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Happy Love Day, Relatives! While Valentine's Day may be wrapped in candy hearts and Hallmark sentiments, its origins are far from sweet. As NPR's Arnie Seipel reminds us, its history is "dark, bloody, and a bit muddled." In ancient Rome, Lupercalia—a violent fertility festival—was held from February 13th to 15th, perhaps explaining why red became the color of love.But today, we shift the focus away from romantic love and toward something deeper: self-love, communal love, and intergenerational healing.In this episode, we are joined by the incredible Vina Brown, the creative force behind Copper Canoe Woman. Vina, from the Heiltsuk and Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, is not only an acclaimed jewelry artist but also a scholar, currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she studies Indigenous food sovereignty and wellness. She is also the co-founder of Rooted Resiliency, a nonprofit dedicated to reclaiming Indigenous wellness practices.Together, we dive into the messy, powerful, and transformative aspects of love. "Real love is messy," Vina reminds us. "It's not pretty, it's not perfect, but that's what makes it so beautiful." We explore self-care beyond consumerism, moving away from the capitalist version of “self-care”—think retail therapy and spa days—toward a decolonized perspective. Audre Lorde's words guide us: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."Vina shares the story of her grandmother Elsie, a residential school survivor who embarked on her healing journey later in life, breaking generational cycles by learning to love openly. We discuss the power of community healing, the necessity of platonic love, and the strength in vulnerability. "We don't heal in silos," Vina says. "We heal in community."As part of this journey, we're also hosting Reclaiming Wellness, a community event featuring Indigenous women leaders focusing on movement, meditation, and reconnecting with ancestral knowledge.Join us as we recommit to self-love, embrace relationality over individualism, and recognize that healing is a lifelong journey. As Vina reminds us, "Our ancestors knew we were interconnected. The land, the wind, the water—they all hold us."Let's reclaim love—love for ourselves, our communities, and our lands. Share this conversation, connect with us, and be part of this movement. ❤️Send us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagam @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.
Environmental racism is a systemic issue in Canada. There's a long history of marginalized communities suffering at the hands of industry, all authorized by the Crown. In June this year, the Environmental Justice Act received Royal Assent and became law in Canada. But there are doubts that the meaningful consultation committed to in the Act will result in anything substantial. A new report explores why environmental racism exists, how it's woven into the fabric of the country, and some critical points on how to meaningfully address it. We speak with the report's author, Levin Chamberlain.
Chief Councilor talks about possible solutions.
rWotD Episode 2665: Wuikinuxv Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia’s vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 20 August 2024 is Wuikinuxv.The Wuikinuxv IPA: [ʔuwik'inuxʷ], ("Backbone people"), also rendered Oweekano (Pre-1976); Oowekeeno (1976-2003) (variations: Oweekeno, Owekano, Oweekayno, Wuikenukv, Wikeno, Owikeno, Awikenox, and also known as the Rivers Inlet people) are an Indigenous First Nations people of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located around Rivers Inlet and Owikeno Lake, to the north of Queen Charlotte Strait. The Wuikinuxv people and their neighbours the Heiltsuk and Haisla peoples were in the past sometimes known incorrectly as the "Northern Kwakiutl".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:33 UTC on Tuesday, 20 August 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Wuikinuxv on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Nicole.
In this week's conversation, we are speaking with William Housty, Associate Director of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department in Bella Bella, British Columbia. The HIRMD are in charge of overseeing the management of all natural resources in the Heiltsuk territory, including the beautiful and captivating sea wolves. There is an air of magic and mystery about these sea swimming wolves that compel you to want to know, who are these beings and what is their story. William Housty tells us that story and what sea wolves mean to not only him, but to the Heiltsuk Nation. There are moments when you look into the eyes of another species and see into their being and know there is more… there is a story of life, suffering, and beauty, and a deep recognition and resonance. You know all at once you are not separate from or above them, but tied through a millennium of evolution and kinship. Thank you to William for inviting us into this story of the sea wolf. We are so grateful for the chance to listen and to see. Lots of Love. Episode Timestamps: Intro: 00:53 Interview: 5:05 TA: 48:40 Show Notes: https://www.heiltsuknation.ca/ Articles: https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-amazing-sea-wolves-of-the-great-bear-rainforest/ https://www.raincoast.org/2017/04/partnering-for-wolves-bears-and-people/
Nation to sue Ottawa over 2022 closure.
