Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Connecting Indigenous and Pacific Peoples

Pasifik Currents – Spring Edition 2020

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April Ingham and Greta Thunberg in Swedish Lapland

Talofa Lava Friends,

Happy International Women’s Day!  Spring is starting to show itself here on Vancouver Island.  The days are getting longer, blossoms are slowly revealing themselves and a buzz of excitement is in the air as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) grows ever nearer to our 45th Anniversary on April 8!  This is a special time of celebration and reflection for PPP, and we are thrilled to mark this milestone by embarking on a Wayfinding 2020 mission.

With the support of funder Tamalpais Trust, a San Francisco-based organization supporting Indigenous-led projects, PPP will connect with former, current and potential future partners throughout the South Pacific in a deep listening and learning mission. Ironically this mission recently began with a trip to Sápmi Territories (Swedish Lapland, Arctic Circle) where we witnessed Pawanka Fund’s transformative approach to philanthropy through global Indigenous solidarity and self-determination.  This incredible initiative is highlighted in the enclosed article.

Findings and inputs from Wayfinding 2020 will inform PPP’s strategic plans for 2020-2025 to ensure they support South Pacific Islanders’ stated priorities and self determined solutions. It is anticipated this will lead to strengthened partnerships, more impactful programming and the transformation of our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) into an Indigenous led fund.  So, watch for our continued updates on social media and through Pasifik Currents.

These have been busy and productive days here at PPP with lots of exciting programs in the works or just completed.  Want to learn more? Check out our 2018-19 Annual Report and Audited Statements and our recent articles about our activities including the Climate Connect Indigenous Youth Workshop in November 2019, plus check out the touching outcomes of our recent PRF Samoa Campaign as experienced first hand by our President Muavae Va’a in December 2019. You will also see our recent solidarity statement for Wet’suwet’en; and our newest feature Pacific Pulse, a curated and synthesized selection of emergent Pacific news, plus lots of other great updates!

Our Board, Volunteers and small team of Staff are working hard to be of service to the Peoples of the South Pacific.  To this end, we also work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples worldwide alongside many strong allies.  As we near our 45th Anniversary we urge your continued engagement and expanded charitable support of our mandate – Please donate today!  We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone with you throughout 2020!

Yours in Solidarity for Peace,

April Ingham

Executive Director

Reindeer, kick sleds, toboggans and snow angels… Pacific Peoples’ Partnership?

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By Art Holbrook

April at Sami Gathering Space at Jokkmokk Market

Why are we writing about a winter gathering in Northern Sweden when the focus of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is the people of Oceania, mainly the tropical island nations of the Pacific?

We’re writing because April Ingham, executive director of PPP, received an unusual invitation. She was invited to observe the guiding committee meeting of Pawanka Fund, to witness this relatively new global Indigenous led fund in action.  April formed part of their 20-person

A Ingham checking out a traditional Sami Teepee

delegation, which included respected Indigenous leaders’ representative of the seven geographic regions of the world, plus many of their funding partners. The meetings were held in Jokkmokk located in the Swedish province of Lapland.  Jokkmokk is just north of the Arctic Circle and is a center for the Sami people.

The Pawanka Fund was established six years ago as a direct outcome of a UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues meeting.  That forum put forward a UN resolution which urged government, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to continue to contribute to Indigenous led funds, as well as to entrust funds for Indigenous issues and the United Nations voluntary fund for Indigenous peoples.

The Pawanka Fund is Chaired by Dr. Myrna Cunningham-Kain, who also sits with April on an Indigenous led fund working group hosted by the United States-based International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP). It was expected that April’s learning experiences at this meeting would contribute to the working group’s knowledge sharing principles and PPP’s own Pacific Resilience Fund’s transformation.  April has attended IFIP meetings in Canada and the United States, but this is the first time she has traveled to an international gathering of these funders outside of North America.

Pawanka Delegation with the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples Chair Anne Nuorgam

The Pawanka gathering brought together representatives from around the globe including Hawaii, Asia, Kenya, South America, the US and Russia, along with US based global funders committed to Indigenous led philanthropy including the Tamalpais Trust, the NoVo Foundation, the Christensen Fund, the Swift Foundation, the NiaTero Fund, and the Tenure Faculty.  A UN Special Rapporteur also participated. The protocols, logistics and hosting of the meetings was organized by Gunn-Britt Retter, a Pawanka guiding committee member and a Sami Arctic Council leader.

