Oral Historian | Writer
Welcome!
Here you'll find information about me and about the book I've just published with Chief Roger William - Lha Yudit'ih We Always Find a Way - Bringing the Tŝilhqot’in Title Case Home - as well as news about upcoming events and work in progress.
I hope you enjoy your visit.
Lorraine Weir
Ten years in the making, Lha yudit’ih We Always Find a Way is a community oral history of Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, the first case in Canada to result in a declaration of Aboriginal Rights and Title to a specific piece of land. Told from the perspective of the Plaintiff, Chief Roger William, joined by 47 Xeni Gwet’ins, Tŝilhqot’ins, and allies, Lha Yudit'ih includes ancient stories of creation, modern stories of genocide through smallpox and residential school, and stories of resistance including the Tŝilhqot’in War, direct actions against logging and mining, and the twenty-five-year battle in Canadian courts to win recognition of what Tŝilhqot’ins never gave up and have always known.
Chief Roger describes the court case as “bringing our sight back,” and the book witnesses the power of that vision, its continuity with the Tŝilhqot’in world before the arrival of colonizers two centuries ago, and its potential for a future of freedom and self-determination for the Tŝilhqot’in People.
"This book comes straight from a people's heart. It shows what real strength looks like. If you want to know why Tŝilhqot'in law lives today, read this book. The Tŝilhqot'in people, lands, and their spirit will inspire you. The book is very engaging, with great stories and helpful context. It is so rich, so clear, so beautiful. It shows resilience in the face of trauma and tragedy. (...) It is deeply connective. It is inspiring. It is a treasure."
“Like all Indigenous people across what is now called Canada, the Tŝilhqot'in survived atrocities and oppression in an uncompromising struggle for their territory which hasgenerously enabled people and their culture to flourish for thousands of years,In return, they felt a sacred duty to protect that land. (...) Lha yudit’ih tells this inspiring story for all Canadians who care about justice and the environment.”
"This book is a ’must read’ for anyone in Canada and elsewhere in the world who cares about the cultures, languages and rights of Indigenous Peoples and the well-being of the lands, waters, forests and non-human lifeforms that sustain all of us. A rich and compelling compilation of stories, experiences, teachings, and perspectives from members of the Xeni Gwet’in community of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation of British Columbia."
"This is a book about how an Indigenous community succeeded in gaining recognition of their Aboriginal title through litigation in Canadian courts. For that reason alone, it is invaluable. More than that, it offers comprehensive information essential for an in-depth understanding of this case through a conversational voice that makes it accessible to everyone.(...) It is an excellent book all of us can learn from."
"Lorraine Weir and Chief Roger William have created an amazing storied journey of the Xeni Gwet’in and Tŝilhqot’in Elders, knowledge holders, and leaders as they fought and won their Tŝilhqot’in Rights and Title case in the courts of British Columbia and Canada. (...) Deeper meanings of truth and reconciliation and land-first approaches for Indigenous Rights and Title are embedded in these memorable stories."
"Lha yudit'ih is a great treasure. There is no other book or experience like it. It has to be read slowly. Each entry is an invitation to follow a path around another corner. Roger William and Lorraine Weir created a uniquely suitable concept to frame these notes and stories centred around the Tŝilhqot'in title case, and the connection of a People to the land. I am in awe of the work Lorraine undertook to bring this concept to fruition. ... Lha yudit'ih is definitely a very prominent marker in this journey [toward decolonization]."
Lha yudit’ih was written near qʷeyaʔχʷ, at the delta of stal̓əw̓, known in Tŝilhqot’in as ʔElhdaqox, Sturgeon River, where čəčiʔq̓ən̓ Mink made his way upstream and Lhuy diyenẑ Salmon Boy swam out to salt water. Born in Montréal, Lorraine Weir is a settler scholar and oral historian, descendant of displaced Celts from An Gorta Mór the Irish Famine and the Highland Clearances. She grew up on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka Territory at the gathering place known as Tiohtià:ke Montréal, and on the Ancestral Homelands of the Beothuk on the island known as Ktaqmkuk Newfoundland, in St. John’s, on the Traditional Territories of the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk. Weir is Emeritus Professor of Indigenous Studies in the Department of English Language and Literatures at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, on the unceded, Ancestral, and Traditional Territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm People.