In this episode of Living A Creative Life, we were fortunate to speak with artist Shawn Hunt about our theme of Materials At Work. As an artist, Shawn taps into his imagination, as well as his Heiltsuk, Scottish, and French heritage to create utterly unique, surreal and sculptural artworks. Shawn prioritizes the flow state, preferring to utilize minimal materials that allow him to work more instinctively. To see more work from Shawn Hunt, visit ShawnHunt.net/
Join us for our 125th episode, as we dive into the richness of Indigenous wisdom, as revealed by our cherished guest, the acclaimed artist, Roy Henry Vickers. From his birthplace, the ancient village of Kitkatla, Roy Henry Vickers guides us through a narrative brimming with ancestral Indigenous wisdom. Aaron Pete's conversation with him explores not only timeless teachings but also his personal experiences. Aaron Pete and Roy Henry Vickers delve into his unique perspective as a colorblind artist, his battle with trauma, the struggles in sharing his art, and his path to recovery.Roy Henry Vickers is a renowned Canadian artist, born in June 1946, who has created a significant impact through his blend of traditional First Nations imagery and contemporary techniques. His art reflects his Tsimshian, Haida, and Heiltsuk descent and a profound connection to the land. In addition to his artistic achievements, Vickers is a public speaker on creativity, healing, and spiritual growth, and he has received honors such as the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada for his contributions to art and Indigenous rights.Support the showwww.biggerthanmepodcast.com
What Questions should you ask when applying or refinancing mortgages? Guest: Peter Cishecki, Registered Financial Planner and President of the Everything Financial Group B.C. mayors calling for sunshine laws to tackle corruption and transparency Guest: Graeme Wood, Reporter for Glacier Media The tragedy known as the Vancouver Canucks Guest: Jawn Jang, Show Contributor Ottawa rejects Rogers/Shaw merger Guest: Michael Levy, CKNW Business Analyst ABC Vancouver's transition into power Guest: Kareem Alam, Campaign Manager for ABC Vancouver The epic resolution to the Canal Flats civic election Guest: Jawn Jang, Show Contributor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Breen Oullette, Vancouver-based lawyer, of Metis descent, and a Former election candidate for the federal NDP discusses the fallout after VPD Constables fail to attend Heiltsuk Nation ceremony for Maxwell Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
00:00 - With Hockey Canada in the midst of a series of scandals around sexual abuse allegations, new polling suggests 60 per cent of Canadians say the recent revelations reflect a broader problem of sexual harassment, assault, and violence within hockey culture in Canada. Guest: Sean Simpson, Ipsos Vice-President of Public Affairs 06:57 - There have been 3 endangered owls released into the wild in the hopes that a breeding program will lead to a successful reintroduction of the species. Guest: Jasmine McCulligh, Facility Coordinator for the No Breeding Program 14:48 - There have been some recent accusations put on notable people who have been falsely claiming to be of indigenous heritage. Guest: Eric Chapman, CKNW Community Contributor 22:09 - Family doctors across BC are seeing an uptick of enterovirus D68, and as new reports come in from south of the border showing over 70% of pediatric hospital beds full amid surge of respiratory illnesses Guest: Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre 29:12 - The two Vancouver police constables who were disciplined for wrongfully handcuffing a Heiltsuk grandfather and his granddaughter outside a Vancouver bank in 2019 were not in Bella Bella Monday for the apology ceremony. Guest: Faye Wightman, Vancouver Police Board Spokesperson 37:31 - The B.C. government and the union representing paramedics have come to a “temporary” deal meant to boost ambulance staffing in rural and remote communities. Guest: Troy Clifford, President of the union representing paramedics and dispatchers and an active paramedic
In this talk from the Talks on Trauma series from the Wisdom of Trauma All Access Pass Course. Dr. Gabor Maté hosts this expert panel of Indigenous teachers. Intergenerational trauma: the impact of colonization and genocide Indigenous wisdom and the healing of trauma Resistance and healing With Jesse Thistle, Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Ruby Gibson, Patricia Vickers & Gabor Maté Bios Patricia Vickers, Ph.D., is currently an independent consultant. She is deeply committed to founding mental health services and research on ancestral teachings and principles. In 2019-2020, she completed a nurofeedback study on Haida Gwaii with highly positive results. Her areas of inquiry include trauma from a somatic and neurobiological perspective, teachings on soul loss and soul retrieval and expressive responses to life such as song, painting and dance. She is mother of four and grandmother of nine. Her Indigenous ancestry is rooted in Heiltsuk, Tsimshian and Haida Nations through her father and British through her mother. patriciajunevickers.com Jesse ThistleAssistant Professor, AuthorJesse Thistle's award-winning memoir, From the Ashes, was a #1 national bestseller, and the bestselling Canadian book in 2020 and has remained atop bestseller lists since it was published. From the Ashes was a CBC Canada Reads finalist, an Indigo Best Book of 2019, and the winner of the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction, an Indigenous Voices Award, and High Plains Book Award. Jesse Thistle is Métis-Cree and an Assistant Professor at York University in Toronto. He is a PhD candidate in the History program at York where he is working on theories of intergenerational and historic trauma of the Métis people. Jesse has won the P.E. Trudeau and Vanier doctoral scholarships, and he is a Governor General medalist. Jesse is the author of the Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada published through the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, and his historical research has been published in numerous academic journals, book chapters, and featured on CBC Ideas, CBC Campus, and Unreserved. A frequent keynote speaker, Jesse lives in Hamilton with his wife Lucie and is at work on multiple projects including his next book. jessethistle.com Tiokasin GhosthorseFounder & Host "First Voices Radio", Speaker on Peace & Indigenous WisdomTiokasin Ghosthorse is a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota and has a long