Podcast #2: Yintah
In the second episode of the new Movies that Matter podcast, we focus on the documentary Yintah, which highlights the struggle of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation to protect their ancestral land from the construction of natural gas pipelines. Moderator Servaz van Berkum speaks with director Jennifer Wickham and Shaylynn Sampson, a representative of the Wet’suwet’en land defenders, about the film and the story behind it. 06 August, 2025
The Wet’suwet’en territory, located in western Canada, is home to five different clans spread across 22,000 km². It is ‘unceded’ land, meaning it was never officially surrendered by the Indigenous people who lived there before Europeans colonised North America. The leaders of the five clans are the only ones who can decide what may or may not happen on this land. So when fossil fuel companies, together with the Canadian government, set their sights on the vast oil and natural gas reserves there, they must first go through the Wet’suwet’en people.
Yintah (‘land’) follows this struggle over a period of ten years. Leading the defence of their land, forests, and waters are Freda Huson and Molly Wickham. Scarred by the brutal history of abuse and oppression of Indigenous peoples in Canada, Freda and Molly tirelessly confront oil workers, government representatives, and the police. It is an uneven battle, but the Wet’suwet’en are determined not to give up.
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Watch Yintah
Visit the official Yintah website to see where the film is available to watch.