Lexéy’em: 2024 Tsecwmíntlemt re Scwesét (Welcome to the Journey) Event

Press Release

I, Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir, along with Tkwenem7íple7 Joshua Gottfriedsen, Tkwenem7íple7 Dave Manuel, and Tkwenem7íple7 Nikki Fraser, were delighted to represent Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc at the 2024 Tsecwmíntlemt re Scwesét (Welcome to the Journey) Event, _Skú7pecen’s Journey Letter Of Commitment_, hosted by Qwelmínte Secwépemc on Saturday, August 24th, at MSG.

The communities were originally brought together under the Reconciliation Framework Agreement (RFA), which expired in April 2013. Seven communities signed the QS G2G Letter of Commitment (LoC) with BC in March 2019, and today we have nine. The LoC acknowledges that QS and BC work under the collaborative principle articulated in the Story of Porcupine.

Along with our Brother and Sister Secwépemc Communities, knowledge builders, and youth interns of Qwelmínte Secwépemc, we welcomed new signatories: Whispering Pines Clinton Indian Band – Kúkpi7 Ed LeBourdais, High Bar First Nation – Kúkpi7 Jamie Fletcher, and Ministry of Water, Lands & Resource Stewardship – Deputy Minister Lori Halls. This was also an opportunity to extend appreciation and honor former Kúkpi7 Daryl Draney as the former Responsible Official, while also welcoming Kúkpi7 Michael Christian as the new Responsible Official.

Kukwstsétsemc to Qwelmínte Secwépemc for hosting this part of the ceremony at TteS’s MSG. At TteS, we are proud of the work by the Team Sku7pecen model, as it upholds our collective values of passing knowledge and understanding to the next generations of Yecweninum stewards and caretakers. We will continue to uphold our Ancestors’ guidance to protect the next seven generations. We know that the BC Ministries have a role to play in transforming land and resource management on behalf of all British Columbians. Through the QS-BC government-to-government work, we as nine signatories will continue to strive for true reconciliation for the benefit of future generations.

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