Helen Michell of the Skin Tyee First Nation is one of three hereditary chiefs.  The Skin Tyee are an independent First Nation that share in the language and culture of the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n.  The Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n have never signed a formal treaty with the government of Canada and are currently active and engaged in consultations with heavy industry regarding mineral exploration on their traditional territories.

鈥淚 am Ludooks, caretaker of the land,鈥� Michell explains.  鈥淢y grandmother and her sisters were part of the Francis Lake tribe in 1916 and we鈥檝e always had hereditary chiefs in our Gilseyhu [Frog] clan from generation to generation.  I was chosen when I was born to be a Ludook, so I鈥檝e been groomed for as long as I can remember.鈥�

Michell became concerned when her family and clan鈥檚 historical ties to its traditional territories were overlooked recently in last week's coverage of the Huckleberry mine expansion in the Lakes District 亚洲天堂. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very disappointing when you read in the paper that the wrong traditional territory is named,鈥� she explained.

The Imperial Metals Ltd. project is located on the west side of the Nechako reservoir in between Sweeny lake and Tahtsa Reach.

鈥淎t Sweeny Lake there鈥檚 a huge boulder that鈥檚 carved into the shape of a frog,鈥� said Michell.  鈥淚t was done to identify the territory as part of the Gilseyhu clan.鈥�

The Gilseyhu clan is affiliated with the Skin Tyee First Nation through marriage.  Michell鈥檚 great grandmother married the man who was to become Skin Tyee.  鈥楾yee鈥� means chief in Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n.

鈥淢y great grandfather was named Skin and he traded with the first Hudson Bay store in Old Fort on the shores of Lake Babine,鈥� Michell said.  鈥淭he Hudson Bay company named him Skin because he brought in the most furs.  He was a great trapper.鈥�

Little Andrew Bay on the shores of the present-day Nechako Reservoir is named after the Andrews clan.  鈥淭hey had a big trap line on their traditional territory from Andrew Bay to Whitesail,鈥� said Michell.  鈥淢y great uncles also had traplines there.鈥�

It is a perplexing irony that the Skins Spillway at the east end of the Nechako Reservoir is named after the people it displaced.  In 1952 the Kenney Dam was built to flood and create the Nechako Reservoir to power the aluminum plant in Kitimat.

鈥淲e were flooded first,鈥� said Michell.  鈥淚n Andrew Bay and Ootsa Lake we lost our graveyards.  That鈥檚 why they call it the Skin dam.  鈥�

鈥淭he Skin Tyee trapped, fished, hunted and gathered traditional medicines where the Huckleberry Mine is now,鈥� Michell explained.  鈥淭rapping was our livelihood and our way of life.  We鈥檙e still the registered owners of those traplines.鈥�

Michell and the Skin Tyee First Nation are actively involved with the companies doing work on their traditional territories, including the Imperial Minerals and New Gold.

Rene Skin, Chief of the Skin Tyee First Nation, and Skin Tyee councillor Darcy Michell joined the conversation to help explain the difficulties their small tribe of about 100 faces.

鈥淲e experience a lot of struggles as a small band in a remote area,鈥� said Chief Skin.  鈥淲e struggle because our nation has been living in poverty for so long.鈥�

鈥淲e were all recognized as separate bands a long time ago and it was the government that bunched us together into the Omenica Band.  It never should have been like that, we鈥檙e our own people.鈥�

The different clans and tribes of the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n have always had to cooperate together on the lands they lived on.  鈥淭here were always overlapping issues, occupancy issues.  We had to work together to develop trade,鈥� Skin explained.

In 1960 several clans and First Nations of the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n were gathered together under the name of the Omenica Band, but this did not last.  By 1984 the original bands begin to reassert their traditional independence.  The Nee Tahi Buhn split from the Omenica,  and in 2000 the Skin Tyee completed there split from the Nee Tahi Buhn Band.  This was their final step in returning to their traditional standing as a First Nations people.

鈥淲e are unique communities with our own territories, our own way of trading, and our own dialects and languages.  That鈥檚 why what the government did with the Omenica Band didn鈥檛 work.鈥�

Chief Skin acknowledges that the history and oral stories of the First Nations of the Office of the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n have not been well documented, making it difficult for people to be clear about whose traditional territories  are involved in industrial resource projects.

鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been well documented, but we鈥檇 like to change that.  We鈥檝e just started a Comprehensive Community Plan that will cover all aspects of band life.  We鈥檒l form a board made up of elders, youth and the middle generation,鈥� explained Skin.

The Comprehensive Community Plan is a community driven program that a lot of B.C. First Nations are engaged in.  It involves identifying and developing the key elements of a sustainable and well governed First Nation communities.  The Skin Tyee will be working with the Penticton Indian Band as mentors in this process.

鈥淲e used to have the band with the most elders,鈥� Chief Skin explained, 鈥渂ut now they鈥檙e slowly disappearing and we want to get everything documented before they鈥檙e gone.鈥