T’akú Tlatsini (Places that Make Us Strong) Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area
We are the Taku River Tlingit. Our relationship to our territory is sacred, and over millennia it has made us who we are. The T’akú River has always taken care of us as we take care of it – the T’akú is our promise to future generations.
Tlingit law affirms our responsibility to protect and care for the T’akú and all that live and thrive there, and through reciprocity, the T’akú supports us as healthy Tlingit, today and forever into the future. We are strong partly because our lands and waters depend upon us; stewarding our lands and waters is an essential part of being Tlingit and of Lingít Kusteeyí (Tlingit way of living).
It is our responsibility to pass on healthy land so that the Tlingit remain healthy and
survive forever. Therefore, we have a responsibility to pass Tlingit Laws which shall
protect our Traditional Territory and way of life.
Taku River Tlingit Constitution
We have developed a fair, responsible and respectful mapped vision for the T’akú Tlatsini Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (T’akú IPCA) that represents generations of knowledge and decades of work (see attached Map).
The T’akú IPCA protects critical landscapes while providing for a diversified economic future. It includes protecting 60% of the T’akú watershed including our salmon rivers and spawning areas, and landscapes needed for wildlife, for clean water, and for Lingít Kusteeyí. These landscapes are appropriate for a diversity of non-extractive developments such as tourism, research and restoration. The T’akú IPCA provides opportunities for respectful mineral and other development in specially managed landscapes covering 40% of the T’akú watershed. These specially managed areas
include vast landscapes of the highest mineral potential.
We invite those interested in economic development to work with us in respect of our laws, standards and protocols that will ensure developments are undertaken in sustainable and honorable ways for a shared and thriving future.