A Yellowknife justice of the peace heard Tuesday from four Dene hunters whose caribou meat was seized by wildlife officers in a controversial no-hunting zone.
About 30 members of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation packed the small courtroom Tuesday night to hear the case, which is part of a larger dispute between territorial and aboriginal leaders about a caribou hunting ban that came into effect Jan. 1.
The ban prohibits anyone, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, from hunting for Bathurst caribou in a zone stretching from the north shore of Great Slave Lake to the N.W.T.-Nunavut border.
The N.W.T. government imposed the temporary no-hunting zone over concerns about the Bathurst herd, which government surveys indicate is in steep decline.
But Dene leaders argue that the hunting ban violates their aboriginal treaty rights to hunt.
"In order to make conservation work, you have to have an agreement. And there was no agreement with our people," Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus told reporters outside the courthouse.
When asked if he believes the Bathurst caribou herd is in trouble, Erasmus replied, "We still have to talk about that."
In court, the four Yellowknives Dene hunters demanded that they get back the 10 harvested caribou that wildlife officers had seized from them in the no-hunting zone earlier this month.
But N.W.T. renewable resources officer Danny Beaulieu told the justice of the peace that the government wants to distribute the seized meat to area elders instead.
The hunters' lawyer said he had just been hired and needed more time to learn about the case.
The hearing was adjourned four minutes after it began. It is scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 16.
Outside court, Erasmus said the Dene Nation's opposition to the hunting ban has to do with their right to hunt.
"In 1973 we proved that our treaties are still intact, and the right to hunt is very clear," he said, referring to a 1973 court decision that prompted the federal government to negotiate land claims with Dene in the N.W.T.
"If anyone else has any jurisdiction, they have to have agreement with us, and there was no agreement," Erasmus added. "The minister arbitrarily made his decision."
Some Yellowknives Dene members who attended Tuesday's court hearing said they plan to hunt for caribou in the banned area later this week.