ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL
INDIGENOUS FOODS INITIATIVE
Initiative Documents
ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENT
"ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL Initiative is a living entity, and is meant to embody its name through all aspects of ‘doing good work together.’ ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL implies that it is an action or a continuous motion, that represents constant transformation and growth.
...ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL supports Indigenous-led, community and place based initiatives through grants, programs, and resources within the territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ, Lekwungen, Tsuk, and Pacheedaht. We assert ourselves as Indigenous leaders by partnering with peoples, communities, and families to fulfill our collective responsibility to care for the land..."
Find the Mandate, Goal, Objective, Guiding Principles, Scope, and Accountability statements full ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL Foundational Document here.
ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL INDIGENOUS-LED PLACE BASED GRANTING
Colonialism and Indigenous-led Place Based Granting Process:
"...Colonialism has introduced a foreign economy and currency to Indigenous lands and communities that has forced poverty into our lives. This intrusion of land and place has dehumanized Indigenous cultures and sustenance economies, where definitions of wealth, currency, and value are undermined..."
"...Money is a deliberate barrier imposed on Indigenous peoples as a tool of colonization. Indigenous-led Place Based Granting, led by local Indigenous peoples and laws, acts as a process of converting currency, and reinforces wealth from the point of view of the tə́ŋəxʷ | tumulhw..."
Colonial impacts on Indigenous food systems...
"...Being segregated to Indian Reserves or being displaced from our homelands alters our mental, physical, and spiritual health. Colonization of land is colonization of our food systems. Starvation is a weapon of colonialism that intentionally separates xʷílŋəxʷ | hwulmulhw from tə́ŋəxʷ | tumulhw..."
ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATMENT
ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL Intellectual Property Statement:
"...The ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL Leadership Team and Initiative are bound culturally to protect the integrity of the knowledge and experiences of the SNA’WY’LTH (roughly translated as ‘sacred teachings’). This is an integral part of the operating, managing, and planning of the Initiative, and the content or development of the Initiative does not belong to any person, or any partner associated with the ŚW̱,ȻENEṈITEL Initiative. This includes the use or practice of the work - visual, oratory, experiential, historical or contemporary reference materials, or relationships (contacts, collaborators)..."
For the full statement by the Initiative, please follow the link here.