Knowledge is story. But what happens when the stories are lost? Where do we turn to understand what we value? What leads the way? And how do we find the words in a language we do not speak?
Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing is a gathering of stories that can lead us on our climate journey, offering guidance from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers to anyone who wishes to understand their role in the complexity of the Anthropocene.
Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing: Ways of Being and Seeing is a concept created by a leading environmental voice in Unama’ki Cape Breton, Mi’kmaq Elder Advisor Albert Marshall. He describes Etuaptmumk as “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledge and ways of knowing … and learning to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all”.
Guided by principles of Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing, artist, writer and storyteller Rosemary Georgeson (Sahtu Dene/Coast Salish) and activist, performance artist and community facilitator Lara Aysal (Anatolia/Turkey) embark on a journey to bring Indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge into a dialogue on the climate crisis.
That journey begins at the Heart of The City Festival! from November 2nd to 5th at the Firehall Arts Centre.
Over four evenings, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers will lead four circles of conversation with Elders, activists and academics, bearing witness to the impact of the human environmental destruction of Mother Earth, through stories of water, air, fire, and earth. On the fifth day, the public will be invited to join a reflection on what was shared in the circles, through embodied, creative activities guided by Rosemary Georgeson and Lara Aysal.
In a time when the climate crisis has paralyzed so many of us, Etuaptmumk reminds us that we do have a compass for this journey and that we can imagine a different reality together. As Elder Albert Marshall says, “The fundamental basis of any relationship is an exchange of stories.”
In the next stage of the development of Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing, Rosemary and Lara will use a guided theatre creation process to transform the dialogue from these circles into stories that remember and reimagine how we can make sense of our lives, as we walk towards climate justice and remember the wisdom that we will carry forward to future generations.
Event Videos
Thursday Nov 2nd at 7:30 pm (conversation circle LAND) Watch this event
Speakers:
Chief Darren Blaney
sχɬemtəna:t St’agid Jaad Audrey Siegl
Chief Bill Williams
Friday Nov 3rd at 7:30 pm (conversation circle WATER) Watch this event
Speakers:
Elder Bob Baker (Squamish Ancestral name S7aplek, Hawaiian name Lanakila),
Christie Lee Charles xʷməθkʷəy̓əm
Heather Lamoureux
sχɬemtəna:t St’agid Jaad Audrey Siegl
Saturday Nov 4th at 3:00 pm (conversation circle AIR) Watch this event
Speakers:
Christie Lee Charles xʷməθkʷəy̓əm
Eden Toth
Lyana Patrick
Rosemary Georgeson
Saturday Nov 4th at 7:30 pm (conversation circle FIRE) Watch this event
Speakers:
Nicole Bird
Elder Les Nelson (Tsts-Tsip, “Big Bird”)
Lynn Power
Eden Toth
Sunday Nov 5th at 11:00 am: discussion/workshop session facilitated by Rosemary Georgeson and Lara Aysal)
*All proceeds will be donated to Indigenous Climate Action (ICA)
BC Based Organizations Climate Action:
Conservation organizations:
- Badger Recovery
- Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Program (CDFCP)
- Ducks Unlimited – British Columbia
- Fraser Valley Conservancy
- Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery
- Grasslands Conservation Council of BC (GCC)
- Islands Trust Conservancy
- Kootenay Conservation Partnership (KCP)
BC Sustainable Solutions Environmental Resources and Updates for British Columbia and beyond