About Nesika
Our Mission
The Nesika Cultural and Heritage Society (Nesika) is a registered charity that provides practical education, community-based research and cultural programs that seek to preserve and promote Aboriginal Title and Rights and the sovereignty and self-determination of B.C. First Nations.
Nesika recognizes that the protection of Aboriginal Title and Rights is strongly linked to the preservation of First Nations culture and heritage. We work to pass on the cultural knowledge we have been given and protect the land, water and resources we have now to pass on strength and pride for future generations.
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Our Vision
The purpose of our charity is to support projects that promote and provide practical education, conduct community-grounded research, disseminate knowledge and deliver and support grassroots projects of, by, and for First Nations communities.
Our Values
Nesika, which means “Our Voice” in Chinook jargon, carries on the tradition of promoting communication and education guided by the values that there is “power in knowledge” and “strength in unity.”
For B.C. First Nations, our strength flows from our ability to exercise self-determination over our own lands and waterways, enact our own governance structures and stand proudly as unified First Nations people. Colonialism has made every attempt to divide and individualize us; our successes multiply anytime where we can stand together as a collective against these harmful forces.
Our values and practices are expressly driven by diverse Indigenous peoples with knowledge gathered from over 50 years of research, lived-experience, and genuine desire to create change through a non-colonial, equity-serving lens.
Meet the Nesika team
Chief Marilyn Slett
Chief Marilyn Slett is a citizen of the Heiltsuk Nation and the elected chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council. She is currently serving her third consecutive term as chief councillor, beginning in 2008 and following previous positions as tribal councillor and executive director of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council.
She is also currently the president of Coastal First Nations, on the board of directors of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, the co-chair of the Wild Salmon Advisory Council to British Columbia, and she has served as the B.C. women's representative on the Assembly of First Nations Women's Council.
Robert Chamberlin
Robert (Bob) Chamberlin, Owadi, is a member of the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation, where he served as Chief Councilor. Bob has also served as the Vice-President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs for 10 years, actively engaging in the defense of Aboriginal Title and Rights, and defending the coast.
As a single dad, Bob raised his son with core values that matter: working hard to build a life we can be proud of, being community-minded consistent with our First Nations teachings, respecting the people and the environment around him, and being accountable and responsible for his actions. Bob is proud and grateful to have dedicated his career to raising awareness about our most urgent democratic, environmental and social issues, grounded strongly in a belief that a better way forward is achievable.
Coreen Child
Coreen Child, Yakawilas, is a member of the Kwakiutl (Kwagu’ł) First Nation and has many connections to the nobility across Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw communities. She traces her lineage to times before contact and carries many ancestral lines across Kwak’wala-speaking Nations.
Coreen has served multiple terms as an elected Chief Counsellor and in many leadership positions advocating for Indigenous Rights and Title, the Rights of Indigenous women and girls, and language as well as advocacy for cultural resurgence. She is a traditional singer, dancer, and cultural educator, as well as a leader advocating for Indigenous communities regionally, nationally and internationally.
Coreen holds a bachelor’s degree in education, with a specialization in language revitalization and is currently completing her Masters in Indigenous Governance. She is currently the Executive Director of the Awi’nakola Foundation. Awi’nakola Vision - Maya'xa̱la x̱a̱n’s a̱wi'nakola: A way of life that respects the air, land, sea, and spirit.
Marilyn Baptiste
Marilyn Baptiste served as Chief 2008-13 and then as Council 2013-18 for her community of Xeni Gwet’in First Nation in British Columbia, one of the six First Nations that make up the Tsilhqot’in Nation which was awarded the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision declaring Aboriginal title in 2014.
Marilyn co-founded the First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM) to challenge mining development projects and policy in BC and in Xeni Gwet’in land, while supporting other areas of British Columbia facing similar challenges. She has collaborated with community leaders from the Yunesit’in and the broader Tsilhqot’in Nation to permanently protect Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) and the surrounding areas as Dasiqox, Nexwagwez?an ~ there for us.
For her work in leading her community to defeat a large mining project, Marilyn has been the recipient of several awards, including the 2010 Boreal Initiative Award, the Wilderness Committee’s Eugene Environmental Award, the Activist of the Year Award by the Council of Canadians and the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, the world’s largest international award for grassroots environmental activism. Marilyn lives at home in Nemiah Valley BC and remains committed to defending First Nations’ values on the land and water and in her community supporting healthy children and families, language and culture for strong future generations.
Nesika finds its roots in the historical newsletters of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs; the historical periodical that was published by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs was the seed that eventually grew into the Nesika Cultural and Heritage Society.
