Joni Olsen on the Importance of the Island to the Tsartlip Nation and the Role of Traditional Knowledge in Preserving the Integrity of the Landscape
On November 8th, the Conservancy is pleased to welcome Joni Olsen to the Mayne Island Agricultural Hall as the second speaker in this fall’s Speaker Series.
Joni Olsen (ZȺWIZUTIA) is a member of the W̱SÁNEĆ community, from the Tsartlip First Nation, who have had a presence on SḴŦAḴ | Mayne Island for millennia. Joni is a Policy/Negotiations Manager for the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, having previously served as an elected Councillor for the Tsartlip First Nation for 14 years. She is also involved in the W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust, which was created to protect and care for sites of ecological, historic, and cultural value within W̱SÁNEĆ traditional territories.
Joni has degrees from the University of Victoria in Political Science and Indigenous and Environmental Studies, and a master’s degree in public administration. She strongly believes in the principles and values of the W̱SÁNEĆ culture, in Indigenous Rights and Title, and their Treaties. Today Joni is creating policies and building relationships guided by W̱SÁNEĆ values to educate, create opportunity, remove barriers, and fundamentally change the system in which we live.
Joni is a 4th generation Salish knitter who shares her culture through her business, Salish Fusion Knitwear. Salish Fusion was featured in season seven of the CBC show “Dragon’s Den.” Knitting is very much in Joni’s blood: she learned the art and craft alongside her mother Sylvia. Like her W̱SÁNEĆ grandmother Laura, Joni doesn’t just knit, she creates.
Joni will speak about her family’s deep ties to the island, and her vision for conservation through her work with the W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust. Join us for Joni’s talk on November 8th at 7 pm, in the Mayne Island Agricultural Hall.
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