From Awe to Action: In Right and Respectful Relations

For countless generations, Indigenous Peoples have cared for the lands and waters that sustain us all. Join Braided River for an evening exploring how Indigenous knowledge, science, and cultural traditions continue to shape conservation today. Drawing from the two campaigns Guardians of Life and In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations, with storytelling from Kiliii Yüyan and Jay Julius Xw’tot lhem, this conversation highlights stories of leadership, reciprocity, and the enduring relationships between people and place.

You will hear from Kiliii Yüyan, Photographer and National Geographic Explorer, who brings to life stories from the Arctic sea ice, beneath the waves, and within the heart of human communities. Of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) descent, he works through a cross-cultural lens, exploring how humanity—inseparable from the natural world—lives in relationship with land and sea.

Kiliii’s co-presenter is Jay Julius Xw’tot lhem, fisherman, Former Chairman and Councilman at Lummi Nation, and current President of Se’Si’Le. Se’Si’Le is an Indigenous-led and run non-profit based in Bellingham, WA. Their mission is to utilize Indigenous ancestral knowledge for the benefit of our Mother Earth, Indigenous lifeways, and for future generations.

Join Braided River and Town Hall for a conversation navigating Right and Respectful Relationships and Indigenous Knowledge!