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The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth

Join us in preserving and protecting our spiritual and cultural traditions for future generations.

About us

Nkukwa ta Tmucwa means Our Grandmother Earth in St'át'imcets language. St’át’imcets is one of the Interior Salish Languages of BC.

We are a non-profit, Indigenous founded and led, grass-roots community organization. Our core activities range from gathering, preserving, and sharing traditional Indigenous spiritual, legal, and cultural beliefs and practices to providing relief from conditions of poverty, hunger, and loneliness. Our initiatives are aimed at providing safe spaces where people can seek assistance, explore spiritual relationships, and increase their understanding and practice of Indigenous spirituality and ways of life.

Our Initiatives

Education & Knowledge Sharing

Education & Knowledge Sharing

We create spaces to learn about Indigenous teachings, history, colonization, and cultural perspectives. Through workshops, lectures, webinars, and publications, we spark meaningful dialogue and support understanding across communities.

Wellness, Youth & Empowerment

Wellness, Youth & Empowerment

We support Indigenous youth and young adults in building confidence, cultural connection, and future pathways.

Community, Culture & Solidarity

Community, Culture & Solidarity

We bring people together through intercultural events, art, storytelling, and advocacy. By celebrating diverse cultures, hosting gatherings, and supporting social causes, we strengthen unity, reconciliation, and collective action for justice.

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Our Grandmother Earth is doing an amazing job in promoting Indigenous culture and protecting our communities. Their efforts are truly inspiring and I'm grateful for their contribution to our community. Keep up the great work!

- Sophie

The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth has been a great help in my community. Their programs are well-organized and effective in promoting Indigenous spirituality. They have provided us with not only much needed resources, but also valuable education. I am thankful for their invaluable services.

- Emily G.

The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth has been an incredible support for my community. They have provided invaluable knowledge and resources that have helped us to better care for our environment. I'm immensely grateful for their commitment to making the world a better place.

- Danielle Smith

The idea that everything is interconnected across time and space is something that resonates deeply with Japanese culture, and this experience reaffirmed for me that our role has become all the more significant.

Prof. Nagano - Rotsumeikan University

Our Grandmother Earth is doing an amazing job in promoting Indigenous culture and protecting our communities. Their efforts are truly inspiring and I'm grateful for their contribution to our community. Keep up the great work!

- Sophie

The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth has been a great help in my community. Their programs are well-organized and effective in promoting Indigenous spirituality. They have provided us with not only much needed resources, but also valuable education. I am thankful for their invaluable services.

- Emily G.

The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth has been an incredible support for my community. They have provided invaluable knowledge and resources that have helped us to better care for our environment. I'm immensely grateful for their commitment to making the world a better place.

- Danielle Smith

The idea that everything is interconnected across time and space is something that resonates deeply with Japanese culture, and this experience reaffirmed for me that our role has become all the more significant.

Prof. Nagano - Rotsumeikan University

Our Grandmother Earth is doing an amazing job in promoting Indigenous culture and protecting our communities. Their efforts are truly inspiring and I'm grateful for their contribution to our community. Keep up the great work!

- Sophie

The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth has been a great help in my community. Their programs are well-organized and effective in promoting Indigenous spirituality. They have provided us with not only much needed resources, but also valuable education. I am thankful for their invaluable services.

- Emily G.

The Society of Nkukwa ta Tmucwa - Our Grandmother Earth has been an incredible support for my community. They have provided invaluable knowledge and resources that have helped us to better care for our environment. I'm immensely grateful for their commitment to making the world a better place.

- Danielle Smith

The idea that everything is interconnected across time and space is something that resonates deeply with Japanese culture, and this experience reaffirmed for me that our role has become all the more significant.

Prof. Nagano - Rotsumeikan University

News and Recent Events

On September 22nd, Mariko and Norm from the Collective led a workshop with Prof. Masami Shibata and the students of Shiga University, Japan.

Students shared that the workshop provided opportunities to learn about the ongoing impacts of settler-colonialism, and Indigenous perspectives and worldviews that they hadn't considered prior.

Prof. Masami Shibata

Although our time together was short, I feel that it gave the students an opportunity to encounter ways of seeing the world that are different from their own, and inspired them to want to learn more about things they do not yet understand.

What learning journey are you on?

