To our ancestors, Tahltan country was part of their life, their way of living. It was more than a place to live and hunt, it was the root of the culture. Some of us still believe that we belong to the land.

To talk of Tahltan country is to speak of relationships. It starts with "me" and the effect our land has on me, as an individual. How I feel about myself, as a person, and as a Tahltan, is tied to the land. Let me explain.

It begins with our ancestors who lived in close contact with the land, much closer than we do today. They formed a strong bond with the land which they passed on to us.

Like a mother, our land provided food, medicine, and shelter. The only catch being, that to get these, each person had to work hard, very hard. People needed a good knowledge base and a set of skills which enabled them to live on the land. Knowledge and skills were taught by our relatives and our elders.

So, everyone learned about the land in detail. Our people observed and remembered every feature: appearance, colours, smells, sounds. They knew every landmark, every clump of trees.

They knew their country so well that they used the lay of the land to travel everywhere Ñ without a compass. Some of us, especially older Tahltans, such as George Agouta Edzerza, describe land features to give directions. So, you would receive detailed directions to a location which look something like this: Go up this river . Travel on the left bank to four large boulders piled up. Turn left and go up the hill. At the top of the hill turn right and follow the rim of the hill until you see two clumps of spruce...

Long ago, each person was also taught skills for living on the land. They learned about animals in our country: where animals lived at different times of the year, what each animal ate, the variation in their colors throughout the year, and so on. They knew which plants offered food and/or medicine, which ones were harmful. In this way, all Tahltans knew how to be self-sufficient and were so. And, they knew that in order to survive in the unforgiving wilderness, they needed to work together.

While working to learn about how to live on the land, we, the Tahltans, also learned about ourselves as individuals. In a way, we were testing ourselves and proving our worth. Through our efforts, we became strong, independent individuals, able to take care of ourselves and others. And we experienced the satisfaction and feeling of completeness that comes with being competent.

Because of closeness to the land, our people understood that the land was a provider. And, that it provided more than the "necessities" of life (food, medicine, shelter). Strong spiritual and emotional ties were formed. Outsiders have commented on this fact. For example, one author refers to McClusky's "beloved mountains".

With such strong ties to the land, it is not surprising that it was treated with deep respect. In return for the resources it gave to us Tahltans, our ancestors took on the responsibility of protecting our land. This means using only what is needed and making sure that what is there is cared for. If there are few animals, we only take a few, or none at all unless absolutely necessary.

Perhaps we do not live as close to the land as we did in the past, but today, we Tahltans still feel a strong tie to our country. We have felt defensive of our land when we talk about Land Claims. We have experienced the feeling of "one-ness" with the land, the wonder at the beauty, the scents, the sounds. We have enjoyed living on the land as much as we are able. And, when we enter Tahltan country after being away, there is a feeling of "coming home". A feeling of belonging.

In the following sections, we look at other relationships with our Tahltan country. In one section, we look at the type of land which forms Tahltan country. The type of land (in any culture), has an important effect on the activities of the population, human and other animals.

Boundaries between our neighbours and us Tahltans is, and always has been, important. Changing boundaries relect the changes in relationship between our and other groups. Flexible boundaries within our country separated early Tahltans into Family groups. (Families spelled with a capital "F" refers to extended Family groups.) In this particular section you will see how we organized ourselves in a way that supported our country's resources as well as our Families.

We can see our Tahltan heritage in landmarks in our country. Our land carries these marks to remind us of who we are as a people. Some of these are the land's way to remind us of valuable lessons of life and are part of our traditional legends.