Marilyn Baptiste
William Walton
Biography
Marilyn Baptiste grew up as a member of the Xeni
Gwet’in tribe, a tribe of around 400 people, based out
the the Nemiah valley in British Columbia, Canada.
The Xeni Gwet’in practice sustainable living, which
entails using the resources of the environment around
them in the most sustainable way possible. As a
young girl, Baptiste learned to hunt and trap, as well
as forage for food. The Xeni Gwet’in never wasted a
part of any animal they killed, leaving zero scraps.
Baptiste’s upbringing led her to eventually protect her
homeland from being destroyed by large corporations.
Nemiah Valley
The Nemiah Valley area is home to a plethora of different
wildlife species, from bighorn sheep, to grizzly bears, to wild
salmon in the rivers. Its topography ranges from endless grassy
plains in the valley to the giant mountains that tower above it. It
holds many lakes, streams, rivers, and forests that support the
life of both the animals that live there and the Xeni Gwet’in
people living off the land. Fish lake, along with little fish lake are
also located in the valley, lakes which hold massive spiritual
value and importance to the Xeni Gwet’in people. The Xeni
Gwet’in rely on the land to live, and because they have treated
it so well and lived so sustainably, they have been able to
prosper. However, such land is a big target for large mining
companies, or any other companies looking for natural
resources. Marilyn Baptiste’s father, Marvin Baptiste was a
former leader of the Xeni Gwet’in, and he would make sure to
let those who he did not know coming through the valley to
leave no trace and minimize their impact on the environment
because it did, after all, belong to them.
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Environmental Conditions
Taseko Mines Limited(TML) is a growing Vancouver based
copper mining company and controls the Gibraltar mine in
British Columbia. This mine is the second largest open pit
mine in Canada, behind only the Highland Valley Copper
mine in British Columbia. Canada is the fifth largest copper
producer in the entire world, and these mines produce 140 to
160 million tons of copper per year. These mines have an
enormous impact on the area they are created in, both
through the resources they require, and just the pure area
that they occupy. TML Had plans to build the Prosperity mine
directly in the middle of the Nemiah valley, recognizing the
massive potential the area had for raw resources. The plans
that TML made for the mine included the usage of fish lake
as a waste storage area, which would require draining it, and
destroying little fish lake. Prosperity mine was pre-approved
without proper consideration by the British Columbia regional
government in early January of 2010. It was not until later in
January that year that the Canadian Environmental
Assessment Agency (CEAA) began properly reviewing the
plans for the mine. By November, the plans for the mine had
been rejected by the CEAA.
Actions Taken
During TML’s ongoing endeavor to make the Prosperity
become a reality, Marilyn Baptiste created First Nations
Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM) to deter
big mining companies from destroying areas with their
projects. More
Actions Taken Continued
Importantly, she helped in the CEAA’s investigation of
Taseko’s plans for Nemiah valley in order to build their mine.
She gathered chiefs, elders, and scientists in the Xeni
Gwet’in community to put together data about the effects
such a big project would have on their territory. They also
presented information about the areas environmental,
economic, and spiritual connection to both the Xeni Gwet’in
and the Tsihlqot’in. Baptiste presented this data to the CEAA
in order to aid their case towards not approving the project.
The CEAA rejected TML’s first plans for prosperity mine with
the help of Baptiste, and TML was outraged that they would
not be able to build it. In 2011, TML came back with a new,
revamped plan for the Prosperity mine, and before it was
approved, they pre emptively started trying to move their
heavy machinery into Nemiah valley that they would need to
start construction. Marilyn Baptiste heard went to where the
vehicles were coming from and stood alone in front of the
long line of trucks, excavators, and other machinery to keep
them from entering her land.
Taseko did not take kindly to her actions and asked the
CEAA to force her to stop in December of 2011. The CEAA
not only did not approve this request, but did the opposite,
and told TML that they could not move forward with the
construction of the mine or use the cite for their projects at
all. Marilyn Baptiste has been working with others from the
Xeni Gwet’in, the Yunesit’in, and the Tsihlqot’in to protect the
area as Dasiqoh park ever since.
Awards
Marilyn Baptiste was
awarded the 2015
Goldman Prize award as
recognition for the work
that preserving her tribe’s
native land from a massive
mining project. She was
also awarded the Eugene
rogers award in 2011 for
her part in the preservation
of Teztan Biny (Fish Lake).
Research
Personal
PosterStatement
Design Services
I chose Marilyn Baptiste because of how she displayed so
much courage and care through saving her environment.
She did not grow up with much but had a very rich childhood
where she learned to appreciate and love the land that
supported her and everyone else in her tribe. This stood out
to me as being incredibly genuine, and that she did what she
did out of character and not fame or money. Her courage
also stood out to me when she singlehandedly stopped a
long line of construction vehicles coming to destroy her
home. I wanted to do this project on someone from north
America, because I felt that it would be more applicable to
me, and I would be able to understand it better. Canada is
also interesting in the way that there is so much space, but it
is being encroached upon by things like oil pipelines and
mines such as this one, and I wanted to learn and bring light
to that. These projects have a massive negative impact on
the environment, and it was powerful to see that someone
like Marilyn Baptiste could have an impact on them.
Quotes
“We all have to stand up, make our voices heard, and
hold each and every government accountable.”
” Let us connect the dots between our homes and
communities. This is the opportunity. Our work is never
done.”
“This is a true testament of my late dad’s leadership, for
I’ve learned from him and my mom the honest and true
values in life.”
Resources
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/we-meant-war-not-
murder-2/
https://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/marilyn-baptiste/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/marilyn-
baptiste-receives-prestigious-175k-goldman-prize-1.3040916
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2015-5-september-
october/green-life/it-s-not-activism-it-s-necessity-0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Baptiste
https://www.tasekomines.com/