Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council
Ash QUA-nshta a demEEwuh aksh ash QUA-nshch a.wEE
Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.
What We Do
Protecting Title and Rights
NNTC’s original mandate to protect and advance title and rights remains unchanged and is the principle reason for NNTC’s ongoing existence. While the principled and disciplined approach of NNTC has remained consistent over decades, the ways in which we work have evolved.Our work covers many aspects of Nlaka’pamux life including: culture, natural resources, economics, health and jurisdiction.
Nlaka’pamux jurisdiction refers to the inherent right of the Nlaka’pamux to govern ourselves including people, land and resources. Before Europeans arrived, the Nlaka’pamux had laws. The right of jurisdiction and the Nlaka’pamux legal system have never been extinguished and are protected by section 35 of the Constitution. Some refer to the right of jurisdiction as self-government.
NNTC has rejected the BC Treaty process and the provincial referral system in favour of engaging directly with governments and third parties. Consent based decision making informs the relationship between NNTC and others.
Specific claims refer to claims made by a band against the Crown regarding the administration of land and other band assets. Specific claims are NOT based on Nlaka’pamux title and rights. Over 200 Nlaka’pamux claims have been worked on to date.
The value of the NNTC is not only in the work done but in having the political foresight to plan ahead, to conceptualize both strategies and models while maintaining the determination and dedication to never give up.
What We Do
An Inescapable Economic Component
There is “an inescapable economic component” to title and rights. The well-being and sustainability of the Nlaka’pamux Nation and full exercise of jurisdiction requires economic independence. NNTC has not followed the provincially developed models for revenue sharing. Instead, NNTC has created ownership, partnership and procurement opportunities as well as employment. These sustainable ventures include: hydro, solar, forestry, telecommunications and construction.
Project proponents seeking to share Nlaka’pamux resources must engage with NNTC to ensure development is consistent with Nlaka’pamux title and rights. NNTC values transparency and accountability and shares financial and other related information with membership on an ongoing basis.
What We Do
Protecting Our Principles
The NNTC adheres to the fundamental Nlaka’pamux law “Take care of the land and the land will take care of you”, the Nlaka’pamux Resolution on Natural Resources, and these fundamental principles:
- Nlaka’pamux title and rights are Nation-based and communal in nature. Benefits are not allocated on a community nor individual basis.
- Divide and conquer strategies must be recognized as such. Benefits will remain with the collective consistent with the communal nature of rights and so as not to foster further divisive tactics.
- With Nlaka’pamux title and rights comes the responsibility to care for the land and resources for future generations.
- Nlaka’pamux title and rights are not frozen in time but rather continue to evolve.
- Nlaka’pamux title and rights include an economic component and the right of jurisdiction/self-determination.
- Nlaka’pamux are the experts on the Nlaka’pamux.
What We Do
The Communal Nature of Title and Rights
The communal nature of Title and Rights informs the work of the NNTC. As stated by the B.C. Court of Appeal in Pasco v CNR (a case to protect the Nlaka’pamux fishery from impacts of CNR building a second track):
“It is a mistake to ignore the historical fact that the [aboriginal] rights are communal, and that they are possessed today by the descendants of the persons who originally held them. They are not personal rights in the sense that they exist independently of the community but are personal in the sense that a violation of the communal rights affect the individual members’ enjoyment of those rights.”
