William Housty’s grandparents taught him the sacred duty of preparing for the salmon’s arrival each year. Before the first silver flashes appeared in the creek, his grandfather — following the wisdom passed down from his own elders — would clear woody debris, chase away seals, and maybe even fell a few trees to ensure a waterway was ready.
“They saw it as their responsibility to roll out a red carpet for the salmon because of their immense importance to us,” said Dúqva̓ísḷa William Housty, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation of British Columbia’s central coast.
This practice ensured that the salmon, the ecosystem and their community could thrive together, said Housty, who is director of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department (HIRMD), which manages resources in their traditional territory.
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Welcoming the salmon is just one example of the way the Heiltsuk’s ancestral laws, or “Ǧvi̓ḷás — a set of principles centered on respect, responsibility, reciprocity and stewardship for all sentient beings — have shaped their interaction with their environment.
Now, the Heiltsuk are using traditional knowledge in concert with modern scientific approaches to monitor wildlife, count salmon, and maintain the health of waterways in their traditional territory. From the outset, the HIRMD stewards decided that Ǧvi̓ḷás would guide how they managed their resources, as well as influence how they would work with other government offices, industry or other outside parties.
This has led the Heiltsuk to braid relatively new techniques, like DNA analysis, with ancient ones, like the use of traditional fish weirs, so they can study — but not impact — the ecosystem. Their work has revealed…
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