Ma'amtagila First Nation
Their primary dwelling places were Etsekin (Matilpi Village) and Haylate, locations that were central to the overall territories of the Kwakwaka'wakw people.
The three main namimas of the Ma’amtagila are the Hamatam (Seagull), Gixsam (Kulus, Thunderbird) and the Hayalikawa’yi (Healers).
[8] Chief Lagis addressed the commissioners, speaking on behalf of the community:I am glad to meet you for this reason that we are so much in trouble about our lands.
Members of the Matilpi agreed to join the Klowitsis Tribe with the understanding that their two chiefs would govern "with equal powers and responsibilities."
In 2021, Ma'amtagila leaders began formally demanding that the original terms of the amalgamation be honoured, including the reinstatement of their leadership and jurisdiction.
The construction of the Little Big House is part of an assertion of Indigenous sovereignty spear-headed by Ma’amtagila matriarch Tsastilqualus Ambers Umbas, in coordination with broader Kwakwaka'wakw hereditary leadership.
According to the group's website: The portable Little Big House will enable Tsastilqualus, her son Dakota, their kin, and other Indigenous people to spend time on the land and water.
The Little Big House will facilitate anti-colonial resistance efforts by serving as a base of operations for the Wild Salmon Matriarch Camp, who witness and document industrial activity and initiate campaigns to oppose unsustainable logging and fish farming practices that threaten the health and well-being of all life on Ma’amtagila territory.
The Little Big House will support Ma’amtagila people as they uphold their responsibilities and make things right.
They called on the governments of Canada and British Columbia to immediately cease treaty negotiations with the Tlowitsis Chief & Council.
According to the statement:Through a series of ill mannered, unvalidated and illegitimate resolutions and processes the Ma'amtagila have been silenced, disempowered, and disregarded by the federal and provincial governments.
