General 5 — Anna Jauncey

I offer my respect and gratitude to the Indigenous peoples who have lived on and with this land for thousands of years, nurturing the abundance and magic of the Kootenays; the Sinixt, the Syilx, the Ktunaxa, the Métis, and other Indigenous peoples connected to this place. I understand that colonialism has inflicted cultural genocide, violence, and trauma upon these communities but that despite this, they have remained committed to their worldview and their traditions, their stories and practices, and have hugely benefited the communities in which they participate. I commit to the ongoing journey of learning their truths, listening to their stories, and learning to see the world through a lens of decolonization.