Ktunaxa Nation in B.C. bans unauthorized harvesting of sacred plant in its territory – CBC
Land guardians encountering people ripping up the ground to harvest plant, nation says
Aug 21, 2025
The Ktunaxa Nation in B.C.’s Interior is asking the public to refrain from picking a traditional plant in its territory following damage to medicine patches and unauthorized harvesting.
The five First Nations which make up the Ktunaxa Nation say land guardians have come across people tearing up the ground to harvest the sacred plant without its permission.
The nation’s traditional territory spans approximately 70,000 square kilometres across southeastern British Columbia, including the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and Arrow Lakes, and into parts of Alberta, Montana, Idaho, and Washington state.
Kathryn Teneese, Ktunaxna Nation Council chair, told CBC’s Radio West that “the plant is used for medicinal purposes as well as cultural purposes.”
