wawaaqin ḥaw̓iiḥukʔi muwacatḥ-mačłaatḥ
ʔuḥʔatmitniš n̓aas ʔuuciiy̓ap̓at nuuḥił ḥaw̓iiḥuk muwač̓atḥ-mačłaatḥ mamumsukqin, / yaaqʷiłqinƛa ʔuʔumḥi qʷaaʔap, / hašaḥʔap, ʔuʔaałuk, n̓aač̓ałuk ḥaḥuułakqin. / ʔiqḥmuutukniš, wiky̓uuyinƛa łačiƛ. /
ʔuʔaałukniš ḥaḥuułakqin ʔuuktis ḥaw̓iłp̓at̓ak ḥaw̓iiḥʔi nuučaan̓uł. / histaqšiƛukʷin ḥaw̓iłp̓at̓u qʷač̓akʔiqʔaał ḥaw̓iiḥʔi, / yaaqʷiłqin ʔuʔukʷił hišuk c̓awaak (everything as one), ʔiisaak (respect with caring), ʔuʔaałuk (looking after), ʔaḥʔaaʔaƛ hišumł (togetherness). /
qiiqʔičḥʔiš č̓uyaa hiiłsitḥ c̓aatc̓aakukqin yaqḥy̓uum̓inḥqin suuḥaa, hisit, cuw̓it, hinkIuuʔas, č̓aap̓i. / ʔuušmaqakIaƛ kaam̓ ičiƛayaʔis ʔuusaaḥi qʷaaʔap̓atʔiq taaqiił, m̓um̓ukʷaʕiiḥ, / qʷaaʔap̓atukqin wiiktisʔat p̓iiššaḥap̓at ḥaḥuułi, qʷaaʔap̓aƛʔiqƛa kʷiisḥinčiƛaya n̓aas. / nuuw̓aasniš mamums ʔuʔaałuk yaqḥy̓uuqin saaminštup, ʔin ʔuʔiicinʔaał, tiičmisukʷinƛaʔaał. / huḥtikinƛa ʔin qʷaa qʷaaʔaƛʔiq tiłtiič yaqḥy̓uuqin saaminštup, qʷaa qʷaaʔaƛukqin ḥaḥuułi. /
waaniiš ḥaw̓iiḥqin muwacatḥ-mačłaatḥ ʔin ʔiič̓aapapin, ʔuʔaałukʷin, ʔiisaakin hiišił nism̓a, č̓aʔak, hinaayił, / ʔuḥʔiš hiy̓apuʔasʔi hiʔiis yaaqʷiłqin ʕumtʕumta c̓ac̓aaḥt̓asʔi / — Burman River, Muchalat River including the Oktwanch River, Liener-Perry and Tahsis Rivers, Kendrick Creek and Marvinus Creek, Upper Gold River and Upper Conuma River / — waayinƛa ʔin hišukIʷaƛ samitqiic ʔiiḥmisʔas ʔuuktis qʷač̓akʔiq muwač̓atḥ-mačłaatḥ, ʔuuktisƛa ḥaw̓iłmisukqin ḥaw̓iiḥqin. /
wawaaniš ʔaḥʔaa qʷaaʔakqin ḥaw̓iłp̓atu, yaqnaakqin, ʔin ʔuʔaałukʷin ʔaʔiiḥmis c̓ac̓aaḥt̓as hiʔiis ḥaḥuułakqin. / ʔunw̓iiƛḥin hašaḥʔap samitqiic ʔiiḥmisʔas huʔacaʔap̓aaḥin ʔayiiy̓ap yaqḥy̓uuqin saaminštup hiʔiis ḥaḥuułakqin, / tiič̓ap qʷaaqin maƛink nism̓a, c̓aatc̓aakukʔi yaqckʷiiqin, / hašaḥʔap hiʔiisckʷiʔiq nananiqsu, qʷaaʔapƛa qʷaaqin tiič, ciqy̓akukqin, qʷač̓akukqin. / hihišsumyin ʔaḥʔaa čamiḥtaʔaaḥin tiič muwač̓atḥ-mačłaatḥqin. /
ḥaaʔakʔiš maƛink samitqiicʔi ʔiiḥmisʔas ʔuukʷił qʷaaqin ʔuukʷimac̓uk muwač̓atḥ-mačłaatḥqin. / hiʔiisukʷin wałyaʕas, histaqšiƛukʷinƛa nananiqsu. / hiʔiisuk saamin c̓aʔak samitqiic ʔiiḥmisʔas, hiʔiisƛa tiič ʔiqḥmuut hitaaqƛIas, / ʔuupaakinƛa ḥaaʔak nism̓a hiʔiis ḥaḥuułakqin kʷiisḥinčiƛayaƛukqu n̓aas. /
ʔukʷiiłšiʔaƛniš samitqiicʔi ʔiiḥmisʔas ʔuuktis qʷač̓akʔiq nuučaan̓ułʔatḥ, takaasinƛa ʔuuksnaaʕał mamumsukqin, qʷaasasayinƛa ʔuuc nism̓aakqin quuʔassaqin ƛaḥ ʔuyi. / n̓aačn̓aačayin ʔin čamiḥtaʔaqƛ tiičačiƛ samitqiicʔi ʔiiḥmisʔas hiišaaʔatup tiičtuup, ʔuḥʔiš yaqw̓it̓asii hiinumł, ʔin nuuw̓aaq ʔuʔaałuk ḥaw̓iiḥqin muwač̓atḥ-mačłaatḥ. /
haaʕinčiƛniš hiišił kapamint ʔuḥʔiš masčumʔakʔi ḥamipquu samitqiicʔi ʔiiḥmisʔas, / ʔiisaakquu ḥaw̓iłmisuk ḥaw̓iiḥukʔi muwač̓atḥ-mačłaatḥ, ʔaḥʔaaʔaƛ wawaaʔiqʔał, ƛaaḥsasa taakšiƛƛa. /
ʕumtałaʔapniš qʷisʔap ƛaḥ n̓aasʔii, ʔuyiqʔičḥ caqiicp̓it suč̓iiq caqiic suč̓a, hiłḥ c̓aax̣aan̓a, British Columbia. /
Declaration by the ḥaw̓iiḥ of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation
