Language and Culture
PRESERVING OUR NATIONS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Honoring Traditions, Embracing Diversity, and Fostering Understanding
Nee Tahi Buhn Band has a rich and unique culture. Our people have always lived off the land, relying on hunting, fishing, and gathering for our sustenance. We have a deep respect for nature and the environment, and we continue to practice our traditional ways of life. Our community is also known for our traditional drumming and singing, which are an important part of our culture.
The language of Nee Tahi Buhn is part of the Athapaskan language family in the Wet’suwet’en dialect of the Bulkley Valley/Lakes District language and we continue to teach our children our language so it does not get lost.
Nee Tahi Buhn participates in the Bal’hats (potlatch) system. The bal’hats is organized around the clan system and is the core economic, political, social, legal, and spiritual institution of Nee Tahi Buhn people. Established by matrilineal clans, the clans of the Nee Tahi Buhn Band are Gilseyhu (Frog), Gitdumden (Bear), Tsayu (Beaver) & Laksilyu (Caribou).
The Bal’hats is an event where all formal business for the Band as Clan members takes place, such as witnessing the assigning of a Chief’s name, the solidifying of traditional laws, justice ceremonies, the announcement of births, marriages, and adoptions, or holding funerals. The Bal’hats is conducted in a way intended to maintain traditional laws and principles, and remain a system of keeping of oral history through the recount of these transactions.
