relation to all life. What the Unist’ot’en are in the process of doing is making the impossible possible by living in ways that make anti-racist and anti-colonial futures possible.
They are bringing their people home to the land and responding to the many crises faced by the Wet’suwet’en living on reserves; responding in ways that exist outside of the state, outside of capitalist ‘solutions’ that only mean further
exploitation and dependency.
While the Unist’ot’en and their supporters have successfully stopped industry, such as the Enbridge pipeline from entering their territory, the work of defending land, water and life is far from done. Coastal Gas Link and Pacific Trails Pipeline still lie in waiting to enter illegally onto territories never ceded by the Unist’ot’en to the equally illegal occupier canada. Moving forward into Healing the Land and Healing the People means growing support for Indigenous lead movements and resistance across all lands and waters. The Unist’ot’en need the ongoing support of all peoples living on the unceded lands of Turtle Island to resource the work they are doing; the work to revitalize their culture, bring their peoples back to the land to heal and the work Freda and her family are doing to teach and support other Indigenous communities defending their lands.
Undoing the many violences of 150 years of colonialism is the most crucial work of out time and we are all needed and all capable of rising to the occasion.
There are many ways you can support the work of Freda and the Unist’ot’en:
Volunteer your time on the land.
Hold a fundraiser or make a donation.
Sign up in September to become a monthly contributor! (coming soon contact unistotendonor@gmail.com for more info!)
