As a gesture of peace, respect, and friendship, we acknowledge that hcma resides on the unceded homelands of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ, and W̱SÁNEĆ nations.
We honour the elders and the people of these lands, and express our gratitude for their kindness and patience. We have begun the process of understanding what decolonization means to our practice, and the importance of Indigenous culture in all aspects of our work.
We live in a special place, with the rare opportunity to improve our relationship with its original people, and respect their culture, language, and role as stewards of these lands.
As settlers, we commit to being active participants in truth and reconciliation.
For so many people like myself that have indigenous ancestry and have lost connection to our heritage, reconciliation begins by reconnecting with our communities and acknowledging the importance of that loss to our identity. For me, this process is aided through the work that I am fortunate to get to do with First Nation communities.
Aiden Callison, Associate and Architect at HCMA, member of the Hwlitsum First Nation
We don’t offer any answers, but as an industry leader, we are listening and learning. Resources we have found useful are Michelle Nahanee's Decolonizing Practices workshop and AIGA's recent article, Decolonizing Design.
Please join the conversation with us.
