Diversity in Indigenous Cultures Across BC & Canada

Kear Porttris

Principal owner, Porttris Consulting Group 

Kear is a Métis-Chinese professional who has been walking in multiple worlds since he was born. His father is Métis, and his mother is a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong. He grew up in Treaty Four Territory in Regina, Saskatchewan. With a civil engineering background, holding an undergraduate and master of applied science degree in civil engineering. He merges education, personal, and professional experience with a solution-based lens. He has extensive experience developing partnerships between industry and Indigenous communities. He focuses on using a collaborative approach to bolster and support Indigenization across disciplines and find unique and effective solutions for his clients. He is able to combine his professional training with his unique perspectives and network to support clients. He is involved with a number of interesting and innovative projects that are pushing the limits of Indigenization in industry. Kear sits on the board of Métis Nation of Greater Victoria, helping to represent Métis People throughout lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories.

Natasha Parrish

Porttris Consulting Group 

Natasha is Kyaanuuslii Haida through her mother and maternal grandmothers and English through her father. She was born and raised in Teechamitsa lək̓ʷəŋən Territory in a large, loving family. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a bachelors of history, a postgraduate degree in secondary teaching, and later a master of arts in Indigenous Nationhood. Her interests lie in Indigenous education, policy development, and Indigenizing professional development for non-Indigenous people. She is interested in the intersections between our shared history, social and ethical responsibilities, and the realities of our modern world. She brings experience as an Indigenous educator working within larger institutions to her work, creating a safer and braver space for clients.

BC is a beautiful and broad province with some of the most diverse geography, compared to the other provinces. This is also true for diversity within Indigenous groups across the Nation where approximately a third of Canada’s First Nation communities are located in BC and the difference in culture and language is vast. This presentation will present many of the differences between Indigenous groups across BC and some information on effectively working with Indigenous people and Communities.