Building relations through stories

Project Lead(s)
Chepximiya Siyam Chief Janice George, Hereditary Chief, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation
Team Members
Sussan Yáñez, Antje Ellermann
Sub-theme
Content of citizenship
The sub-theme 'Content of citizenship' explores through different projects the meaning of citizenship beyond a legal status, as the expression of a collective identity grounded in a shared sense of belonging to a particular national community.

Objective
“Building Relations through Stories” is an Indigenous-led project focused on non-extractive, land-based work rooted in Indigenous epistemologies. The research honours territorial protocols and prioritizes giving back to the community by facilitating the gathering of traditional knowledge to be passed on to future generations. The project is led by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Hereditary Chief Chepximiya Siyam’ Janice George.
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh are one of the Original Peoples of the lands now occupied by the city of Vancouver. Chief Janice George will invite all 16 hereditary chiefs of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation to participate in talking circles, where they will share origin stories and reflections on land stewardship. By reclaiming familial chieftainship stories from the land and educating non-Indigenous community members on the importance of being a respectful guest—rather than a settler who perpetuates colonial dynamics—this project supports Sḵwx̱wú7mesh self-determination and aims to foster stronger relationships between newcomers, Canadian-born settlers, and the Squamish Nation.
This study will result in the creation of a docuseries and a children’s book. These resources will empower the Squamish Nation’s hereditary chiefs to share previously less accessible knowledge with current and future generations. The docuseries will be made available not only to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation but also to settlement and community organizations for use in their programming for newcomers and settlers to support reconciliation. The children’s book is designed for use in the classrooms of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh elementary school and for children and family audiences more broadly.

Research questions
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh hereditary chiefs will be invited to reflect on the following questions:
- What are the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Squamish Nation families’ traditional leadership stories?
- If there was something you wanted children to know in seven generations, what would it be?
- How can uninvited guests best show respect and care for the land?

Methodology
Art-based methods (weaving workshops), autoethnography, oral history, talking circles

Related projects
- Belonging in Unceded Territory (external link) (Antje Ellermann)

Status
This project is currently in the Planning phase.
Expected completion date: December 2025

Key words
Citizenship; Indigenous-led project; narratives of belonging; storytelling
Also in the 'Content of citizenship' sub-theme:
Photo credit: Kousaku Yui