Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı is the body responsible for the operational management of the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area. Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı means the people that speak for Thaidene Nëné in Dënesųłıné.
The Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation, the Government of Canada (Parks Canada), and the Government of the Northwest Territories—the three parties to the two Thaidene Nëné Establishment Agreements—appoint individuals to Xá Dá Yáłtı. Following their appointment, these individuals no longer represent the parties that appointed them; they speak only for Thaidene Nëné. (The names of the current appointees can be found on the Staff and Leadership page.)
Tasked with thinking long term for the land and for the people, appointees are expected to provide the parties with their best advice on subjects such as cultural promotion, ecological protection, access and use permits, and research and monitoring. Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı uses consensus to make decisions. The board’s decisions, in turn, allow the parties to carry out operations in fulfillment of the following objectives: to protect the land; to protect the Łutsël K’é Dene way of life; and to ensure that future generations are able to live in relation to the land as the ancestors did. The parties are expected to collaboratively determine the best course of action based on Xá Dá Yáłtı’s decisions. If the parties agree with the decision or the intent of the decision and have the ability to implement it, they are obligated to do so. If one or more of the parties are unable or unwilling to implement the board’s decision, they must work together to find a solution that takes into account the advice they’ve received from Xá Dá Yáłtı. If they are still unable to find a solution, no action can be taken (except in emergencies). In this instance, the Chief and relevant Minister must resolve the disagreement together. Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı builds on the model of the Archipelago Management Board piloted by the Haida in Gwaii Haanas National Park. One thing that distinguishes Thaidene Nëné from Gwaii Haanas is that in addition to shared management and decision making, the parties have agreed to shared operations. The parties work together to determine, for example, who will build a boardwalk or who will staff a safety patrol. Once direction is received from Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı, the parties determine how they will optimize their resources to carry out the board’s decisions. Although decision making and operations are shared, the parties have different responsibilities. For example, caring for Ts’ąkuı Theda, the spiritual heart of Thaidene Nëné, is the responsibility of Łutsël K’é, while enforcement of the provisions of the federal National Parks Act is the responsibility of Parks Canada. For an Indigenous government or Indigenous partner to have operational responsibilities, they require the capital to do things like: hire their own staff, purchase fuel for boats and skidoos, build cabins, and put up signs. It is for this reason that the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation established the Thaidene Nëné Trust. The interest from the 30-million-dollar trust—the Government of Canada matched the $15 million raised from private sources—supports Łutsël K’é in carrying out its responsibilities within Thaidene Nëné. Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı met for the first time in Łutsël K’é in February 2021. In addition to familiarizing themselves with Thaidene Nëné and their responsibilities, board members began the work of developing internal operating procedures and “meeting agreements” for how they will conduct themselves. This foundational work will allow the board to develop a management plan for Thaidene Nëné based on input from the parties.
