The fourth annual Peace and Unity Summit was held last week in Anspa’yaxw (Kispiox), on Gitxsan lax’yip (territory).

The event was created by Indigenous leaders and community members in northeastern B.C. as a way to connect with other Indigenous nations and allies on issues of climate, ending police brutality, upholding Indigenous sovereignty and resisting corporate exploitation of the land and water across Turtle Island.

This summer’s Peace and Unity Summit was dedicated to supporting Indigenous land defenders who continue to uphold Indigenous law in the face of relentless pressure from the extraction industry.

The annual gathering is also meant to find solutions, build alliances and strengthen collective power. Peace and Unity is distinctly land-based – this year, attendees rafted down the Skeena River, walked sections of the PRGT route, and enjoyed traditional foods hunted or fished on the lax’yip. 

The fight against oil and gas expansion can feel neverending for Indigenous land defenders and other folks living in northern B.C. With PRGT now approved to run through Gitxsan lax'yip, now is the time for unity and supporting each other through what can be grueling physical and emotional resistance.

I had the privilege of attending the Peace and Unity Summit last year and it was life-changing. The people I was able to connect with were the best and the brightest. Expert, heartfelt speakers educated and moved us. Being in that room full of people determined to protect their land and water gave me all the inspiration I needed to keep fighting, too.

If you’d like to see and hear from this year’s speakers and thought leaders, check out the recordings on Youtube. More videos will be added over the course of the next week.