April was invited to the Jokkmokk gathering to learn about the processes for administering an Indigenous led fund, and about the methodologies that ensure the fund’s founding principles uphold Indigenous worldviews and self-determined processes. She was also there to learn and prepare, as PPP will soon undertake the transformation of our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) into one led by and for Pacific peoples, this is part of a major new initiative we will be launching later this spring.

April will be traveling to a number of South Pacific nations to meet with former and current partners, development experts and community leaders, as part of our Pacific Wayfinding 2020 Learning Mission.  The findings from that mission, sponsored by Tamalpais Trust, will contribute to PPP’s strategic plan for 2020-2025, and will guide the development of our programs, operations and lead to a transformed PRF.

April arrived in the regional center of Luleå before a number of the other participants.  Since prior to joining PPP April lived in Fort St. John, B.C., she is no stranger to cold weather and had time to enjoy the snow and -12 Celsius weather, exploring the small city and kick sledding across the ice in Luleå’s Gulf of Bothnia harbour.

As the delegation joined her in Luleå, they took a four-hour bus trip to Jokkmokk.  Outfitted with winter gear provided by the gathering’s

Pawanka Delegation experiencing snow together!

host coordinators, the delegates from warmer climes had the new experience of traveling in a blizzard in Arctic darkness.  Arriving at the lodge where the meetings were to take place, April was able to introduce her tropical colleagues to kick sleds and tobogganing and the all-important winter skill of making snow angels.

Gunn-Brit gave the group a warm welcome to the Sápmi Territories and provided a brief introduction to the Sami people and Jokkmokk, a training center for Sami artists.  Dr. Myrna Cunningham-Kain provided an orientation to the work of the Pawanka Fund.  She explained the importance Pawanka places on meeting in remote regional locations, which helps to remind participants about the diversity of Indigenous peoples. She emphasized how Pawanka is building a process that utilizes Indigenous world views and processes to transform philanthropy.  Pawanka is defining the ways and means outside of traditional grant making, while also documenting and generating knowledge, strengthening itself as an Indigenous led fund and advocating in philanthropy.

Jokkmokk Northern Lights by Ellie Lanphier

Over the next six days the participants shared their knowledge and experiences as they compared their successes and challenges in supporting Indigenous led projects.  As participants reported on the projects they championed, they explored ways to improve on their collective successes and about how to make projects self-sustaining after the grants that have helped them to begin have expired.

Funders spoke about the lessons they have learned and areas where they might improve including systemization of communications, strengthening monitoring and evaluation and following up activities.  There was a recognition that there is growing interest in Indigenous led funds that presents both opportunities and challenges.  Meanwhile, sharing carefully verified stories at the UN and other venues ensures that the funds fulfill their responsibility and benefit future generations.

On another day, a panel discussion emphasized the importance of developing strategies that are complimentary, based in reciprocity, holistic in approach and that further the values of Pawanka.  Indigenous understanding of how strategies might work was highlighted by Dr. Hussein Isack, the Kenyan representative of the Global Indigenous Advisory Committee, who spoke of the importance of developing grassroots

Young Sami men wrangling Reindeer for the races

connections by using the metaphor of the acacia tree.  He hoped that Pawanka will develop deep roots and a wide trunk and that it will grow strong as the organization flowers.  He emphasized that organizations must stay grounded by their roots even as their leaves synthesize and grow.  Another participant emphasized the need for cultural due diligence even as organizations must recognize that “due diligence” can be interpreted in different ways in different cultures.

In another panel discussion, Danil Mamyev, an Altai Russian delegate, emphasized through his interpreter that Indigenous peoples, cultures and languages are like natural biodiversity and cannot be separated.  He shared how elders in his community spoke of how their feelings and perceptions were contained in songs and actions from the past.  But now his own children have lost that understanding.  Where previously one word could contain an epic poem, now words have narrowed in meaning.

After an agenda-packed few days, the participants got to relax and enjoy the Sami National Day, wandering amongst the 415-year-old Sami outdoor market that Jokkmokk is famous for.  While some of the delegates were leaving, April had the opportunity to join an outdoor gathering of Sami youth where she met Greta Thunberg, who had been spending time with the Sami youth.  Greta gave a brief speech in which she said,

Sami Youth Climate Action with Greta Thunberg

“We have a lot to learn from those that live by and with nature, and some have done so for hundreds of thousands of years. We have to listen to and give space to Indigenous peoples of the world because we are largely dependent on them, as they are protecting and taking care of nature and its biodiversity, which is necessary for our future survival. By protecting nature, forest and oceans we can take ourselves out of the situation we find ourselves in.  And we must understand that nature is something we cannot continue to exploit, rather something to depend on and something we have to take care of.”

