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Learn from Indigenous People – Introducing Indigenous Tourism BC’s Ambassadors
June 15, 2022
Learn from Indigenous storytellers who share their lives on social media and deliver educational and personal content that raises awareness of Indigenous cultures, communities, and realities.
The only way to learn about Indigenous peoples is from Indigenous peoples. In an environment where many are ready to learn the truth and beauty of Indigenous lives, the story must be Indigenous–told by Indigenous storytellers from Indigenous perspectives.
Storytelling is not only by fire; stories come in more forms than legends.
Our stories are in our conversations with others and our relationship with the land. Indigenous peoples are storytellers by nature, and we share stories no matter where we go. It is who we are – listeners and tellers of experience.
Storytelling is one way we share knowledge. It is how we share our authentic selves and experience. It is how we express our passion for language, land, culture, and each other. It is how we make a difference for the benefit of our families, our communities, and our traditional territories. Some stories we tell come directly from our grandparents, and some come through us from our own hearts, minds, and skills.
Learn from Indigenous storytellers who share their lives on social media and deliver educational and personal content that raises awareness of Indigenous cultures, communities, and realities and creates a safe space for unique expressions of Indigenous values.
From among the many talented and expressive Indigenous content creators in BC, we are proud to welcome and introduce our 2022 ITBC Ambassadors, Ali Assu and Aaron Pete.
Follow Ali and Aaron for the next twelve months as they teach, learn, listen, talk, travel, and visit in #IndigenousBC.
Meet Ali Assu
Ali Assu is Wet’suwet’en from Witset, British Columbia. In 2021, Ali chose to make a big change. She left her role as Provincial Coordinator, Performance Sport at Indigenous Sport, Activity & Recreation Council (ISPARC) and launched Westcoast Wildflowers – an Indigenous lifestyle boutique–first as a holiday pop-up and then as a physical retail shop.
Westcoast Wildflowers looks to create a safe space and remove barriers to competition in the retail market for Indigenous artisans. In addition, Ali is committed to Indigenous education and recently launched Wildflowers Indigenous Scholarship to support First Nation, Metis, and Inuit peoples obtaining post-secondary education in British Columbia.
Ali is a mother, wife, business owner, and content creator. She is best known for serving up Indigenous business owner realness, family cameos, and collaborations with Indigenous makers, creators, and medicine keepers on Instagram and Tiktok. ITBC welcomes this partnership and shares Ali’s mission to support the local and Indigenous economy and growth while building meaningful and authentic partnerships across communities.
Meet Aaron Pete
Aaron Pete is a member of Chawathil First Nation, a community located within Sto:lo Territory. Raised in Chilliwack, BC, by an Indigenous single mother born with a disability, Aaron’s experience of community support gave him a deep understanding of the value of community.
He is a graduate of Peter A. Allard School of Law. He makes a significant impact as host of the Bigger Than Me Podcast, where he speaks with leaders in art, culture, education, community, and governance to learn how they make an impact bigger than themselves. Aaron is passionate about dialogue and discourse and shares his one-on-one talks and experiences on Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram.
A thoughtful interviewer, Aaron is committed to intellectual conversations about interesting topics–even difficult ones–that contribute to community in a positive way. ITBC welcomes this partnership and shares Aaron’s mission to bridge gaps in understanding and make learning about Indigenous topics accessible.