Last Saturday we said, what if we embarked on a collective read-through of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, and what if we approached it as if it were a seminal text? Honouring the Truth, Reconciling the Future, the Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation of Canada, was released in 2015. It … Continue reading Reading The Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, p 1-6
I am excited to share with you the latest t-shirt opportunity from the wonderful language revitalizers at the N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre - this time, it's a chance for the young men, age 13-18 to hear their names and roles called. Í7mats grandchild ápa7 boy, man sqaycw skúza7 son qéqtsek older brother stunc nephew snúk̓wa7 … Continue reading Order your shirts by November 7, young men!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/i278TUoOawI Kúkwpi7 Gélpcal, Lil'wat's Cultural Chief Ashley Joseph spoke at Whistler TEDx event last month and his talk is now life on youtube! Check it out. "Have you ever tried to find yourself? I have. Have you ever tried to find what a system has tried to erase for 500 years? Honestly, I'm a bit … Continue reading “Generational trauma does exist. So does generational strength.” Kukwpi7 Gelpcal’s TED talk is now live!
I find that the only way I can really read a poem, is out loud. Maybe I'll whisper under my breath. But if I try to read it the way I read other things, my eyes skim and I don't hear the music of the words. This poem deserves to be said out loud, like … Continue reading remember. a poem by joy harjo
Something shifted this year, in Canada, I noticed. Land acknowledgements suddenly became mainstream. I'd noticed this happening in Australia over a decade ago. The two countries have really similar colonial histories (and uncannily similar "playbooks" for treating Indigenous peoples), so I wondered if or when the shift would happen here. I've seen hints of people … Continue reading A new way of thinking about Land Acknowledgements
Last week, I attended a workshop hosted by Emergence magazine, on Writing Beyond the Environment. I wasn't sure I could free up the time that day, even though I'd committed to it. So I opened the zoom room, with several other tabs open, still half-embedded in another word document... but I had my notebook ready, … Continue reading Strike a pose: what thanksgiving looks like, in your body
I've heard some interesting language used to describe the times/the scene we're living in. I've heard it called a death cult, which rouses some primal response in me. I've heard it called "the over culture", to distinguish the systems that run the show from the marginal places where people are trying to thrive in different … Continue reading Hey guys, would you help us deconstruct the patriarchy?
To my shame, I have not yet read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Reports. Despite the fact they've been available for 7 years. Despite the fact that I edit this website, that is dedicated in essence to reconciliation. Despite the fact that I have opened the website many times, and left the tab open, meaning … Continue reading Treating the Truth and Reconciliation report as a sacred text. Shall we begin?
On CBC's Unreserved last week, Murray Sinclair told host Rosanna Deerchild that it's important that "the process of inquiry and investigation" focus on finding out how and why the children died, and then determining if any individuals or groups are responsible for their deaths. Holding people and institutions to account is important, and even though … Continue reading What can we learn from Germany?
Back in May, Brittany Andrew and I had a "conversation." United by a desire to know each other better and to share her work and advocacy for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls and 2-Spirit People, while facing the realities of life as working moms through COVID, I sent her questions, and she answered … Continue reading About Brittany Andrew, the photographer behind the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls and 2 Spirit People photo project
