Tonight I’m telling you my Watermark story about my first time fishing, and my first time where I finally felt that deep connection.

Last summer, I was invited to go fishing in Ahousaht First Nation, which is in Nuu-chah-nulth Territory, off Vancouver Island, near Ucluelet. I was able to go fishing with a hereditary chief, who took me offshore fishing. And it was an amazing experience. I’d never been before, I’d never really had an interest to go before—as I said I was suburban and very much urban.

It was such a transformative experience for me because not only was I out on the water, I was with a hereditary chief who had a long lineage of people that were connected to the land. He told me the stories of sustenance and sustainability, and biodiversity, and the importance of being connected to the water in his community and within his nation. And it deeply impacted me, and I finally had that moment where I was like, “Yes! I get it, I finally get it!” I get the connection to land, and how important it is and how we must really take the time to be able to sustain it and to think about seven generations after us, and really give that acknowledgement.