We the chiefs of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation have rights and responsibilities given to us by the Creator to protect, steward, and govern our territories, which we have upheld since time immemorial and never ceded.
We govern our ḥaḥuułi by the legal order of Nuuchahnulth chiefs, which is grounded in the laws that we refer to by the words hišuk c̓awaak (oneness), ʔiisaak (respect with caring), ʔuʔaałuk (looking after), and hišumł (togetherness).
For many countless years, our relatives the spring, sockeye, coho, chum, and pink salmon have swum in our waters. They are now in grave decline due to unsustainable logging and mining, mismanagement of our territories without our consent, and the exacerbating effects of climate change. We have a responsibility to care for our salmon relatives, as we rely on them for sustenance and cultural continuity, and we know that the health of our salmon relatives is intricately tied to the health of our entire territory.
We the ḥaw̓iiḥ of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation declare that we hold up, protect, and revere all the lands, waters, skies and what is below the ground within the following watersheds — Burman River, Muchalat River including the Oktwanch River, Liener-Perry and Tahsis Rivers, Kendrick Creek and Marvinus Creek, Upper Gold River and Upper Conuma River — and that these are Salmon Parks under Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation law and our authority as ḥaw̓iiḥ.
This Declaration is grounded in our inherent authority and jurisdiction to protect key watersheds within our ḥaḥuułi. Salmon Parks are protected to restore the abundance of our salmon relatives within our ḥaḥuułi, maintain our connection with our ancestral lands and waters, protect key heritage sites, and practise our culture, language, and laws, all of which are crucial for the thriving of the Mowachaht and Muchalaht people.
Salmon Parks are fundamentally connected to the core of Mowachaht-Muchalaht identity, including the sites of our creation stories. Salmon Parks are critical salmon habitat, intact old growth forest, and the most resilient landscapes in our territories in the face of climate change.
We are establishing Salmon Parks under nuučaan̓uł law as we continue to uphold our responsibilities and exercise our inherent and Aboriginal rights and title today. We envision Salmon Parks brought back to full health for all beings and generations to come under the stewardship and guidance of the ḥaw̓iiḥ of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation.
We call upon all governments and their citizens to recognize Salmon Parks and to respect the authority and decisions of Mowachaht-Muchalaht decision-makers immediately and forever.
Passed, signed and enacted on this 13th day of November 2023 in Tsaxana, British Columbia.
