A New Benchmark for Ecological
and Indigenous Excellence
About the Project
As an Indigenous-led initiative, the Global Indigenous Development Trust is working hand-in-hand with Tahltan Elders and Youth Apprentices to forge a new standard for mineral exploration. By placing Tahltan values, teachings, ancestral knowledge, identity, and their deep connection to Keyeh and Kōnelīn (their home and beautiful land) at the forefront, this initiative guides how mineral exploration is done through an Indigenous lens, ensuring all partnerships respect and uphold the Nation’s inherent right to self-determination.
By rooting mineral exploration in Tahltan values and stewardship, this project moves far beyond basic ESG compliance. It seeks to document the true value of the territory—recognizing that trees are not liabilities and soil without ore is not waste, but rather parts of a vital, abundant whole. This creates a new, Indigenous-led standard that can be replicated by other Nations.
What We Are Doing
GIDT is working directly with community leadership and Elders to create a living blueprint for engagement. Our activities on this project include:
- Defining Cultural Storylines: We are collaborating with Tahltan Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Tahltan Young Apprentices to document and structure Tahltan oral history, land-based learning, and cultural protocols into clear ‘storylines‘ and easily applicable knowledge systems. This work serves to inform all stages of mineral exploration while educating the public and mining industry, explicitly demonstrating the significance and sophistication of Tahltan worldviews.
- Ground-Truthing Industry Data: We are physically verifying industry data against traditional ecological knowledge to ensure accurate reporting on the health of the land while establishing a True Value metric that recognizes cultural, ecological, social and spiritual wealth alongside economic data.
- Ecosystem Service Mapping: Identifying and protecting key areas that provide essential resources to the community, ensuring these assets are recognized in all development plans ensuring abundance for the next generations.
Why This Matters
This toolkit showcases the Tahltan Nation’s inherent agency and sophisticated knowledge of their territory, serving as the foundation for a new, Indigenous-led approach to mineral exploration. It ensures that mineral exploration and economic development aligns strictly with cultural and environmental integrity, establishing a replicable standard for Indigenous self-determination that other Nations can adopt.
Tahltan Nation:
Leading Sustainable Development
Tahltan Territory is home to one of the richest mineral regions in Canada and to one of the strongest Indigenous leadership models in sustainable development.
With more than 12,000 years of cultural history and decades of modern governance work, the Tahltan Nation is setting a global example for how Indigenous leadership, Ancestral Knowledge, and innovation can shape a balanced future for the land and all its peoples.
Our Approach
In braiding together 3 valuable sources of knowledge (community, nature & science), we are strengthening and balancing the reciprocal relationships between human needs and our natural resources.
We do this while broadening the value that exists within vital ecosystems as our responsibility as stewards.
We hope this model can represent a framework for resource sovereignty that other Indigenous Nations can learn from and adopt in their own unique ways.
This work would not be possible without the contributions of a complex ecosystem of support from our network of collaborators.
Our network
True Value
Accounting
True Value Accounting expands the way we measure value on the land. It honours not just resource extraction, but also the cultural, ecological, and spiritual values that are vital to Indigenous wellbeing and the health of Mother Earth. This approach ensures decisions reflect the full spectrum of what matters to communities today and for future generations.
By weaving together Traditional Knowledge and modern science, True Value Accounting helps us better understand the relationships between water, wildlife, plant medicines, cultural sites, and mineral resources. This braided approach brings deeper insight to stewardship decisions, helping protect what cannot be replaced.
Through tools like the GIS Story Map and ecosystem valuation models, True Value Accounting provides a practical way to visualize, measure, and communicate Indigenous values in land-use planning. It empowers communities to advocate for development approaches that align with Indigenous priorities, and supports balanced, values-driven economic choices.
Tahltan Virtual Musuem
Our Virtual Museum opens a doorway into the rich cultural
heritage of the Tahltan Nation. Through digital exhibits featuring Tahltan artifacts, images, stories, and teachings, this space honours the deep history, resilience, and living knowledge of our people. It is a place to explore and celebrate Tahltan identity, past, present, and future.
