Inspiring Young Tahltans – Blaine Lindstrom

Earth Mother & Tahltan Stewardship Planning

By Kyle Risby & David Rattray

Kyle Risby

TSI Youth Representative

David Rattray

TSI Elder Representative Earth Mother is a Tahltan Story that demonstrates Tahltan’s close relationship with Mother Earth and animals. Earth Mother is animate like our mothers, the rocks are her bones, and water is her milk. All animals are born from a woman and therefore, animals are the same as people with the same blood, and they are our relatives. Our Sun Father is a good man who gives us sunshine and warmth and tries to make people happy. When he is sick or sorrowful, he hides his face and then comes clouds and rain.

As spring changes to summer, Tahltan’s Stewardship planning is ready to blossom. Our sacred Mother Earth relates to our methodology because, “Tahltan recognize that everything has a spirit and Tahltan have obligations to take care of the spirit of everything within our territory, Tahltan have our own way of stewardship and decisionmaking.” Our collective spirits and love of Mother Earth will use Tahltan laws and worldview to guide our planning process.

Our planning process believes that the Tahltan Stewardship Plan will directly affect the way that Tahltan people live with the land. Tahltan have obligations which shape the way that they exercise their collective Tahltan rights and title.

Two key components of the methodology are:

1 . This is a Tahltan-led process, grounded in a relational approach. This means it is a process driven by all

Tahltans and their relations to Mother Earth.

2 . Indigenous knowledge is centered as the most reliable and primary source of information.

This means that Tahltan knowledge will be complemented by all other available information, where appropriate.

Our methodology has the following priorities:

• Maintaining a focus on the health of the Earth as a whole – land, air, water, living beings, spirits, and connections between them;

• Maintaining terrestrial & aquatic ecosystem health;

• Ensuring the land can continue to support Tahltan’s way of life; and,

• Providing accessible stewardship demonstrates that Tahltans can plan for shared land uses that third parties can apply to satisfy the objectives and constraints required to maintain ecosystem health and the Tahltan way of life.

Our methodology and stories combine with Tahltan citizens’ ideas, perspectives, and experiences to enhance our stewardship. Our plan requires Tahltans to share how their relations to the land and enjoyment can be protected for future generations. Throughout the next months, Tahltans will have the opportunity to share their voice in the planning process. We hope to hear about Tahltan’s recreational land use, hunting, fishing, and other land uses.

Our planning process believes Tahltan land is healthiest when Tahltans are enjoying, exploring, and exercising rights and title on the land. To collectively build a generational stewardship plan we must put our differences aside and hold on to the love and relations we have with the land. Our Earth Mother requires Tahltans to hold up our relations with honour and to act with love and care.

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