Kwakwaka'wakw Revitalization Project witnesses the Ma’amtagila Nation reawaken their sacred ancestral village site

This July, the Kwakwaka'wakw Revitalization Project (KRP) gathered to witness the Ma’amtagila Nation reawaken their sacred ancestral village site at Hiladi—“the place to make things right”—after continued attempts of colonial government erasure and displacement.

It was an honor to participate in and witness the 5th tree of life gathering hosted by Tree of Life where Indigenous knowledge, ceremony, art and western science came together to heal the planet, people, and change culture. Hiladi is one of many important ancestral villages that the Ma’amtagila People were displaced

Each step on the land was an act of re-awakening — soil microbes activated beneath feet, fungi spores stirred by dance, cedar boughs matching the vibration of drums and a butterfly landing on skin are just some ways the land felt the presence of the Ma’amtagila People once again.

Gilakas’la to the Ma’amtagila Nation, Awinakola foundation, the knowledge holders, the singers, the healers, the artists, the organizers and the beautiful, soft-hearted folks for creating this profoundly healing space.