Newsletter

Rooted in reciprocity, love, joy and care

In this week’s newsletter, journalist kelsie kilawna talks about the syilx teachings that guide the conservation and community-building work of land Guardians on her Homelands

By Karan Saxena

Dec. 14, 2023

This article is more than 6 months old

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

BECOME A MEMBER | SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER

a photo from behind of Tim Lezard and Weston Roberds standing atop a mountain in the syilx Homelands, looking out at the landscape before them, with grasses in the foreground

“I love the land and the land loves me.”

That’s a syilx saying rooted in reciprocity, love, joy and care for the land and the people who take care of it. It’s also one of the teachings land Guardians for the Penticton Indian Band embody as the caretakers of sn’pink’tn (Penticton).

This summer, journalist kelsie kilawna hopped into a truck with two Guardians — Tim Lezard and his nephew Weston Roberds — to see exactly what urban land stewardship looks like on her Homelands.

sn’pink’tn is one of over 170 First Nations with Guardians programs. The Okanagan Valley, which is within syilx Homelands, is one of the most sensitive and ecologically diverse landscapes in B.C. The Guardians are tasked with conserving it.

When you think about conservation you might not picture picking up garbage or figuring out what to do with an abandoned mining truck tire.

But for the land Guardians of Penticton Indian Band, cleaning up the land is simply part of their work.

A photo Tim Lezard behind the wheel of his vehicle with the rolling mountains of the Okanagan seen through the windows behind him

“When people leave things we can’t just leave it, no matter how disgusting it is. We can’t just leave it, we pick it up,” Lezard told kelsie.

Here the caretakers not only monitor owl nests, sacred sites and salmon spawning creeks, but they also clean up litter along the Penticton River Channel to protect sensitive ecosystems.

For kelsie, the work done by the Guardians signifies two things: “Our people are still actively occupying our land — and that we are still caretaking our responsibilities to the land. That’s never stopped and it never will stop.”

Go read kelsie’s on-the-ground feature here.

Take care of yourself — and the land,

Karan Saxena
Audience engagement editor

2X the difference!

We’ve got some amazing news to share! On Saturday, we asked our readers to step up and help The Narwhal do what we do best: people-powered climate journalism that’s unfettered by corporate interests.

And boy, did you all show up in droves to power our work. More than 470 of you have already made donations. Did we mention that all gifts will be matched until the end of the year? That means for every dollar you give, $2 goes toward The Narwhal’s journalism.

Another nice added bonus? We’re part of a very small collection of journalism organizations in Canada that’s able to issue you a charitable tax receipt for your gift.

If you have the means, help us do more accountability reporting by donating whatever you can today — and you’ll get a 2023 charitable receipt.

I’ll support people-powered journalism!

This week in The Narwhal

Flooded Coastal GasLink pipeline construction site

B.C. officials said Coastal GasLink pipeline plans could withstand ‘extreme weather conditions.’ Then the heat came
By Matt Simmons
An internal briefing note reveals BC Energy Regulator inspectors did not find any problems with Coastal GasLink’s emergency plans a few months before soaring temperatures led to flooded pipeline sites, slope failures and damage to sensitive creeks and wetlands.

READ MORE

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stands at a lectern, flanked by ministers Rebecca Schultz and Nathan Neudorf

Alberta minister was ready to talk renewables pause at first post-election meeting with regulator: document
By Drew Anderson
READ MORE

Egg farmer Kurt Siemens stands in his Manitoba chicken barn with one hand on a row of cages wearing a dark shirt and tan pants

Farmers are at the centre of Canada’s latest carbon pricing debate
By Julia-Simone Rutgers
READ MORE

A red and blue filter over a photo of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shaking hands

Opinion: The ‘carbon tax’ isn’t causing inflation. No matter what politicians say
By Arno Kopecky
READ MORE

What we’re reading

Thirty months into following the story of protests against old-growth logging at Fairy Creek, Jimmy Thomson finally got his hands on a document that raises questions about the B.C. government’s possible influence over Pacheedaht First Nation’s 2021 statement — which was an ideological bomb for protesters and their supporters. Read his story in The Walrus.

From “global boiling” to “noctalgia,” Grist’s Kate Yoder has a round-up of 10 words that define the hottest year on record.

a puppy looking at itself in the mirror and wagging its tail

POV: Narwhal staff overjoyed with your generous donations — which have double the impact for our public-interest reporting. Give what you can before the end of the year and we’ll send you a charitable tax receipt!

View this e-mail in your browser

Sign up for this newsletter

You are on this list because you signed up to receive The Narwhal’s newsletter.
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

*|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|*

Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* The Narwhal, all rights reserved.

Published By

Karan Saxena

Karan Saxena is an immigrant settler living on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ territories. Karan is The Narwhal’s audi...

See similar stories

B.C.

Indigenous guardians

Spirits of Place

wildlife

Arvid Charlie-Elder Lushiim-Glenora Park, Duncan-1

Locked out: how a 19th century land grant is still undermining First Nations rights on Vancouver Island

By Julie Gordon

Nov. 15, 2024 17 min. read

In his childhood, Elder Luschiim (Arvid Charlie) remembers the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers teeming with salmon — chinook and coho, chum and steelhead — so...

‘A casual coffee/beer’: docs reveal relationship between TC Energy and B.C. premier’s office

By Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)

Nov. 20, 2024 8 min. read

Top B.C. government officials deny TC Energy lobbyists have outsized access to decision makers. The...

Opinion

Can the new B.C. government bring real change for Indigenous communities?

By Janelle Lapointe

Nov. 20, 2024 6 min. read

What if, instead of clinging to tired frameworks, the government actually used its power to...

Swearing-in Ceremony - New cabinet ready to deliver on the prior

News

PRGT pipeline decision looms large for B.C.’s new environment minister

By Shannon Waters

Nov. 19, 2024 12 min. read

As members of B.C. Premier David Eby’s new cabinet headed to their swearing-in ceremony on...

View Older Stories

People always tell us they love our newsletter. Find out yourself with a weekly dose of our ad‑free, independent journalism

Get The Narwhal in your inbox!