The Indigenous Métis of the South Slave region affirm that they are a distinct Métis Nation within Canada, holding Aboriginal rights to their lands, resources, and governance throughout their traditional territory under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. They assert their inherent right to self-determination as descendants of the Aboriginal peoples of the Mackenzie and Athabasca river basins, whose ancestors lived on and governed these lands according to their own laws and customs since time immemorial.