Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[Witness speaks in his native language]
I'd like to welcome the standing committee to our traditional territory of Akaitcho. You're in the traditional territory of the Yellowknives Dene, which we, as Yellowknives Dene, call Chief Drygeese territory. It's within the Akaitcho region.
The Akaitcho count has four first nations: the Yellowknives Dene Dettah and N'Dilo, the Deninu K'ue, and the Lutsel K'e.
I'd like to welcome all the elders and all the people and the youth who are here today.
To begin, the Akaitcho have used and occupied our traditional territory, which we call Akaitcho territory, and within that territory, specifically for the Yellowknives Dene what we call Chief Drygeese territory, since time immemorial.
We as Akaitcho entered into the treaty with the crown on July 25, 1900. We, the Akaitcho Dene, still have those existing Akaitcho and treaty rights within our territory. In those days, our people always had treaty rights, right from the first contact. Our people have lived here in our territory and have hunted, fished, trapped, and gathered for the livelihood of their people, as we do today.
The aboriginal treaty rights of Akaitcho Dene do not only exist on paper. We have actively lived this right up to this date. We have provided subsistence for the lives of our people in the treaty. When they made a treaty, our ancestors said, “As long as the sun rises, the river flows, and the grass grows, our people will not be hindered or interfered with to pursue their way of life.” We still follow that protocol today.
On July 25, 2000, one hundred years after the treaty was signed, the Akaitcho entered into a framework agreement with Canada and the GNWT to negotiate lands, resources, and a governance agreement, which we call the Akaitcho framework. In our framework, there are some subjects that are being negotiated, such as: economic development; resource revenue sharing, including royalties; lands and waters; hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering; and renewable and non-renewable resources.
Now I'm going to introduce Don. We will share our presentation.