Join us for a profound evening where the wisdom of Indigenous voices fills the sanctuary with ancestral knowledge and cultural richness. This intimate gathering features four respected storytellers bringing forth the threads of tradition, memory, and lived experience that connect past, present, and future.
Through the powerful art of storytelling, Norm Leech, Suzanne Steele, Mary Point, and Blue Sky will share narratives that carry the heartbeat of their communities, offering insights into resilience, connection, and the enduring power of Indigenous knowledge systems.
All are welcome to experience the transformative power of storytelling in a space that honors the sacred tradition of sharing knowledge through the spoken word. Come listen, learn, and witness the beauty of Indigenous voices rising in celebration of their stories.
EVENT DETAILS:
Friday, June 12, 2026
Doors: 6:30PM
Event: 7:00PM
Cost: Sliding scale admission ($5-$20), no one turned away for lack of finances, with all proceeds benefiting the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society.
St. Andrew’s-Wesley Sanctuary (SW corner of Burrard & Nelson St.)
Accessible entrance located on Nelson St.
BIOS:
Norm Leech is Executive Director of the Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House in East Vancouver. Norm speaks widely on intergenerational trauma due to colonization. He is a member of the T’it’q’et community of the St’at’imc nation where he has served as Chief and also Administrator. He draws on his experiences as a recovering alcoholic/ addict, and spiritual explorer to inform his current work which includes many boards and committees. “Because all our ancestors are in the land, and the land is our oldest ancestor. Once we started reconnecting with that and understanding that that was where all our original health, strength, wisdom, and learnings came from, then it just made so much sense, that this would be the pathway forward for Indigenous people.”
Dr. Suzanne Steele is an award-winning poet, installation artist, librettist, and scholar. She is Métis (Gaudry and Fayant) with roots that extend back to the first families (French and Anishinaabe). In 2017, Suzanne Steele won a Canada Council 150 New Chapter Award, which commissioned her to write an opera about Métis leader Louis Riel. She worked with composer Neil Weisensel and Métis fiddler Alex Kusturok. Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North premiered with the Manitoba Opera in Winnipeg on 18 November 2023. The play was performed in five different languages, including French Michif, Southern Michif, Anishinaabemowin, English and French. “Turn your despair, turn your joy, into words. Your words matter.”
Mary Point is a proud member of the Musqueam Indian Band – formerly Musqueam Facilities Manager and Community Planner. She has worked throughout British Columbia for two decades, developing strategic partnerships with a range of First Nations communities and local businesses. Mary brings extensive experience in strategic communications, partnerships and community relations to her position at YVR. “What is the story you want to tell around reconciliation and action when people ask you what you did?”
Blue Sky born in the Qu’appelle Valley in Saskatchewan Jay Groening was given the name Blue Sky by his moshum and is part of the Cree nation and member of Kahkewistahaw First Nation. A 60s scoop survivor, this gold seal mechanic and visual artist has been on a journey he calls “his renaissance”: recovering stories and expressing them through art in order to pass on, to lift and give hope, and pride to a culture that has been persecuted and nearly extinguished. “We live in a time where truly I believe the tide is changing so together we can move forward and find true reconciliation and a common ground to excel together on turtle Island.”
