THE DECLARATION
On December 27, 2025, Keyohwhuduchun Petra A'Huille declared the Maiyoo Keyoh Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area under the authority vested in the keyohwhuduchun by Dakelh customary law. The IPCA is not a Crown designation. It is a declaration of existing authority over unceded territory.
"This declaration is enacted under the supreme authority of Dakelh law and the sovereign Indigenous title of the Maiyoo Keyoh."
"Under Dakelh law, the Keyoh and the Snadneke are one, the people and the land belong to each other."
"The Keyohwhuduchun holds the sole authority to grant or withhold Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)."
Citation line under each quote (small text): Maiyoo Keyoh IPCA Declaration, December 27, 2025
The Territory
The Maiyoo Keyoh IPCA encompasses 20,373 hectares of unceded Dakelh territory in north-central British Columbia, the ancestral land of the A'Huille family, stretching along the north shore of Tsa Bunghun (Great Beaver Lake). At its heart is Susk'uz, the ancient ancestral village of the Maiyoo Keyoh.
This land has never been ceded. It has been held, governed, and stewarded by the keyohwhuduchun and the Snadneke under Dakelh customary law since before contact. The IPCA formalizes that authority in writing, it does not create it.
WHAT THE IPCA MEANS
An Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) is a territory where Indigenous peoples hold the leading role in protection and stewardship, guided by their own laws, governance, and relationships to the land.
The Maiyoo Keyoh IPCA is rooted in the principle that the keyoh and the Snadneke are one, the land, the family, and the law are inseparable. The IPCA does not exist because Canada or British Columbia granted it. It exists because the keyohwhuduchun holds unextinguished title to this land under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and has always held it.
For anyone considering activity on the Maiyoo Keyoh, industry, government, researchers, or recreational users, the IPCA changes the starting point. Permission must be sought from the keyohwhuduchun before any activity begins. This is not a courtesy. It is a legal obligation under Aboriginal Title and Rights.
The Referral Policy
The 2017 Referral Procedure Policy remains in place as a legacy reference document. Following the IPCA declaration, the primary path for proponents is the Whuz un'a Whuts'odilhti — the Request for Permission protocol under the IPCA.
Link: View the Referral Procedure Policy → 2017 Referral Procedure Policy
STEWARDSHIP IN ACTION: CHINOOK SALMON
The Salmon River runs through the Maiyoo Keyoh. Three lakes on the territory, Tsa Bunghun, Keh Dot'it'aih, and Lizghun — provide critical overwintering habitat for a genetically distinct chinook population that COSEWIC has listed as Endangered. No spawning chinook have been observed on the Keyoh for approximately five years.
The reasons are known. Clearcut logging across the Keyoh has raised water temperatures beyond what salmon eggs can survive. These juvenile chinook are being harvested unregulated because BC's fishing regulations don't account for them. Hatchery fish were planted in the Salmon River without any consultation with the Maiyoo Keyoh Society, a decision the Society learned about through social media.
This is what happens when the keyohwhuduchun is cut out of decisions about their own watershed. The IPCA exists to stop that.
All Activity on the Maiyoo Keyoh Requires Permission
The IPCA is in effect.
Any industry, agency, proponent, or individual considering activity on Maiyoo Keyoh territory must submit a Request for Permission to the keyohwhuduchun under the Whuz un'a Whuts'odilhti protocol.
Witnessing THE WORDS
Briony Penn
%20(2)BestQuality.jpg)
At the 2026 First Nations Fisheries Council Knowledge Sharing Gathering, the Maiyoo Keyoh presented the Keyoh system, the IPCA, and the crisis facing the overwintering chinook of the Salmon River. Briony Penn drew this artwork live as the Declaration was spoken — capturing the moment when ancestral law, ecological knowledge, and the responsibilities of the land were voiced together.
Through river, salmon, and eagle imagery, her illustration reflects the Declaration's teachings on Keyoh governance and the inseparable relationship between the Snadneke and the watershed they steward.
Explore her work at: brionypenn.com