Support Indigenous Communities in BC and Canada

CW: genocide, residential schools

Every day, we remember and acknowledge that the stolen land on which we move, connect and breathe is the unceded, ancestral, and occupied territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

This land has recently given evidence to the atrocities that the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc (among many other Indigenous communities) have already known and felt for centuries: that colonial violence has stolen Indigenous lives, futures, and families, and that it continues to threaten these humans and their land to this day.

Today and every day, We raise our hands to the strength and resilience of the people from these Nations, and we stand with them in their resistance against colonial violence.

We have compiled an active list of resources with ways to take action, to support and to learn from those who have nurtured, cultivated, and protected the land on which we reside.

While these resources may serve as a starting point, we acknowledge that the journey of honouring Indigenous land, Indigenous traditions, and Indigenous communities exceeds far beyond a single day, or a single post. As a settler-owned business, the House of A La Ligne is committed to the lifelong journey of learning how to better honour and to better support those who came before us, and those who continue to guide us today.

Learn

1. National Indigenous Cultural Safety Webinar Series

This national webinar series presented by the Indigenous Cultural Safety Collaborative Learning Series offers free access to 15 pre-recorded seminars in support of collective efforts to strengthen Indigenous cultural safety. Some of the topics include:

To access the entire 15 part webinar series, click here.

2. Canadian History Through the Lens of Indigenous Women

This course brings learners on a journey through the 1700’s to present day by sharing the history of the creation of Canada through Indigenous women’s worldviews, knowledge, and lived experiences. This learning journey shares facts, insights, and stories of Indigenous women and the unfortunate history (and ongoing reality) of colonization as it relates to Indigenous Peoples and women⁷.

Register for the course here.

3. Talaysay Tours

Talaysay Tours offers Indigenous cultural and eco-tourism experiences in and around Vancouver, Squamish and the Sunshine Coast. The Indigenous guides share ancient and contemporary stories, legends, and Indigenous ways of living while touring BC's old growth forests and coastlines⁸.

4. On-Demand Mini Courses by Nahanee Creative

Nahanee Creative offers On-Demand Mini Courses and Decolonizing Workbooks to support your learning of decolonization practices. Some of these courses include:

To access their entire library of workbooks and courses, click here.

5. ‘Indigenous Canada’ course by the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta offers a free online 12-module course on Indigenous history and contemporary issues, taught by Indigenous educators from an Indigenous perspective. This course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.¹²

You can register for the course here.

6. Review the 94 Calls to Action in the Truth & Reconciliation Report

​The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report offers a detailed account of what happened to Indigenous children in government residential schools, with calls to action for the work that needs to be done.

Read the full report here.

Take Action


1. Protect Old Growth Forests in BC

Logging continues in Fairy Creek (Pacheedaht Territory): the last intact old-growth valley on southern Vancouver Island, and the last unlogged watershed within the San Juan River system.

This forest contains trees that are estimated to be over 1,000 and up to 2,000 years of age - making them some of the oldest trees in Canada.

Teal-Jones plans to clear-cut all available old growth tree stands in Tree Farm Licence 46, including some of the oldest trees still standing in the temperate coastal rainforest.¹

I implore people to continue to stand with me to protect our forests from destruction and colonialism, because we need allies on the ground to stop all old growth logging in my home territory. - Elder William Jones


What you can do to help:

  • Sign the petition by the BC Green Party to challenge the BC Government to abide by their promise to protect old growth forests.

  • Call Premier John Horgan (1-250-387-1715) and the Minister of Forests (1-250-304-2783) and ask them to protect old growth forests in BC. If you’re unsure of what to say, click here for a script to use.

  • Follow @fairycreekblockade for up to date information and resources.


2. Support Wet’suwet’en

In early 2020, Wet'suwet'en hereditary Chiefs opposed the Coastal GasLink pipeline's route through Indigenous land. The Coastal GasLink project has since pushed ahead, with more than 140 kilometres of pipe now laid in northern B.C.³

Each clan within the Wet’suwet’en Nation has full jurisdiction under their law to control access to their territory. Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law), all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink/ TransCanada to do work on Wet’suwet’en lands.⁴


What you can do to help:

3. Support The Coast Protectors

Indigenous Peoples have consistently and repeatedly rejected the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project.⁵ The Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and over two-thirds of the First Nations impacted by the Trans Mountain Pipeline project have not given their consent to allow it through their territories⁶ as required by The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples⁷.


What you can do to help:

Support

Below are a few of the many incredible Indigenous businesses, creators, artists and individuals that we love.

Donate

1. The Black & Indigenous Self Care and Healing Fund

This fundraiser was created to address the glaring disparity in financial support via mutual aid between settlers and Black & Indigenous peoples. The Black & Indigenous Self Care and Healing Fund provides no-questions-asked funds to help Black & Indigenous folks meet their self-care and healing needs⁹.

2. Matriarch Movement

Matriarch Movement is a non-profit organization that focuses on amplifying the voices of Indigenous women. Matriarch Movement facilitates wellness workshops that focus on Indigenous people reclaiming their voice, body, and spirit that have been silenced and stolen throughout history and humanity¹⁰.

3. The Aboriginal Mother Centre Society

AMCS is a place where Indigenous mothers who are facing homelessness and/or dealing with their child (or children) in the care of the Ministry, can stay in a healthy self-sustaining environment. The facility provides shelter, support, and programs for women and children to support healing and family reconnection¹¹.

4. The Residential School Survivors Society

IRSSS provides essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with Intergenerational traumas. The IRSSS strives to continually expand their support to partner organizations and maximize access to culturally sensitive, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual care.¹³

5. The Legacy of Hope Foundation

The Legacy of Hope Foundation is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for more than 19 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System (RSS) and subsequent Sixties Scoop (SS) on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote healing and Reconciliation.¹⁴

Taren Grewall