Speakers & moderators

Twyla grew up in the K'asho Got'ine district of the Sahtu region (Canadian Northwest Territories). Like most young Indigenous peoples of this region, she spent her childhood between school and nature, animals and the forest. Like many young Indigenous peoples, Twyla sometimes feels caught between two worlds.

It is on the Land that she finds her centre, and feels deep pride in her ancestors and her people. Alongside her Guardians team and the Elders of her community, Twyla asserts the rights of Indigenous peoples and their Lands, and the protection of the great boreal forest.

For her, the preservation of this precious forest, and the waters and wildlife that are all interconnected with it, first involves connecting with the Land, and the transmission of knowledge from the Elders to the next generation of Elders to the very youngest community members, including Twyla’s own four children.