Peter Green

I have been to the park three or four times. I love the scenery there. Miles and miles… And the thing that strikes me most is the area. You could see the caribou come in and crossing in the park during July and August. I enjoyed being out in the park and being part of the team because we went to Johnny Green Bay as part of the negotiations (my grandfather’s on my dad’s side).

The Tuktut Nogait Agreement is a supplement to our Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA), the way I see it. It was the result of people who participated after the signing of the IFA that established us to move forward. It came from the IFA and its provisions for the community to do a conservation plan—that's where it all got sparked.

There were no provisions for an area that the Bluenose herd can calve in, so that became our priority. We said: “Hey, there's a bit more work to do.” The community chose the caribou—the calving grounds for the Bluenose to be in. And that’s written in the IFA specifically; it is one of the priority resources.

The basis to make it happen was negotiated, and then we had a Land Use Planning exercise that the GNWT funded, which provided another layer with it. What they provided was their input on the issue of the Bluenose herd.

We said: “Here, everybody, each household, each person, each caribou. Okay, let's do it then.” All you needed was contacts and community interviews. So, that was the beginning of it.

Community Engagement

Tony Green was an important part of the foundational work that was done. He went on surveys, did caribou counts, and archaeological work on the east side of the park with a guy called Mark Stevenson. He took Mark on foot with him. The wildlife, bird, fish—all that kind of stuff needed to be catalogued. That work was done on foot— you didn’t use the helicopter. They walked all over, looked at the archaeological old sites, and catalogued them.

I’m glad because he was accustomed to all this—he knew the Land, and he took out the right person, catalogued the area. That reinforced us in the work that we did and highlighted what's there, what areas were more critical than others, and why.

When you speak to the people in Paulatuuq, many of them will recall the older ones who would go door-todoor. During those times there was not much in the way of information; we had to dig, just like you and me. I enjoyed that.

We had plenty of discussions; lots of talk. Each had many good information that I’ve never experienced— especially Edward Ruben. Like, what's there and what time of the year, what happens. A lot of information came from just living here and people speaking to me, telling me what they’re doing, what happens out there, and the different seasons of the year. For example, the Brock River had some pretty high cliffs and there'd be falcons and other birds that nested in that area—it's something that only people out there would experience. They talked about the caribou and the disturbances that other wildlife like aktlaq (Grizzly Bear) has caused to the movements of caribou.

A lot of hunters and trappers went out to harvest— trapping, fishing, you name it. They were the backbone of this work. All of that information came from them, not me. I just put that information in a language that everyone understood, as well as on the government, legal side. I helped put that together on paper and that’s why we were able to be where we are at today.

Everyone did a part. It took a team of people to do it—all of them, in their own way, in their own language, in the way they describe things. Each person there made a contribution.

Negotiating At Whaling Camp

We went there with the Arctic Tern, I think. We travelled there by boat, and the parks people flew in. We had to get there and set up the camp so we went there a day or so ahead of them. We had community people there, too. We all sat around in the open air and had the negotiations there—discussions, talk. The birds flying over and the loons. Seals coming up in the bay there.

It was a good time for me but I've learned that I'm not an “on-the-land” person. I never did grow up in that environment. But my three other brothers? They all did. And I was the guy who just sat there! [laughs]

Message For Visitors

It's not a recreational area. Many Parks in Canada were set up just to have that provision for tourists to go and camp. This one here is a bit more restrictive because you don't want 'people traffic' to be in the midst of the caribou calving grounds. The less disturbance that they give the caribou there, the better off it's gonna be. We don't need helicopters; we don't need airplanes zooming by during the calving period.

People come and go but we still have the land. In fact, it’s getting larger! We have a ton of support from people all across Canada. We say: welcome. But, we know that there are limitations to that. Cost is one thing. We also don't want shiploads of people going out on the land because it's not designed for that—unless you come as an individual.

There was a case where we had to send a rescue team to get a guy out of the park. He ran out of everything, eh? And it was wintertime.

