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A Community-Grounded Water Strategy
Héen/Tū Strategy and Action Plan
Carcross/Tagish First Nation has formally adopted the Héen/Tū Strategy and Action Plan, a comprehensive water strategy developed through years of community guidance, research, and deliberation.
A Strategy Rooted in Clan Governance
The strategy was not written in isolation. It was developed between 2022 and 2025 through a deliberative, clan- and moiety-based process, guided by the C/TFN Water Committee.
The Water Committee is gender-balanced and includes representation from all six clans, along with youth representing both Wolf and Crow moieties. Elders and youth participated directly in shaping the vision, principles, goals, and strategic priorities of the strategy.
Three formal Water Committee workshops (October 2022, July 2023, and August 2024) guided the development of the document. Between 2023 and 2025, the draft strategy was presented internally to C/TFN governing bodies including the Elders Council, Executive Council, and Land Management Board before final approval in Spring 2025.
The strategy also builds on over a decade of C/TFN-led water research and monitoring, including work with the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council and prior water scoping studies. In this way, the strategy reflects both Indigenous knowledge and Western science, consistent with its stated principles.
Informed by Story, Law, and Responsibility
The strategy draws inspiration from the story of Crow Gets Water, reminding us that water is not owned, but shared and respected as a living entity.
It is grounded in Tagish and Tlingit law, language, ceremony, and worldview, particularly the understanding that “we are part of the earth and the water”.
At the same time, it acknowledges the modern governance context in which C/TFN operates, including constitutional water rights recognized in the Final Agreement and the broader colonial legal framework governing water in Yukon and British Columbia.
A Living Strategy with Clear Actions
The Héen/Tū Strategy and Action Plan is designed as a living document that guides action over the next five years (2025–2030).
It includes:
- A clear vision for water that is “forever flowing clean, healthy and respected”
- Guiding principles rooted in Ha Kus Téeyi and Tūndā
- Two interrelated goals focused on ecological health and human wellbeing
- Eleven concrete actions to advance water governance, monitoring, policy development, and collaboration
Planned actions include:
- Annual Water Committee meetings and water gatherings
- Development of a C/TFN Water Policy
- Enhanced community-based monitoring
- Development of decision-support tools
- Exploration of legal personhood for water
- Mapping contaminated sites to prioritize clean-up and protection
How the Strategy Will Be Used
The Héen/Tū Strategy and Action Plan will serve as:
- A governance guide for C/TFN water decisions
- A framework for strengthening internal capacity
- A foundation for collaboration with other Indigenous governments, Yukon, British Columbia, and Canada
- A roadmap for implementing Chapter 14 water rights under the Umbrella Final Agreement
It ensures that future water projects, monitoring programs, legislation development, and external partnerships align with C/TFN values, rights, and responsibilities.
Most importantly, it provides a coordinated path forward, ensuring that water protection efforts across departments, committees, and partners are unified under one shared vision.