11/07/2024
🌿 honored and humbled 🌿
i am deeply moved to announce our nomination for the Indigenous Business Award with the . as a métis woman, small business owner + serial entrepreneur who has been fully self employed + financially independent since the ripe age of 26, this recognition feels like both a triumph + a reckoning, as my journey toward embracing my Indigenous heritage was far from straightforward.
in may 2021, when the remains of 215 murdered children were found at the kamloops indian residential school, my world changed. growing up, i was never taught about residential schools or the horrors endured by Indigenous communities. i grew up métis in british columbia, in so-called “Canada”, surrounded by Indigenous communities yet i hadn’t been taught a single thing about the history of my people on this stolen land in ANY of my many social studies or history classes throughout all of elementary or high school. this was absolutely shocking for me + a massive missing puzzle piece for me.
my own connection to “the Indian in me” was shadowed by shame, stereotypes + a lack of true understanding. as a result of colonization + generational trauma, my Indigenous elders and family members were also very uneducated on the history, or for what we don’t know — did not ever want to speak of what they knew or had endured.
when i learned the truth about our past, i felt a wave of grief, anger + clarity. that discovery shook me to the core, unraveling years of hidden pain + pushing me to embrace my ancestry unapologetically. i became determined to break stereotypes, to show that we can stand strong, proud + successful as Indigenous people.
today, as my beautiful business in squamish receives this nomination, i am reminded of why i always push to be recognized as Indigenous—to honor my ancestors, to rewrite our story + to pave the way for future generations. we have always been resilient. we have always been powerful. and today, i am proud to stand as proof.
here’s to celebrating Indigenous resilience, Indigenous women + excellence in all its forms.
if you’d like to vote for us + what we stand for, the link is in our bio 🫶🏼🧡👊🏼
