Reawakening the land
The revitalization of Indigenous law, culture and tradition expresses itself differently for every Nation. After decades of erasure by colonial governments, the Ma’amtagila Nation are asserting their laws through their presence on ancestral territories.
This re-awakening is not only about the Ma’amtagila People returning to their sacred villages but also about repairing their relationship with the plants, animals and waters that were severed during displacement.
For many Indigenous cultures, the relationships between all beings are reciprocal. Humans are not a force imposed onto ecosystems to extract but rather they are an integral part of every ecosystem.
At Hiladi — a sacred ancestral site — this balance is clear. The Ma’amtagila tended to ancient clam gardens which increased abundance, while food and root gardens enhanced biodiversity while feeding the community.
For centuries, ecosystems thrived under the Ma’amtagila stewardship, just as the people thrived from the land.
In July, Ecojustice joined Ma’amtagila members, artists, scientists, and allies for the 5th annual Tree of Life gathering, hosted by the Awi’nakola Foundation in support of the Ma’amtagila Nation. Held in the ancient village of Hiladi — meaning “the place to make things right,” the reawakening of the village occurred through re-occupation in the form of dancing, feasting, making art, harvesting, and holding ceremony.
Ma’amtagila history
The Ma’amtagila Nation are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw Peoples of the West Coast, of what so-called Canada with traditional territory between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, in the Johnstone Strait.
Over the last century, the Ma’amtagila were displaced from their traditional territory, sometimes by necessity, sometimes by force. But their rights and title to the land, were never surrendered to the Canadian government.
Like many Nations, they carry deep scars of colonialism, including disease which reduced their population by 90 per cent after contact. In 1945, amalgamation with the Tlowitsis First Nation stripped the Ma’amtagila of federal recognition as a distinct Nation and denied their role as rights holder.[1]
Awi’nakola Foundation
The Awi’nakola Foundation was created by Indigenous knowledge keepers, scientists and artists from diverse backgrounds working together to heal the planet, heal the people, and change culture. They’re creating tangible solutions for the current climate crisis and educating through the process. Their focus includes preserving fungi and B.C.’s old-growth forests — among the last primary forests on Earth.
Awi’nakola is a hub of collaboration, rooted in reciprocity and reconciliation. It uplifts Indigenous law, deepens understanding of forests, and develops projects to preserve life-giving ecosystems.
Fifth ‘Tree of Life’ gathering
The first Tree of Life in 2021 was born from a simple idea: artists, scientists and knowledge keepers must collaborate to create a path of healing for people and land. Founding members of Awi’nakola put a call out for people to gather in the wilderness to begin creating this path. This year focused on reawakening Ma’amtagila territory. People lived, connected, feasted, and shared on the land — as they had since time immemorial.
Hiladi’s sacredness is anchored by Tsas, a Ma’amtagila matriarch, who has occupied the land for the last five years. Gathering here signaled not just return of community to the land, but the continuation of occupation, use, governance, and law practiced here.
During the week, the land and wildlife were honoured through art, science, and ceremonial offerings. Artist Kelly Richarson presented Origin Stories/Dance of the Seagulls, reflecting on regeneration, connection, and the mass extinction crisis. Chief Makwala-Rande Cook created the Dance of the Fungi Kingdom, a contemporary traditional dance which will be passed along for generations in ceremony, adding to the continuum of ancient teachings. Paul Walde produced and directed Forestorium, an opera staged in the old-growth forest with orchestra and singers. The story the music told reverberated through the old-growth forest on Ma’amtagila Territory, ending with Chief Cook asserting Ma’amtagila rights and existence.
On July 25, 2025, the gathering culminated in a Declaration of Sovereignty, witnessed by community members, partners and allies declaring the area protected by Ma’amtagila law and ceremony.
This Declaration affirmed:
- The Ma’amtagila Nation has its own system of governance that is the lawful authority over the lands, submerged water, air, and resources of the traditional territory.
- The Ma’amtagila Nation are the proper rights holders for aboriginal rights over Ma’amtagila lands, submerged water, air, and resources of the traditional territory.
- The Ma’amtagila Nation has never been consulted by the Crown for resource extraction within their territories nor have they ever consented to such activities in their territories.
- The Ma’amtagila Nation’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the most diverse and vulnerable ecosystems that exist within their territories, including old growth forest and aquatic ecosystems. Ma’amtagila knowledge keeper Andrew Wahdams, closed: “These lands were never given away, they remain Ma’amtagila lands. No one person had the authority to give away or sell lands to anyone else. It would require all of the Ma’amtagila leadership to even consider making a decision like that. The decision would never come across our minds to give away our lands and resources. To do so would be to give away our children’s futures…. it is the desire of the Chiefs of the Ma’amtagila that we start to come home now and to take care of our territory and people.
Ecojustice’s involvement
For several years, members of the Ecojustice team have been building relationships with the Awi’nakola Foundation and the Ma’amtigila Nation. Ecojustice was honoured by the invitation to bear witness to this year’s Tree of Life gathering. As witnesses, we are called to uphold and share this moment so others may understand the fight for Ma’amtagila sovereignty and their stories.
This is part of our ongoing commitment: to uplift Indigenous stories and law, and to continue amplifying them in the years ahead.
Sources:
[1] Govt. of Canada
