MAIYOO KEYOH SOCIETY
Maiyoo Keyoh Society
The Maiyoo Keyoh Society is an organization dedicated to the protection and stewardship of Maiyoo Keyoh, a traditional territory located northwest of Great Beaver Lake, west of Fort St. James, British Columbia.
The Society is governed according to Dakelh law and the hereditary Keyoh governance system, which affirms the sovereignty of each Keyoh and predates the Indian Act.
Our Society
In 2003 the Maiyoo Keyoh senior family members became increasingly concerned about the impacts of resource extraction. Of particular concern, was the impact of large-scale industrial logging on the keyoh. Industrial resource extraction, logging, was destroying prime habitat that is required to support adequate populations of ungulates, birds, fur-bearing animals, and fish, which sustain the Maiyoo Keyoh members.
In response to the resource extraction activities, the senior family members of the Maiyoo Keyoh, at the direction of Chief Sally A'Huille, the Keyohwudachun, came together to establish and incorporate the Maiyoo Keyoh Society on September 26, 2003.
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The society’s constitution specifies that it serves to protect the ancestral territory through the use of Section 35 rights from the Constitution Act 1982.
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The Society works to promote responsible resource management within the Maiyoo Keyoh. The Society works to protect its aboriginal title in accordance with the society's constitution and bylaws.
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The Maiyoo Keyoh Society has undertaken a number of research projects to help communicate their rights and interests and has adopted a land use plan. The keyoh’s management plan has been shared with industry proponents and the Crown so that they may employ practices which will preserve and protect the family’s rights. The plan specifies sustainable development regimes within Maiyoo Keyoh so that the family’s rights are not unjustly infringed upon. The Maiyoo Keyoh Society serves as the formal modern day legal entity for the customary group's government.
Constitution
On March 7, 2016
Adopted March 7, 2016
To establish and protect the Maiyoo Keyoh ancestral territory by seeking standing and authority from the courts with a view to obtain official recognition of Aboriginal Title and Rights, protected under Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.
To protect and preserve the territory by developing responsible resource management plans and maintaining the land with a view to commemorating the site.