history with Indigenous activism and advocacy. Tiokasin is the Founder, Host and Executive Producer of “First Voices Radio” (formerly “First Voices Indigenous Radio”) for the last 28 years in New York City and Seattle/Olympia, Washington. In 2016, he received a Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize from the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy. Other recent recognitions include: Native Arts and Cultures Foundation National Fellowship in Music (2016), National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Nominee (2017), Indigenous Music Award Nominee for Best Instrumental Album (2019) and National Native American Hall of Fame Nominee (2018, 2019). He also was recently nominated for “Nominee for the 2020 Americans for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities”. He was also awarded New York City's Peacemaker of the Year in 2013. Tiokasin is a “perfectly flawed human being.” Dr. Ruby GibsonExecutive Director of Freedom Lodge, Author, Historical Trauma SpecialistA mixed-blood woman of Native and Mediterranean descent, Dr. Ruby Gibson lives on both the Flathead Reservation in MT, and in Rapid City, SD near Pine Ridge Agency. For 30+ years, Dr. Gibson has been dedicated to the craft and science of Historical Trauma reconciliation, cultural healing, and generational well-being among Native and Indigenous Peoples. She developed the intergenerational trauma recovery models - Somatic Archaeology© and Generational Brainspotting™. Dr. Gibson is the author of two books, My Body, My Earth, The Practice of Somatic Archaeology, and My Body, My Breath, A Tool for Transformation, which are both available in English and Spanish. Using our Body and Mother Earth as benevolent sources of biological, emotional and ancestral memory, her techniques were field tested on clients and students, and researched in her Doctoral studies with amazing effectiveness. Dr. Gibson developed and teaches the Historical Trauma Master Class, and builds leadership skills in Native Wellness amongst the graduates. She is honored to witness the courage and amazing capacity that each person has to reconcile suffering. As the mother of three beautiful children, one granddaughter, and one grandson. Dr. Ruby has a heart full of hope for the next seven generations! freedomlodge.org Dr. Gabor Maté, M.D. is a physician and best-selling author whose books have been published in twenty languages. His interests include child development, the mind-body unity in health and illness, and the treatment of addictions. Gabor has worked in palliative care and as a family physician, and for fourteen years practiced addiction medicine in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. As a speaker he regularly addresses professional and lay audiences throughout North America. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including a Simon Fraser University Outstanding Alumnus Award and an honorary degree from the University of Northern British Columbia. His most recent book is The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. gabormate.com
Hello my name is Christine Mackenzie and I am a First Nation Artist, I was born in Kelowna BC. My mother was born in Bella Coola BC we are from the Eagle clan. My mother was apart of the Sixties Scoop and because of that I had a hard time trying to find our culture and identity. I grew up in south western British Columbia, in the Coast Salish traditional territories. I find inspiration in the natural world and in the eyes of people willing to learn and share cultural ideas. I enjoy working with traditional/contemporary design and with multiple mediums. I have been doing art all my life, but professional Artist and Facilitator since 2009 and mentored by Haida Artist Anastasia Hendry she was an artist and Facilitator for 30 plus year and has since retired. I now help others in there journey to self identity. I have worked with many school districts and youth/family organizations in Chilliwack, Surrey, Langley, Vancouver (North, West and Downtown), Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam, Richmond, New Westminster, Boston Bar, The Yukon, Dease Lake, Telaghaph Creek and Atlin. I have been a part of five art shows and have illustrated/co written three books. I have created many custom pieces for organization, Transit Police creating a Indigenous Logo to help connect communities and will be displayed on all the vehicles, "My Child" to Connections Community Services Richmond representing Orange Shirt day long term loan, Holiday decor for Vancouver Convention Center over 20 wood burnt pallet trees that range from 4ft x 3ft to 6ft x 8ft, Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site non for profit Welcoming the Sun logo and a custom long term loan piece "Salmon's connection to Mother Earth", insulation piece for International Vancouver Children's Arts Festival to honour women, TCCAT logo and Mural to help bring awareness to the overdose crisis, custom drums including glow in the dark drums, carvings, sensory paths, murals and much more. www.sneakynativeart.com
Elder Shirley Windsor from Haíɫzaqv saying ‘yáu' (hello) in Haíɫzaqvḷa (Heiltsuk)
Speaker Elder Shirley Windsor from Haíɫzaqv saying ‘wṇíxsix̌a' (goodbye) in Haíɫzaqvḷa (Heiltsuk).
Elder Shirley Windsor from Haíɫzaqv saying Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk).
Audio clip of the word "Haíɫzaqv" spoken in Haíɫzaqvḷa (Heiltsuk) by local knowledge keeper and language teacher Rory Housty from the community of Bella Bella.
Audio clip of the word "ˇGiǎxsix̌a" (thank you very much) spoken in Haíɫzaqvḷa (Heiltsuk) by local knowledge keeper and language teacher Rory Housty from the community of Bella Bella.
It has now been 5 years since the Kirby Oil Spill washed into northern BC waters destroying the way of life for the Heiltsuk First Nation and the surrounding communities. Tchadas spends some time with Chief Marilyn to understand the environmental impact this spill has caused.Facebook & Instagram: @ournativelandpodcastTwitter: @TchadasLeoCHEKTikTok: @ournativelandSite: www.cheknews.ca/onlEmail: ournativelandpodcast@gmail.com
How to be wa whistle-blower; Rapid testing; Skeena fisheries closure; Nathan E. Stewart tug spill anniversary; More COVID restrictions could be coming to northern B.C.; Delivering medicine by drone; Overcoming fears of needles; Brexit pain; Substitute teacher shortage; Vaccine mandates come to healthcare workers.
It's been five years since 110,000 litres of diesel and heavy oil spilled into a Heiltsuk marine harvesting area, and the First Nation is still waiting for restitution.
