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Life between two worlds
Treaty needs to be understood to be upheld, says Chief Roy Fabian

Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 7, 2014

K'ATLODEECHE/HAY RIVER RESERVE
As band members filed into the Chief Lamalice Complex on June 26 to renew their status cards and get the $5 they are owed by the federal government under Treaty 8, K'atlodeeche Chief Roy Fabian lamented what he called a loss of understanding for the deal between local First Nations and Canada.

"To understand the treaty, you have to understand Dene history," he said. "From time immemorial, it's been based on our relationship with the land and through that relationship, the Dene developed their world-view."

Fabian argued that it was with that world view that his people fostered a deep integrity, which in turn informed the treaty process with the then-fledgling Government of Canada.

"Their understanding was that we were going to share the land with Canada," he said, explaining that as much as a Dene person used and thrived on the land, the concept of ownership was a foreign one.

But not every K'atlodeeche First Nation member has a good understanding of the treaty, according to Fabian and other community leaders.

"It makes me sad that some people don't believe in the treaty," said former chief Pat Martel. "Our elders remember our relationship with Canada, our rights and how they can't take anything away."

Fabian agreed, saying that they needed to teach young people about those rights and what they mean for future generations.

"Because of contemporary issues, we have more challenges and more opportunities than ever," he said.

Fabian advocated for a dual understanding and education, one that encompassed both Dene traditional knowledge of the land and regular Canadian schooling. Instead of seeing one as detracting from the other, he said it's all about enhancing the capacity of young Dene people.

"Things changed. We used to be able to live off the land, and that was one capacity," he said. "Now we have to maintain our relationship with the land and with Canada, so we need to give our young people the skills to do both. They need to be educated in both to be able to take on those challenges."

Later that day, he gathered his things to leave for the convocation ceremony at Diamond Jenness Secondary School where several band members would be graduating, Fabian shared his thoughts on what the future will bring for his people.

"We need education, skills, to function in today's world and to strengthen our integrity as both Dene and English people," he said. "I'm really hopeful for young people. I really believe they're going to have a good future on their land because we are part of Canada, as Canadians."

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