#Indigenous #yvr #decolonization #culturalexchange

On April 11, SOGE was honoured to be invited as a special guest to the book launch of Demotopia by Dr. Sung Ming Chow at The Original Beanery café at UBC — a political science fiction novel set in Vancouver exploring democracy and artificial intelligence.

SOGE’s work connecting newcomers and settlers to the land was a personal source of inspiration for Dr. Chow during the writing process. As a recent immigrant from Hong Kong himself, the themes of belonging, community, and place carried special meaning throughout the evening.

During the event, SOGE founder Norm Leech shared reflections on the continuation of colonialism within the development of artificial intelligence, while also opening up conversation around the possibility of decolonizing AI. The discussion that followed was thoughtful, diverse, and deeply engaging.

Follow @chowsungming to learn more about his books.

Healing the traumas of colonization has revealed the underlying differences between colonized and uncolonized worldviews and why they may be irreconcilable. At a UBC webinar "HARD TRUTHS ABOUT- Reconciliation" in 2025, Elder Norm talked about his work that leads to this conclusion and the alternative paths to decolonizing that are much more healing.

Missed the webinar? No worries - click in our bio to watch the recording.

We invite you to share and continue the conversation with us.

#indigenous #reconciliation @ubclc @froghollowcreates @fnha @universityofbc

Our friend and collaborator Dr. Sung Ming Chow is releasing his first English novel, "Demotopbia", this coming April.

As a political science fiction set in an imagined Vancouver – “V Port” – this new work blends healthy opposition, social commentary, and a deep review of the bases of social organization.

🎉You are invited to attend the book launch event!
April 11, 2026
6:00-8:00pm
The Original Beanery Coffee House
University of British Columbia, 2706 Fairview Crescent, Vancouver

Set on lands shaped by layered histories of settlement and displacement, the novel resonates with Indigenous realities in Canada. By questioning how sovereignties are constructed—and who gets to participate in shaping them—it echoes ongoing conversations around Indigenous identities, self-determination, and the legacies of colonial governance. Its exploration of alternative democratic forms and human–AI collaboration also invites reflection on how future institutions might accommodate relational, land-based, and pluralistic ways of living that align more closely with many Indigenous worldviews.

Learn more: https://electromagneticprint.com/events

For the third year, one of BC's premier interfaith and intercultural galas returns—and you're invited!

Breaking Bread, Building Bonds has become one of the province's most anticipated gatherings where faith leaders, community builders, frontline workers, policymakers, and changemakers come together to break bread, share stories, and build the connections that heal our communities.

This year's focus: Mental Health & Self-Care

📅 Monday, March 9, 2026
⏰ 5:00–9:00 PM
📍Fraserview Banquet Hall - 8240 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC V5X 3X6
🔥RSVP Link >> bit.ly/BBBB3-2026
Or, >>> click link in bio👆

Our Society of Our Grandmother Earth (SOGE) is co-sponsoring this event once again, welcoming folks from all walks of life, seeking to embrace diversity and unity through interdisciplinary engagements among community leaders, mobilizers, educators, artists, social justice activists, journalists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, etc.

🔥 Why This Year Matters More Than Ever?
Right now, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness in any given year. Stress, anxiety, and grief are showing up everywhere—at kitchen tables, in classrooms, and on night shifts. Too many of us wait too long for care, and young people carry more worry than ever. All of these stresses, fears, worries and griefs contribute to complex trauma. But here's what we know: connection heals faster than isolation.

Year 3 aims to bring together 1,000 leaders, helpers, and hope-makers from every corner of our province—across faiths, cultures, and sectors—for one powerful night of learning, healing, and action.

We extend this invitation out to anyone who may be interested in attending!

Learn more and RSVP, click link in bio

As part of SOGE's educational work, Norm, Mariko, and Miki facilitated another highly successful Indigenous workshop for Japanese educators on November 22 at Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House. The participants included elementary and secondary school teachers, school board members, school counsellors, university professors, alternative school teachers, researchers, and university students - they were all from Japan. They were incredibly enthusiastic about the session.

They learned about trauma-informed care and experienced a healing circle using a talking piece, as well as approaches to address bullying and the growing issue of school withdrawal in Japan (currently affecting approximately 410,000 school-aged children).

@froghollowcreates
#education
#Japan
#traumainformedpractice #indigenous #yvr #vancouver

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