A Ktunaxa Nation-led healthcare research project was recognized at the inaugural B.C. Reconciliation Awards.
The team behind xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ (Many Ways of Doing the Same Thing) won the award in 2021, but the ceremony was held on Thursday evening.
“The event celebrates the recipients with a ceremony that reflects the rich culture and practices of Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia,” said B.C. government officials. “It recognizes individuals, groups and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, respect and commitment to furthering reconciliation or inspired others to continue reconciliation efforts.”
The event honoured recipients from 2021 and 2022.
“The Many Ways of Doing the Same Thing research team has developed a community-driven and culturally-informed approach to decolonizing relationships between health systems and Indigenous peoples,” said Jerymy Brownridge, Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor. “It’s founded on mutual goals of understanding and implementing what reconciliation means and looks like for the Ktunaxa people: building capacity for the revitalization, restoration and documentation of traditional Ktunaxa Nation knowledge systems and research processes.”
In a previous interview with MyEastKootenayNow.com, Research Co-Lead Dr. Christopher Horsethief explained what the Ktunaxa-led project involves.
“The ‘xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ’ project is an ongoing collaborative research project that aims to improve the relationship between healthcare systems and Indigenous people,” said Dr. Horsethief. “We want to ensure that Indigenous voices are heard and represented in the health care system in a respectful way and in turn, health care systems will benefit from Indigenous knowledge and expertise.”
Ktunaxa Hereditary Chief Sophie Pierre sits on the selection committee for the B.C. Reconciliation Awards.
She attended and spoke at Thursday night’s ceremony.
“This award celebrates the promise of the shared journey to reconciliation through the incredible work of the leaders from all over British Columbia, whose commitment to recognizing past injustices and healing those wounds will lead us all to a brighter future,” said Pierre. “We invite all British Columbians to reflect on the stories of these remarkable people and be inspired by their accomplishments.”
You can find out more about xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ as well as the video footage of the award ceremony at the bottom of this article.
Award recipients honoured at the inaugural ceremony include:
- 2021:
- Xele’milh-Doris Paul
- Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
- Corey Payette
- Dawn Drummond
- David Suzuki
- Cpl. Christopher Voller
- Carrier Sekani Family Services
- xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ (Many Ways of Doing the Same Thing) Research Team
- Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast
- 2022:
- Kwuntiltunaat Kim Baird
- T̓łaḵwagila Chief Bill Cranmer
- Brendan Eshom
- Atomic Cartoons in partnership with GBH
- Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and the City of Kamloops
- DIVERSEcity – Surrey Local Immigration Partnership
Nominations for the 2023 awards are open until Jan 20, with the selection committee announcing the recipients in the spring.
Dr. Horesethief is on the selection committee for the Ktunaxa Nation.
More: xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ (Many Ways of Doing the Same Thing)
More: Inaugural BC Reconciliation Awards ceremony video (BC Achievement Foundation)