A Sami Political Leader at the climate action event gave a message of solidarity with for the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en, a message April found especially heartwarming to hear so far from home.

As April summarized her experiences after returning home, “I arrived home exhausted and full to the brim with inspiration and new learnings.  I am excited to apply this new knowledge in our Wayfinding 2020 Deep Listening Mission which will guide PPP’s work beyond our 45th anniversary.”

Prepared by Art Holbrook, PPP Board Member and Chair of the Communications Committee.  Art has been a board member at PPP for the last two and half years.  He has traveled to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and has developed an affinity for the people of the South Pacific island nations.

Climate Connect Workshop for Indigenous Youth

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By Kori Stene

In November 2019, not-for-profit organization ECO Canada, had the honour to partner with the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) through an exciting 3-day climate action workshop, delivered to 80+ Indigenous youth of the Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum and Pauquachin First Nations Groups near Victoria, British Columbia. Youth learned from Indigenous Knowledge Holders, Elders, Leadership and Climate experts from across the province and the country, while they engaged in activities and discussions that increased climate literacy, taught the importance of protecting our water and oceans, and instilled environmental stewardship among the younger generations.

Climate Connect educational workshop for Indigenous youth at the LÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School in Brentwood Bay near Victoria.

It was rewarding to work alongside such a passionate group (PPP), connected through a common motive: protection of this planet Earth. The curriculum content for the Climate Connect Youth Workshop was built with the inspiring words of Elder Albert Marshall’s in mind:  Etuaptmumk: Two Eyed-Seeing – “learning to see from your one eye with the best of the strengths in the Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing … and learning to see from your other eye with the best or the strengths in the mainstream (Western or Eurocentric) knowledge and ways of knowing … but most importantly, learning to see with both these eyes together, for the benefit of all”.

Being a non-Indigenous woman myself, it is beautiful to observe and learn from Indigenous ways of knowing; to harmonize my own Western science approach to climate change with the cultural, interconnections of traditional ways of viewing the world. Western science brings in the art of external observation, monitoring, and interpreting change through understanding impacts and looking at those impacts upon the human race. The Indigenous approach to climate change shines light on the impacts from within; to understand our relationship with Mother Earth and how taking care of the planet is so deeply aligned with the art of self-care.

The Medicine Wheel was used as a traditional teaching tool.

This beautiful, balanced perspective of inter-cultural collaboration of Etuaptmumk encourages us to work together and to learn from each other. To remind us to bring our Traditional Medicine Wheel along with a geographical compass, when navigating solutions to positive environmental action. This workshop braided those two strengths together, inspiring 80+ youth to become ‘two-eyed seeing’ environmental stewards of their land.

One lesson that truly resonated with me from the workshop was simple, yet powerful, demonstrating the power of collective action. Imagine a room of 100+ people where they all clap at different times. The sounds are mild and sporadic. Now imagine those same 100+ people all clapping their hands at the exact same time. The sound is magnified, harmonized, and 100x louder than the previous. It sent the message to the youth that when our individual actions are combined together, we can make a larger positive impact.

These young Climate Connect participants took the pledge to plant and care for ceremonial cedars

Climate change is something we are all a part of we all contribute-to it, and we all feel the repercussions of it. The youth are the future. The future is now. It is essential that younger generations understand, relate to and take action for a cleaner and more regenerative future … regenerative in that it continues to provide abundance for future generations as Mother Nature always has, instead of leaving less behind.

Dealing with climate change requires coming together as a collective, finding strength in our differences, seeing the world through multiple perspectives, instead of only our own. Climate change is a many-layered issue that will take a unified, yet mosaic-like, systems-thinking approach to come up with a seven-generational solution. The change lies in our ‘two eyed seeing’ youth.

The workshop’s powerful message to youth participants is:

  • You are stronger than you know and braver than you believe. Think big!
  • You’re never too young to make a difference, so don’t wait until you’re older.

 

Kori Stene is the main Lead for ECO Canada’s Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources (BEAHR) program, www.eco.ca/beahr, having delivered 40+ training workshops across Canada. She has project managed many initiatives within ECO Canada including curriculum development for Indigenous Leadership in Energy Management and Climate Change Adaptation Training for Indigenous Leadership. Kori has carried out multiple environmental field studies in Canada, Ireland and Australia.

 

PPP would like to thank our friends at ECO Canada for their partnership and additional in-kind contributions. We also want to acknowledge RBC Royal Bank Blue Water Fund for their funding support of this program.

