Burned trees stand in an area of the Westbank First Nation Community Forest near the upper Glenrosa neighbourhood in syilx Okanagan homelands on Jan. 20, 2022. This area of the community forest was impacted by the 2021 Mount Law wildfire, but had received wildfire mitigation treatment years prior, ultimately helping to prevent the fire from spreading into the community. Photo by Aaron Hemens As wildfires worsen across the province, cikilaxwm (prescribed fire) is gaining more traction as a way to mitigate blazes before they begin, say experts at Westbank First Nation’s (WFN) forest and resourc ..read more

Rebecca Strong is Denesuliné from Stony Rapids in “Saskatchewan” and recently made it through the first round of Canada’s Got Talent. Screenshot from Canada’s Got Talent via YouTube A 20-year-old Denesuliné singer is in the running for a million-dollar prize after captivating the nation with her powerful voice on a recent episode of Canada’s Got Talent (CGT).  During the broadcast on March 26, Rebecca Strong’s performance of Demi Lovato’s song “Stone Cold” delighted the audience and judges alike as she embodied the song’s lyrics. With all eyes on her, Strong hit each note of the power ba ..read more

Ray Williams at his home in Yuquot Bay. Williams was the last remaining Mowachaht/Muchulaht to live in Yuquot year-round. Photos by Amy Romer Author’s note: Ray Williams, Ghoo-Noom-Tuuk-Tomlth, passed away just two months after he was interviewed for this story — on October 31, 2022. This story is dedicated to his memory. Like the coastal wolves Ray was named for, he was highly aware, family orientated and protective of his territory. Let his spirit live on.  Ray Williams recalls the day Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confiscated all the Mowachaht boats from Yuquot — his hometown and ..read more

Kw’umut Lelum executive director Bill Yoachim, MLA Sheila Malcolmson and Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s minister of mental health and addictions, tour the facility’s Cedar Room, where clients and staff can hold group sessions and teachings. Photo: Government of B.C. Located down a quiet street on the territory of the Snaw-naw-as First Nation with an ocean view, the new Orca Lelum Youth Wellness Centre — which offers youth addiction services — gives off a placid spa vibe. Clean and inviting, in addition to the bedrooms which will house up to 20 Youth, the space features a media room, outdoor sauna ..read more

Siilnahmut, left, and two Youth from the gathering prepare to place the salmon in the water. Photos by Shalu Mehta Last week, Quw’utsun people and other community members gathered along the Xwulqw’selu Sta’lo (Koksilah River), for Stth’lhnamut sqw’ulum, the first salmon ceremony. Along the banks of the river, near the Cowichan Estuary, those in attendance heard teachings from Quw’utsun Elders, welcomed salmon to the river and committed to stewarding it and the lands around it. The ceremony began with Qwiyahwultuhw, Elder Robert George, welcoming those in attendance. “We wanted to lay down som ..read more

Whess Harman at his home and studio on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ territories. Photos by Amy Romer This story originally appeared in Megaphone and appears here with permission and light edits. Whess Harman was never a bad kid. The worst thing he could think of was sneaking out to go to the movies.  “Like I snuck out to go see the Lord of the Rings,” he confesses. “So my version of ‘bad kid’ was so nerdy.” Harman thinks young people are given a bad rep. He remembers being bullied at school, before one day it stopped and he didn’t know why. Ten years later, he found out his ..read more

The entrance to the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Photo by Aaron Hemens Content warning: This article contains details about residential “schools.” Please read with care for your spirit. Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and the Catholic Church have signed what’s being called a “sacred covenant” this week, which includes a commitment to work together on the nation’s ongoing investigation of Le Estcwicwéy̓ (the missing children from Kamloops Indian Residential School). The sacred covenant — which Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir described as the church’s version of a memorandum of understanding — was ..read more

A Correctional Service Canada sign at the Collins Bay Institution in “Ontario.” Photo: APTN Content warning: This story includes details about the prison system and the overrepresentation and mistreatment of Indigenous inmates. Please look after your spirit and read with care. Norman LaRue, a member of Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc, is an intergenerational survivor of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School (KIRS). His father, who passed away when Norman was 17, had endured life at KIRS. But in 2021, when his nation announced it had found evidence of 215 unmarked graves on the grounds of the i ..read more

Lorelei Williams of Butterflies in Spirit told Danger Cats fans they have “disgusting minds” at the rally near the DTES on March 24. Photo by Cara McKenna Content warning: This story contains details about serial killer Robert Pickton and the MMIWG2S+ crisis. Please look after your spirit and read with care. A protest against a divisive “comedy” trio quickly escalated this week, as women whose loved ones’ remains were found on serial killer Robert Pickton’s farm faced off against supporters of the Danger Cats. The performers went underground after several of their scheduled shows were cancell ..read more

Jolene catching a salmon in the Fraser River with a dipnet. Submitted photo Jolene Sellars grew up learning to hunt and fish by watching her father, and being immersed in both the Secwépemc and Tŝilhqot’in culture and traditions of her family from an early age. Now 18, Sellars’s love for the land is apparent. Observing her dad — the late Hank Sellars — provide for their family and take care of others has inspired her to follow a similar but unique path of her own.  Sellars’s home of Xats̓úll First Nation (XFN) is in the Cariboo region of the Central Interior, near St̓emcúl̓ecw (the Frase ..read more