Slhá:lí/Woman: Film Presentation and Discussion with Á'a:líya Warbus and Saylesh Wesley
Slhá:lí/Woman: Film Presentation and Discussion with Á'a:líya Warbus and Saylesh Wesley
Monday, March 20, 2023, 1:15pm - 3:00pm in KPU Surrey, Gathering Place (Main 166) NEW LOCATION: Fir 128
Join the KPU Pride Advocacy Group's celebration of Trans Day of Visibility (a few days early) as we welcome KPU Indigenous Artist-in Residence Á'a:líya Warbus (Stó:lō) and Knowledge Keeper and Elder-in-Training Saylesh Wesley (Coast Salish and Tsimshian) to KPU for a special event.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Pride Advocacy Group and the KPU Faculty of Arts.
The Pride Advocacy Group respectfully acknowledges that this event is taking place on stolen land that overlaps with the unceded traditional and ancestral First Nations territories of the Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem; and with the lands of the Kwantlen First Nation, which gifted its name to this university. In the cause of reconciliation, we are committed to combatting ongoing systemic colonialism and the oppression and racism that Indigenous Peoples continue to experience.
Speakers Spotlight
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Saylesh Wesley
Saylesh Wesley is a two-spirit trans educator who is of Coast Salish and Tsimshian descent. Currently she works for the Chilliwack School District and also continues to present at a wide variety of events as it relates to her two-spirit and transgender teachings. Given that Saylesh is steeped in her own Coast Salish Indigenous culture, and that she has transitioned in 1995, she can provide not only Indigenous knowledge and peer support to any participants, she will also share her lived experience, compassionate listening ears and shared stories as a soon-to-be Elder and Knowledge Keeper.
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Á’a:líya Warbus
Á'a:líya is Stó:lō with roots in the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sema: th, Sq’éwlets and Sts’ailes First Nations. She has worked in the unceded territories of the Coast Salish as an artist and activist for the past 18 years. She is currently focused on writing, directing and being a mom to her three young children.
Á’a:líya’s narrative short fiction and short documentaries explore themes of Indigenous culture, Indigenous matriarchs, and the effects of colonization on her family and community. Her stories are a mix of both modern and traditional themes driven by her experience growing up in both worlds simultaneously.
Slhá:lí/Woman: Film Presentation and Discussion with Á'a:líya Warbus and Saylesh Wesley
Date: Monday, March 20, 2023
Time: 1:15pm - 3:00pm Location: KPU Surrey, Gathering Place (Main 166)
NEW LOCATION: KPU Surrey, Fir 128
Join the KPU Pride Advocacy Group in welcoming KPU Indigenous Artist-in-Residence Á'a:líya Warbus (Stó:lō) and Knowledge Keeper and Elder-in-Training Saylesh Wesley (Coast Salish and Tsimshian) for a special event celebrating Trans Day of Visibility (a few days early). We will first present Á'a:líya's short, unreleased documentary Slhá:lí/Woman, completed in partial fulfillment of her 2022 MFA in Film Production at UBC, which witnesses Saylesh's Sqwélqwel/story as a trans/"twin-spirited" woman who broke ground to confront and reshape understandings of gender in her Stó:lō community.
Then we will invite Á'a:líya and Saylesh into conversation with the audience about their experiences, both of making the film and living its story. This event will be held in-person.
Registration is requested to help estimate refreshment orders, ensure accessibility for all, and invite questions for discussion.