Lands Stewardship
The Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation is part of the the Secwepemc Nation and are Interior Salish People. The Salish People cover the area from the Coast (Coastal Salish) from Northern BC from Washington State to the Cariboo Region. The Tsq’escenemc are part of the lakes people of the Northern Secwepemc, using the vast number of lakes in the region to maintain our sustenance.
The main village and administration buildings of the Nation is situated in the South Cariboo area, approximately 30 kilometers east of 100 Mile House on the Canim-Hendrix Lake Road.
Our traditional territory expands beyond the borders of the "Indian Reserves" as defined by the Indian Act of Canada, which equates to only 19.5 square kilometers of land. In contrast, our traditional area spans across 21, 260 square kilometers in the Cariboo, BC with some overlapping areas with our sister Secwepemc Nations. We have lived in this territory for time immemorial and never agreed to give up our title and rights to the land and resources in this area. We continue to work to care for, preserve, protect and conserve due to the traditional uses and teachings that we receive from the land. When the land is not well and resources are depleted without concern for the future, this affects All Our Relations and we have a responsibility to ensure we are aligning our stewardship practices with the well being of the land and resources for long term sustainability.
We continue to negotiate for more lands under Specific Land Claims and through Treaty negotiation processes, we have acquired two ranches and two recreational properties in the Cariboo that are managed under Spelqweqs Development Limited Partnership (SDLP), Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation's economic development corporation. We are also always exploring opportunities to expand the land base for Tsq’escném’c through land back initiatives and partnerships in the territory.
CONTACTS
p. 250-397-2227
f. 250-397-2769
Braeden Emile - Lands Coordinator
Juanita Rosette - Lands Assistant
Natural Resources
The Natural Resources Department offers the following services:
· Referrals – We monitor referrals through the NSTQ Portal
· Archaeology – We have a contract with BCTS for the Arch work in our territory
· Technical Support – We provide technical support to our Treaty Staff for Negotiations as required. We manage reserve lands, Woodlot 1578 and FNWL N1I
· Our companies; Kenkeknem Forest Tenures Ltd and Teniye Logging Ltd. have moved to Spelqweqs Development Limited Partnership, Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation's economic development corporation.
CONTACTS
p. 250-397-2253
f. 250-397-2769
Don Dixon - Natural Resources Sr. Manager
Greg Archie - Natural Resources Referrals Coordinator
Audrey Daniels – Natural Resources Office Coordinator
nrofficecoordinator@tsqescen.ca
Lenny Emile – Natural Resources Field Supervisor
Treaty
Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation is part of the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council
The four communities of the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (NStQ) have chosen to negotiate together for a Treaty settlement. As part of the NStQ, the Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation Treaty Team is;
Helping our people build strong, healthy, successful individuals and communities through an honourable agreement with the people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Region, British Columbia and Canada.
CONTACTS
p. 250-397-2002
f. 250-397-2769
Elizabeth Pete - Treaty Manager
Melody Henderson - Treaty Communications and Mapping Coordinator
VACANT - Treaty Assistant
