Resources & Links

Mamalilikulla           Tlowitsis      Da’naxda’xw Awaetlala

Wei Wai Kum           We Wai Kai         K’ómoks  

This summer 2022 case study by the Udall Foundation’s National Centre for Environmental Conflict Resolution celebrates the success of Nanwakolas Council in its collaboration with partners and its efforts to support Indigenous sovereignty.  Nanwakolas Case Study

The resources provided below have been created by Nanwakolas and its partners to be shared with the public for educational purposes.

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The BC Marine Trails Code of Conduct

The BC Marine Trails map for approved camping locations

This workshop, led by Alexandra Thomas (Tlowitsis) offers participants the opportunity to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing, and will help participants understand First Nations’ connection to their territories and the significance of this land’s history in today’s environment. From this workshop, anyone who works in natural resources will leave with a better understanding of Kwakwaka’wakw culture, worldviews, connections to land, and how history has shaped our relationship with the land.

Participants will learn how to build better relationships with Nations, and better understand the complexity of the socio-political landscape in which First Nations manage resources and offer solutions to natural resource challenges in this changing world. Participants will also learn about the future of Indigenous land management through the example of the Guardian Watchmen Program.

Organizations and individuals who have taken the workshop to date include Mosaic Forest Management, Transport Canada, BC Parks, Ocean Decade Collaborative Centre, the Hakai Institute, Coast Funds, provincial Natural Resource Officers and other provincial government staff, Nanwakolas staff, and MaPP.

Here is what some of them have had to say about the workshop:

“At the end of the workshop, people were walking away visibly moved, with a shifted perspective. The effect is to create a deeper connection between people, including partners of Indigenous Nations and community members.”

—Ross Dixon, Director of Development, Coast Funds

“This training would benefit any individual who works with Indigenous people. It provides a solid understanding of our history in BC in an experiential way that was delivered in a safe, compassionate way. I left the training with a shifted perspective about the important work I do with Indigenous people and their communities.”

—Sally Cargill, Marine Planning Specialist, Ministry of Land, Water & Resource Stewardship

“The Cultural Awareness Workshop with Alexandra was a fantastic and unique learning experience, and I left with a considerably deeper understanding of Indigenous culture and colonial history. Thanks Alexandra, for a special day.”

—Staff, Knight Inlet Lodge

“I would highly recommend that anyone who works in natural resources participate in this workshop. Even though I have worked with the Nanwakolas First Nations and other Nations for a number of years now in various capacities, as a settler working in the field of marine management and conservation, there is always more that I can learn, and more that I can do, to better understand the deep connections that First Nations who have called this coast home since time immemorial have to their territories. The workshop was accessible, engaging, and enlightening, and I walked away with a new respect for the Kwakwaka’wakw culture and how history and present-day experiences continue to shape relationships with the land, water, and people.”

—Romney McPhie, Science Coordinator, Tula Foundation’s Ocean Decade Collaborative Center for the Northeast Pacific

“I found the Cultural Awareness Workshop very powerful and thought provoking. I took the Community and Aboriginal Forestry specialization at UBC over 10 years ago and have been working in the Indigenous Relations realm on Vancouver Island for 5 years now – and I thought the material presented and how it was presented was done in a very insightful and intentional way. Alex has a great attention to detail and great eye for intriguing and enlightening facts that she beautifully relates to participants. She did an amazing job of conveying the heavy history with thoughtful interjections and allowing space for participants to discuss and absorb. She was very approachable, conscientious, and insightful. The workshop really did a great job of bringing the information from our head to our heart which helped in our learnings.”

— Allison Shepherd, RPF (she/her), Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations, Ministry of Forests – Campbell River Natural Resource District

“Some members of my team and I attended this training in November of 2023 and found it really impactful. It has provided me with an important perspective and context with which I can approach my work in my role with Compliance and Enforcement Branch with the Ministry of Forests. Alex is a knowledgeable, approachable and excellent teacher, we were very impressed with her and the opportunities she provided us to reflect on what we were learning. Anyone who has not had the opportunity to experience a blanket exercise, really should! It is truly the best way to connect to the material you are learning on the history of our country. It is a powerful, emotional and impactful experience. This team takes really good care of the participants throughout and after the exercise.”

—NRO Kat McNamara, SPC Natural Resource Officer Indigenous Relations and Restorative Justice Officer

The workshop is partnered with the Ha-ma-yas Stewardship Network and the Nanwakolas Council Society. To find out more, please email: info@nanwakolas.com.

https://www.firstvoices.com/explore/FV/sections/Data/Kwak’wala/Kwak%CC%93wala/Kwak%CC%93wala

https://www.likwalamas.com/

To learn more about the region our office is located in, and the First Nations Peoples of the region, see https://weiwaikum.ca/ and https://wewaikai.com/

Nanwakolas engages with many different government and non-governmental organizations, including among others:

• BC Parks (Ministry of Environment)
• BC Ministry for Advanced Education and Future Skills
• Canadian Coast Guard
• Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative
• Coast Funds
• Coastal Guardian Watchman Network
• Hakai Institute
• Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast
• Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Network
• Nature Trust of BC
• North Island College
• Tula Foundation
• Vancouver Island University

• Canadian Coast Guard: Report marine pollution: https://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/contact/emergency-urgence/marine-pollution-marine-eng.htmlDFO: Report a Fisheries Violation: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/enf-loi/report-signaler-eng.htm
• Marine mammals in distress: http://cetussociety.org/marine-stewardship-programs/incident_response/
• Marine search and rescue: http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/SAR_Rescue_Centre_Contact_Information
• Report wildlife poachers and garbage dumping or other land pollution: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/rapp/form.htm
• Disturbance of an archaeological site: https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/archaeology/reporting_archaeological_artifact_finds/procedures_for_reporting_finds.htm

• IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE, CALL 911.
• If you see marine pollution, call Coast Guard at 1-800-889-8852
• If you see a wildfire in progress call *5555 on mobile, or 1- 800- 663- 5555.
• In case of poaching or pollution on land, call #7277 on mobile, or 1- 877- 952- 7277.