Australia’s Wildfires Through the Eyes of its Aboriginal People

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We can all be grateful the devastating 2019/2020 wildfire season that ravaged major areas of Australia seems to have been extinguished by drenching rains. While the fire events were reported daily across the newsfeeds of the world, the voice and wisdom of the Aboriginal people within the country has arguably been under-reported. Here are three recent articles that spotlight the wisdom of those who have lived there forever as they would say, and used their knowledge of caring for the land in managing such hazards.

National Public Radio, January 11, 2020, “With Their Land in Flames, Aboriginals Warn Fires Show Deep Problems in Australia”:

Until the latest New South Wales wildfires totally destroyed his property, Aboriginal Australian, Noel Butler and his wife held camps and workshops there on aboriginal culture, including a program for troubled indigenous youth. School groups would come to learn about native art, history and food. Fire was a key issue they would teach about.

Noel Butler notes that public officials today rely on massive controlled burns contrary to the way Aboriginal people have managed the landscape of Australia. “Fire in this place is our friend,” he says. “Fire has been used to maintain, to look after this whole continent forever. … Native peoples called them “cool burns,” low-intensity fires intended to balance the various plants and trees growing in an area. … How we maintain that balance is through fire, by not letting any one thing dominate something else,” explains Butler. “The eucalyptus shouldn’t be allowed to overrun all the other trees. If one shrub starts to take over a grassland, it should get burned back.”

BBC, January 12, 2020, “Australia fires: Aboriginal planners say the bush ‘needs to burn’”:

This insightful article focuses on Shannon Foster, a knowledge keeper for the D’harawal people who are residents of the Sydney Basin coastal area of New South Wales. Country is personified within Aboriginal culture, she explains. “The earth is our mother. She keeps us alive … It’s the concept of maintaining country – central to everything we do as Aboriginal people. It’s about what we can give back to country; not just what we can take from it.”

“The current controlled burns destroy everything. It’s a naive way to practice fire management … Whereas cultural burning protects the environment holistically. We’re interested in looking after country, over property and assets. We can’t eat, drink or breathe assets,” declares Ms Foster. “Without country, we have nothing.”

New York Times, January 15, 2020, “Want to Stop Australia’s Fires? Listen to Aboriginal People”:

In this richly-informative article, Murrandoo Yanner, a Gangalidda leader and director of the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation in northern Australia, shares his traditional wisdom. As the story says, he is a man made for these times, declaring that the way forward is back … “If we can understand, learn from and imagine our place through the laws and stories of our ancestors then we will have true knowledge on how to live, adapt and survive in Australia, just as our ancestors did.”

 

Prepared by Alison Gardner, Editor, Pasifik Currents

Pasifik Currents – Winter 2019

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One Wave Gathering 2019 Delegation spends time with Chris Paul on Studio Tour

Talofa Lava PPP Friends and Members, 

Please remember Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) with your donation today! You can do so securely HERE.  Every dollar donated makes a huge difference to PPP. We leverage your donation to secure resources critical to our sustainability and solidarity building programs like the recent One Wave Gathering in Victoria, and knowledge sharing programs like RedTide 2020: International Indigenous Climate Action Summit. Plus this supports our work with HELP Resources, to transform the informal economy in Papua New Guinea.

Enclosed in this edition of Pasifik Currents you will find a treasure trove of impact stories made possible with your support. We hope you enjoy these articles that make tribute to our President Emeritus Dr. Boutilier; acknowledge our many One Wave Gathering collaborators; introduce new climate program partnerships such as with CAYAC; showcase the power of Indigenous solidarity with Maunaukea; and shed light on the escalating human rights crisis faced by our friends and partners in West Papua.   It is also a time of commemoration, join us if you can for our 44th Annual General Meeting on December 10th as we mark International Human Rights Day.

As the only Canadian organization dedicated to the South Pacific, we are honoured to be your partner in ensuring Indigenous and South Pacific peoples are leading the way to a resilient future. Exiting times are coming as we mark our 45th Anniversary with a series of new programs and initiatives. We thank you for all your support, as we have so much more to accomplish together!

Yours in Pacific solidarity,

Mua Va’a, President

April Ingham, Executive Director

Indigenous Knowledge Climate Action Preschool Coming In 2020

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CAYAC Toddler by Jee-Ho Paik

Written by the IISAAK OLAM Foundation

What would pre-school programs look like if they were centred around climate action, reconciliation and place-based learning? Thanks to a grant from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and a partnership between the IISAAK OLAM Foundation, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, and Saanich Parks, we’re about to find out!

