Piikani Nation Statement Delivered to the Assembly of First Nations, July 27, 2017:
 

“With the signing of this treaty a sacred circle is completed. National Chief Bellegarde was the first to sign The Grizzly: A Treaty of Cooperation, Cultural Revitalization and Restoration in September 2016 with several AFN Regional Chiefs, and now, at the Assembly of First Nations 38th Annual General Assembly, the treaty will be available for leaders to sign for possibly the last time.
 

Since last September, over 130 Tribal Nations have signed this treaty, and it has been recognized by the UN. Written in accord with UNDRIP, the treaty seeks to protect the sacred grizzly bear, and by doing so, defend tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, religious and spiritual freedoms, and sacred sites. The treaty emphasizes the necessity for free, prior and informed consent before any federal action is taken that impacts First Nations. These foundational rights of Tribal Nations are now under great threat, after the Trump Administration recently removed protections from the sacred grizzly bear in our treaty lands, and in turn removed protections from those sacred lands without consultation, setting a dangerous precedent for all Indigenous Nations.
 

Now, the very headwaters of the Missouri River are imperiled. All of the Great Sioux Nation that stood at Standing Rock to remind the world that “Water is Life” now stand with us on the grizzly. Three of the Continent’s critical river systems, the Missouri, Columbia and Colorado originate in Greater Yellowstone, and sustain life to over 55-million people downstream. The grizzly’s ESA status protected those rivers. But due to Trump, no more. Our sacred relative is now in the gunsights of trophy hunters, and those lands in the profit projections of multinational corporations.
 

I say once more: This is truly a struggle for the very soul of the earth – of all we have ever been or will ever become. Let us stand united to meet this defining challenge.”