Today our guest is Ryan Erwin. A Vancouver Native, University of British Columbia Alumnus, drag queen wrestling personality, stand up comedian, and clown. We discuss First Nation people in Canada, developing clown/wrestling/drag queen characters, and unceded territories. Check out his Instagram: @ryanerwin Check out my website and Instagram accounts: @empersico @artistswithem @emicoproductions https://www.emicoproductions.com/
Your Canadian & Great Lakes Surf / SUP Podcast #PERMASTOKED with #DerikHyatt, Season 2 Episode 14: Norm Hann - Get Up, Stand Up, Standup4Greatbear, is brought to you by @freshwatersurfgoods and is NOW AVAILABLE for streaming and download on: AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/Permastoked-with-Derik-Hyatt/dp/B08K59QPBV APPLE https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/permastoked-with-derik-hyatt/id1518415157 GOOGLE https://podcasts.google.com/search/permastoked IHEART RADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-permastoked-with-derik-hya-65366207/ SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/6qsR6lN7M7edO798HSBxpj STITCHER https://www.stitcher.com/show/permastoked TUNEIN https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/Permastoked-p1333686/ YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/iFvOj2oSqrM Or wherever else you get your podcasts. Help us spread the stoke by leaving us a RATING and REVIEW after you LISTEN / WATCH and SHARE! In this episode, Derik Hyatt chats with Norm Hann about his passion for oceans, coastlines, and the powerful connection between people and the environment. After a university basketball and high school teaching career in Sudbury, Ontario, Norm made the decision to travel west to enroll; in a wilderness guide training program in Vancouver. Upon completion he was hired as an adventure guide in the Great Bear Rainforest on the north coast of British Columbia. In 2006, he was given the ultimate coastal honour of being adopted by Eva Hill into the Raven Clan and given the name T'aam Laan meaning “Steersman of the Canoe.” In 2008, Norm discovered stand up paddleboarding and with almost a decade of guiding experience under his belt in the Great Bear Rainforest, Norm Hann Expeditions was born. Shortly after the first couple of sup trips to the Great Bear, the real threat of oil tankers traveling through the area began to take shape in the form of the Northern Gateway Project. Norm decided to paddle the proposed tanker route. The route was from Kitimat 400km south to Bella Bella. The expedition was called Standup4Greatbear and to inform everyone of what was at risk. Standup4Greatbear Society continues to promote the education, awareness, and protection of the Great Bear Rainforest and the Great Bear Sea, through conservation expeditions, featured talks and presentations. In 2012, Norm was contacted by acclaimed filmmaker Anthony Bonello to bring the story of the threat to the coast to a larger audience. Shortly after recruiting talented photographer Nicolas Teichrob, the Stand film project began. The film highlights Norm's 350km expedition along the coast of Haida Gwaii, the Heiltsuk students of Bella Bella building their own wooden cedar paddleboards, along with the surfing and coastal connection of waterman and Tofino local Raphael Bruhwiler. Norm believes that as paddlers we have a responsibility to stand up for these places that give us so much and to protect these areas for future generations. Norm Hann Expeditions can connect you with powerful environments so that you can build your own personal connections and experience the things in life that matter the most. This episode was recorded on March 17, 2021 and may contain coarse language that could be deemed offensive. Listener discretion is advised. To reach Derik Hyatt for comments, questions, collaboration, sponsorship, business enquiries or bookings, including Surf, SUP and Yoga, please email info@freshwatersurfgoods.com. Permastoked is presented by Freshwater Surf Goods. Your surf brand devoted to spreading the stoke across the unsalted seas and cultivating pride amongst the Canadian surf community. We do this by providing products and apparel that celebrate the awesomeness of both Great Lakes and Canadian surf culture. Stand out in the tribe by rocking our gear! But don't just stand around on the beach looking cool, check out our Stoke Academy and try surfing and stand up paddleboarding. Get away to Ontario's magnificent Bruce Peninsula where we offer Paddle Canada certified Basic and Advanced SUP courses, custom experiences, private lessons, tours, SUP Surfing, yoga, SUP yoga and even beginner surf lessons. Visit www.freshwatersurfgoods.com to sign up for your freshwater fantasy today! For more information, visit www.freshwatersurfgoods.com and be sure to sign up for our newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @freshwatersurfgoods. Stay up-to-date on all things surf and SUP from across Canada, by joining our Facebook Group, the All Canadian Surf & SUP Club. Mahalo for listening and stay stoked! LINKS Facebook: www.facebook.com/freshwatersurfgoods Instagram: www.instagram.com/freshwatersurfgoods Twitter: www.twitter.com/fwsurfgoods Pinterest: www.pinterest.ca/freshwatersurfgoods LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/freshwater-surf-goods All Canadian Surf & SUP Club Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/306681953832086 A SPECIAL MAHALO TO We acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the unceded, ancestral and occupied traditional territory of the Haudensaunee (Iroquois), and the Anishinabek; including Ojibway (Ojibwe) First Nations: Chippewas of Nawash and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation forming the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory who we recognize as the traditional keepers of this land. As we live, work, surf and play, we say Mahalo to the Métis, Inuit and Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and from around the world, who have stewarded these lands and sacred surf spots for thousands of years. Mark Malibu & The Wasagas for providing our intro music “Hey Chiwawa” off their 2009 album Crash Monster Beach and our outro music “End of Summer” off their 2017 album Return of the Wasagas. For more information, visit www.wasagas.com and listen to them on Spotify or iTunes. Damajuana reggae uploaded by detroitbase on 2019-08-30 to https://archive.org/details/reggae_201908. Public License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/legalcode. (Full length = 02:30.) Ukelele Parade by Fernando Oyaguez Reyes published May 22, 2014 and uploaded to https://archive.org/details/UkeleleParade. Public License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/legalcode. (Original length = 02:44. Modified to 01:00.)
Labrador Morning from CBC Radio Nfld. and Labrador (Highlights)
Canada promised to help Indigenous people reclaim their traditional names. But one Heiltsuk woman in British Columbia has already hit a roadblock. We hear her story. Nain had its first-ever pride walk this week. We speak with community health worker Craig Wallace, who worked to organize the event. A group from Labrador West are setting off across the island this morning to raise money for Ronald McDonald House. We speak with Kim Hartery and Gerri-Lynn Stevens today. A few weeks ago you heard the story of an effort to bring an Innu caribou skin coat back to Labrador from a museum in Quebec. It turns out there was one a lot closer to home as well. We speak with Jodie Ashini about a caribou coat found at the Labrador Heritage Society in North West River. COVID restrictions prevented volleyball players in Labrador West from attending The Acadian Games, so they organized a beach volleyball tournament instead. We hear from Melanie Cayouette. We're hanging with the Waynes once again to hear their film and book selections for the week. Finally, people in Nain may not be screaming for ice cream, but they are certainly buying it. We speak with Tracy Denniston. Thanks to Peter Cowan for hosting today, and Janice will be back on Monday.
