In advance of National Indigenous Peoples Day, we take a look at some of the best Indigenous stories we’ve covered across Northwest BC. 

National Indigenous Peoples Day, recognises and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people across Canada. Stories that are not only linked to people and community, but to the culture, land and water. 

A major event of cultural importance in Northwest B.C. was the 63rd All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, the premier sporting event of the year for Indigenous basketball teams from across the province and beyond. " It's not just about the basketball, its about family." said Jade Montgomery from Similkameen.

The struggle for Indigenous rights in Northwest B.C. continues especially during the years long conflict between the Wet’suwet’en Nation and the Coastal Gas Link pipeline project. Chief Na’Moks, a high-ranking chief of the Wet'suwet'en Tsyue clan, appeared at the RBC AGM earlier this year, one of the major backers of the pipeline project to pleaded the case for the bank to pull it's funding to protect salmon and water on Wet'suwet'en territory. "We never agreed to the destruction of our land, this pipeline needs to stop," said Chief Na'Moks.

Although it is a long road to reconciliation, the repatriation of a Nisga’a totem poll and how the community is celebrating its return is a glimmer of hope for the future of stolen items being returned to Indigenous Nations, a lasting legacy of the impacts of colonialism.

As we've seen on Haida Gwaii, the renaming of a municipality on the Northern Archipelago to its traditional name, Daajing Giids, is another glimmer of hope that is being welcomed by nearly everyone on the island and also sparking conversations of others following suit. "It's important to us to use Haida names to describe Haida places and that's what we're doing,"said Lisa Pineault, Mayor of Daajing Giids.

Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Listen to the full episode on CICK NEWS below.