I am a settler Canadian living on lands whose "rights" stem from a Pope's doctrine from 1493, an English king's proclamation in 1763, a bunch of guys in Ottawa's notion of what a country is, and a whackload of broken promises where promises were bothered to be made at all. The number of stories, histories, and legacies of stewardship excercised by First Nations across the lands and waters of what I know as Vancouver island is beyond my ability or right to retell. That being said, as someone who has had the deep privilege of working with a large number of Indigenous communities throughout this island I feel a responsiblity to share what has been taught to me. Throughout this year I hope to increase the birding communities understanding of the cultural history of the places we bird. I plan to do this by sharing what I have learned about some of these areas, as well as by providing the tools necessary for those interested to deepen their knowledge by going directly to the Indigenous storytellers and sources from which this knowledge stems. This will include books, articles, movies, websites, and anything in between.

 

What I've learned comes primarily through my work collaborating with Indigenous communities on the island, first as First Nations Liaison to B.C. Marine Trails, then as Provincial Coordinator to the Important Bird Areas program, and now in tandem with that last role as First Nations Liaison for Key Biodiversity Areas in B.C. In each of these roles I have been responsible for building relationships with communities on the basis of information-sharing and collaboraton. Through that work I have had the privilege to work alongside some of the leaders who are working to revitalize culture and ways-of-knowing. I am grateful to them and aware of the responsibility inherent in those experiences to be a steward of knowledge. 

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As with birds, when it comes to Indigenous placenames, stories and knowledge I am going to make mistakes this year. While you have my word I will alwsys do my utmost to share only the most accurate information. As anyone whose ever read a CBC comments section knows, we as a country are fraught to the bone with deeply entrenched racict ideals and attitudes, and oftentimes that has muddied the waters in the stories and information that is shared about Indigenous peoples. Because of that, I will do my utmost where possible to only share information put forward by Indigenous peoples, but even still I'm still liable to make mistakes. As I go about this I welcome any and all feedback, particularly that which seeks to expand the conversation and provide additional opportunities for learning. Where appropriate I'm happy to amend, modify and redact where new information is available. 

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With that said, here are a list of resources prepared by or in conjunction with Indigenous communities that I recommend to other settlers who agree that understanding the cultural legacy of the lands we call home is a moral imperative. In each blog post where appropriate, I will share place-specific resources to the communities who steward those areas. If you have suggestions for resources you'd like to see shared please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be happy to consider all suggestions.

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