About Us
S-hulí
S-hulí means soul in the Hul'q'umi'num' language.
"Hi! I'm Erica and this is the story of S-hulí!"
My desire to indulge in Indigenous studies came with my grade 6 teacher who was Indigenous to Canada. Beyond that, he was also a gay man. During the year that I was in his class, I learned so much about unfair treatments and discrimination he faced as a gay Indigenous man. At that time, I really wanted to do something to help because I sympathized with him, knowing very well who the real criminals were. However, I just couldn't step out of my comfort zone because I felt such a ridiculous amount of guilt. Guilt for the idea that I was part of the government that has been oppressing his people and guilt for the
idea that I knew that at home my parents wouldn't support these people like I would. This halted any attempts I had made to help at a young age. I loved my teacher and desperately wanted to take action to help, but going against my parents went against all Chinese ideologies that I've learnt as a child. Only after 3 years did I pick up the courage to make something out of it and here we are today!
Our Mission
S-hulí unites the power of media and people to spread knowledge on Indigenous-related topics, particularly their culture and history.
In doing so, we hope to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zones and learn with us, so that together, we may work towards dispelling our colonial mindsets.
Our Name
Why S-hulí?
S-hulí translates to 'soul' in the Canadian Indigenous language, Hul'q'umi'num'. We hope that just like our name, we can connect our desire to educate and support the Indigenous community through our souls.
This name also articulates how deeply disturbed we felt learning about Canada's history and the countless cruelties inflicted on the Indigenous peoples; it encapsulates our belief that all humans are equal and capable of thinking and feeling, so they should treat others as such and vice versa; and lastly, it expresses our wish that expanding ourselves' and others' knowledge about the Indigenous peoples can be impactful!