Yin Kak Honzu: The Earth is Beautiful

Visit the Ecohealth Knowledge to Action Research Group website to view a Wet’suwet’en Story put together by Sarah Harris, the Ecohealth Knowledge to Action Research Group and a collaborative group of Knowledge holders & Elders from the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

Digital Story Outline – Yin Kak Honzu: The Earth is Beautiful

How they pulled it together:
This is a project in partnership with UNBC and Northern Health’s Ecohealth Knowledge to Action (KTA) project that promotes an integrated approach that links watershed governance, health and communities. An ecohealth approach is way to see how we can work together to have better health of the people, watersheds & territories. Sandra Harris is a volunteer member on the KTA steering committee.

The Yin Kak Honzu digital story is in three main sections. The first section is to share photos and teachings about Wet’suwet’en Laws — wiggus, inuk nu’at’en, feasts and yintahk. The second section is about healthy people in our Nation and communities and third section is about wellness and activities that promote our connections to our way of life. All together it creates a holistic approach to wellbeing, linking the land and people into one.

Collaboration:
KTA offers a digital storytelling/social media workshop to explore different ways of sharing ecohealth stories. Sandra Harris is approached to see if there is an interest to make a digital story from a group in the Skeena Watershed/Northwest. Sandra contacts the Wet’suwet’en Office to see if there is interest to work together to make digital story. Sandra and UNBC’s Research Manager, Vanessa Sloan Morgan make a presentation to the Office of the Wet’suwet’en Board of Directors (Chief’s Table) and make a pitch. Sandra has a draft outline of a digital story. The Chiefs provide their feedback and requests and there is approval to move forward. As ownership of the story is a concern, Sandra has signed a Partnership Agreement with the Wet’suwet’en office to ensure the ownership stays with the people. An ethics approval form is submitted to UNBC, consent forms are drafted up for those participating in the digital story sharing their voice or photos.

Sandra collaborates with O.W., Debbie, Lorraine, and John Ridsdale to identify the pictures to capture the general outline of the story. Sandra pulls together the three main sections of the story board and presents the concepts back to the Chiefs table for feedback and a go ahead. After many visits to O.W. (6 in total), to Wet’suwet’en speakers and community members, tracking down signed consent forms, the photos are completed and follow the story board as outlined below. The third presentation was to the O.W. staff who made much valued feedback, the digital story went through some edits, and then was ready for presentation to the Wet’suwet’en Chiefs Table.

The Chiefs Table, UNBC, Northern Health and First Nations Health Council representatives reviewed the digital story and it was approved! After one final round of small edits the digital story is now completed.