So, I try to discourage people from the outside coming in kind of “green” in terms of on-the-land. You come out of nowhere; you want to enjoy? Well, do your homework. Talk to another person, ask: “Hey, what do I need to do?” That's the purpose of the parks Canada office here.

Provide respect; that’s why the park is there. Another whole component of it is educating people, just like how Inuvialuit harvesters have educated me. I'm not there harvesting; I do a bit of fishing, but not like these guys— they depend on it, eh?

Looking To The Future

Somebody is gonna be questioning someday as an individual and think: “Where is my contribution to Tuktut Nogait?” And once they get to the core reason for it—the caribou calving ground—I’m pretty sure they’ll step forward and say: “Hey, let me replace this guy.” [laughs]

I think as long as this community is here, the work will be ongoing. It’s been 37 years since we signed the IFA, and Parks has been an expansion of it. We even have Déline now. I was very happy for the community to be very supportive of maintaining their sight of the park and on the area that they chose. It's not a big part of Tuktut Nogait— but enough. We treat them as partners—as should Parks. They enjoy that, they love it. I still meet people in Yellowknife and Inuuvik, and you come across people that you have met over the years.

People come and go. I think what's bigger is why the park is there, and that's going to encourage them to maintain what's there. That's all I can say. I cannot say it might be a change of wind or something.

Make sure that the intention of the park and the purpose for it are understood. It is not just another recreational park. This one here is about sustaining caribou and ensuring that what they do in the spring is carried throughout our lifetime.

I want the world to understand why Tuktut Nogait is there, to begin with. That's not just on paper. Actually go see the park—but don’t disturb, stay your distance, half a mile away, and do what you can.

Working In Partnerships

When we were setting up the park here, we wanted to ensure that we have our non-Inuvialuit partners to the Agreement present, here, ensuring they’re doing what they can to support the work that was being done. So far, it has worked out okay. I cannot dispute any of that. As a matter of fact, I welcome it because they're in partnership with the Inuvialuit here. And as long as they can maintain that—it’s a good thing.

There's a reason for partnerships. We’re not alone in this park, and Canada is not alone. So, to have them at the same table and talking the same language, the same things I'm saying, is important. That's what I see 25 years from now and I believe it will be here. It’s a partnership deal, a working partnership, so that’s why I see it working in the future.

The current park manager here (Stephanie Yuill) I’m glad to see and meet her. There’s a lot of good people, and all the people that are my age are the ones that founded this park. These kinds of people, I credit—including the community—because they held on to the same beliefs I had and the same kind of mission that we have for the park. And that's what matters. That's what counts. What happens 25 years from now? Well, the core values have to be there, and that's what's gonna keep it going.

The Negotiating Team

After the community work was done, we formed a group. Pretty soon that led to the negotiations. The people that we had on our side were all committed to ensuring that there is the provision there to protect the calving grounds of the Bluenose herd. We were passionate about that— committed.

Ron Seale contributed a lot. He believed in us. It was weird to see a government person who was really for it, especially on the wildlife side. I recall him now because they did have a lot of discussions: “This is not about the government, it’s about the caribou.” To me, he was right on track. I was so sorry he died, though.

Lots of people you see around the table are not here anymore. I could just picture them today and what they said, what kind of issues that we had to deal with.

Ted was my brother-in-law. He lived in the community. He had to brief the directors and staff on the Inuvialuit side. During the negotiations, the IRC would be here and have him on their side because he’s worked for the community corporation. Ted let them know that we’ve undertaken some work so far and this is where we’re at, and that led to the negotiations. We were happy to have him on our side.

The negotiators who are no longer with us would say it's amazing… we’re still here! You know, that's the same with the IFA. 36 or 37 years have come and gone, and I say: hey, I'm still here. [laughs]

Nunaapakmiut. It’s a land and it’s very huge, one of the biggest parts of the NWT. And that’s because the caribou don’t sit and stay there. They travel and migrate, and they need the space to do that.

Green