Hybrid work weeks; Imapct of heatwave on Canadian food crops; B.C. Liberals call for review of how province handled heatwave health risks; Hiker shares story of being rescued from flooding Mount Robson; Jess Úst̓i can't get her Heiltsuk name on government documents; Carrier Sekani Family Services' Mary Teegee on need for First Nations to lead on child welfare in their own communities; Michif language on display at Two Rivers Gallery; MuchMusic returns; Summer reading; Growing food in a small space.
Jess Úst̓i says she's facing roadblocks to change her name on her documents, despite promise from government.
We hear from a councillor in the Heiltsuk Nation about how the Nation's celebration of pride is bringing their community together, and reclaiming traditional understandings of gender.Get more stories like this in your inbox every morning by subscribing to our daily newsletter at CapitalDaily.ca And subscribe to us on our socials! Twitter @CapitalDailyVic Instagram @CapitalDaily Facebook @CapitalDailyVic
Chief councillor Marilyn Slett discusses the significance and next steps of the new agreement with the provincial government.
We speak to former Daybreak host Robert Doane about how he is helping improve Indigenous representation at CBC; Drop in on a cultural lesson for kids in Prince Rupert; Hear music from School District 57 students; Attend a healing ceremony at the former Lejac residential school site; Speak to Heiltsuk chief councillor Marilyn Slett about the 'One Mind, One Thought' agreement with the B.C. government; Get a lesson in Dakelh syllabics; And learn about birch-bark biting from Angelique Merasty Levac. Plus music from Simbiyez, Joey Stylez and Carsen Gray, Jayli Wolf and Jason Camp and the Posers.
As the Union of BC Indian Chiefs announces it's applying to intervene in a BC Human Rights Tribunal case against the Vancouver Police Department over an incident of alleged racial profiling -- where a Heiltsuk man and his granddaughter were handcuffed and detained after attempting to open a bank account -- UBCIC lawyer Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond discusses the broader issue of system racism in policing. SFU research fellow Julianne Piper discusses the potential reopening of the US/Canada border in the weeks and months ahead.
You might know author Eden Robinson from the feature film adaptation of her novel Monkey Beach, or from the binge-worthy CBC series based on her Trickster trilogy. But the Eden that Tamara spoke to was someone painfully and hilariously honest about the messy inner world of a writer. From using writing to weather the pandemic to taking comfort in the storytelling traditions of her Haisla and Heiltsuk family, Eden makes the case for following your muse.
It doesn't require land, watering or fertilizer, and now the Heiltsuk First Nation are hoping seaweed can increase their food security and economic situation.
New entrepreneurs in the pandemic; Pandemic line dancing; PM delivers apology to Italian-Canadians for WWII treatment; Heiltsuk turning to seaweed farming; Lack of Indigenous language funding; Food security in Prince George; Gitxsan Wilp controlling access to forestry road to protect old-growth cedar and hemlock; Auditor-General report into pandemic handling; Author Marion Crook writes about her life as a Cariboo-Chilcotin nurse; Researchers looking for people to collect hummingbird poop.
Jess Housty talks about the role of harvesting and cultivating food in Heiltsuk culture.
Are you a fan of cosy/serious/hilarious/Indigenous culture lit? Us too! Author Eden Robinson laughs (a lot) with Darby about her books, Wild Men of the Woods (aka Sasquatches), matriarchal tendencies, and lots more. This is the audio from our special zoom event on April 23, 2021. Eden Robinson came to us from her home in Kitimaat Village and is of Haisla and Heiltsuk ancestry. Darby was at work in Nanaimo and is of Dutch, Icelandic, and mixed British/Irish/Scottish ancestry. Both like sea stars.
In 2016, a Haitian-born teenager adopted into a Heiltsuk family was barred from playing in the All-Native Basketball Tournament because of his race, prompting a humans rights challenge from his family. That story is explored in a new documentary titled 'One of Ours.'
Research shows more northern B.C. residents are more hesitant than other parts of the province about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Heiltsuk doctor Don Wilson explains why that might be.
For Part 1 in our series on Indigenous Foodways, we’re talking with Jess Housty, executive director of Q'qs Society, from her kitchen in Bella Bella. Jess shares with us the story of her community’s Granny’s Gardens: an Indigenous food sovereignty project that is rooted within the traditions of Heiltsuk Nation on British Columbia’s central coast.
