Âba wathtech, everyone.

First of all, I want to thank the first responders. During the time of the fire, they did a great job.

Jasper National Park lies in the Stoney people's traditional territory. This is where my ancestors lived. During that time, as history shows, there was never a forest fire that big, because we, as Stoney indigenous people, stewarded the land. That was our job. The Creator has given us a responsibility and a role to play in this ecosystem. With the mountains being their home, my people did that until 1907, when Jasper National Park was created. Right after that, we were no longer able to maintain and steward the land, because we were outlawed.

Since that period of time, all of these things have escalated. There is an overgrowth of forestry, and we also have invasive species coming in. Before that, there was no evidence of invaders. Also, the forest was being maintained. Through our duties as Stoney people, we did pipe ceremonies. That helps maintain. That's the way of maintaining the earth, and it's very important.

From what I've seen, traditional science has not been recognized in the parks or across Canada, but I'm not here to complain or anything. I just came here wanting to help. I think the traditional knowledge of the Stoney people should be recognized and used as a tool, so we don't have any more disasters. This is why I'm here.

Also, as Îethka Stoney people, we value kinship. That's very important. Kinship is sharing our knowledge with our visitors and our generation. As Stoney people, we have a role, and our responsibility is to live a good life. Not just Jasper but also the mountains are a destination for tourism. We need to be heard, because that's where we live. My ancestors lived there. Today, we still exist, and we need to be recognized.

If we can help in any way, that would be good. We did a ceremony for the firefighters back in August. After the ceremony, within a week, the fire rested. Everything you see, hear and feel is a living being. That's our belief. If we work together with it, through us, this beautiful landscape will continue to be beautiful.

Thank you.