Qat’muk puts Jumbo in new — but ancient — light

Ktunaxa Nation formally asserts stewardship of area

Jumbo Valley is at the epicenter of a 20-year-old debate.

Real estate investors want to build a half-a-billion-dollar ski resort there, while conservationists and scientists warn of nose-diving grizzly numbers and threats to glaciers, water and wilderness.

But centuries before a road was blasted through avalanche chutes all the way up from Invermere, 57-kilometres away, Jumbo Valley was simply part of Qat’muk: home of the Grizzly Bear Spirit, territory of the Ktunaxa First Nation.

And it still is.

Members of the Ktunaxa Nation took the Qat’muk Declaration to Victoria on November 15, 2010. The declaration, which they presented to the B.C. legislative assembly, outlines the ancient connection between the Ktunaxa, the Grizzly Bear Spirit and Qat’muk (GOT-MOOK). It also formally declares the Jumbo Valley—which is inside the sacred core of the Qat’muk area—to be off-limits to the proposed ski resort development.

“We’re grateful to the Ktunaxa Nation for making this historic declaration,” said Robyn Duncan, Wildsight’s Purcell program manager. “We’re humbled by the courage it took to share these cultural and spiritual values with the larger community."

A mere two pages, the Qat’muk Declaration covers a lot of ground.

Among other things, it declares that the Ktunaxa has a stewardship obligation to Qat’muk, a territory which includes the entirety of the Toby-Jumbo watershed and the uppermost parts of the South Fork of Glacier Creek, Horsethief Creek and Farnham Creek watersheds.

It emphasizes that the Ktunaxa have never consented to developments within Qat’muk, and proclaims that Qat’muk is home of the Grizzly Bear Spirit.

Further, the declaration establishes a refuge area in the upper part of Jumbo Valley—“the sacred core of the Qat’muk area”—and a buffer area in the rest of the Jumbo watershed so the Grizzly Bear Spirit, and grizzly bears, can thrive.

“The sacred core of Qat’muk is also the site of the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort we’ve fought against for so long,” Duncan said, “And the whole watershed is key grizzly habitat—vital to grizzly populations in the entire Purcell Range.

“Conservation groups have long advocated for these areas to be protected—and now we know how strongly the Ktunaxa Nation advocates protection of them as well.”

Coming next, the nation plans to further outline its stewardship principles in regards to the area.

“The Nation has invited other governments and stakeholders to participate in developing a management plan for Qat’muk,” Duncan said. “Wildsight looks forward to working with the Nation in defense of this wilderness area—and in aid of the grizzly bears who rely on it to maintain their populations.”

Background

Qat’muk (GOT-MOOK) is the Ktunaxa name of the lands in the central part of the Purcell Mountains that include the area of the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort. It is within the core of the territory of the Ktunaxa Nation. For the Ktunaxa Nation, it is the home of ‘grizzly bear spirit’ and thus, has to be carefully protected.

“Qat’muk is a very special place where the Grizzly Bear Spirit was born, goes to heal itself, and returns to the spirit world.” Qat’muk Declaration

Ktunaxa (TOO-NA-HA) people have occupied the lands adjacent to the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, Canada for more than 10,000 years.

The Ktunaxa Nation has been opposed to the Jumbo Glacier Resort since it was first proposed in 1991. This opposition has been based principally on the spiritual importance of the Qat’muk area for Ktunaxa people, but it also derives from Ktunaxa concerns for the protection of wildlife populations (esp. grizzly bears), biodiversity and water quality.
(From www.qatmuk.com)