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Lummi ally with Tsleil-Waututh in fossil fuel fight

Puget Sound nation gives totem pole to North Vancouver band

There is a stoic new sentry keeping an eye on Burrard Inlet.

The Tsleil-Waututh and Lummi First Nations held a joint ceremony on Sunday to erect a new totem pole that symbolizes the shared struggle the two nations face in preserving their territories and resisting fossil fuel projects.

"The pole is a gift in solidarity between our Nations, solidifying the relationship that we have had for many, many, many generations," said Sundance Chief Reuben George. "And for many, many, many generations we have been stewards of our land and protectors of our land. The pole signifies that we're going to continue that."

The Lummi have been fighting a proposed coal port near their land on Cherry Point in Washington while the Tsleil-Waututh are standing opposed to a proposed twinning of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline from Edmonton to the company's terminal in Burnaby, directly across Burrard Inlet from the Tsleil-Waututh band lands.

If approved by the National Energy Board, the project would see the number of tankers that pass through the inlet go from five per month now to more than 30.

"In accepting this wonderful gift of unity, we are also sending a clear message to Kinder Morgan: 'Kwel hoy' - meaning 'We draw the line' in the traditional Lummi language," said Tsleil-Waututh Chief Maureen Thomas in a press release.

"We will do what it takes to protect our community, our land and our water from oil spills, and to heal the land and water from the harm Kinder Morgan and its predecessors have already done."