Healthy Homes for Sovereign Gitxsan

In Gitxsan communities, we have undergone a huge change in the way people are housed in the last 100 years, and are faced with a great number of challenges as a result of this. Many of our people do not have access to housing, living away from home on the streets, in precarious, unsafe or unstable situations. Many people living in community live in over-crowded homes, built with toxic materials which are not natural to our area. We live in what is known as a coastal temperate rainforest, with heavy precipitation, which results in high humidity. This means that the use of building materials and techniques which are not designed for our lands has resulted in mold problems in many homes, and homes which deteriorate much faster than we are accustomed to. 

Not having access to housing comes with a slew of other issues, including individual and community health. Many of our people are not able to access healing, when they cannot even access shelter, and often turn to the available coping mechanisms which are often unhealthy, toxic and sometimes lethal. 

In simple terms, the idea is to grow hemp, create a processing plant to create natural building materials (hempcrete and self-sourced timbers) and create a fundraising model for various groups within our nation to be able to house their people. We will be learning and problem-solving ourselves, and then share the knowledge freely amongst the rest of our people. 

We need to our people to have homes, and healthy homes, so that we can continue to heal and address the traumas and diseases that many of us suffer from as a result of colonialism. This project would aim to make it possible for our people to communally create homes for people in need, and increase our presence on our Lax'yip (our lands, which are inherited through hereditary lineages). This will result in both healing for our people, and the land, as we know that the presence of our people on land is greatly beneficial to biodiversity and collective adaptation to climate change.  

The processing plant would have a decorticating machine to separate the Hemp Hurd from the fibers, a band saw mill to create timbers, and the capacity to build hempcrete panels and blocks. 

The population we would like to serve are the unhoused Gitxsan people, many of which are our relatives. 

We are aiming to impact all of the Gitxsan people. Even for those that are housed, we are greatly concerned and affected by our relatives which do not have access to this, often working to find temporary solutions and hosting loved ones. Many of our people have never been assimilated to a European worldview, and do not seek to live according to a capitalist economic model. They are searching for opportunities to solve their own problems, and creating a home for ones self and/or loved ones is a greatly empowering act. 

I have already mentioned the lack of housing, which makes it impossible for many people to live at home, or have a safe space to stay if they would like to visit home for seasonal activities. 

The Gitxsan people are a nation situated on the Xsan or Skeena river, we are an ancient people with a living memory of ancient practices, laws and governance. Today there are 7 communities which identify as Gitxsan. We would begin this project in our own community, within our own traditional unit of governance, the wilp. The Wilp is often translated as "a house", which refers to our ancient practice of seasonally living in large long houses with our greater matrilineal family. Each Wilp has a group of Simgiigyet,(chiefs, or representatives), who have the greatest amount of responsibility for ensuring the needs of their people are met, and that their land will be able to provide for future generations. 

We would like to undertake this project in order to address the housing crisis in our family. 3 project members belong to the Wilp known as Git'luuhl'um'hetxwit, which has over 100 members, many of which are unhoused, or living in temporary situations with other family members. We would like to do this in a manner that lays a path for other families to follow, while creating access to the equipment and skills they will need. 4 of our 6 team members are contributing members to their wilp in Gitxsan society, including 1 umshiwa. Th two of the other team members are consistent volunteers for local wilp-based land stewardship and building projects. We all exist within the community we aim to serve, we are literally hoping to help house our cousins, and help others house theirs. 

Our farmer belongs to the Lax Gibuu (Wolf Clan) in Gitanmaax and hopes to serve their relatives who need housing in their family and community through this project. 

We have already started growing industrial hemp, and will be doing our first hempcrete workshop and build in the end of June 2023. We are very much in the concept state in many ways, but will soon have a tangible structure in the community of Sik-e-Dakh, which can be seen and felt by our community. 

The reason this project could be considered a prototype is that we have 7 cousins living on our Lax'yip in temporary but livable housing situations, including a cabin, an RV addition, a yurt platform, two wall tents and a converted shed which got dragged up the mountain from the village below. 

I believe that our team is in this project for some principled and relatable reasons, and will continue to pursue housing for our relatives regardless of any competition or grant. 

Maybe in hearing our story some others who have worked on similar solutions, or would like to support us in our journey, and eventually learn from it will benefit from us applying. 

The truth is that our community members do not seek to leave our community. We could greatly benefit from making connections with experienced and knowledgeable individuals who would like to come collaborate and share skills and/or knowledge. We could use help from those with experience in addressing housing crisis, and overall those with greater access to and knowledge of technology and potential uses of technology to facilitate our plan. Many Gitxsan people take every relationship as an opportunity to learn and share to mutually create abundance.  

