Hi all, Municipalities and NGOs who would like to partner with Indigenous communities and/or follow Indigenous principles in their work may be interested in this Civic-Indigenous Placekeeping and Partnership building toolkit. Evergreen and Future Cities Canada have teamed up to produce this document, which provides guidance on how to build equitable, reciprocal, and collaborative relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in an urban context. There are also teachings that remind municipal staff of Indigenous ways of knowing, including respectful stewardship of the land. In addition to guiding protocols, there are also Indigenous teachings, case studies of partnership initiatives (e.g. a community forest project), and an extensive resource list featuring Indigenous perspectives and teachings.
I found these Seven Fundamental Truths of the Coastal First Nations in British Columbia to be particularly interesting:
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Fundamental Truth 1: CreationWe the coastal first peoples have been in our respective territories (homelands) since the beginning of time Fundamental Truth 2: Connection to NatureWe are all one and our lives are interconnected Fundamental Truth 3: RespectAll life has equal value. We acknowledge and respect that all plants and animals have a life force Fundamental Truth 4: KnowledgeOur traditional knowledge of sustainable resource use and management is reflected in our intimate relationship with nature and its predictable seasonal cycles, and indicators of renewal of life and subsistence Fundamental Truth 5: StewardshipWe are stewards of the land and sea from which we live, knowing that our health as a people and our society is intricately tied to the health of the land and waters Fundamental Truth 6: SharingWe have a responsibility to share and support to provide strength and make others stronger in order for our world to survive Fundamental Truth 7: Adapting to ChangeEnvironmental, demographic, socio-political, and cultural changes have occurred since the creator placed us in our homelands and we have continuously adapted to and survived these changes
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To download the Civic-Indigenous Placekeeping and Partnership building toolkit, click here.
I found these Seven Fundamental Truths of the Coastal First Nations in British Columbia to be particularly interesting:
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Fundamental Truth 1: CreationWe the coastal first peoples have been in our respective territories (homelands) since the beginning of time Fundamental Truth 2: Connection to NatureWe are all one and our lives are interconnected Fundamental Truth 3: RespectAll life has equal value. We acknowledge and respect that all plants and animals have a life force Fundamental Truth 4: KnowledgeOur traditional knowledge of sustainable resource use and management is reflected in our intimate relationship with nature and its predictable seasonal cycles, and indicators of renewal of life and subsistence Fundamental Truth 5: StewardshipWe are stewards of the land and sea from which we live, knowing that our health as a people and our society is intricately tied to the health of the land and waters Fundamental Truth 6: SharingWe have a responsibility to share and support to provide strength and make others stronger in order for our world to survive Fundamental Truth 7: Adapting to ChangeEnvironmental, demographic, socio-political, and cultural changes have occurred since the creator placed us in our homelands and we have continuously adapted to and survived these changes
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To download the Civic-Indigenous Placekeeping and Partnership building toolkit, click here.
