Film submitted by Angela Kane, CEO, Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society, Canada
The 2017-2018 wildfire seasons in British Columbia burned a record breaking 2.5 million hectares throughout the province, driven by a combination of severe fire weather conditions and the legacies of the past century of industrial forest (mis)management. One of the largest of these fires was the ‘Elephant Hill’ fire, which burned 192,000 hectares throughout the heart of the Secwépemc Nations’s traditional territory. This documentary showcases the responses of Secwépemc communities to this fire, in particular their work to mitigate anticipated environmental impacts through the ‘Secwépemc Territory Morel Harvest Program’. This film highlights the leadership of First Nations in fire management and recovery and the importance of advancing collaborative stewardship and restoration of fire-affected and fire-adapted landscapes.
I think we can go much farther if we never had to deal with the Indian Act that is held over us and undermining our abilities.