I am a member of the Gisgaast (fireweed) clan of the Gitxsan people, I hold a hereditary title, Nii Lax Aks, within the wilp Git'luuhl'um'hetxw'it, and am familiar with and known to most in my community of Anspayaxw. I live for a good part of the year in Anspayaxw and our Lax'yip of Xsuwilmaasxwit, a nearby mountainside located just across the river from Anspayaxw. I have been engaged in land defense from illegal forestry, and supporting our neighbour's defense against an oil and gas corporation. 

I am a fisherman and provide fish and some other medicines gathered from the forest for my relatives and friends. I also build cedar bent-boxes and Wo'oum'hl (traditional cradles) for community members, who help me through trade or money.

I would say that our solution approaches this problem in an old way. This solution has naturally arisen based on the needs of our community, but also based on our strengths and existing connections and responsibilities. This solution would both address the crisis we are facing, and provide an opportunity for Gitxsan families to strengthen their connections and presence on their land. It is work that we are entirely capable of, and will benefit from in many ways. We understand the importance of working together, of providing for each other in a reciprocal Gitxsan economy. This is an organic solution, for how we can work towards a sovereign economy where we can address both address needs and strengthen community. 

Building with hempcrete in north america is in it's infancy, and is proving to have huge potential to create transformational change. Hemp also represents a potential for an incredible diversity of creations, many of which through the use of by-products. We would like to find uses and create opportunities for our cousins through making sure we use every part of the plant. 

We would like to have made it possible for all members of our Wilp to have access to housing on our Lax'yip. We would like to have 20 dwellings built in 5 years, in various areas of our Lax'yip, which are near seasonal harvesting sites and creeks. We would like to make it possible for wilp members who autonomously decide that they would like to return to our homelands and be able to build their own homes to be fully supported. We would like to organize builds where community can come together to build homes for family members which have been underhoused. 

This also represents an opportunity for us to create abundance on our land in a way which is a great departure from the colonial extractive economies. Growing hemp represents an opportunity to rehabilitate land which has been depleted by forestry. In 1 year we would like to do our first plant of hemp in a cutblock, which we will be working to rehabilitate this year. In 5 years we would like to see a cutblock full of hemp which will be used to grow houses for our people. We have a great deal to learn in this experimental part of our goal. 

 We will immediately and freely share our experiences, knowledge and connections with other Gitxsan families interested in creating their own solution on their Lax'yip. This principle is in alignment with ancient Gitxsan values, we exist as decentralized  authorities on our respective lands, while also supporting each other when needed. We would like to be at a point to be able to share our plans and see other hempcrete homes which we have not built start popping up on others Lax'yip. 

We would like to have had 5 workshops for hempcrete building in those 5 years, and have started to source funding to host cedar harvesting, and aforementioned tool and skill sharing workshops. 

Finally, the homes we will create will represent a transformative change for anyone who moves from a toxic home to a healthy one. Hempcrete is also known for its excellent insulation properties, which can help to regulate indoor temperature and humidity levels.  Additionally, the use of natural materials like hempcrete will reduce the risk of mold and mildew growth, which can contribute to respiratory problems and other health issues. We would like to see our people healthier, in 5 years. 

number of cousins housed

number of houses built

number of Huwilp (plural of wilp) affected

number of acres of hemp planted

amount of Gitxsan with knowledge of building with hempcrete

number of workshops hosted. 

Providing housing for indigenous people can be an important step towards achieving broader social and economic change, and it can be seen as a key component of a theory of change aimed at promoting sustainable development and social justice for indigenous communities. Here are a few ways in which providing housing can create change:

1. Improved health and well-being: Adequate housing can improve health outcomes by providing access to clean water and sanitation facilities, reducing exposure to environmental pollutants and hazards, and promoting healthy living conditions. This can lead to improved physical and mental health outcomes for indigenous people, which in turn can lead to greater productivity and improved quality of life.

2. Increased economic opportunities: Providing housing can also create economic opportunities for indigenous people by enabling them to stay on or return to their traditional lands, which may offer opportunities for sustainable livelihoods, such as agriculture, forestry, or ecotourism. This can lead to increased income and economic stability for indigenous people and their communities.

3. Strengthened cultural identity: Providing housing on traditional lands can also help to strengthen cultural identity and connection to the land for indigenous people, which is important for preserving and promoting indigenous knowledge and practices, and fostering a sense of community and belonging. This can contribute to the resilience and well-being of indigenous communities.

