Maiyoo Keyoh Whuz un’a Whuts’odilhti, Canada
Description
In central British Columbia, the term Keyoh refers to the traditional, unceded ancestral territory of the Dakelh people. Each Keyoh is stewarded by an extended family group (known as the Snadneke) and governed by customary (Dakelh) laws.
The Maiyoo Keyoh Whuz un’a Whuts’odilhti is an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) of 20,461 hectares in north-central British Columbia, Canada, held by the Maiyoo Keyoh Snadneke of approximately 40 people. Whuz un’a Whuts’odilhti means “This is the way it has always been, and we hold it high above all else”. The territory extends north from Tsa Bunghun (Great Beaver Lake) to Lhez Dulk’un (Red Earth) — across lakes, wetlands, creeks, rivers, and forest. The Snadneke (the extended family group) live from the land — on the fish, moose, berries, and medicine — and from the cultural practices that carry Dakelh law across generations.
History and Activities
Keyohs are the foundation of landholding and governance under Dakelh law. Each Keyoh is held in trust by a Keyohwhuduchun — who is the hereditary title holder — for the Snadneke.
The origin of the Keyoh is held in the story of ‘Ustas, the shapeshifter of Dakelh oral law.
‘Ustas was grieving. His wife was lost. The weight became too much. He transformed into a giant bird. Flying over the land, he wept. Every falling tear formed a lake. Where his tears ran together, they carved the rivers.’
The Maiyoo Keyoh is not a resource to be managed. It is a trust — not in the English-law sense, and not a metaphor. The Snadneke keep the land as 'Ustas left it, and the keyohwhuduchun holds it for the Snadneke and for the land itself: it cannot be sold or surrendered, and the responsibility passes down the hereditary line. This is the legal foundation of the Keyoh system and the highest authority over the land and water, answering to no Crown or external power. To breach this trust is a transgression under Dakelh law, and the consequences are borne under that law.
Industrial logging began in 1970 and caused severe damage within a single generation. In 2002, the late Sally A'Huille, keyohwhuduchun, issued a Notice of Aboriginal Title to the Premier and Prime Minister, asserting that Keyoh lands are held under Dakelh title — what Canadian law calls Aboriginal title. A 2004 Land Use and Occupancy Study documented the Snadneke's occupation and use of the Keyoh within living memory, mapping more than 3,500 sites across the territory. Between 2008 and 2009, six Keyohs ratified a protocol recognizing one another's Keyoh title, and 18 signed a declaration confirming that none had surrendered authority. This was recognition among the Keyohs under Dakelh law, not a grant of status by government: Keyoh title exists of itself — asserted, not conferred — and passes down through generations.
In 2022, Petra A'Huille, keyohwhuduchun, issued a moratorium on all industrial logging. On December 27, 2025, she enacted the IPCA on the recommendation of the Snadneke Assembly, witnessed by the keyohwhuduchun of two neighbouring Keyohs.
Conservation
The Keyoh holds the whole of Ts'aiz·li (Beaver Creek) and portions of Tsa Bunghun (Great Beaver Lake) and the Tsakoh — the Salmon River on English maps. An overwintering, at-risk Chinook salmon population frequents these waters and two other lakes within the Keyoh, which feed the wider Fraser watershed — so the Keyoh's stewardship reaches beyond its boundaries.
The Keyoh is home to several species at risk, including the Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, and an overwintering Chinook population, recognized as at risk under federal and provincial law and afforded legal protection. Parks Canada’s National Parks System Plan divides the country into 39 distinct terrestrial natural regions; the Maiyoo Keyoh sits within two of them. The entire IPCA is no-go and no-take: no activity may take place without the permission of the keyohwhuduchun, requested through a permission form (at maiyookeyoh.ca/ipca).
Management and Governance
The Keyohwhuduchun holds sole authority under Dakelh law. The Snadneke Assembly brings recommendations; the Keyohwhuduchun enacts. Management is guided by written instruments — the enacted declaration and the Maiyoo Keyoh land use plan (2015–2115) — and Dakelh law. The Snadneke are the Keyoh's trustees: the duty to steward this land belongs to those who belong to it. They are already on the land, monitoring an at-risk, overwintering Chinook population and tracking clear-cut logging across the harvestable forest.
Next Steps
The IPCA aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA, British Columbia), and the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. Recognition by Crown ministries, sustained funding for the Guardian program, and legal support are the immediate priorities. The Maiyoo Keyoh have learned that assertion creates recognition — governing under Dakelh law carries more authority than waiting for external validation.
Contact: maiyookeyoh.ca/ipca
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