Climate Action Youth Ambassador Canada (CAYAC) is an existing solutions-focused youth initiative that mobilizes knowledge about Indigenous innovations for climate action. Although CAYAC has been focused primarily on youth ages 16-30, the IISAAK OLAM Foundation wondered what it would look like to immerse even younger children in leadership programs that highlight connections between nature and culture. From this, the seeds of the CAYAC Preschool program were sewn. The life of this program will grow in a purposeful environment that mobilizes knowledge and builds capacity for the conservation of biological and cultural diversity through: conservation, climate action, and reconciliation- the mission of the IISAAK OLAM Foundation.

Starting in January of 2020, four to five kids will be a part of the first cohort of wee ones to join CAYAC Coordinators and Indigenous Elders/knowledge holders in a part-time experiential learning program that involves immersion in nature, Indigenous languages and teachings about the land, and activities based in the natural law of IISAAK: ‘To observe, appreciate, and act accordingly.’ Recent studies show that “children experience profound and diverse benefits through regular contact with nature. Contact with the wild improves children’s wellbeing, motivation and confidence” (Horton, 2019).

CAYAC Preschool will help foster a relationship between young children and nature, encourage intergenerational learning, celebrate cultural diversity, and provide opportunities for parents to explore alternative community-focused education models. CAYAC Preschool will also coincide with Saanich Parks’ ‘Natural Intelligence’ movement which aims to “strengthen the knowledge of nature, parks, and on how to improve the community’s environment” (Saanich Parks). “Natural Intelligence means understanding how to; interpret the natural environment, interact with the natural environment, and integrate our lives with the natural environment” (Saanich Parks). Still curious about the movement? Learn more here!

The program will also connect to other programs such as RedTide Indigenous Youth Climate Connect, coordinated by the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership. The goal of RedTide is to increase climate literacy and inspire agency for Indigenous youth to become the next wave of change makers through clean technology, green entrepreneurship, creative arts, and cultural practice. “The opportunity to support the synergies between RedTide and CAYAC Toddlers is exciting. We are allies working together on a collective vision for the future generations of leaders,” stated April Ingham, Executive Director of the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership.

A ceremonial launch of the program is scheduled for early January, date TBD. More details to come!

Special thanks to our lead donor:

One Wave Update

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‘uy’ skweyul folks*,

I’m excited to be joining the PPP team and coordinating the One Wave Gathering this year and would like to share some of our recent progress so that you can mark your calendars. Also stay tuned for updates via our website and Facebook page.

Key Events include:

MediaNet Flux Gallery Exhibition, Screenings & Installation (821 Fort Street)

September 12 – 25, 2019 (Opening on September 12th @ 7pm features several special guests)

ONE WAVE GATHERING Our Signature Public Performance Event at Centennial Square (City Hall, Victoria, BC) September 14th, 2019 from noon to 6pm

Surfer’s Paradise: Northwest Coast Surfboard Art Show & Artist Talk (Alcheringa Gallery 621 Fort Street) September 19th, 2019

We are pleased to announce that we have confirmed a feature film for our exhibition at the Flux Gallery (We, the Voyagers Part 2: Our Moana (http://vaka.org/) as well as a short film by Shíshálh Nation artist Margaret August. We are still receiving submissions if you are an Indigenous artist with digital work related to themes of Indigenous resurgence amongst Pacific Nations please send submissions to me at: steven@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

There are a number of ways to get involved!

Be an NGO or Artist Vendor: A limited amount of tables are offered at no charge to local NGOs and Indigenous Artists.  Sign up here.

Volunteer: In addition to opportunities to participate as an NGO, Vendor, or Artist during our main event in Centennial Square, we are actively seeking volunteers for all of our events. Please help us spread the word about our Gathering and our interest in recruiting volunteers:  Fill out our Volunteer Form before September 4, 2019 if you are interested in being a part of the 12th annual One Wave Gathering and learning about how to be an ally and work with local Indigenous Peoples. 

For more information you can check out our website or Facebook, and contact our Program Coordinator for more information: steven@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org 

*Greetings in Hul’q’umi’num’ Language

The Longhouse Dialogues: Raising a West Coast Village in Honour of Women

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By April Ingham, Executive Director, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

Women Honouring Canoe Ceremony.

In 2017 Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) produced a historic and award-winning program, our 10th One Wave Gathering, with the permission and guidance of Coast Salish and South Pacific Elders and Leaders.  Central to this community building event was the raising of four temporary Longhouses, designed to house community-based programming.  They were raised upon the lawn of the BC Legislature, which Elders told us was once a village site for Lekwungen peoples.  

