This update is coming a little late after the new moon (and the return of the Coho Salmon to Earth), and will be updated again in the next week (today being 29 Aug) for a W̱SÍ,ḴEM Ivy Project event that still needs to be confirmed.
There is a pretty big event scheduled for this weekend (the September Long) which is looking for volunteers and was just announced. So please take a look and sign up when if you can.
Indigenous Women Land Defenders’ Convergence
The following is a cut/paste from the call for notetakers that was emailed out on 29 August. Links to volunteer below:
Hello,
This upcoming weekend, approximately 40 Indigenous women from all over the world will be gathering in Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ territories (Victoria, BC) from September 2nd to 4th for an Indigenous Women Land Defenders’ Convergence. The Convergence brings together Indigenous women from Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ territories, Turtle Island, and the Global South. The event is broadly focused on how Indigenous peoples are fighting extractivism, enacting Indigenous jurisdiction, negotiating harm and conflict, and promoting Indigenous legal and healing practices within their communities. Participants will gather together in intimate and relational ceremonies, talking circles, and workshops to share experiences, develop strategies, and chart pathways forward.
We are seeking interested students and community members to take notes and document the talking circles and workshops that will be held throughout the weekend. This documentation will be key to creating a final report that Convergence participants will be able to use for advocacy, and may be used to create other practical resources and academic publications.
Interested students and community members should be experienced in detailed and legible notetaking. We anticipate that those interested in Indigenous politics and law, women’s and gender studies, decolonization, and global solidarity will benefit from being in service to this gathering. Please note that in order to cultivate safer and supportive spaces for the Convergence participants, priority will be given to Indigenous and women and femmes (feminine-presenting two-spirit and non-binary people), as well as women and femmes of colour. Notetakers will receive honoraria for their contributions to the event.
The dates, approximate times, and locations that we need notetakers for are listed below. If you are interested in serving as a notetaker, please fill out this form as soon as possible: https://forms.gle/snmhK4cGHUnhvqBQA. If you have any questions, please contact Stacie Swain at circle@uvic.ca.
| Date, Times, & Location | Start Time | End Time |
Saturday, September 2nd
|
1:45pm | 6:00pm |
Sunday, September 3rd
|
9:45am | 12:00pm |
| 12:45pm | 3:00pm | |
Monday, September 4th
|
9:45am | 12:00pm |
| 12:45pm | 3:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | 5:30pm |
Lekwungen Community Toolshed
Join members of the Songhees Nation (lək̓ʷəŋən) and the Lekwungen Community Toolshed and HAT for this restoration event, Saturday 9 Sept 2023 from 9am-Noon and support Indigenous governance and sovereignty (through ecological and cultural stewardship) on Indigenous territory. Snack will be provided, as will tools and gloves.
You must register for this event. Register at https://hat.bc.ca/volunteer or emailing volunteers@hat.bc.ca.
“Bring your eyēʔ sqȃ’lewen” (lək̓ʷəŋən for “Good Heart, Good Mind, and Good Feelings”).
The following events are taking place during ĆENQOLEW̱ (September 15 – Oct 15), but here they are early to get them into your calendars:
W̱SÍ,ḴEM Ivy Project
Our friend Sarah Jim will be hosting another W̱SI,ḴEM Ivy Project event on September 16 from 10am-2pm, clearing part of the small remaining W̱SI,ḴEM forest of invasive english ivy so that the W̱SÁNEĆ food system and medicines might find their way to thrive again in their homes. Sarah has said many times that this work embodies decolonization – removing invasive under Indigenous-leadership on Indigenous territory so that Indigenous lifeways might return. Come support this wonderful project and take part in physically (and emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually) supporting W̱SÍ,ḴEM governance and sovereignty.
Snacks, gloves, and tools will be provided by HAT, but bring a lunch. You must register for this event. To register, email Max Mitchell at HAT (max@hat.bc.ca) or go to the HAT volunteer page and register there (https://hat.bc.ca/volunteer).
ÁMEḴT TŦEN ÍY, ŚḰÁLAȻENS (SENĆOŦEN for bring in your good heart, mind, and feelings)
South Island Powwow
There’s still heaps of time to sign up as a volunteer (or vendor) for the South Island Powwow being held by Songhees Nation in lək̓ʷəŋən (Royal Athletic Park) on September 30. Check their website for more information: https://www.songheesnation.ca/south-island-powwow
That’s it for now…
QENSET SW̱ OL HÁLE (you all take care).