Nechako: A river, a film, a fight for justice

Photo: Lyana Patrick collects her thoughts at the water’s edge of the Nechako River.

 

The flowing water quietly gurgles over shallow rocks in the Nechako River (ᘅᐪᙠᗶᑋ in Dakelh, meaning “big river”). Nechako stretches over 500 kilometres along Dakelh and Wet’suwet’en territories in northern British Columbia. Along its lush banks, Jasmine Thomas of Saik’uz First Nation carefully cuts branches from a juniper tree. Her grandmother, Elder Minnie Thomas, and young children are nearby. It’s baby Keanu’s first time at this prayer spot. Gathering the branches, Jasmine explains to three-year-old Sophia that juniper is used for medicine. She smudges charcoal on Sophia’s cheeks. “That’s so the land can see you and knows who you are,” Jasmine tells her.

This moment opens Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again, a new documentary following the fight by Saik’uz and Stellat’en First Nations to restore the Nechako River — and the way of life that once flowed with it. Since the 1950s, the Kenney Dam has devastated the river system. Salmon stocks have collapsed. Moose populations have plummeted. And generations of families have lost access to the land and waters that sustained them. But the film is also a story about hope and strength.

Jasmine, Stewardship and Reconciliation Lead for Saik’uz Nation, works to protect her Nation’s environmental and economic interests during project development.

“There’s an intergenerational effort continuing to help restore the Nechako River,” she says. “The film showcases and uplifts a few of the many voices.”

 

One of those voices belongs to Archie Patrick, former chief of Stellat’en First Nation. He has dedicated his life to saving the Nechako. His daughter, Lyana Patrick, returned home to document their community’s decades-long fight for justice.

“Our people’s name means ‘people who travel by water.’ The Nechako connects me to the lands and waters where generations of my people have lived,” says Lyana. “Growing up, I was aware of my ancestry, but I always wanted to understand more about where I come from.”

Driven by that curiosity — and a passion for storytelling and justice — Lyana wrote and directed Nechako, working closely with community members every step of the way.

 

Land, water, and Indigenous health

Lyana is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Her research explores the deep ties between human, animal, and planetary health and the impacts on Indigenous health and wellbeing.

“Nechako was part of our identity,” says Lyana. “The river taught us how to live.”

“Families would gather there and pass down stories about survival and responsibilities,” Lyana continues. “When the river was damaged, the social, cultural, economic, and heart of the community was ripped away.”

The film reveals how those disruptions continue to affect food security, cultural systems, and community health. But it also shows the resilience that rose above.

“I wanted to show the care, the love, and the strength of community and connections,” Lyana says. “The film shows that there are people who still hold knowledge and pass it on. It shows the ways we have resisted the destruction.”

Research rooted in rights and responsibility

Lyana is a strong advocate for Indigenous data sovereignty — Indigenous Peoples’ right to own, protect, and make decisions about their own data. She’s a champion of the First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP®) in health research.

“Too often, research by non-Indigenous people has minimal benefit to Indigenous communities,” she says. “But that’s changing. I’m seeing the shift towards understanding these principles and being accountable.”

OCAP® principles guided the film’s entire journey, from leadership and public meetings to a community benefits agreement that transferred ownership of the film to the Nations.

Decolonizing planetary health

Nechako also touches on stewardship — caring for the environment — and how the health of land, water, animals, and people are deeply connected.

Through powerful storytelling, Lyana helps people understand that the health of one system depends on the health of the others. Her film reflects her broader work to decolonize planetary health — meaningfully engaging with Indigenous Peoples and ways of knowing to address overlapping environmental and health issues.

Her research explores self-determination and territorial integrity and how Indigenous communities are reclaiming responsibility for their lands — restoring places that have been damaged by others. In doing so, Indigenous Peoples are working to not only improve their own health and wellbeing but also protect the planet for everyone.

“Our laws and ways guide how we care for land and water,” says Lyana. “The more our worldviews are recognized, the more we’ll see positive change for everyone’s health.”

A better future

Lyana hopes the film opens eyes and hearts. “I want people to come away with a sense of our strength, our resilience, and our responsibility to each other,” she says. “That’s what drives this work.”

Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations recently took a major step forward by establishing a new relationship with Rio Tinto Alcan, the company operating the dam.

“Now there’s a chance to restore the Nechako,” says Jasmine. “We want to bring the river closer to its natural state and support our fisheries again. I feel great hope for the days to come.”

Learn more

• Nechako: It Will Be A Big River Again
• The First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession: OCAP®

All photos courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada, Lantern Films, and Experimental Forest Films.

 

Dr. Lyana Patrick is Dakelh from the Stellat’en First Nation and Acadian/Scottish. She is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She is a former member of the Board of Directors at Michael Smith Health Research BC and currently sits on the Indigenous health research review panel. Lyana’s research builds on robust research partnerships with urban and First Nations communities to better understand how Indigenous peoples counter wide-spread anti-Indigenous racism by asserting self-determination. Key to this work is the mobilization of land-based, Indigenous knowledge to transform relationships between Indigenous peoples and industry/health service agencies. She incorporates film and other multimedia in her work and is committed to public scholarship as a creative and collaborative process of exploration with Indigenous communities.

 

Health Research BC’s commitment to Indigenous research 

Health Research BC acknowledges that colonization and systemic racism have critically impacted the past and ongoing health and wellbeing of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples.

We envision a health research system that is culturally safe, values Indigenous ways of knowing, and respects the rights of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples.

We are committed to advancing Indigenous reconciliation across all areas of our work.

Our commitments are an active and ongoing process, like reconciliation itself. We know that progress will depend on strong relationships based upon trust and respect — and that those relationships will take time to develop. As we continue this journey, we look forward to learning, working in partnership with Indigenous peoples and organizations, and holding ourselves accountable for this work.

Learn more about our commitments to Indigenous reconciliation.

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