Tahltan Totally Explained

Everything about Tahltan totally explained

Tahltan (also Nahanni) refers to a Northern Athabaskan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut.

Culture

History

As early as 10,000 years ago, the Tahltan people used obsidian from Mount Edziza to make tools and weapons for trading material. This is the main source of obsidian found in northwestern British Columbia.

Coal-bed methane conflict

Since 2005, a group elders from Tahltan First Nation called the Klabona Keepers have watched the road leading through Tahltan territory towards the Klappan Valley in opposition of development there, specifically a coalbed methane mining project planned by Royal Dutch Shell. The Klappan Valley is home to the headwaters of the Nass, Skeena and Stikine Rivers. Not only do these rivers provide a home to an important salmon stocks, Tahltan oral history holds that these headwaters are the place where the earth was first created and where Talhtan culture began. According to the Klabona Keepers, the valley is used for fishing, hunting and trapping. It is the site of a Tahltan burial ground and a cultural camp where Talhtan youth can learn their culture in the summer.
   In 2004, Shell was awarded the oil and gas rights to the Klappan valley, one of British Columbia's largest coal deposits and an estimated of methane. That year, Shell drilled three exploratory wells at the headwaters, but in 2005 four Shell employees who arrived at the band office in Iskut were turned away by a group of elders, and no drilling occurred that summer. Non-violent blockades in 2005 and 2006 delayed development efforts and led to the arrests of 13 protesters. Talhtan territory was the site of half of all the mining exploration in British Columbia during 2006. Protests in Smithers have been as large as 600 people. David Suzuki and Wade Davis have both criticized plans for coal-bed methane mining in the headwaters, and in June 2007, 14 different environmental groups sent a joint letter to Shell opposing the project.
   Coal-bed methane extraction has already been the subject of protests in Bulkley Valley, against a project planned near Telkwa, British Columbia. In a unanimous 2003 resolution, the Union of B.C. Municipalities asked for a moratorium on coal-bed methane mining in the province. Representatives from Shell assert a determination to reach consensus in the community, and note that the elected Tahltan Central Council (TCC) agreed to the exploration. The TTC's Chief Jerry Asp was forced to resign in 2005 after protests from Tahltan members accused him of a conflict of interest because of his involvement with two pro-development organizations. According to the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coaltion, Shell has launched a lawsuit against Talhtan elders for loss of revenue. The Klabona Keepers have filed a counter-suit for failure to consult.
   Employment opportunities have come from natural resources development in recent years. Because of various concerns over the lands, the parties involved balance between development and the environment.
   Talk of an Alaska-Canada railroad

traversing Tahltan lands recurs every so often with feasibility studies being done.

Language

Tahltan is a poorly documented Northern Athabaskan language. Some linguists consider Tahltan to be a language with 3 divergent but mutually intelligible dialects (Mithun 1999). The numbers below are according to Poser (2003):

Tahltan (approximately 35 speakers)
Kaska (approximately 400 speakers)
Tagish (approximately 2 speakers)

Other linguists consider these to be separate languages.

Further Information

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