ÉY SWÁYEL

Tourism Abbotsford, with guidance from local First Nations community members, worked with local Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island) designer Ovila Mailhot (Ovi), a talented artist specializing in Coast Salish Graphic Art & Design. Ovi designed a unique wordmark to be used to highlight Indigenous businesses, products and stories.

Reflecting on its significance, Ovi expressed, “When we wake daily, we’re thankful to see the sun. I see the sun as good medicine. Representing healing, growth, and life’s energy giving abundance. Feeling at peace under the sun from the warmth that it radiates.”

Selxwí:chel means the “centre of something” or “the middle of three” highlighting the long rooted history between the local Semá:th and Máthxwi, and Nooksack (in the Washington State) Nations.

OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS RECONCILIATION

Tourism Abbotsford is committed to reconciliation, recognizing that many stories we share reflect a settler perspective. We are dedicated to embracing and sharing the rich stories and teachings of our Indigenous communities and are grateful for the growing relationships and the valuable insights they bring.

This is a small reflection of the journey Tourism Abbotsford is embarking on towards reconciliation.

RESOURCES

At Tourism Abbotsford, we refer to a few different resources to help us learn more about our Indigenous communities.

The Atlas uniquely focuses on 15,000 years of natural, cultural and spiritual history of the Stó:lō, First Nations people of the lower Fraser River in southwestern British Columbia and northwest Washington.

You can purchase the A Sto:lo Coast Salish Historical Atlas online or at the Sto:lo Gift Shop in Chilliwack.

Sto:lo Gift Shop: 7201 Vedder Rd Building 19, Chilliwack, BC V2R 4G5

FirstVoices is an open-source web platform for language revitalization projects, which supports Indigenous communities to share and promote their languages, oral culture and linguistic history. It is a joint initiative of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation.

Click here to learn more.

Native plants are those indigenous to a geographic area. These plants have evolved to thrive in the local climate and require little support if planted in the right conditions.

Wildlife in the Fraser Valley has evolved alongside the native plants that grow here, their life cycles are tied to how the native plants can support them. Every insect, bird, mammal, fungus, and bacteria is linked to the beautiful and diverse range of native plant species in our valley.

Click here to learn more.

Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) is a non-profit, stakeholder-based organization committed to growing a sustainable, culturally rich Indigenous tourism industry.

ITBC aims to empower Indigenous businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities to create world-class tourism experiences deeply rooted in their cultures and recognize authentic Indigenous tourism’s power in shaping Indigenous futures. By staying responsive to the needs of Indigenous communities and aligning every initiative with Indigenous values, we aim to build a sustainable and prosperous Indigenous tourism industry in British Columbia.

Learn more here.

Stó:lō Food Ways provides a wealth of information on Indigenous plants, traditional ecological knowledge, and cultural practices related to food.

Learn more here.

Stó:lō Community Futures offers business support including loans and training programs to current and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs and Stó:lō Community-owned businesses in S’ólh Téméxw, the Stó:lō Traditional Territory.

Learn more here.

The 94 Calls to Action provide a road map to acknowledge and address the legacy of residential school trauma and develop a vision of reconciliation for people living in British Columbia  based on mutual respect.

Click here to learn more.

Through collaborative consultation with tourism partners and in an effort to support industry with evolving community-based needs, Destination BC is pleased to offer the Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples Workshop in partnership with Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.

Check the schedule for sessions here.

The UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), in partnership with UFV Continuing Education, the Stó:lō Nation, the Stó:lō Tribal Council, the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, and the Stó:lō Grand Chief’s Council, has launched a collaborative program initiative: Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building. This program seeks to help build people’s capacity for reconciliation-building by teaching the importance of authentic allyship and providing skills for building relationships between colonial settlers and Indigenous communities here in the Fraser Valley and beyond.

Learn more here.

If you have any additional resources that could support our journey towards reconciliation, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

indigenous WORDMARK PROTOCOL

This protocol outlines the appropriate use, sharing, and restrictions surrounding the Indigenous Wordmark created to represent The Tourism Abbotsford Society. The wordmark embodies the visual, cultural and knowledge of our local communities and is to reflect the willingness of working together with the local First Nations Communities for educational and cultural initiatives. Its use must be handled with the utmost respect, care, and accountability.

If you are interested in using the wordmark, please read the protocol document and submit your filled out form to [email protected].

Indigenous Wordmark Protocol

Indigenous Wordmark Brand Guidelines

MEET OVI

“Art feels vital to me. And being able to share that passion I have, is very special to me. This tradition of work, and this beauty, is so necessary for our culture & for healing. My work must carry some level of simplicity; it must not obscure itself. That’s the tradition I’ve inherited. My work is meant to add to a continuum within a culture so rich and expansive that it still hasn’t been fully actualized or received by mainstream culture.”

Follow Ovi on Instagram or visit his Website.

Explore Selxwí:chel