This temporary Longhouse village was the inspired vision of artist Hjalmer Wenstob who conceived of these Longhouses and created them in his Nation’s Nuu-chah-nulth style.  Hjalmer is an exceptionally gifted artist that believes strongly in creating meaningful opportunities for youth engagement, so he mentored four young artists who designed and helped paint each of the Longhouse fronts to represent their individual Nations.   These talented young artists were Sarah Jim (Coast Salish), A.J. Boersen (Nuu-chah-nulth), Juliana Speier (Kwak’waka’wakw), Jazzlyn Markowsky (Māori) and a stunning dance curtain, later gifted to Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, was created by James Goldsmith-Brown (Esquimalt Nation). The Longhouses were then programmed with drumming, storytelling, sharing of culture, song and games by members of the respective Nations on September 14, 2017.  The project was life changing for many and its legacy continues to live on in the spirit of all who participated and attended.  

In 2018, our friends at the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) reached out to PPP and other organizations, to explore possible side event programming opportunities that could align with the Women Deliver Conference to be hosted in Vancouver June 3-6, 2019. This major international event would bring 7000+ International Women leaders together, and to complement this program, free accessible side-events would provide spaces for the local communities, guests and all interested to gather and explore topical and localized issues of matter to women.  BCCIC knew of PPP’s role in helping to realize the Longhouse project and encouraged us to consider raising them as a village once again, but this time as a location for dialogue and exchange near the conference site in downtown Vancouver.

People gather in front of the Longhouse to listen and learn.

Time was short, and PPP was a bit too stretched to really consider the additional project.  But BCCIC encouraged and offered support. We were intrigued but knew that we could only proceed if the right conditions were in place.  This meant the artist Hjalmer Wenstob would need to agree to participate as he maintained stewardship of the Longhouses, further it was essential that the installation and programming for the four Longhouses would have the permission and support of the three host nations Squamish Nation, Musqueam Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation respectively.  If all these conditions were in place, then we would need the permission of the City of Vancouver and Parks Board, support from Women Deliver Mobilization Canada. After all that we would need to find funding, figure out the complex logistics, find programming partners, plus round out and build the Team capacity to make it all happen.

It was a daunting process, with numerous variables that could send the project off the rails.  But the idea persisted as we knew it would offer a unique space to uplift gender equality and Indigenous issues.  Once we had Hjalmer’s agreement and the support of his family, we proceeded to engage with the three host nations to secure their permission, guidance and support.  We were fortunate to have a champion in Squamish Nation Council Member Deborah Baker. Deborah knew about our work at PPP and helped us to navigate the protocol and ultimately earn the support of Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  Once we had this critical support and permission in place everything else began to flow…  

The City of Vancouver and Parks Board approved our extraordinary request to raise the Longhouses for just over a week in Harbour Green Park, this was a 5-minute walk down the seawall from the Vancouver Conference Centre.  Women Deliver Mobilization Canada, which helped to nurture and support side events, stepped forward with ongoing encouragement, connections and a financial contribution; LUSH Handmade Cosmetics supported the program with a substantial donation and volunteer support.  BCCIC brought the local knowledge and coordinating Team necessary for organizing the programs, logistics, etc. PPP was the lead liaison with the artist and three host Nations, plus we safeguarded the integrity of the program to ensure it was aligned and remained respectful to the intentions of those that helped birth the original project.  

Lead Artist Hjalmer (far right) with his brother Timmy and Federal International Development Minister Monsef dance as Orcas.

And so, it happened, on May 30, 2019 that our Squamish Nation friend and Cultural Coordinator Sheryl Rivers blessed the grounds at Harbour Green Park, and then Hjalmer, his family and our crew – working together raised four Longhouses in Honour of Women.  The scene was one of true magic to behold. This was the first time that all four Longhouses had stood together since 2017. They sat regally amongst the trees in this beautiful seaside park. Nestled into the green space, they stood more prominent than the cityscape hidden behind.  The Longhouses faced the water side by side. It was a powerful image to behold. Sheryl told us that this was what it would have been like in traditional times and that it made her heart swell.

The Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish Longhouses were offered at no cost in support of local NGOs and community groups as bookable spaces to hold community programming, workshops and dialogue sessions.  We even provided a green technology suite for sound and film projection. Many outstanding programs took place in both Longhouses with crowds big and small. The topics were diverse and included: Combatting Sexualization & Hypermasculinization (YWCA), From Surviving to Thriving: Social Ingredients of Health (Check your Head), Inter-Generational Dialogue: What Activism Could Look Like (Canadian Council of Young Feminists) and many more.   

