Mason Mantla was born and raised in Behchokǫ̀. He was nominated to the Wek'èezhìi Land and Water Board by the Tłı̨chǫ Government in 2011 and became chair in 2021. Striving to make a positive difference in the lives of the Tłı̨chǫ people, Mason is has sought out community focused roles and has been an active member of his community throughout his life.
After graduating from Chief Jimmy Bruneau Regional High School, Mason took part in a pilot semester at Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning in 2010. He then took courses at the University of Victoria’s Summer Institute at the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research. He previously worked for the Tłı̨chǫ Community Service Agency doing social community work and currently works as a freelance videographer and entrepreneur. He enjoys using art to engage youth in community programs.
In his free time, Mason can be found writing songs, something he’s done since the age of 12, playing guitar, singing, filmmaking, and spending time with his daughters Evie and Theia.
Growing up, Mason learned about his culture through stories told to him by his grandmother.
“I had a pretty rich traditional background and cultural background,” he said, which was coupled with a desire to learn more about everything. “I’ve always loved reading and writing and science and mathematics. It's always been interesting for me to learn; I've always wanted to learn more about the world and the world around us.”
While taking courses through the Dechinta Centre, Mason learned about Indigenous governance and media.
“They really opened my eyes to the history of Northwest Territories and the history of the Dene people and the things that we weren't taught growing up. We weren't taught about the White Paper, we weren't taught about the history of our people politically,” he said.
Driven by wanting to enact change after learning so much at Dechinta, Mason put his name forward to serve on the Wek'èezhìi Land and Water Board, where he’d have an opportunity to learn more about how the regulatory system works while also helping to protect the environment.
Since joining the Board over a decade ago, he has helped manage major mines in the territory, which includes setting boundaries for the corporations that own the mines and ensuring their work is done with proper environmental practices. As chair, he values connecting communities and Indigenous governments with the territorial and federal government to ensure all voices are heard when major decisions are made.
“The work that we do is important because at the end of the day our priority is safety for the residents that we serve. We have to make sure that when these corporations come onto our land, that they leave it in a suitable way that doesn't affect our future generations,” he explained.
“And I think that we have to ensure that the land and water is as pristine as we can make it be and safe for future generations.”
Mason uses both Traditional Knowledge and culture and Western science when making decisions to ensure that people can continue to harvest from the land and drink from the lakes after mining projects are completed.
“At the end of the day, the people are still here: the Dene people are still here, the Northwest Territories people still here. We're still part of the land, we still use the land, so we have to make sure that it's all there for them.”