Kaska Dena respect the dignity in each person and being, and we are guided by the value of respect to each other and all living things. This means that Kaska Dena citizens will continue to steward the land while respecting our laws to ensure that the land and waters are able to sustain the Kaska way of life for future generations. This also means that Dene Kʼéh Kusān decision-making will be consent-based and respect different ways of knowing, including Kaska Knowledge, Local Knowledge, and Western Science.

Kaska Dena commits to fulfilling our responsibilities to ensure good governance of our land and resources. Our inseparable and enduring relationship to the land is founded on our belief that all things have a spirit and are interconnected, and therefore, we, as Kaska Dena, have a duty and responsibility as land stewards to ensure that all decision-making is guided by the understanding of these interconnections. A healthy ecosystem is at the heart of healthy communities and healthy economies. Resource development and recreational use of Dene K’éh Kusān must support the ecological integrity of the area and traditional and cultural use locations. The duty to maintain ecological natural systems and sustain biological diversity is, at its core, protecting our way of life and is essential to the well-being of our citizens and communities.

Within our kinship networks, there are roles and reciprocal responsibilities we have to each other. Balance and equality are paramount to the Kaska ethical value of reciprocity. Any Dene K’éh Kusān decision-making will consider balancing of ecological, social, economic, and cultural values to ensure that Dene K’éh Kusān can continue to provide for Kaska Dena citizens and all living beings for future generations. Benefits and risks must be shared equitably between Kaska and others and between present and future generations. Decision-making should consider our reciprocal relationships, including consideration of cumulative effects, collateral impacts, and the need to maintain our language and traditional knowledge.

Our relationship to the land is an elemental one. Many parts of our laws stem from the natural law of the earth, which came from higher universal principles that connected our ancestors to the observations of nature and the principle of peaceful relations that we need to have with all Creation. These principles are known as Dene K’éh –and guide the reciprocal relationship our people have to the world. For the Kaska, it is in our personal roles and relationships where our legal obligations are found. Everything we do is guided by our relationships to each other and to the land.