“We are the ones that we are waiting for” - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 115

6 “We are the ones that we are

waiting for”
Indigenous leadership in transborder
environmental governance

In November 2005, the first annual Coast Salish Gathering was held at the
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Center in Sequim, Washington. This Gathering
brought together First Nation Chiefs, Tribal Chairs, and Council members from
around the Salish Sea of the coastal Pacific region of North America. Invited
delegates from Canadian and U.S. governments and environmental organizations
also participated in the dialogue with the tribal leaders in an attempt to address
environmental issues of shared concern, particularly issues related to the protection
of salmon habitat.
“It has been a long time since we have all come together as tribes”, reflected
Tom Sampson, prominent Coast Salish elder and tribal leader on the first day of
the Gathering in Jamestown S'Klallam (2005). “The last five hundred years”, he
stated solemnly, “have not been great ones for our people”. The elder reminded
the audience that the words spoken today “are the words from our ancestors” and
that the purpose of the Gathering was “to talk about the future of our children
and the children yet to be born”.
The opening statement addressed several interrelated topics: tribal governance,
ancestral rights, environmental degradation, and the connectedness of the Coast
Salish people. Although the words were spoken softly, they filled the longhouse
in its entirety. Each one of the 200 participants listened intently as one of the most
revered tribal leaders of the Coast Salish communities opened the discussions.
At the end of the 3-day Gathering, the Coast Salish leaders committed their
communities to finding solutions to the pressing environmental issues they face,
particularly those related to protecting the waterways of critical salmon habitat.
The leaders agreed that the most effective way to accomplish this goal was to
establish their own governing body and speak with a unified voice. As a result,
the Coast Salish leaders agreed to the formation of an Indigenous-led governing
body that would meet annually at the Coast Salish Gatherings.
Through the development of the Gatherings, the tribes and bands throughout
Coast Salish territory have committed to working together to address shared
environmental issues, drawing on a strong connection to their land, shared ancestors,
and a commitment to the revitalization of their culture. As a group, they share the
goal “[t]o protect the environment and natural resources of the Salish Sea for the