What if we cultivated our environment instead of intensive crop planting and animal farming, and in turn created an abundance of food to meet our needs? Is this what First Nations people did here in the Americas? This concept is the focus of doctoral research of today's guest, Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer, Lyla June. June is an Indigenous woman of Dine (Navajo), Tsetsehestahese (Cheyenne) and European lineage. She's pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. And she's fascinated by the intersection of Indigenous food systems and Indigenous land management. Interview Summary So can you begin by explaining how you came to be passionate about food as an Indigenous woman? And tell us some about your doctoral work. Sure, so as you may know, a lot of Native people are struggling with diabetes and other food-related illnesses and are having a hard time accessing foods. And a lot of us live in what they call food deserts. A lot of our food systems were destroyed in the process of the creation of America. Everything from decimating buffalo populations to burning down orchards and cornfields to ruining the salmon runs by putting dams in all the rivers; and destroying the beavers for the fur trade, which destroyed all the ponds which supported a lot of food systems. So our ways of life, as you can imagine, have been deeply altered, and that has its ramifications on our health. I think you can't help but be very attuned to food systems as an Indigenous person. I think what sparked my doctoral research is how tribes have, before Columbus and still do today these genius practices of taking care of the land that actually enhance the natural food-bearing capacity of the land. And what really sparked my interest in that was an elder who said to me, "Native people control enough land "to change the way the world thinks about food and water." And that really inspired me because that made me feel like, you know, even though we've lost most of our land base, it doesn't take a very large model to start a revolution in the way people think about things. So I've been going around traveling as part of my doctoral research, recently reading a ton, but a lot of times just working face-to-face with Native people and seeing the ways in which they take care of the land. That's really how I got into it. This belief that Native people could not only create thriving life for their own communities through the revitalization of our food systems—but that we could actually become leaders once again to help not just our communities, but to help the rest of the world. Although industrial agriculture seems like it's working right now, it's only a matter of time until it collapses. We are on the precipice of a very, I don't think there's any way to sugarcoat it, a very tragic famine. I think there's a way around that with our current food system. And so I would like to work with a number, dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of Indigenous peoples who are preparing for that, and ready to share our medicine and our knowledge with the world. If it's okay, I'd like to share just a few vignettes of how Indigenous peoples are exemplifying this way of working with the Earth. I'd very much like that. And what you're saying sounds very concerning and very hopeful at the same time. I feel that every day, a very strong mixture of urgency and hope all at once, and it's exciting work. And I very much feel guided by the ancestors 'cause the things I'm learning and the things I'm coming across are just way too big for coincidence. But for example, there's a group in British Columbia that I talk about very frequently called the Heiltsuk Nation. They live on a little island called Bella Bella, West Coast of Canada. And they actually have these hand-planted kelp forests that they plant along the shoreline of their islands. And at the right time of year, they go out and put this kelp, it's very fast-growing kelp. And this increases the surface area upon which the herring fish, which is a little silver fish, can lay their eggs. And so they just litter the whole place with eggs, millions and millions and millions of eggs. And that provides the basis for the salmon, the killer whales, the sea lions. The humans, of course eat it. It's a huge delicacy. You can sell it for tons of money, but they don't sell it. They actually use it to feed their island ecosystem. So on up the food chain to the wolves, the eagles. And everyone in the system benefits from this anthropogenic base of calories. And I say anthropogenic, which means manmade. There are ways to touch the Earth that are very kind and very helpful, not just in the feeding of humans, but of other lifeforms as well. Another example I like to give is the Shawnee ancestors of what we now call Kentucky. What we see is in the fossilized pollen if you take soil cores out of the ponds, you can see pollen that is as old as 10,000 years. And you can see what the forest has looked like over the past 10,000 years. And what we find is for a long time, it was just cedar and hemlock dominating the pollen profile. And then about 3,000 years ago, this is before Christ, we see the Shawnee ancestors move in and we see a huge influx of hickory nut, black walnut, chestnut, acorns, sumpweed, goosefoot. All these edible plant species come into the pollen profile. Which means that somebody, presumably the Shawnee, radically transformed the whole cedar and hemlock forest into a dense food forest. What we also see is the influx of fossilized charcoal, which indicates that they managed this food forest with low intensity, gentle, prescribed burns, where you burn the forest floor, which eliminates competing vegetation. It injects nutrient dense ash into the soil, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. It creates the charcoal which creates little apartment buildings for microbes in the soil. So you make a living soil. And this food forest with the charcoal persisted for 3,000 years, up until about 1830, we see the whole system collapse. All the pollen disappears, all the chestnut disappears. This is an example I like to give to show people how longstanding and how sophisticated Indigenous food systems are. I have also been looking at the Tenochtitlan, which was the original city of Mexico City. They had these incredible waste sanitation systems where they say that human waste was so valuable on Lake Texcoco, way before Columbus was a twinkle in his daddy's eye, that you could actually bring it to the market and trade it. You could trade your own waste for goods and services because they had this waste sanitation system that reinvested all of this so-called waste into their food systems, which were floating gardens they created out of reeds and very special soil systems. Gardens that floated all over Lake Texcoco. So if that's not sophisticated, I don't know what it is. I'm really very impressed by those stories. And one of the things that you made me think of as you were describing the kelp forest in Canada, was that the food sounds like it's part of the spiritual life of the individuals who were raising it, consuming it, protecting it, et cetera. Is that correct? Oh, absolutely. In fact, there's one elder I interviewed from the Amah Mutsun Nation who are the Indigenous peoples of what we now call Santa Cruz, California. And they did a similar forestry management strategy where they used prescribed burns. But he said that it was a ceremony. He said the smoke would go up into the oak trees because they're oak people and those acorns form a very important caloric base for the pre-Columbian peoples of California. They were acorn people through and through. The smoke would go up through the trees and would smudge off the trees. It would bless the trees, he said. They had fire-resistant bark because they had co-evolved with human fire for so many millennia. And this smoke would kill all the weevils and bugs and pests. And so you had a really healthy acorn harvest in the fall. And so it was absolutely not just land management, but it was a prayer and a gift. Sort of like Vandana Shiva from India says. She says, "Nitrogen and potassium and phosphorus. "Those are elements in a periodic table "from a Eurocentric point of view." She said, "But to us, these are sacred elements "that we give as an offering to the Earth. "We offer these nutrients to the soil "as a spiritual offering to Mother Earth." I'm struck as you're discussing these conversations you've had with elders that they must be an invaluable source of