The Kwak’waka’wakw Longhouse provided hospitality and organizing space, and the South Pacific (Māori Marae) Longhouse was offered as sacred space for contemplation, informal gathering and cultural exchange.  Outside the Longhouses stood an outdoor stage where ongoing presentations, including several important ceremonies, music and speeches, took place. Everything was designed to be as low impact and zero waste as possible and was powered by solar and green energy technology. A Team of committed Volunteers supported the programming and hosting of the Longhouses each day.  And each night the Longhouses were watched by Moose Hide Campaign volunteers, complemented by a security detail.

The opening ceremony was performed just after noon on May 31, 2019.  This was officiated by Sheryl Rivers, with welcoming speeches from Squamish Council Member Deborah Baker and special guest and witness Florence Dick of Songhees Nation. Florence’s Nation’s support and that of the Lekwungen speaking peoples was critical to the Longhouse project’s very creation in 2017. I acknowledged this important historical connection and shared words from PPP about the creation of the Longhouses and those that helped to birth them.  Many other special moments and ceremonies happened throughout the time of the installation which carried through to June 5th.  A highlight for me was the Women Honouring Canoe Ceremony which was brought to us by the Iisaak Olam Foundation.  

This special ceremony took place on June 3rd, a few hours after the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s report was released by the Government of Canada.  Beginning at the steps of the Women Deliver – Vancouver Conference Centre site, Iisaak Olam Foundation representative Eli Enns spoke about the report and his organization’s campaigns, he spoke of the connections between the desecration of land, the man-camps brought in to do so, and resulting violence against women.  

The young activist, Ta’Kaiya Blaney, being held up in the canoe.

A dug-out cedar canoe carved by Master Tla-o-qui-aht Canoe Maker Joe Martin was then raised by men representing the Moose Hide Campaign.  Carried within this canoe was young climate activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney from the Tla’Amin Nation.  Squamish women and Council members led the procession with drumming and song. They were accompanied by Culture Saves Lives and many other solidarity friends.  Approximately 200 people joined the procession and walked together in solidarity to honour the missing and murdered in solemn and thoughtful procession along the seawall to the Longhouses.  

Upon arrival at the Longhouses Ta’Kaiya was lifted towards the sky by the men who had carried her all along the pathway.  She then shared powerful words of tribute to her own recently passed mother and to all the missing and murdered, her words left us in deep contemplation.  And then she uplifted us all with a song of tribute and our collective tears flowed. Following reflections and speeches about the injustices and need for real action, Squamish Council Member KWITELUT/KWELAW’IKW, Carla George acknowledged Martina Pierre from the Lil’ wat Nation for her gifting of the “Women Warrior Song” a song in honour of the missing women, which we then sang and drummed together.  

It was intimate moments like this that made this community building experience so special.  It was the conversations on the side, the talking circles, workshops, dance and sharing that took place over the six days, that the Longhouses were raised and programmed by and for community.

Participants gather to discuss the transformative power of Indigenous art.

Prior to closing ceremony, PPP had the opportunity to facilitate a session called the Transformational Power of Art.  Fitting that this would focus on the Longhouse project itself.  Hjalmer and his brother Timmy shared a Nuu-chah-nulth dance and mask to ground the participants in their rich cultural traditions.  Then Hjalmer shared the creation story of the project along with the impacts it has had on him, his family and others. Also presenting was A.J. Boersen, the young artist who created the design on the front of the Nuu-chah-nulth house.  He was accompanied by his proud Foster Father Rheal and A.J. shared how this project had changed his life in so many good ways, he added “the drive behind my art is that each of us has an “inner warrior” – no matter who you are the fight is worth it.”  A.J. just graduated from High School in Victoria.  His Longhouse façade was installed in his school for a week prior to graduation and AJ was his class valedictorian.  He is now off to college with a promising future as a professional artist.  

PPP is incredibly honoured to be part of programs like this that truly transform our communities and enrich our relationships with understanding and compassion for one another.   We are especially grateful to BCCIC and their entire team of staff, contractors and volunteers; to Women Deliver and our friends at CanWaCH who coordinated the Mobilization Canada program; the Vancouver Foundation; the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Parks Board (who were amazing – see we didn’t kill the grass!); to LUSH Handmade Cosmetics; to our key partners: Moose Hide Campaign (and their extraordinary volunteers), the Iisaak Olam Foundation, Culture Saves Lives… and so many more.  

Participants performing a Women Warrior song.

Most importantly we thank artist Hjalmer Wenstob and his entire family and group of supporters that made the Longhouse Dialogues and installation possible.  And to all who contributed to their creation. Our hands are raised in respect to Sheryl Rivers who coordinated the cultural programming and officially spoke about the missing and murdered, and to Joleen Timko that shouldered much of the coordination detail. It truly takes a team to make projects like this succeed and we are indebted to all that contributed. 

