As Gwich’in, we will never stop fighting for our land
By Bernadette Demientieff
The Hill
November 27, 2020
Despite losing the election, the Trump administration is barreling ahead with oil and gas development in the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd, known as the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. In a last ditch effort, they issued a call for nominations to lease this sacred land to oil and gas companies.
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This rush to develop is dismissing and ignoring our voices and is in violation of our right to free, prior and informed consent. It will have a devastating impact on the land and animals of the refuge. As Indigenous Peoples, we are spiritually and culturally connected to the land, the water and the animals. Any harm to them is harm to the Gwich’in.