Women’s Backcountry Scholarship Winners
Original Runner-Up Recipient
We were super impressed with Myia’s story, as well as incredible goals and intentions with starting a new nonprofit, Indigenous Women in the Outdoors. Myia was originally selected as the runner-up recipient for the Women’s Backcountry Scholarship. During the scholarship timeline, Myia was able to acquire backcountry gear thanks to help from a Canadian outdoor company. She is very grateful to be on the receiving end from two different companies. However, rather than keeping two pairs of skis, she is happy to pay it forward to someone who needs this scholarship as much as she did. We respect her honesty and selflessness and are eager to watch IWO grow.
Myia’s Essay
ha7lh skwáyel ta néwyap, Myia kwi en sna, tina chen tl’a sḵwxwú7mesh úxwumixw.
It’s a beautiful, sunny day out. We’ve skinned up to where we want to switch into ski mode and we stop. The sun hits me and I feel like I can breath again. The long skin up (long for me anyways) was brutal. My blisters ache, my chest pounds and everything is already sore. But I look up. I see Nch’kay. The place that saved my people during the great flood. A place we are forever grateful to because we were able to tie our canoes there when the flood happened. However, it is now known as Mount Garibaldi, named after an Italian military and political officer who never stepped foot on my territory. I see t’akt’akmuy’in tl’a in’inyaxa7n. The place where the thunderbird perches, otherwise known to many as Black Tusk. I feel my heart dancing and my whole being in awe of the wonders of my traditional territory. We start to switch into ski mode and other groups of people join us or pass us. For a place that feels inaccessible by many, it sure is packed up here. I continuously prop my head up so I can watch the sun hug the mountain top across from us and it hits me. It hits me that I don’t see any other Indigenous youth/womxn up here. It hits me that I am the only one up here who knows the stories and knows how to speak to our land in a language she understands. It hits me how privileged I am to be here and how it is my responsibility to make sure that others from my community can experience the love that is being out on this land.
This is where indigenous women outdoors (IWO) is rooted. I started this nonprofit to connect Indigenous womxn to the natural world and their culture by empowering them with a strong connection to the land. By offering a platform for them to connect with each other, we can create a bigger community and more opportunities for women to relate with their culture in various ways. Womxn get together to inspire and learn from each other and strengthen their relationships between themselves and the land. IWO looks to empower personal growth and offer opportunities that will inspire womxn’s leadership in their communities and the outdoors.
Every human being deserves the opportunity to be outside and try new outdoor sports that bring them closer to Mother Earth. IWO breaks down any barriers (gear, transportation, food) womxn have to accessing the outdoors and creates a sense of community and safety out there.
I come from a long line of beautiful and strong matriarchs. Matriarchs who not only care for their family and community, but care so deeply for Mother Earth. I pass along these teachings when womxn come on hikes with IWO and one day, will come backcountry skiing. There are big plans in the works to support Indigenous womxn living in BC to try new outdoor sports. And while the backcountry offers a space for us to be ourselves, as Indigenous womxn and leaders, we have so much to offer the backcountry community.
Myia Antone is a skier from Vancouver, British Columbia. Recognizing the lack of indigenous women represented in the backcountry, her goal is to ensure others from her community can experience these backcountry territories and share traditional stories from these lands. Visit the IWO website to find out how you can get involved during its infancy.