Transpacific Encounters, National Historic Sites and Cultural Renewal in a First Nation Community

Join us for the next event in the series Building Connections: Mobilizing Indigenous Histories for Social Change, for this presentation by Margaretta James, President of the Land of Maquinna Cultural Society.

Date: January 19, 2022
Time: 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Registration is required.
This event will be simultaneously translated in English and French.

Event Description:

Colonialism has had lasting impacts on Indigenous peoples. In response, Indigenous communities have worked hard to defend their cultural heritage to reflect their unique identities in an era of globalization. The Mowachaht/Muchalaht of Yuquot (Colonial: Friendly Cove, Vancouver Island, British Columbia) share the traditional Nuu-chah-nulth concept of hee-shuk-eesh-tsawalk (everything is one) that was instrumental in rewriting the way the government of Canada designated our home as a site of historical significance. In this age of modernity, the challenge of cultural interpretation is infused with protocol and practicality within the grass roots sector, educational institutions and general public. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples both provide opportunities to focus on sharing world history through an indigenous lens rather than a Eurocentric one. In this seminar, Margaretta James will provide direct observations and experiences of language revitalization, cultural preservation, spirituality, sciences in relationship to the land of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht peoples.

Presenter:

A mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Margaretta James has lived among the Nootka of the Nuu-chah-nulth people for several decades. Of Salish and Asian lineage, her love of history and early urban American schooling in Seattle, Washington, inspired Margarita's community endeavours in Indigenous education, heritage preservation and cultural interpretation. In her role as President of the Land of Maquinna Cultural Society for over twenty years, her focus has included Canadian historic site awareness, repatriation and global cultural tourism.

Margarita continues to reside at Tsaxana on British Columbia's West Coast and is currently enrolled in the traditional Language course. She is an advocate for Elder and community wellness. She has a publication on her work of historical reconstruction in the current issue of BC Studies. Her publication “My Transpacific Life” has appeared in Unsettling the Islands: Race, Indigeneity and the Transpacific. Special Issue of BC Studies 204 (Winter 2019/2020): 139-150.