Future Generations University Alumni
WINDSOR MAVIS,CLASS OF 2007
Practicum Summary: Gvi’las: Our Way of Life
Mavis Windsor’s practicum concerns the inherent relationship of the Heiltsuk Nation and the wild salmon from a conservation and social perspective. Mavis Windsor was raised on the Heiltsuk Reservation in British Columbia, and thus sought to examine how the Heiltsuk Nation should move forward together in a respectful and honorable way. In her study, she recounts the history of the Heiltsuk in the pre-contact era as a tribal group with a distinctive culture. Due to the Heiltsuk Nation’s location on the central coast of British Columbia, over time the Heiltsuk people developed a traditional system of ecological knowledge that embodied the use and conservation of land resources, including the wild salmon. Windsor highlights the importance of the wild salmon as a social tool for the transfer of Heiltsuk values as well as its role as a communal food sustenance. In addition, Windsor discusses the challenges associated with cultural identity, pointing out that the Heiltsuk culture has survived despite socioeconomic problems and underrepresentation in government. In conclusion, Windsor suggests the Heiltsuk Nation retake control of their history that has been driven and written by “non – Heiltsuk” over the past 200 years.
BROWN KELLY, CLASS OF 2005
Practicum Summary: For Our Children’s Tomorrow
In this practicum study, Kelly Brown discusses the Heiltsuk National Land Use Plan and the Bella Bella Fish Plant Business, two initiatives undertaken by the Heiltsuk Nation in British Columbia to empower the local community to take ownership of the regulation of their natural resources and development. Using SEED-SCALE methodology, Brown addresses the challenges faced in his community, including postcolonialism, economic development, and engaging the community. He concludes that in order for the Heiltsuk people to begin progressing as a healthy sustained community, they must stay focused on sustaining their health and economy by following through with the Heiltsuk National Land Use Plan and Bella Bella Fish Plant Business. This includes identifying proper experts to implement the plans and proper government officials to work with. Brown believes that the Heiltsuk people will achieve a sustainable community model if the aforementioned recommendations are addressed.
