Kispiox

That's where we lived, where I grew up.

It's a cold spring day in Kispiox, a Gitxsan village nearly 800 kilometers northeast of Vancouver.

The snow has melted and the forest ground is brown and dry as Willie shows me around.

Yeah, so this village used to be way smaller than this.

Yeah, that's my grandmother's name, Mary Blackwater.

She was a highly respected elder in the community, known for her massive garden.

It's now the site of Kispiox Elementary.

Yeah, this is a big property.