PPP offers our deepest respect and acknowledgement to the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  Without your permission, guidance and support we would not have proceeded. We are honoured to have had your trust and support that ensured a proper foundation for the Longhouse Dialogues to honour women.

To learn more visit: https://www.facebook.com/pg/pacificpeoples/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2431127203593015 

You can help support work like this by donating today!

My Life in the South Pacific

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By Taylor Blais

Taylor enjoying a beach in Fiji

Fiji is paradise. White sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, thousands of coconut trees. These certainly were my expectations when moving here. But I soon learned that there is way more to it than that. That the “single story” that I had been told about Fiji my entire life, that it is a vacation spot, is only dipping my toe into what it actually is. 

I have been living in Suva, the capital of Fiji for about 2 months now, and my preconceived notions about Fiji have changed completely. As an intern with the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), I’ve had the privilege of working with the most amazing people. I work with leaders in the international feminism world. Strong women and men working very hard to better the lives of people in Fiji and around the Pacific. It is very hard not to be absolutely star struck by these individuals. I work for the organization that held the first ever Pacific Feminist Forum (PFF) in 2016. The organization, which, together with a working group of regional partners, recently organised the 2nd PFF in May of this year and plans to create more of these spaces in the future. This event brings human rights activists together from around the South Pacific to discuss major women’s and human rights issues affecting them directly. Fiji is a hub for feminism around the Pacific and it has established itself as a leader. Spearheading so many amazing movements within Fiji, but also inspiring so many women around the Pacific to start their own movements in their respective countries. I did not get the chance to attend the PFF this year, but I have gotten the chance to transcribe some interviews that were done with women from all around the pacific that attended, individuals from Vanuatu, Samoa, a lot of Small Island Nations. I have been so intrigued as to how highly they all speak of FWRM. How inspired they are about the changes that FWRM has made, and the plans they have for the future, and how they can implement these different ideas, in their own ways, in their own communities.

A mural depicting their vision on the wall in the FWRM office.

 I also attend classes at Fiji’s regional University, Fiji National University (FNU) and learned a lot about how climate change is affecting Fiji, and many Small Island Nations around the Pacific directly. Because of sea levels rising drastically, they are losing land mass and resources by the minute. It is widely acknowledged here that climate change is occurring because it is affecting them directly; no one is ignorantly refusing to believe that climate change is occurring because they do not have the privilege to do so. There are many amazing organizations such as International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF), South Pacific Tourism (SPTO), and so many more within Fiji that work on conservation and activism and advocacy around climate change in the Pacific. People in Fiji are fighting the good fight against climate change even though they release some of the lowest amounts of carbon emissions around the world. It is the Western world that fuels climate change, but now the South Pacific is taking on the brunt of the consequences. 

Yes, Fiji is made up of beautiful crystal-clear waters, and I have drunk from a lot of coconuts during my time here. But It is so much more than that. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned in my little time working and living here is to never judge a book by its cover. Fiji is so much more than its looks, and it is a force to be reckoned with on a global scale. Never underestimate.

Taylor participating in a workshop

Taylor is entering her third year of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge with minors in Women & Gender Studies and Population Health. She is interested in international women’s and human rights issues, as well as global health. Taylor has been working as an intern with The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) for almost three months, during which she has been working primarily with the communications team, engaging the public through social media and learning about the digital side of social justice work. She had the privilege of attending the “Pacific Connections: Community Filmmaking for Gender Equality in the Pacific” workshop held at the University of the South Pacific (USP). Taylor’s passion for women’s rights and feminism has grown immensely since she has started working for FWRM. She hopes to continue this nature of work in the future, carrying the skills that she has built from this experience into her future endeavors.

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Featured Partner: British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC)

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The British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) is a network that engages in sustainable development and social justice issues. This is a membership-based organization made up of interested individuals, international development organizations and practitioners, and civil society organizations in British Columbia, Canada.

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership was a founding member of BCCIC since its creation in 1989.  To this date we deeply value the work of this organization as it benefit so many! Recently we worked together to realize the Longhouse Dialogues from May 31 – June 5th in Vancouver, BC as part of the Women Deliver Mobilization Canada side events, and PPP is actively engaged in their regional Southern Vancouver Island Chapter (SOVI), which is a network of individuals and organizations focused on international development and connections to the local community here on Southern Vancouver Island.  

Through SOVI, people come together to learn, create relationships, and share their knowledge on global social issues and the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Consider joining or supporting BCCIC or SOVI today!

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For 45 years, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has supported the aspirations of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

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