Metlakatla, Nuxalk and Haida Guardians connect for a learning exchange – Coastal First Nations

Coastal Guardians from CFN member Nations — who are known as the eyes and ears of their lands and waters — are visiting each other’s territories as a part of an ongoing Guardian exchange pilot project. Metlakatla, Haida and Nuxalk Guardians are participating, visiting each other’s homelands and learning about their unique roles and responsibilities in the critical work they carry out for their communities.

The Guardian Exchange is funded and supported by the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (WLRS) and the Coastal Stewardship Network (CSN). Nicole Robinson, who is the Guardian Support Coordinator for CSN, says no two Nations are the same, but are all unique in their own ways. An exchange opportunity empowers Guardians to learn about each other’s territories, histories, and cultures and take that knowledge home, she says.

“It’s important for Guardians to learn about each other’s protocols, practices and laws,” she says, sitting in the Crest Hotel in Prince Rupert as orcas breach in the harbour below, feasting on fish during an unusually warm winter on the coast. “Guardians are the eyes and ears of their territories, they’re the first people on the scene, they know the weather, the climate, the rights and wrongs and it’s knowledge that’s been passed on for many years.”