April 9, 2025 T’eqt’aqtnmux – “The Crossing Place People” by Youth Advisory Council (2024-2025 Cohort) The Kanaka Bar Band (ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx), is a Band within the Nlaka’pamux Nation. Kanaka Bar, also known as the T’eqt’aqtnmux – “the crossing place people” – have stewarded their lands for over 10,000 years. Now, the Kanaka Bar Band is working to establish a 320km² Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) in their territory, ensuring that the land, culture, watersheds, and ecosystems continue to thrive for future generations. The proposed IPCA encompasses an area of immense biodiversity – home to 42 species at risk, as well as the largest recorded interior Douglas-fir tree in Canada – and is a transition point between coastal and interior ecosystems. It provides crucial habitat for grizzly bears, mountain goats, tailed frogs, and rubber boa. The area’s ecological connectivity with the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park and other protected lands is vital to these species’ survival. The area also holds hundreds of culturally modified trees, some dating back over 300 years. These trees, along with every river and rock, have a story that reminds us of the respect we must treat them with, to honour them and the generations that came before. Protecting them through documentation is essential to preserving these stories for future generations. As part of this work, Kanaka Bar will be launching a Guardians program. This is about more than conservation – it is about reconnecting to the land, revitalizing language, and strengthening cultural resilience. Through this work, elders and youth are brought back to the land to share knowledge, stories, and teachings. Some elders are returning to places they haven’t seen since childhood, deepening the intergenerational bond between people and place. The strength of the community lies in its people, and Kanaka Bar remains committed to building self-sufficiency, fostering wellness, and ensuring a thriving future for generations to come. If you want to support the establishment of this IPCA, you can follow @teqtaqtnipca and/or donate via the Nature-Based Solutions Foundation. Links for additional learning: YouTube video about the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area Nature-Based Solutions Foundation website, where people can donate to support the work Kanaka Bar Instagram Kanaka Bar website Explore Related Content Youth Advisory Council How are Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas different from Marine Protected Areas? April 9, 2025 Read more Youth Advisory Council Legal Frameworks for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas April 9, 2025 Read more Youth Advisory Council Seal River Watershed Alliance: All you need to know April 9, 2025 Read more
