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KEYOH WHUDUCHUN

Keyohs are the traditional land holdings of Dakelh (Carrier) people, and the land in all directions from Stuart Lake is divided into keyohs, some larger and some smaller than others. These keyohs predate the arrival of Europeans. Under Dakelh law the heads of our extended families, Keyoh Whuduchun or Keyoh Holders, have title to the keyohs. This title is not granted, delegated or derived from an Indian Band or some other authority. It has been passed down from one family head to his or her successor, generation after generation, for many hundreds of years.

Leadership Supports Keyoh Rights

“The Keyoh (land) was managed by family units and the family head controlled the hunting, fishing and gathering in his Keyoh.”- Thomas Alexis is past Chief Councillor of Tl’azt’en Indian Band – August 2009

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The responsibility for additional consultation to the Keyoh Holders lays with province and the Licensee as per recent court decisions of the Haida and Taku River Tlingit rulings….our Council has encouraged our member to be more active in the utilization of their Keyoh and we expect that your ministry.”– Leonard Thomas 2002, formerly Chief of Nak’azdli Reserve, Vice Tribal Chief CSTC, and President for First Nations Forestry Council

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“Nak’azdli has consistently stated that those aboriginal rights are held by the keyoh holders, not the Nak’azdli Indian Band…….Nak’azdli is in support of the Title and Rights of the Keyoh Holders” –  Former Chief Fred Sam – Nak’azdli Indian Band, 2008

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“Keyoh holders still hold Aboriginal rights and title to those lands.” Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, 2007 – David Luggi, was a former Tribal Chief of Carrier Sekani Tribal Council and was Chief for Stellat’en

About the Banner Image

Chief Louie Billy, b 1864, seated 3rd from the left with five other hereditary chiefs (keyoh holders) was Keyohoduchun or Village Chief of his keyoh. The photo was taken in 1920.

“The keyoh, while existing on a functional level as a “larder”, carries symbolic meaning in how it acts as a vessel of tradition. It is frequently referred to as “a place for survival” (Walter Joseph and Pierre John, Catherine Coldwell, Stanley Tom and Alexander Tom, 2004) but the meaning of this phrase surpasses its subsistence importance.”- Heikilla 2007

“Ownership of rights to sites by family groups, such as the Carrier Keyoh, is pronounced... Carrier families own Keyoh lands”- Ridington 2008

“On a social level, keyohs symbolize family and personal autonomy in the sense that they are places of belonging within the greater Dakelh social structure. In short, keyohs are places where it becomes possible for individuals to attach in a personal way to the land. It is in this sense as a place for self-restoration, that the word “survival”, used to describe keyohs, is fully realized.”- Heikilla 2007

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