Chad Hipolito/CP Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chief Na'Moks and Chief Madeek, hereditary leader of the Gidimt'en clan, join supporters of Unist'ot'en camp near Houston, B.C., on Jan. 9, 2019.

SMITHERS, B.C. — A Wet'suwet'en hereditary chief told a crowd of First Nation leaders gathered in Smithers, B.C., that no elected band council or Crown authority has jurisdiction over the land. Chief Na'Moks said agreements signed by pipeline builder Coastal GasLink are illegitimate and the support shown by those gathered, and by many people around the world, proves the Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders do not stand alone. "Our rights to those lands have never been extinguished," Na'Moks said during the gathering on Wednesday.

Chad Hipolito/CP An RCMP officer looks on as remnants of the the Gidimt'en checkpoint lay by the road at the Unist'ot'en Camp near Houston, B.C., on Jan. 11, 2019.

First Nations leaders from across British Columbia travelled to Smithers for the rally to show their support for the hereditary chiefs, after RCMP enforced a court injunction last week allowing the natural gas pipeline company access into the territory. Following the rally, chiefs and supporters marched along part of Highway 16, which cuts through the Wet'suwet'en territory. Chiefs and elected council members from several B.C. First Nations, including Haida, Gitxsan and Babine Lake, stepped up to share their support and stories of resistance against industry during the gathering. Wayne Christian of the Secwepemc nation told the crowd that "legislative genocide" had been waged against Indigenous Peoples for generations. He said reconciliation cannot occur "at the end of a gun.'' Several leaders spoke about conflicts they have had with industry and cases where the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs have shown them support that they now want to return.