Senaqwila Wyss

The City of Burnaby, together with representatives from the four Host Nations on whose unceded territories the City is located, including xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), and with the expertise of Indigenous filmmaker Kamala Todd and her team, present Together On These Lands. This film is a representation of the Host Nations and their continuing presence and connection to their territories on which Burnaby is now located. It is an educational resource about the history of this place and about the original stewards of these lands as told by knowledge keepers from the Host Nations. We thank representatives from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) and Indigenous filmmaker Kamala Todd and her team for their important role in creating this film.

Kamala Todd's short film is a lyrical portrait of Cease Wyss, of the Squamish Nation. Wyss is a woman who understands the remarkable healing powers of the plants growing all over downtown Vancouver. Whether it's the secret curl of a fiddlehead, or the gentleness of comfrey, plants carry ageless wisdom with them, communicated through colour, texture, and form. Wyss has been listening to this unspoken language and is now passing this ancient and intimate connection down to her own daughter, Senaqwila.