4. Addressing social justice issues: Providing housing for indigenous people can also be an important step towards addressing social justice issues such as inequality, discrimination, and marginalization. By ensuring that indigenous people have access to adequate housing and basic services, such as clean water, sanitation, and healthcare, their basic human rights are being upheld and their overall quality of life is being improved.

Overall, providing housing for indigenous people can contribute to a broader theory of change aimed at promoting sustainable development and social justice for indigenous communities, by improving health outcomes, increasing economic opportunities, strengthening cultural identity, and addressing social justice issues.

As Gitxsan people, we have built with cedar since time immemorial. It is a material completely suited to our environment, where a cedar log will last for generations longer than that of another species not indigenous to our area. Most homes these days are built with other species which are far more accessible. We have not lived in our traditional dwellings, the wilp, for many generations now and there is not a living memory of living in that way. I believe this would be a transformational change for us. We have to recognize the inadequacy of the solutions being provided to us by the canadian government. 

Returning to the natural and ancestral building methods and principles that emerged from our land, as well as incorporating the newfound techniques and technologies will be key to our project's success. We would like to build homes with natural, self-sourced materials, though this will take further experimentation, learning and remembering. 

We would like to learn from leaders in the knowledge of off-grid living technology and thoughts. We would like to have the support of people who could help us in the design off grid water systems, electricity, heating, communication and security/safety systems.

We are an independent group, mostly connected through work supporting Git'luuhl'um'hetxw'it return to lax'yip. We access funding through our relationship to a local organization, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, who we are grateful to for support. 

Our team consists of 3 Gitxsan community members, and 3 local Umshiwa who are a part of the Gitxsan community. 4 of which are active in the hereditary business of the local villages and are part of local huwilp. 

For all of our housing projects so far, they have been built in partnership with the family member who would end up living there. We have learned so much from our relatives who have experienced and learned from their experiences of being homeless. We aim to expand our team to include some of the people who will be building their homes through our project. We hope to empower our people through this, to provide for themselves and feeling of ownership and pride in their healthy and well-built home. 

We hope to create safe spaces for our people (literally) and will not tolerate hate towards our loved ones, no matter any aspect of their identity. We hope to be a welcoming space and service to those of any gender, sexual orientation, history of addiction, as well as serving a diversity of ages, clans, huwilp and villages.

As Gitxsan people, our housing, and business is intimately tied to our ancient kinship and governance system. 

Our key beneficiaries are the Gitxsan peoples we aim to empower to make houses. We hope to gather skills, knowledge, supporters and funds from the world and bring them back home to our people so we can begin to live naturally on our Lax'yip once more. 

It would seem that a description as a social enterprise would be suitable, but this is certainly an area in which we need support to nail down the scope of our initial offerings and overall structure. 

The overall aim of this project is to bring these things to autonomous groups of Gitxsan, and be able to witness a solution which will not require Gitxsan people to be need to see housing our own people as a business. In the long run, we hope to increase accessibility and educate and empower people to be able to use our offerings to cultivate their own families housing ecosystem independently.  

1. Grants and donations
2. Processing and Sale of hemp hurd
3. Potential for natural building materials centre. 
4. Use of hemp fibres by talented community members
5. Supporting other communities in need to get similar projects off the ground & workshops

We hope to serve low-income clients and thus aim to create a housing solution with the lowest possible cost while being a healthy natural home. We aim to minimize expenses and will face little to no labour costs when it comes to building

So far we have been primarily sustained through a grant that came alongside being shortlisted for Housing Supply challenge by Canada's Mortgage and Housing Agency. The Challenge aims to remove or reduce barriers that hinder housing supply. $300 million in funding will be awarded over 5 years. While so far we have accessed around $250,000 to develop our solution. 

Specifically we were successful in the Northern Access Round: Supply Chain Solutions for Northern and Remote Housing. 

On all of the building projects on Xsuwilmaasxw accomplished so far, we have sourced our funding through various foundations. We have purchased a band saw mill and have built on a volunteer basis, while providing some wages to community members when possible and/or necessary to accelerate completion of projects. 

Overall this solution comes from a dream our family has been holding, that comes from the prayers of our ancestors to see our people living on our Lax'yip once more. It is my belief (Nii Lax Aks) that supporting and protecting Indigenous people, and supporting the return to land by Indigenous people will be absolutely vital to a successful whole ecosystem adaption to the increasingly volatile and unpredictable climate changes we are experiencing. 

Thank you for your consideration

Hamiyaa