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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

At this year’s Japanese Canadian Powell Street Festival (Aug 3, 2025), we were honoured to support and co-host a workshop on Indigenous worldviews and the concepts of coexistence and inclusion. Led by Norm and Mariko, and hosted by Miki (now one of our board directors), the session brought together Japanese university and high school students — along with their teachers — for a meaningful afternoon of learning and dialogue.

This workshop is one of many initiatives SOGE has supported this year to help share Indigenous knowledge, strengthen cross-cultural learning, and build relationships across communities. We’re grateful for every opportunity to create these spaces of connection.

We would like to share a reflection from Dr. Nagano, Professor at Ritsumeikan University who participated in the workshop:

“Norm Leech’s workshop was a deeply moving experience. My knowledge expanded, and I became more open and empathetic toward people with different opinions and values.

I sensed strong parallels between First Nations worldviews and Japanese perspectives on nature and history — especially the belief that everything is interconnected across time and space.

This workshop reaffirmed the values that must guide community-based work, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone wishing to broaden their worldview and apply these insights to future research, social movements, and community revitalization.”

🤝✨ SOGE remains committed to supporting initiatives that foster learning about Indigenous teachings, relationship-building, and grounded conversations for a more connected future.

🌿 Hard Truths about Reconciliation — a powerful talk by Elder Norm Leech

Healing the traumas of colonization reveals underlying differences between colonized and uncolonized worldviews — and why some may be irreconcilable. In this talk Norm shares the work behind that conclusion and explores alternative paths toward decolonizing and healing.

Click link in bio to watch the video

🎓 This video is presented by UBC Learning Circle | Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health — thank you for making this learning available. @ubclc

"For thousands of years before the invasion and colonization of the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands, Indigenous peoples across these regions lived in deep relationships with the land, understanding it as sacred and shared."
Our very own Norm Leech, also the President of the Downtown Eastside Community Land Trust, will be joining the panel for “CLTs as a Step Towards Decolonizing Our Relationships to Land” — a webinar exploring how community land trusts can return sacred land to Indigenous stewardship and support decolonial approaches to housing and sustainability.

📅 November 25 | 1:30–3:00 PM (PT)
💻 Register: cltweb.org/event/clts-decolonizing-relationships-land @cltcenter

Join the conversation and learn how CLTs can help build more just and healing relationships with the land.

On September 30th, we observed the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Norm — one of the founding members of SOGE — was featured in this CBC piece reflecting on the significance of this day in Vancouver and across B.C.

Click link in bio to read more.

#truthandreconciliationday

✨ Check out the latest issue of Archive Quarterly ✨

Created by Kerry Coast — a writer, journalist, and long-time advocate for Indigenous rights and sovereignty — Archive Quarterly honours the indomitable spirit of the Peoples west of the Rockies.

It looks at BC’s history from both sides — not just the settler story we often hear, but also the Indigenous experiences that shaped and resisted it. Through written records and interviews with Elders, it shares powerful stories of strength, resistance, and community.

We’re proud that SOGE is one of the sponsors supporting this important work. 💛

#ArchiveQuarterly #indigenoushistory #bchistory #communitystories #soge

September 26th - A Taste of Lillooet: Multicultural Edition

This amazing fun and food-filled event, co-produced by SOGE, highlighted the diversity of community with music from around the world, tasty treats, the St'at'imc Drummers.

The event was attended by roughly 50 visitors/locals throughout the morning, 80 people including vendors and presenters.

#soge #multicultural #sharing #lillooet

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