“Physical activity is already the foundation of cultural activities.”
COOK’S FERRY INDIAN BAND
Cook’s Ferry Indian Band’s Active Communities Grant project, ʔe k szʕʷ̓zoʕ ̓ ʷt kt – So We Will Be Strong, explored the interconnection between functional movement and cultural activities to promote physical health and cultural revitalization within the Nlaka’pamux Nation and Cook’s Ferry Indian Band. In collaboration, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Cook’s Ferry band members, and Nlaka’pamux members reframed exercise through the lens of traditional practices. The project “shows how Indigenous knowledge systems can guide innovative health programs, and connect members to culture, well-being, and the land.” – Project Lead
For this project, Cook’s Ferry Indian Band developed an advisory group to determine which cultural activities to focus on and develop an app-based fitness program. They also created a short film demonstrating the fitness app, and held public showings to introduce community members to the app and film. Project staff felt it was important to develop an app to help make the activities accessible to anyone who wanted to participate, whether at home, traveling, or as a community.
The short film and workout app connected functional movements like squatting, lifting, and balancing to cultural activities such as berry picking, fishing, and hunting. These activities integrated nɬeʔkepmxcin and oral stories for cultural continuity and a focus on the mental, emotional, and spiritual significance of movement in everyday life. Elders and Knowledge Keepers shared teachings on the physical and cultural importance of these practices, fostering intergenerational learning and engagement.
“I am happy to see our traditional language being used with physical health. If there was no language, I wouldn’t be interested in participating the program – it makes it feel more inclusive of our elders and speakers.”
-Community Participant
Watch the short film created for this project below!
Despite challenges with wildfires that delayed the project, it has been a major success.
The Project Lead said, “Overall, we are so happy with the outcome and the way the project unfolded for Cook’s Ferry Indian Band. It has reached beyond the core First Nation, and we have interest from neighbouring First Nation communities and organizations as well. We have been invited to present the project at a national conference, as well as we are using it as the foundation for an additional project that is focused on preparing members for hunting season. Physical fitness, we realize, is not just something you do when it is convenient for you. It is a lifestyle that you can weave into everyday practices, and most importantly, it is living within cultural practices that have been the foundation of Cook’s Ferry Indian Band for generations.”
Thank you to Mandy and the Cooks Ferry Indian Band for sharing your experience leading this fantastic project!
