Promoting restoration using story and art

We are of Water  

Cover of the Graphic Novel by Chenoa Gao

 We are of Water is a graphic novel featuring indigenous perspectives and stories illustrated by Muskeg Lake Cree Member Métis artist Chenoa Gao. It has been an amazing novel to be a part of and I am so humbled and honoured to have been asked to share my story. My story is not only my own, but I must also give credit to all those who have contributed to it and my perspectives; my grandparents Tousilum and Sulsameethl and Diane and Wes Modeste, my mom Brianna Thorne, and my ancestors before me who brought life to all the stories and passions of the land and water that were told to me.  

I often have thought about the lack of representation in media as something I simply “had to live with”, something that would never change because it seems that the status quo within white society remains the same. However, hope was brought to me when Chenoa asked me to be a part of “We are of Water” I was absolutely in love with the idea of our stories being brought together and illustrated in such an accessible way. The first time that I read through the graphic novel I cried. I cried because I saw people I know, that looked like me sharing their passion for the land, sharing their teachings and perspectives that are much like my own. I felt a sense of comfort and warmth knowing that I wasn’t alone, we weren’t alone in this. For many indigenous people and people of colour we don’t get to see ourselves the same way in media, we don’t see ourselves on billboards, commercials, tv shows, graphic novels or movies. We see our relatives on missing posters, we see the sad statistics of our people and it feels like that’s the extent of our representation. So, when I got to hold this book in my hands and share it with my friends and family- it was so healing, so emotional and I felt so proud to be Quw’utsun.  

Huy ch q’u to Chenoa for breathing life into these stories, for witnessing us all and relaying our messages from across so called British Columbia and to Healthy Watersheds Initiative for making sure that our messages ripple near and far.