Community members, regional newcomers, and Indigenous elders came together for an enlightening exchange connected to a BC produced documentary chronicling the experiences of both immigrants and Indigenous people in Canada. “Common Territory” looked at narratives of displacement, belonging, and cultural preservation. The film focuses on life within the traditional territories of the Stó:lō peoples, also known as the Fraser Valley, through personal interviews with both Indigenous peoples and newcomers.
Eilish McAnally, Project Manager of Connecting Grids Regional Immigration Partnership (CGRIP) first came across the documentary, Common Territory, in the fall of 2024 at a conference she attended in Vancouver. She connected with the Chilliwack Local Immigration Partnership, who produced the documentary in collaboration with Bear Image, an Indigenous filmmaker. Through discussions, Connecting Grids was able to bring this documentary to the Humboldt region and partnered with Horizon School Division, The Humboldt Art Gallery, and Prairie Gateway Settlement Services (formerly known as the Humboldt Regional Newcomer Centre) to help bridge newcomers and Indigenous people.
“We wanted to create an opportunity to hear from newcomers and Indigenous people in our own region, to connect to one another through the power of storytelling,” said McAnally.
Bryan McNabb, director of Indigenous education for the Horizon School Division, brought greetings and talked about the work the Division is doing with education around Truth and Reconciliation and providing experiences that support the cultural values of Indigenous student while providing a bridge for others’ understanding.
“I really believe that the Horizon School Division is a leader in the province in terms of Truth and Reconciliation,” said McNabb in a chat following the screening. “We work closely with the City of Humboldt with our Reconciliation group. We're also very fortunate that we have 44 communities in our school division where we can work with our young people and our learners around history, learning about indigenous peoples, learning about the different communities that that may be actually right next door. So, I think we're in a good place in terms of building.”
The documentary unfolded the juxtaposition of newcomers from places like Pakistan, Guatemala, Lebanon and Iran, and Indigenous people from the Chilliwack region and the unceded territories on which settlers live.
In the documentary, Elder Boyd Peters, who was raised on those traditional lands, reflected on how his culture had either been lost because of restrictions in residential schools, or had gone underground because of colonizer policies. It was only in the late 1960s and early 1970s that the Longhouse culture started to resurface, restoring lost family connections.
Elder Virginia Peters recounted with sadness how she was denied her language when her parents refused to teach it to her for fear of retribution on Virginia as a young woman. It was only in later years that cultural and linguistic knowledge was restored to her.
Lebanese newcomer Sidrah Ahmed told a different story of being taught to embrace her culture and maintaining her Arabic language, reciting her parents’ mantra to “hang on to the faith, hang on to the tongue.”
In Canada, newcomers who were subject to persecution in their homelands said they found a newfound freedom of expression, including flying forbidden flags and continuing religious customs.
For Jamie Ritchie, a young woman from Ch’íyáqtel First Nation, it was a matter of cultural reclamation after years without cultural knowledge to share with others. Darla Rasmussen of the Siksika nation recounted identifying herself to others as Hawaiian or Mexican to avoid perceived shame. She now takes delight in expressing her Indigenous culture as part of her “Sacred Spaces” practice.
What emerged was a connection in terms of those newcomers who work to preserve their culture in a new land with diverse beliefs and Indigenous people who are reclaiming and celebrating their stories as calls for action from Truth and Reconciliation are being enacted.
There is much work to be done when it comes to bridging knowledge, but the films Virginia Peters concludes by asserting that, “We’ve got to be together. Don’t wait for invitations; the invitations are always open.”
Prior to the screening, George Gordon First Nation Elder Stewart Bitternose offered a prayer. After years of teaching and advocacy, Elder Bitternose continues his work with social agencies and schools to bring about Reconciliation.
“I think it's critical to have our elders involved because they share a lot of life experiences and they're very willing to help and move society forward in a good way where we can all live with mutual respect and in in harmony,” said McNabb.
The evening concluded with all of those in attendance gathering in a sharing circle to relay their own experiences and reflect on those of others.
Connecting Grids plans to bring this opportunity to other communities within the region to continue building relationships between cultures.