Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc

REPORT BY KÚKWPI7 ROSANNE CASIMIR, ON BEHALF OF THE BCAFN

“Kukwstép-kucw re tmicw-kt, re qelmúcw-kt, ell re stsq̓ey̓s-kucw.”
“We give thanks to the land, the people, and the ancestors.”
“Sabāḥ an-nūr — a morning of light to each of you.”

At the inaugural World Summit on Indigenous Peoples and Nature, I stood with leaders from across the globe to affirm a shared truth: our presence here is not symbolic — it is the result of generations of perseverance, resistance, and resurgence. I shared the Tkemlups te Secwépemc journey of healing, reclamation, and Indigenous-led solutions to global challenges, rooted in our laws, languages, and lands.

Journey from Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc to the World Stage

Representing the BC Assembly of First Nations, I carried with me the voices, teachings, and hopes of my people, and a powerful piece of home: a Tk’emlúps traditions art piece by Tessa Jensen, a proud member of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. Her creation now lives as part of the Tree of Diversity in Abu Dhabi, a symbol of cultural continuity and global solidarity.

Tessa is continuing the legacy of her father; a self-taught artisan whose work draws inspiration from the ancestral stories found in the archaeological record of Secwépemc lands. His creations have been celebrated internationally, including at the renowned Santa Fe Indian Market. Tessa’s contribution honours this lineage, and I am proud that her work now extends this story to the global stage.

 

Key Messages from the Address to the Indigenous Pavilion

Truth and Resilience: We honour those we’ve lost and those who endured, especially the children taken by residential schools, such as the 215 anomalies representing the potential unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Justice, Not Symbolism: Reconciliation requires structural change, justice, restitution, co-decision-making, and land return — not gestures.

Indigenous Law is Living Law: From Pípsell to the Great Bear Initiative, Indigenous governance is exercised through stewardship, story, and ceremony. Conservation is sovereignty.

Global Indigenous Leadership: Our knowledge is not folklore, it is science, policy, and law. Indigenous-led climate action and IPCAs are central to global sustainability.

A Call to Action: Reconciliation must include the renunciation of the Doctrine of Discovery, a foundational colonial structure that must be dismantled.

A Legacy of Relationship and Responsibility

My participation in this summit, and the inclusion of Tessa Jensen’s art, represents a bridge between ancestral knowledge and future generations, between local action and global responsibility. It affirms the importance of partnerships, where shared values of education, culture, and reconciliation are embedded in tangible legacies.

As Kukwpi7, I stand in honour of those who came before, and in responsibility to those not yet born. The road to justice is long, but we are walking it, together. Biodiversity, climate action, indigenous values and knowledge of the land need to be part of the global responsibility that we all have to Mother Earth, in unity.

Kukwstsétsemc. Shukran jazīlan. Thank you.

Advocating for Indigenous partnerships

I met with Kerry Buck, Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security and Political Affairs at Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and advocated for further support to Indigenous partnerships to empower Indigenous actions and strengthen collaborative work.

Highlights:

Full participation at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE

• Contributing on recognition and strengthening indigenous peoples in conservation: We are a part of history; this is the 1st in person summit of Indigenous Peoples and the inaugural Indigenous Peoples Pavilion at the IUCN Nature Congress in over 70 years of IUCN’s existence. Inclusion of cultural and traditional ceremonies and official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
• Sharing and among many Indigenous peoples from Africa, Oceania, America, the Arctic, the Emirates, and all the rest of the world who shared ancestral wisdom, reconciliation, traditional knowledge, indigenous governance, biodiversity, and climate action.
• The IUCN Congress hosted more than 10,000 representatives from across the world, and despite all the successful efforts from the Indigenous members and the IUCN Indigenous staff, Indigenous peoples are still unrepresented. I advocate for further support for Indigenous’ participation, particularly from Canada and BC.
• Visit to world renowned Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, huge cultural significance, built in 1996, capacity for over 40,000 worshippers and is a key religious and cultural landmark. Offers free access for appreciation of it promotion of peace, tolerance, and unity, and respect for traditions, I did wear an abaya to respect Islamic traditions.
• Took a couple hours to enjoy the Sea and a dip into the pool.