information. And your discussions with them must be incredibly interesting, but they also must be very deeply moving, I assume. Oh yes, absolutely, because we don't have many of these elders left. And many of our elders don't know this information because America very deliberately expunged this knowledge through the boarding school system. My grandparents, for example, full-blooded Navajo, full-blooded Dine, they don't really know this type of knowledge. They were heavily Christianized as children in the boarding schools. They were heavily indoctrinated into this idea that white is right and brown is wrong. And the more like a white American you can be, then the more civilized you are, the more intelligent you are, the more holy and clean you are, which is absolutely what they taught Native children in the boarding schools. And it's just ironic that our food systems were actually very, very intelligent, and very, very advanced. The work that you're doing including your doctoral work is an effort to protect this information, to preserve it, to communicate it, to amplify it. Are there a lot of other efforts around to do the same sort of thing? Yes, I am one of many, many, many. It's a beautiful thing that I don't have to do this alone because Indigenous food systems as a movement is really burgeoning right now. For instance, you have a lot of eco-linguistic revitalization. The first Indigenous eco-village ever has sprung up in the South, the Muskogee Eco-Village. And they are a language immersion eco-village. So if you go there, everybody's speaking Muskogee. And they understand that in order to revitalize their food ways, they must revitalize their language. And conversely, in order to revitalize their language, they must revitalize their food ways because their language talks about a certain world. And unless you recreate that world, there's nothing to talk about. If that makes sense. There's also a wonderful film that just came out called "Gather" and it's available on, I think, iTunes and Amazon. And it's all about the fight to revitalize Native food ways. It's really well done, and has a lot of Indigenous speakers leading the charge. There's the Indigenous Food Systems Network, indigenousfoodsystems.org that is really bringing together a number of players in this broad-based movement. There's also this really interesting phenomenon popping up, the popularization of Indigenous culinary arts. For instance, you have The Sioux Chef, which I imagine many of you have heard of. He's a Lakota chef, and Sioux is spelled S-I-O-U-X, which is one of the names for Lakota. So The Sioux Chef has written a book called, "The Sioux Chef's Kitchen," all about natural Indigenous-based dishes that you can make. There's also Taste of Native Cuisine, Carlos Baca, based out of Southwest Colorado, who has his own farm. And he's been foraging and creating these amazing culinary dishes, like top-notch, five-star, but he's bringing all of that to the people. And he's been bringing food boxes to people on the Navajo Reservation during the COVID crisis to give them real medicine, not just food, but also plant, different medicines to help. And then there's Yazzie The Chef was a Dine, a Navajo chef who's really been talking up our food ways. Rowan White, who's based in Northern California, but she's a Mohawk woman. She is leading the effort in seed rematriation, and she calls it rematriation instead of repatriation, kind of as a feminist take on all of that. But what she does is she gets all of these Indigenous seeds and she grows them, and replicates them, and proliferates them on her property. Everything from heirloom corn to heirloom amaranth to heirloom squashes and different Indigenous sage, tobacco. She builds up this seed bank, and then she gives it back to the Reservations. She gives all the seeds back to the people. So she's doing incredibly important work to preserve the genetic integrity of our food systems by saving and proliferating the seeds. Those are really interesting examples. And it's inspiring to hear about all the activity in this area, and gives us some hope for the future that we can learn from the past. So let's turn back to your doctoral work. Tell us a little bit more about what you're doing in the context of your doctoral work. I just finished my last course. So I'm now embarking on the dissertation writing and sort of taking the writing I've already done and synthesizing it and getting it ready. I won't claim to have an answer of what my dissertation is exactly. I'm kind of right in the middle of the process. But what I'm thinking is really taking all of these different case studies, which include the Heiltsuk, the Shawnee, the Amah Mutsun, ancestors of Tenochtitlan, the Menominee Tribal Enterprises where they have this amazing Indigenous forestry program where they've managed a forest for a hundred years and logged to the forest for a hundred year, and yet it has increased its biomass. And I'm hoping to generate some theory out of that, to do grounded theory, you know, where you look at what you see. You find commonalities. You find common denominators among all of these food systems and you develop some characteristics of Indigenous food systems. You develop some basic foundational principles. So that's my current strategy for now. I just went to some land in Kentucky, and we're thinking of actually recreating some of these food forests. And that's my ultimate goal. Whether it's a part of the dissertation or not, we're absolutely going to be putting all this knowledge into practice, because as I said, control enough land to change the way people think about food and water. My task, I feel, is to create these models, and have them be living, breathing systems that people can come and visit, and see, and taste, and feel, and say, "Hey, another way of food is absolutely possible. "Let's do it." You know, one that is not monoculture. One that not just honors biodiversity, but cultivates biodiversity. One that recharges the soil instead of depleting it. One that really honors the ceremonial aspect of food. One that doesn't call it food anymore because food is like a lifeless object, but honors the fact that it's a living, breathing being that gave its life so that we can live. You know, that's what food really is. One of the common denominators among all these food systems which I find incredibly fascinating is the construction of habitat. That is what a lot of our food systems seem to be about, where we actually construct an environment that is hospitable to certain species that we eat. And then those species come to us. Lyla, let me ask you one final question. This has been a fascinating discussion by the way. So one argument that you hear in defense of industrial agriculture practices is that they can be done to scale. And so the traditional practices that you're describing, people might support even in principle, but say you just can't do enough of it to feed the world. What is your reaction to that idea? It's a little bit contradictory because the more you create monoculture industrial agriculture at scale. The more you deplete the soils. The more you compromise the genetic integrity of the plants and animals. Because if you have all monoculture then you have narrowed the genetic pool. And that all has a whole cascade of negative consequences. So you might say it's scalable, right? But at what costs and for how long? That's the real question. People think that there weren't that many Native Americans here in North America. Well, we densely populated the land, and we managed the land extensively with these food forests, My point is, if we have these food systems, right? These food forests, for example, they actually strengthen the ability of other food systems to exist. Diversity creates diversity. So they're not just scalable, it's actually required to scale up in order for there to be a complex, multi-bioregion ecosystem. You need to start building up these polyculture food systems. You need to start building up the biodiversity. So to answer your question, not only are Indigenous food systems scalable, but they're the only thing that's scalable. They're the only thing that's going to last. Bio Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, scholar and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her dynamic, multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective and ecological healing. She blends studies in Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree, focusing on Indigenous food systems revitalization.
