The Tlowitsis Community Advisory Group (TCAG) joined Chief John Smith and Councillor Thomas Smith for an emotional journey to Tlowitsis traditional territory in June. Most citizens on the trip were visiting Tlowitsis territory for the first time in their lives. The full-day voyage took TCAG members up Johnstone Strait, past Port Neville, and from Tlowitsis Island to Turnour Island, where we stopped to visit Kalagwees, the site of our nation’s former winter village. Over eight hours on the water, TCAG members had a chance to see current Tlowitsis reserves, along with some of the vast lands currently under consideration as part of the Tlowitsis’ treaty negotiations with BC and Canada. The group was also thrilled to see a pod of orcas during their journey up Johnstone Strait, and a humpback whale on the return home.

Please take a moment to watch the video below, documenting our journey. For photos from the trip, visit our Photo Gallery

Virtual Lands Tour – 2018

A key aspect of treaty negotiations is the identification of Treaty Settlement Lands. In 2018, Tlowitsis identified its core lands for negotiation at the treaty table. We have produced this ‘virtual tour’ of Tlowitsis territory focusing in on the ‘core’ lands identified for treaty settlement.

The on-going Lands negotiation process involves moving from [a] identifying a wider Statement of Intent area (i.e., traditional territory), to [b] identifying key Areas of Interest (more specific areas to potentially become TSL), to [c] identifying focused “Core” lands within the AOIs (lands considered “must haves”).

In early 2018, Tlowitsis identified its Core lands for discussion at the Treaty table. In order to aid discussions and provide members with a virtual connection to these lands, high-quality videos were captured using drones and 4k video technology. The video below is a “Virtual Lands Tour”, showing views of the Tlowitsis Areas of Interest, with a focus on the “Core” lands which are currently being negotiated.

We hope you enjoy it.