Marilyn Baptiste

A former chief of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, Marilyn Baptiste led her community in defeating one of the largest proposed gold and copper mines in British Columbia that would have destroyed Fish Lake—a source of spiritual identity and livelihood for the Xeni Gwet’in.

The Xeni Gwet’in, also known as the Nemiah Valley Indian Band, is one of six Tsilhqot’in First Nations, of over 400 people. For generations, they have been steadfast protectors of their territory and the surrounding pristine environment of forests, lakes, streams and diverse wildlife such as bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, wild salmon and wild rainbow trout.

Their territory became ground zero in Vancouver-based Taseko Mines Limited (TML)’s long quest to build Prosperity Mine. One of the largest mines ever proposed in British Columbia, the massive open-pit gold and copper mine was regarded as a gateway project to the area and its bounty of natural resources.

TML’s proposal described plans to drain Fish Lake and use it for waste storage, which would destroy the adjacent Little Fish Lake—a source of spiritual identity for the Xeni Gwet’in—along with its surrounding biodiversity and the local people’s source of food, water, and medicine. The BC regional government rubberstamped the mine in January 2010, well before the federal government’s environmental review began.

Marilyn Baptiste spent most of her childhood in Nemiah Valley, where she grew up with her parents and sisters. Baptiste often joined her father, then chief of the Xeni Gwet’in community, on his trips to survey the territory. When he saw people he didn’t recognize, he stopped and spoke with them to make sure they understood they were on Xeni Gwet’in land and the importance of passing through with the smallest footprint possible.

Subsistence living—taking from nature’s resources in a respectful, sustainable way—is a way of life for the Xeni Gwet’in, and the Baptiste household was no exception. The girls learned to dip-net for salmon and hunt moose and deer. The family used every part of the animal, especially the liver, which was set aside for Baptiste to help treat her iron deficiency. When foraging for berries, Baptiste and her sisters learned not to break off entire branches for easier picking since it would mean fewer berries—and hungrier bears—in following years.

Enriched by these experiences, Baptiste followed in her father’s footsteps to fight for the community’s rights. She worked her way up at the First Nations legal center, and in January 2008, she was elected chief of the Xeni Gwet’in. She also co-founded First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM), in the thick of TML’s relentless pursuit of the Prosperity Mine project.