"The agreement uses a Wall Street-inspired approach to conservation finance, with 380,000 square kilometres of land and water in its scope"

"On a wintry morning in Behchokǫ̀, a community roughly 100 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife on the shore of Great Slave Lake, leaders of more than 20 Indigenous governments and organizations from across the Northwest Territories gathered for a day of speeches, jigging and drum dancing. They were joined by representatives of Crown governments, philanthropists and community members, including toddlers, teenagers and Elders. The crowd had assembled to celebrate the signing of one of the largest Indigenous-led land conservation agreements in the world.

“Today is a big day,” Danny Gaudet, Ɂek’wahtı̨dǝ́ (elected leader) of the Délı̨nę Got’ınę Government, said at the Nov. 14 celebration.

The event, which took place at the Behchokǫ̀ Cultural Centre, opened with a fire-feeding ceremony on the edge of a frozen lake. Later, attendees moved indoors, where they listened to leaders’ reflections on the occasion, shared a lunch and, finally, pushed aside the tables and chairs to dance under a large drum-shaped light fixture.

“We’ve been removed from the land for 100 years,” Gaudet told the assembled crowd of more than 200. “This signing allows us to go back. It will help us go back to our traditions and our culture.”"

Chloe Williams reports for The Narwhal with photography by Pat Kane November 21, 2024. [2]