Here is a memoir and a call to action. Rueben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation shares the story of the spiritual, cultural, and political resurgence of a nation taking action to reclaim their lands, waters, law, and food systems in the face of colonization in his memoir, It Stops Here. Recounting the intergenerational struggle of the Tsleil-Waututh to overcome the harms of colonization, it also underscores the powerful stance they have taken against the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Ultimately, this is a call for policymakers to prioritize sacred territory over oil profits. Join us for this important conversation and a reminder of the importance of allyship in the face of megaproject destruction. Moderated by Michelle Cyca.

Presented in partnership with Talking Stick Festival.

Event Participants:

Rueben George

RUEBEN GEORGE is Sun Dance Chief and a member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN). After working as a family counsellor for twenty years, he became manager of the TWN’s Sacred Trust initiative to protect the unceded Tsleil-Waututh lands and waters from the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. Over the past decade, he has travelled across the world and built alliances with Indigenous people fighting for water, land, and human rights, and has become an internationally renowned voice for such issues. Rueben has been adopted and made a Sun Dance Chief by two Lakota families, and incorporates his cultural and spiritual teachings in all aspects of his life and work, including his work as a consultant to All Nations Cannabis.