Wet’suwet’en

Taxonomy

Code

Scope note(s)

Source note(s)

Display note(s)

Hierarchical terms

Wet’suwet’en

Equivalent terms

Wet’suwet’en

  • UF Witsuwit'en
  • UF Western Carrier
  • UF Wet’suwet’en Indians

Associated terms

Wet’suwet’en

2 Archival description results for Wet’suwet’en

2 results directly related Exclude narrower terms

Delgamuukw court records

  • GR-3481
  • Series
  • 1985-1991

The series consists of transcripts of court proceedings, cross-examinations, examination of discovery, exhibit indices, closing statements, briefs, and reasons for judgement of Delgamuukw v. The Queen. The case was heard in the Smithers Supreme Court between 1987 and 1989 (case file 0843). Following the hearings in Smithers, the case reached the BC Court of Appeal and eventually made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada where a landmark ruling was finally issued in 1997.

The transcripts of the proceedings at trial, which consist of 369 spiral-bound volumes, provide a wealth of information on First Nations genealogies, traditional resource knowledge, and language, as well as details of the extent of traditional territories. The series consists of more than 23,000 pages of trial transcript and includes the testimonies of more than 60 witnesses. The series also includes the reasons for judgment. Gitxsan hereditary chief Delgamuukw (Albert Tait), who filed the Statement of Claim, passed away shortly before the trial opened in 1987 and was succeeded by Kenneth Muldoe who was in turn succeeded by his brother, artist Earl Muldon. The claim covered 133 traditional territories, which amounted to 58,000 square kilometers of northwestern British Columbia. Peter R Grant served as lead counsel for the Gitxan and Wet-suwet'en chiefs, and D.M.M. Goldie served as lead counsel for the Province.

The files are arranged as they arrived from the Smithers court registry. Boxes 1 to 13 contain the proceedings at trial. Boxes 16 and 17 include lists of exhibits which provide information on relevant archival collections held in repositories across the province.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Smithers)

Reasons for judgement

  • GR-2097
  • Series
  • 1989

Reasons for judgement of the Honourable Chief Justice Allan McEachern in the case of Delgamuukw, also known as Ken Muldoe, suing on his own behalf and on behalf of all members of the House of Delgamuukw and others vs. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the province of British Columbia and the Attorney General of British Columbia. Case no. 843/1984 (Smithers registry), heard at Vancouver, B.C., July 6-7, 1989.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Vancouver)