Latest news with #WillieSellars
CBC
04-08-2025
- Science
- CBC
Archaeological field school helps Indigenous students learn more about their history — and themselves
Social Sharing On a warm sunny Tuesday morning in July, nine students prepare to sift through soil in search of answers. It's part of a six-week archaeological field school through the Esk'etemc (pronounced ess-KET-em) First Nation, which gives Indigenous students the chance to learn about the profession, but also about the long history of their families, culture, and ultimately, about themselves. As the group heads out into the field in B.C.'s Alkali Valley, about 180 kilometres northwest of Kamloops, they're all but vibrating with anticipation, eager to uncover a pit house — and all the myriad artifacts within it. Greg Harry, 50, of Alkali Lake, has long been interested in archaeology. "This kind of opens my eyes," he said. "I want to go back and see how we lived back in the day, and how we survived 'til now." Recent archaeological findings Earlier this year, the Williams Lake First Nation and Esk'etemc revealed they had uncovered entire communities that had not been previously recorded, in the wake of the Chilcotin River landslide in July 2024. A total of 70 sites, some new and some previously known, were documented. The First Nations said 31 are pre-contact Secwépemc village sites. Seven include things like burials, caves and rock art. "It's pretty neat to think about the amount of history that is in our traditional territories," Williams Lake First Nation Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars told CBC News back in April. "We need to continue to tell the stories and we need to continue to celebrate the territory because there is a massive healing component to being out on the land. "That's what we need to encourage more people to do, because that's exactly where our ancestors were and still are for the most part." Esk'etemc education director Calvin Dubray did just that. Through a partnership with Thompson Rivers University (TRU), he put together the field school, which teaches skills like surveying, mapping, excavation and lab work, all completed on Esk'etemc land. "We've always had to contract out to different contractors to do the archaeological work," he said. "I thought, why can't we do this ourselves?" At the end of the program, all nine students will be qualified to work on archaeological sites. "They will have enough experience to be what's called 'field ready,' so they would be able to go out with certified archaeologists and do some of the field work," Dubray said. WATCH | Esk'etemc partners with TRU for archaeological field school: Archaeological field school offers First Nations students hands-on experience 9 days ago It's the first of its kind for Esk'etemc First Nation. An archaeological field school for students of all ages. It's a chance to learn more about family history and to gain the tools and hands-on experience necessary to work in the profession. CBC's Shelley Joyce dropped in on a class in the Alkali Valley about an hour south of Williams Lake. Audrey Grinder, 52, said she would love to become a certified archaeologist one day. "It's discovery in the most natural form," she said. "Every time that I go with a trowel, it's like wow, what am I going to find? What are the ancestors going to show me? What are they going to allow me to see, to understand or to learn? I get this excited feeling every time I do it." Governed by Esk'etemc protocols Archaeologist and TRU instructor Beth Bedard said this particular program is unique in that the project is governed by Esk'etemc Nation's protocols, and they have control over who has access to the project and its findings. "That's a very important part of this work," she said. "Esk'etemc protocols together with scientific rigour and results, [helps with] understanding the history of the community in a fuller way." She said the work is more in-depth than other excavation sites, because it combines oral histories with scientific findings. "When this is tied together with the community's oral history, we get a much more complete and meaningful picture of the past than an archaeological excavation that is conducted through just scientific methodology." 'A real second calling' For many students, the field school has been an opportunity to gain that experience, and maybe consider another career, one that would have deep meaning for them. For others, the program has given them a better sense of who they are and where they come from. Teena Ogden, 67, described the experience as "rejuvenating." "I'm gonna tell everybody about it," she said. Ogden said she's inspired to continue her work learning about her history, and next, hopes to learn the Secwepemctsín language.
CBC
28-02-2025
- General
- CBC
Williams Lake First Nation calls on feds to support revitalization of former residential school site
The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) is asking for an investment from the federal government to help revitalize St. Joseph's Mission, a former residential school site near Williams Lake, B.C., that the nation purchased in 2023. WLFN started investigating deaths and disappearances at the residential school shortly after the Tk'emlúps te Secwepemc First Nation shared preliminary findings from a 2021 ground-penetrating radar survey that indicated the presence of 215 potential unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. WLFN purchased the St. Joseph's Mission site from a private owner for $1.2 million, with help from the province. WLFN Kúkwpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars said last year that while the future of the site is uncertain, he hoped it would be a "place of healing." "It needs to be a place of closure, of gathering in a good way, of honouring our ancestors and survivors," Sellars said in 2024. "People want to go to the site, and people want to honour ancestors and honour the survivors, but right now, it's a crime scene. We can't gather there." St. Joseph's Mission site should be 'place of healing': WLFN The First Nation is looking for funds to get it to that place. "We can't leave the site like this," said project lead Whitney Spearing. "It's a cold, desolate place, and it's impossible for people to gather safely." WLFN submitted a proposal to the Canadian government in December, but says it has not heard anything back. "How can the people of Canada learn more about the legacy of the residential school system if they're not able to visit these places?" Sellars said. "I'm calling on the Government of Canada to step up and make an actual investment in a place of healing at the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission." The federal government has given millions of dollars to First Nations across the country to help with site searches, research and memorials, including more than $8.6 million to WLFN alone. CBC News requested comment from the Ministry of Crown-Indigenous Relations, but did not receive a response in time for publication. Sugarcane up for best doc at Oscars The call comes as Sellars heads to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards, where the film Sugarcane, which explores the history of St. Joseph's Mission, is nominated for Best Documentary Feature. Sellars said this marks an important moment in Canada's journey toward reconciliation. "The amount of messages and the amount of support we've seen from not just the Indigenous communities across this country, but from the non-Indigenous people in this country has been pretty staggering and something that makes you proud of this reconciliation movement that we're seeing in our territories and in this country." Sugarcane has been screened at a number of festivals, including Sundance, where it won a directing award, and at the White House in December. It began streaming on Disney+ last year. Should the film, directed by Julian Brace NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, win on Sunday night, Sellars said he will join the filmmakers on stage. While he's excited to be taking in the spectacle, he wants the message of the film to remain in the spotlight. "At the end of the day, it really is about helping tell the story of those survivors who are really the most courageous people that I have ever met in my entire life."
