There was a Truth and Reconciliation ceremony at Gorge Harbour on Monday, September 30. It consisted of sacred songs and sharing experiences, as well as Chief Steven Brown’s perspectives on how the Klahoose are reclaiming their present and their future.
Continue reading Truth and Reconciliation Ceremony on Cortes IslandEditor’s note: Indigenous students are not the only ones who do not feel they fit into the normal educational system, but there are high school and post-secondary alternatives. The Cortes Island Academy offers a high school accredited program based on experimental, project-based education. (Both ‘Indigenous’ and ‘settler’ kids are welcome.) Some Indigenous schools offer land based learning. I suspect that the ‘normal’ school experience can vary a great deal as well. The Cortes and Quadra Island elementary schools appear to have highly innovative programs. It is also interesting to read about the Vancouver Island University’s attempts to become more culturally sensitive and the Kwak’wala language revitalization at UBC.
By Roisin Cullen, Pique Magazine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A young person’s first week in university should be an exciting and equally nerve-wracking time, but for 22-year-old Aiyana Kalani of the Lil’wat Nation, it was an eye-opening experience.
Kalani went to Vancouver Island University (VIU) in 2021 to major in digital marketing and minor in journalism, but found the experience incredibly isolating. She has since returned home and does not plan on continuing her studies.
Continue reading ‘It was created for settlers by settlers’Gleaned from various sites on the web
The Homalco First Nation recently expanded its Campbell River holdings by the purchase of 390 acres from Mosaic Forestry Management. Chief Darren Blaney and Rob Gough, CEO of Mosaic, signed the deal in a ceremony at Homalco Hall.
“We are celebrating more than the acquisition of land for the Homalco people. The land deal has been decades in the making, and it lays the foundation for a future filled with promise and prosperity,” said Homalco Chief Darren Blaney in a press release. “Our community is strengthened by our connection to lands and resources, and our relationship with community. I want to thank Mosaic Forest Management for supporting this vision and making the sale a reality.”
Continue reading Homalco expand lands in Campbell River through purchase from MosaicEditor’s opinion: The author writes of the need for First Nation’s knowledge and traditions to have more of a voice in archaeology. I think this is true of traditions around the world, including Europe and the Middle East.
By Dionne Phillips, The Wren, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On a recent archaeological exploration for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital project in Williams Lake, Demetrius George discovered a small, ancient rock tool in the dirt.
The fine-grained volcanic artifact is very sharp, he explains, but doesn’t seem to be made for scraping deer hide — rather, for smaller jobs, such as cutting string.
Continue reading WLFN-owned company brings a decolonial lens to archaeology: ‘We need Indigenous knowledge’Editor’s note: Another example of the rebirth of First Nations culture on the West Coast.
By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Tofino, BC – On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Naa’was totem pole was raised at Naa’waya’sum garden in Tofino, depicting “responsibilities to future generations”.
“This here is like a legal document of our peoples,” said Joe Martin (Tutakwisnapšiƛ), Tla-o-qui-aht master carver.
The Naa’was totem pole was carved by Joe in collaboration with Gordon Dick, Robin Rorick, Patrick Amos, and Robinson Cook.
Continue reading ‘Listening to the land’: Totem pole raised in Naa’waya’sum gardens
