Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs Meet with Coastal GasLink President

On July 3 2020, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs met with representatives of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline project to discuss the past 2 years of conflict on the yintah. The meeting took place on the territory of Cas yikh (Grizzly house) of the Gidimt’en clan, at the site of two militarized raids on Wet’suwet’en clan members and supporters. Coastal Gaslink is responsible for the criminalization of land defenders who uphold Wet’suwet’en laws, and the collective decision that there will be no pipelines on Wet’suwet’en territory. While apologies can be offered, they feel hollow while the company continues to trespass, and the RCMP continue to harass and invade. The authority and power of the Hereditary Chiefs comes from their territories and the ancient laws passed down by our ancestors. Wiggus (Respect) is one of the foundations of Wet’suwet’en law. The chiefs uphold Wiggus even when dealing with those that have never offered respect to their decisions about their territories. The Hereditary Chiefs have never consented to any pipeline through their territories, and demonstrations of violence against them and their territories will not change their minds. This meeting offered an opportunity to reiterate this position to Coastal Gaslink, face to face, and on the territory, as business is dealt with on Wet’suwet’en terms. Dinï ze’ Woos’ words are very clear, “we’re not moving, we’re not moving anything”. Two months after this meeting, Coastal Gaslink president David Pfeiffer resigned. The Hereditary Chiefs are currently in court, challenging British Columbia’s decision to renew Coastal Gaslink’s permits despite dozens of permit violations and a failure to consider the findings of the National Inquiry on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. We are proud of our leaders as they continue to stand strong in defence of our yintah. Visit www.yintahaccess.com to learn more.