The Xeni Gwetʼin First Nation is a First Nations government located in the southwestern

Chilcotin District The Chilcotin () region of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lee of the C ...

in the western Central Interior region of the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It is a member of the Tsilhqotʼin Tribal Council. The Xeni Gwetʼin First Nation reserve community and offices are located at the wilderness community of Nemaia Valley, which lies between Chilko Lake and the Taseko Lakes.

Chief and councillors

Roger William (Chief 1991-2008) was once again elected Chief on February 27, 2013 replacing Marilyn Baptiste, who served since 2010. William most recently served as Councillor with Xeni Gwetʼin. The vote was tallied at 133 to 94 William over Baptiste. Most observers regard this community as one of the best-managed in the area.

Treaty process

Xeni Gwetʼin First Nation Government chose not to take part in the

British Columbia Treaty Process The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations. Three treaties have ...

claiming it out-dated and ineffective, and instead fought for Aboriginal Rights and Title through the Canadian judicial system. On June 26, 2014, in

Tsilhqotʼin Nation v British Columbia ''Tsilhqotʼin Nation v British Columbia'' is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of Canada that established Aboriginal land title in Canada, Aboriginal land title for the Tsilhqotʼin First Nation, with larger effects. As a result of the l ...

, The

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...

acknowledged

Aboriginal Title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the Indigenous land rights, land rights of indigenous peoples to customary land, customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty to that land by another Colonization, colonising state. ...

to approximately 1800 square kilometres of the Nation's traditional territory - a first for any aboriginal group in Canada.

Demographics

There are about 300 people living on the reserve, with a handful of non-native people in the area. Plus they have approximately 300 quajus horses split in multiple herds! And their numbers of horses are getting bigger each year.

Economic development

The band has an active business management program, which runs the local roads yard as well as a gas-bar. Many new houses have been built in the subdivision area near the band office, with an

electrical grid An electrical grid (or electricity network) is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power tran ...

. The area is not served by the main

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, trade name, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, wi ...

grid, and so (except for the subdivision) all houses are run on generators and

solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...

Social, educational and cultural programs and facilities

The band has taken over the management of its health program, the only one of the Chilcotin communities to do so. The local school runs from kindergarten to grade 8 in three classrooms; it is unusual for the area in having mostly long-term residents as teachers.

External links