A Heiltsuk grandfather in British Columbia has recently launched a pair of human rights complaints almost a year after he and his young granddaughter were forced to stand outside a downtown Vancouver bank handcuffed for upwards of an hour. They’d been detained there by police after a bank manager suspected their Indian Status Cards were fake and called 911 to report a potential fraud-in-progress. Now a transcript of that call has come to light, and wouldn’t you know it, someone from Indian Affairs Canada may have actually contributed to this mess. Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp are Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Brock Pitawanakwat, and assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, Ken Williams. // CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. SFX: duck quack by dobroide; whistle by InspectorJ. MUSIC: 'nesting' by birocratic (podcast theme); 'Happy Feet,' by Twisterium.
Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - “If we can go out and clean up - helping another set of communities like the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai'Xais and Gitga'at - we can certainly start cleaning up our community. That's what I'd really like to see coming out of this,” said Jonas Fineman. He was one of nine eco-tour captains who had just returned from a beach clean up along BC's central coast. >>> The Misty Isles Jonas was hired to serve as captain of the 70' foot ketch "Island Odyssey", but his name is associated with another vessel here on Cortes Island. He and his wife, Amy Bockner purchased the "Misty Isles" last year, but he was captain of another vessel most of that summer. They decided to officially launch their new venture in the Spring of 2020. No one anticipated COVID 19. Photo credit: Jonas Fineman and his daughter on Misty Isles
Eden Robinson's debut novel is a coming-of-age story that has elements of horror and magic realism, but is deeply rooted in the writer's own Indigenous Haisla and Heiltsuk culture.
Prince George researcher wants schools to manage a now-shelved controversial federal aid program; why the Heiltsuk wants B.C. to consider 'cultural contact tracing'; more on a northeast B.C. Ankylosaurian find; a sky-high para-gliding trip from Montana to Prince George.
Daybreak host Faith Fundal speaks with Marilyn Slett, chief of the Heiltsuk First Nation.
Bella Bella is now fearing an outbreak. We speak to Chief Councillor, Marilyn Slett.
If you're looking for some insight into Microsoft's employee engagement, look no further. In this episode, Stacey Mulcahy tells us all about working at The Garage at Microsoft - why she loves it, what she does, and how maker spaces like The Garage can bring community together. She also describes what it's like being "a prototype" and how she defines success for herself. Stacey Mulcahy is the Principal Program Manager of the Garage at Microsoft Vancouver. She’s an international speaker and teacher and spent many years working in the digital agency space as a developer. She enjoys making things that some consider useless but that bring them joy all the same. Relevant Links: Microsoft Garage Shawn Hunt, BC-based Heiltsuk artist Transformation Mask Trello Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.
After headlines from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Democracy Watch presents an hour of Indigenous-focused, local current affairs in honour of National Day of Indigenous Peoples. The show begins with Rehmatullah Sheikh, who reported on Vancouver's first urban Heiltsuk language classes as part of UBC's Reporting In Indigenous Communities program. After that, we hear an interview lead by Ande Laidman with Vancouver-based Cree scholar and activist, Harlan Pruden. Laidman speaks with Pruden about the nuances of being Indigenous and two-spirited.
After headlines from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Democracy Watch features an original audio documentary on Camp Cloud—the observation and resistance camp outside Kinder Morgan’s Tank Farm Facility on Burnaby Mountain. Reporters Alex de Boer and Zoe Power speak with Indigenous and settler activists at the camp and the nearby Coast Salish Watch House. The documentary observes the ongoing #ProtecttheInlet movement—an Indigenous lead coalition of environmental groups and activists intent on preventing Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. Democracy Watch then turns to an interview done by CiTR's Accessibility Collective. Collective members Dezy Nair and Deepi Leihl speak with founder and former CEO of Accomable, an online marketplace for people with disabilities and senior citizens. Accomable assists those with mobility issues in finding accessible accommodations when traveling and recently entered into a partnership with Airbnb. The show ends with an impromptu conversation with News Collective comrade Rehmatullah Sheikh about his ongoing reporting on a Heiltsuk language revitalization course.
Defender Radio: The Podcast for Wildlife Advocates and Animal Lovers
On the central coast of British Columbia sits the traditional lands of the Heiltsuk First Nations people. In their language, Heiltsuk means to speak and act correctly, and this concept is an important part of their culture. The Qqs (pronounced Kuks, meaning eyes) Projects society was formed to support Heiltsuk youth, culture and environment and ensure a vibrant, strong future for the people. As part of this, the Qqs Projects Society joined with major academics from across North America to launch a study of the grizzly bears that call the Koeye River home, or at least a popular feeding ground in the right season. Protecting these bears and their habitat is of vital importance to the Heiltsuk First Nations. We were recently joined by William Housty, a Director of the Qqs Project Society who is noted as having an unparalled knowledge of Heiltsuk stories, songs and ceremonies – as well as a degree in environmental sciences. To learn more about William Housty, the Qqs Project Society or the Heiltsuk First Nations, visit Qqsprojects.org.