The BC Ministry of Environment has renamed the Mount Edziza Conservancy to reflect its Tahltan Heritage.
The area – which spans over 35,000 hectares in size and is located west of Iskut – is now known as the Tenh Dẕetle Conservancy, which translates into “Ice Mountain.”
The name was provided from the collective input of Tahltan Elders, language keepers and knowledge holders
Tahltan Central Government (TCG) President Chad Norman Day says the conservancy is a culturally significant area for the nation and that renaming the park is an example of the Tahltan asserting their rights and title.
“Anytime you have the power and the ability to start renaming things, reclaiming your history, revitalizing your culture, that's a huge part of self determination,” he said in an interview with CFTK.
“So saving our language, revitalizing our language and putting it into practice by naming really important conservancies, town sites, village sites and communicating that with the world and ensuring that those names live on forever is just one aspect of self determination. We need to do a lot more of that, and we certainly will.”
The province and TCG created the Tenh Dẕetle Conservancy Conservancy in March 2021 in response to the nation's concerns about balancing mineral development and conservation.
