Cecil Paul and the Kitlope

“My people, the Xenaksiala, never touch grizzlies. We were taught that’s our friend in the wilderness.”⠀
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These are the words of Xenaksiala elder, Cecil Paul, who played an integral role in protecting the Kitlope from logging and other extractive industries. The Haisla Nation banned grizzly hunting in the Kitlope over 20 years ago, and we are now working to purchase the commercial hunting rights in the Kitlope to protect all other carnivores in the region. Purchasing these tenures is one small part of the process of respecting the autonomy of First Nations communities in the Great Bear Rainforest.⠀
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We have until July 30th to secure the $100,000 needed for the deposit on the Kitlope tenure and we are almost there.
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📷: April Bencze