The Unist'ot'en against Big Oil volunteers from all over the world on the Morice River

  • Freda Huson and Dini Ze Smogelgem live in a cabin on the Morice River, 60 km of logging road South East of Houston. They have been there since the approval of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline gave way to drillings and scoutings for clearings in the forest. The Unist'ot'en camp has stopped the construction for years.

The Morice River in the territory of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation is one of the few Canadian rivers with drinkable water.

The fight against the Enbridge pipeline involved dozens of First Nations along the route, from tar sand fields in Alberta to Kitimat on the Pacific Ocean. The blue sign with the white salmon was and is still to be seen in thousands of spots, along roads, on windows, on boats, in front gardens. United against Enbridge, First Nations have finally won their battle in November 2016, when the federal government definitely stopped the project, after it had been preliminary stopped by the Supreme Court of Appeal in June 2016. According to the Court, there was no proper consultation with aboriginal people: "Canada offered only a brief, hurried and inadequate opportunity to exchange and discuss information and to dialogue".

Falling stars in August at the Unist'ot'en camp.

On the route of a gas pipeline they built a permaculture garden that provides food for the community kitchen.

Daily tasks, international contacts, arrivals and departures of activists, ancient sayings in native language: everything is on the white board in the dining room.

Access to the territory is forbidden to people working for the oil and gas industry. The bridge is open to First Nations and to volunteers who come from USA and Europe, too.

Among the plans for the future, Freda and Dini are thinking of moving from the cabin to a pit house in the bush, in order to go back to their culture. The outhouse has to be outside...

The camp is going to host a healing center for native youth. Dave Ages from Galeano Island, beside being the main fundraiser, is the carpenter in charge of construction.

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