Animal Habitat

We can all help save animal homes — learn from Dr. Ruby Dunstan who helped protect the Stein Valley and wildlife habitat.

Dr. Ruby Dunstan: (language greeting) My name is Dr. Ruby Dunstan and come from Nlaka’pamux, and I am Nlaka’pamux, I was the chief for 8 years. I was a band councilor for 8 years. Then later in my life I, I got to be a doctor, like the science that we know, I was told you only pick enough what we need and you save some out there for next year and that was how we, we did our, our science for, for our berries and our medicines. Everything. You do not get greedy when it comes to salmon. You only take what you need. So to me that’s science.
We don’t need to have a degree in, in science in order to practice science ‘cause we’ve already got it. Stein Valley…when I got to be chief, that was my first job that the elders asked me to keep the loggers out. The Stein is our fridge, is our medicine cabinet, and it’s our hunting grounds. You cannot go in there. We pick our foods in there. It was a long hard struggle, we did it in 20 years maybe.