Roots Remembered: Celebrating Heritage Reclamation within Three B.C. First Nation Communities to Mark National Indigenous History Month.
June is National Indigenous History Month. To celebrate, we are highlighting three inspiring projects that FPCC’s Heritage Program has supported. Throughout B.C., communities continue to work towards reclaiming their cultural heritage. From researching and preserving traditional practices to reconstructing ancestral sites, these three stories are a tribute to that ongoing journey.
Protecting the Rock Art of Kanaka Bar
In April of 2024, a group of community members and researchers spent a week hiking through ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx, also known as the lands surrounding Kanaka Bar, to visit the pictographs and petroglyphs in the area.
Supported by the FPCC Heritage Program through the Braided Knowledge grant, this project connects community members with these sacred rock art sites, helping to protect and preserve the legacy of the skiʔsíyeʔ – the ancestors.
The immersive week exploring ƛ̓əq̓ƛ̓áq̓tn̓mx revealed many discoveries, including four new petroglyphs, numerous culturally modified trees and several of the dozens of pit house sites scattered across this territory. The team included a filmmaker who gathered high-quality documentation, including drone footage and mapping, for the community’s private use, ensuring that these sites remain accessible and protected for generations to come.
“Most of our Elders have been called back home to the other side. It’s never been more critical to preserve, record and document anything and everything. For me, that was really humbling, to take a moment and just think 100, 300, 400, 500 years ago, my ancestors were here, and they did this [art] for a reason, and it is still here today. And now it is a part of my job to help protect this, so that all the generations to come can stand here and see what our ancestors did.”
– cíycetqʷúʔ Mary-Jo Michell, the Lands and Culture Coordinator, Kanaka Bar First Nation
Read the full story here.
Putting the Pieces Back Together
Over in Gwa’yi (Kingcome Inlet), a team of staff and researchers from the Nunwakola Cultural Society, a non-profit organization that serves the Dzawada’enuxw community, focuses on the restoration and sharing of naming practices within Dzawada’enuxw culture and the Kwak̓wala language.
With funding from FPCC’s Braided Knowledge grant and Repatriation Pilot Program, the society was able to visit several museums and archives to digitize documents, photos, audio recordings and videos related to the Dzawada’enuxw people and their culture. Alongside the search for belongings and heritage knowledge, information on complex traditional naming practices has also been found.
With this knowledge, the society aims to facilitate communal learning around traditional Dzawada’enuxw naming protocols. These naming practices are deeply tied to the stages of life and family genealogy and were disrupted because of colonial intervention, including the Potlatch ban, residential schools and oppression by the government and church.
However, with additional funding from the Braiding Knowledge grant, information collected through this project will be presented to Knowledge Keepers and the community via two learning sessions and a short, illustrated story to aid in the restoration of a stronger cultural identity.
“Kwakwaka’wakw names identify you as a certain family member and connect you to the ancestors in your story. It’s a really personal thing,” says Lindsey Willie, the General Manager of the Nunwakola Cultural Society. “If we were able to go back to that way of doing things, I think we would all have a stronger sense of where we’re from, what part of the land we’re from, because it refers to that. It’s very meaningful.”
Read the full story here.
Heritage Program Helps Build a Lifelong Dream
Shulqwelum Ray Harris is leading an initiative to restore a Big House in his community of Thuqmin village, also referred to as Shell Beach, one of the villages of the Stz’uminus First Nation in Ladysmith, B.C.
The Big House project, described by Ray as his family’s “lifelong dream,” aims to revive cultural practices and ceremonies, fostering community gatherings to facilitate the sharing of language, culture, songs and dances in ceremony. With strong family support, including from Ray’s wife, Violet Crocker, there is already significant interest in the space from community members and outside guests.
FPCC’s Braided Infrastructure Program funded this project, by providing additional materials and labour needed for the construction. Big Houses in Stz’uminus had a history of being dismantled by settlers without the knowledge of local community members.
Although the project is ongoing and further fundraising is still needed, the Big House has already become a gathering point for the community. Many are gathering to support the project and find a space to connect as a community.
“I think it was destiny — what we’ve been able to do and what we’ve done so far,” Ray says. “My grandchildren and their friends spend a lot of time on the site and I always tell them this is a place where you must have a good heart and good spirit.”
Supporting Cultural Heritage
Through our grants, programs and resources FPCC’s Heritage Program supports B.C. First Nations communities so they can lead the way in reclaiming their heritage and gain access to opportunities that bring people together to share knowledge. June is a time to hold up Indigenous history and also acknowledge those that are working year-round to protect, document and revitalize their heritage for today and years to come.
Are you looking for ways to support First Nations heritage revitalization?
FPCC’s work is supported by the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation, an Indigenous-led, registered charity that provides funding to B.C. First Nations organizations and communities. To learn more about their work and how you can support, visit fpcf.ca/take-action/ways-to-give.
Learn More
Learn more about our Heritage Programs here.
To view more Heritage Program stories click here.
View our Heritage Toolkit here.
Share Your Story!
Do you have a story about the work your community is doing to revitalize First Nations languages, heritage and arts in B.C.? We want to hear from you! Please send your story to info@fpcc.ca and check back as we post more stories about the good work being done across the province.
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