December 1, 2022: The importance of youth voices speaking for the caribou was a highlight of the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board’s (BQCMB) meeting in Prince Albert, SK from November 22-24, 2022.
The meeting was the 93rd in the Board’s 40-year history and drew guests and observers from across the range, including many Denesųłiné community members and Elders from northern Saskatchewan. Three youth members were also selected by their communities to attend.
Key items on the agenda included a review of the BQCMB’s participation in recent Nunavut Land Use Plan regional hearings in Rankin Inlet, NU, and Thompson, MB; habitat protection; the need for Indigenous guardians’ programs; and caribou health. Underscoring each of these items was the need for youth to be actively involved in caribou conservation and the importance of connecting young people to their culture and traditional ways of life.
The youth were not just observers, but active participants in the meeting. Dion Tsannie (Hatchet Lake Denesųłiné First Nation) and Denver Olson (Fond du Lac Denesųłiné First Nation) performed a traditional Dene drum song to open and close the meeting, while Romeo Fern (Black Lake Denesųłiné First Nation), gave a presentation titled “Important Values of the Caribou”.
The youth all expressed the need to learn from their Elders to ensure caribou would be available for future generations. “Our elders tell us the caribou have been here for us, and now we need to be there for the caribou,” explained Romeo.
Denver agreed. “What we need as youth is to go out on the land and learn how to hunt and do things right from wrong and do things for our community. If we don’t, nobody’s going to be there to teach us. The last of the people who know how to do these things are the Elders and once they’re gone, we’re going to be lost, and I don’t want that. We need the caribou, and if we respect the caribou, the caribou will respect us – we just have to learn how to take care of it.”
The Board also recognized two long-standing members for their service.
Earl Evans (Northwest Territory Métis Nation), who has served on the Board since 2003, was celebrated for his ongoing service as Chair for 10 years, the longest tenure as Chair in the Board’s history.
Tim Trottier (La Ronge, SK), former Vice-Chair and Government of Saskatchewan representative, who is also the longest-serving BQCMB government member to date, was named an Honourary Member.
The BQCMB’s next meeting will take place May 16-18 in Yellowknife, NT.
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The BQCMB is a co-management advisory board that helps manage the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou herds, which migrate across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The majority of board members represent Indigenous communities and all board members live in northern Canada.
