Fort Simpson (Oct 29/04) - One Deh Cho chief is advocating an existing big-game hunting operation be purchased by First Nations.

Pehdzeh Ki Chief David Moses, elected last month, said he would like the Wrigley band and the Liidlii Kue First Nation in Fort Simpson to negotiate a deal with South Nahanni Outfitters.

"I don't see any other way to deal with it other than to meet with them and buy them out," Moses said Tuesday.

Community members in Wrigley have told him that their forefathers used to hunt and trap in the areas where the big-game outfitters now operate, he said. He noted that a traditional knowledge study currently taking place will likely produce more details.

The Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN) was unsuccessful in preventing South Nahanni Outfitters from getting a land-use permit for its camp sites in the Root River and Little Dal Lake areas. Chief Keyna Norwegian said the Dene use the entire carcass of a hunted animal, whereas sport hunting is essentially "cruelty to animals" because sometimes only the head is coveted as a trophy.

"It's not our way of life," Norwegian said.

About 1,700 lb. of South Nahanni Outfitters' wild meat was turned away by the LKFN earlier this month, but Norwegian said it was circumstantial, not a permanent refusal.

Norwegian said she and her staff were unprepared for the "last-minute" donation and didn't know how much meat the band already had on hand, so the donation was declined.

Future offers will be considered, said Norwegian.

The Fort Simpson health centre and the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation in Wrigley accepted the moose, caribou, goat and sheep meat instead.

The Pehdzeh Ki band's willingness to take the meat is in no way an endorsement of the big-game outfitters, according to Moses.

Sunny Petersen, of South Nahanni Outfitters, said she and her husband, Werner Aschbacher, are still trying to establish friendly relations with the First Nations.

"We'll never quit making an effort," she said.

Their business attracted 16 big-game hunters this season.

Petersen noted that all meat is either donated, consumed in camps or flown out with the clients.

She added that there's no sign anyone else has been using the land where they operate.