But the National Park Service of Canada recently ordered her to stop, in a move that angered her community and underscored the park’s disturbing history. For thousands of years, Denésuliné hunted and trapped the vast northern forest that stretches across Alberta and the Northwest Territories. But in 1922 they were violently expelled as Canada began building what would eventually become the 4.5-hectare Wood Buffalo National Park. Daniels, who runs the wellness company Naidie Nezu (“Good Medicine” in Dene), still returns to these countries and gets about four gallons of salt each year. But in a recent letter, Parks Canada told her she would not be allowed to continue. “Given the αλ salt flats are within the boundaries of Wood Buffalo National Park, this is problematic,” the letter said. “We ask the salt from the park to remain in the park and not be sold as an ingredient in the bath mixture or in other products.” Location of Wood Buffalo National Park The leader of the first Athabasca Chipewyan nation, Allan Adam, said Parks Canada had never atoned for its actions against its people nor had it fully compensated them for the loss of their homeland. Alan said the letter to Daniels was “another reminder that Canada is still in the early days of reconciliation.” Parks Canada said traditional salt harvesting for personal use is allowed and was a common practice in the park, but commercial harvesting is not allowed. The agency said it regretted not using dialogue with indigenous partners on the issue. Wood Buffalo is one of the largest parks in the world and is a critical habitat for the largest buffalo population on earth. Its catchment area is the only untouched breeding ground for endangered cranes. It became a World Heritage Site in 1983, but Unesco recently expressed concern that the Canadian government was failing to manage the park. In addition to the environmental degradation within the park and the growing threat of mining projects along its borders, a recently published report records how the Denésuliné people suffered when they were ordered to leave the area. The elders tell stories of burnt cabins and loss of access to their hunting grounds. The salt flats of Wood Buffalo National Park. Photo: All Canada / Alamy photos One resident, Charlie Mercredi, told the report’s authors that the park was not built properly because “people have to come first before the bison.” Mercredi said: “The park does not want to admit that we were wrong, because they would have to pay a lot of compensation.” Another, Leslie Wiltzen, spoke of growing up knowing that the land inhabited and hunted by her ancestors for thousands of years was forbidden. “How do you describe that in words?” While national parks across the continent have been hailed as a conservation victory for conserving vast wildlife and ecologically sensitive areas, some come with a dark history. “People who are forced to leave their land in the name of conservation are also part of colonialism, and while tackling the climate crisis will require a transition from ‘dirty’ to ‘clean’ energy, it also requires a radical restructuring of its environmental dynamics. power, “said Naidie. Nezu, Daniels’s company, said in an Instagram post. “Colonialism is colonialism is colonialism.” Daniels wrote that she was not intimidated by the warning and would not stop producing her “illegal” salt. “Every time you choose to support Naidie Nezu and soak in our forbidden bath salts, you are immersed in a century of compensation,” he said.