The right to child and family decision-making is inherent – Carrier and Sekani people have always looked after their children. Carrier and Sekani laws come from the people; the laws come from the ancestors.
We do this work under the guidance of Elders, Matriarchs, Hereditary Chiefs and community. Our approach is rooted in Bah’lats (potlatch) principles and values, and informed by the Carrier Life Cycle Model that recognizes everyone and everything is interconnected and interdependent.
Everyone in a community has a role and responsibility in raising children. These roles and responsibilities are rooted in soh la gweh it tsih dzee (love and harmony).
The responsibility for child and family well-being is led by the Matriarchs and mandated by the Elders.
In a matrilineal society, children belong to the clan and decisions around children’s rights and well-being fall to the leaders: the Matriarchs and Hereditary Chiefs. Matriarchs care for the rights of children; they are the keepers of stories and laws.
(We are teaching them)
The development of the Skak Ha Ba Bay/Nezkeh Ba Law is driven by community needs. Over 35 years of storytelling and research are guiding this journey. Today, community conversations are creating space to explain the legislation and its impacts on child and family services and record feedback from member Nations.
The information received from these sessions is being recorded and used to identify common themes, areas in need of growth, and plan for each Nation’s unique regulations. Everyone has a voice and a role in shaping the future of Nation-led child and family services.
These reports represent voices from community members and are intended to be used for information sharing with communities only. The information captured in each report is owned by each respective Nation. Any secondary use of the information in these reports must have the express permission of the respective Nation.
Hawt’sena means “this is the way”. Carrier and Sekani people have been caring for children since time immemorial; they are the experts on how to raise children in a good way. The structure and practices that follow Hawt’sena are unique to each community and Nation, and are to be defined by each community and Nation in turn.
The graphic below is a visual record of the discussions, teachings and themes that rose up during consultation with community Matriarchs. A shared vision is illustrated: thriving children, communities and Nations.
Click image to view full graphic.