Karista Olson: Building the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy
Photo credit: Kaidyn Leigh Photography
Who are you?
My name is Karista Olson and I come from the community of Sik-e-Dakh, also known as Glen Vowell, in Hazelton B.C. which is located on the traditional and unceded territories of the Gitxsan First Nation whom have proudly served as stewards and protectors of this beautiful 33000sk piece of the north since time immemorial. Having matrilineal roots within the Dakelh communities of Stellaquo and Nak’azdli Whu’ten, I was formally adopted by Wilp (house of) Weg’yet, one of the Gisgaast (fireweed) houses in 2012 alongside my family following in the footsteps of my late maternal grandmother. My maternal grandfathers Gitxsan lineage is where I center myself, as these are the communities that claim me in return, but I also acknowledge my Dakelh roots as well as both Persian and Swedish ancestry. I am a daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and auntie-in-training.
I am also an alumni of multiple programs focused on youth development and leadership (CWY, IYLC, CANIMUN etc) as well as having recently left the University of Northern British Columbia where I received a Bachelor of Arts, joint majoring in English and Environmental Studies with minors in First Nations Studies and International Studies. Currently, I have the honor of serving as the Policy Analyst for the Innovation, Bioeconomy and Indigenous Opportunities Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development alongside a wonderful team of brilliant, passionate, professionals to whom I came by way of the Indigenous Youth Internship Program (IYIP).
What made you realize that you should be in the field of sustainability?
As a function of my culture and upbringing, mutual recognition of our surroundings as an extension of ourselves, as our non-human relative, was simply the way in which I viewed the world. So I knew that no matter where my personal or professional journey may lead, that would be a guiding principle. The opportunity to work directly within a space that reflected the intersectionality of my own values, experiences, and skills was very much to the credit of the IYIP team and their decision to assign me to what would eventually become an amazing step forward in my career.
Tell us more about the work you’re doing on the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy?
The branch as a whole undertakes a wide array of work directed at advancing the BC Bioeconomy, and part of what my team focuses on is the provision of the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program (IFBP). The IFBP provides resources and support to Indigenous communities and their partners through building relationships, co-developing economic development opportunities and supporting research designed to empower communities to undertake projects that address their social, economic and environmental needs. This is a decidedly broad and dynamic field which means we are always looking at new and exciting ideas as to how we can optimize biomass residuals, develop high-value bioproducts, and advance new technologies in ways that create jobs, increase capacity, and keep long-term benefits in community while also contributing to the growth of the industry-at-large and working to meet our environmental goals.
Why do you think diversity in sustainability is important?
I think that diversity, inclusion, and equitable participation in all things that effect us on a societal level is vital to a healthy and functioning collective. When it comes to sustainability, however, as it applies to natural resource management, there is a particularly well documented embodied impact that unilateralism can have on the land base, on our integrated socioeconomic systems, and how we place ourselves in relation to the physical world around us. It is encouraging to see a shift in diverse representation and how we approach complex issues, but we clearly have a long way to go before I can stop getting really excited whenever I see another Indigenous woman at the table.
Do you have a mentor? How have they helped you in your career or personal growth?
This path started with my returning to complete my adult dogwood at the Gitxsan/Wet’suwet’en Education Society at the tender age of twenty-one. For a class project, I wrote a paper on a combined heat and power unit for a housing complex in my community not knowing that less than a decade later I would be in a position to support communities doing exactly this kind of work for real. Without the well-placed, passionate, people that supported me early on I may never have had the nerve to bet on myself the way that they did.
I have been blessed to have had many people who have helped inspire and guide me over the years, but I have never really had designated mentors in the conventional sense. Rather, it took entire communities of people to get and keep me on my current path, from my students that showed me resilience and humility to my classmates that were also parents who showed me balance and dedication to the seasoned professionals from whom I learned diplomacy and organization (still working on that last one). I guess I needed all the help I could get, but it led me to a place where I can contribute to something meaningful which is a great position to be in so early in my career.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in sustainability?
Establish your support systems and learn how to be gentle with yourself, burnout and crisis fatigue will creep up on you before you realize it’s there. Working in sustainability is a unique experience for many reasons, one being that there is such a strong socio-emotional connection to why and how that work is being done. So know exactly what it is you’re fighting for and be willing to be challenged in your beliefs and preconceptions.
“It is easy to work in service of something when one feels that it is objectively ‘right’ and focuses solely on that, but the true work is found in deconstructing and understanding the why of a thing just as much as the what. It can be complex, uncomfortable, and exhausting, but it is work that we need to do in service of a shared vision. ”
Is there a quote/mantra/advice that you most live by, and why?
As an Indigenous woman currently living far from home, during a global pandemic, I could fill a book with the positive affirmations upon which I rely on a daily basis. There is a deeply ingrained notion, however, that lives rent free in my mind that I am sure guides more of my behaviour than I may care to admit; none if it is for me.
“ We were taught as children the importance of planting seeds for trees under whose shade you know you will never sit, a thought that resonated with me but never quite felt complete. As I got older I realized how much more work it is to truly be in service of that notion. To continue the metaphor, one must cultivate healthy soil, ensure that the conditions are optimal, protect it, leave instructions for its care when you’re no longer there to nurture it. It’s not planting a tree and walking away, the labour is in maintaining what you have planted and all that surrounds it. It is an emotional labour that can sometimes feel near invisible and thankless, but it is labour worth doing for work that you care about. ”
How do you maintain traditions far from home? How do you continue your relationship with the land in an urban setting?
Simply put, I don’t. My personal connection to my culture is such that without my people and my territory I very simply do not have that element of my life active when I may need or want it to be. I love Victoria, it is a beautiful city in which to live and I was honored to have stood with my cohort and been formally welcomed to these lands by the Songhees in their big house over a year ago. But my roots don’t grow in this soil. We don’t recognize each other.
I have oft compared returning to an urban environment after being home to be like stepping off a boat after weeks at sea, it doesn’t move properly. Yes you adjust eventually but there remains the lingering sense that you are about to miss a step and fall on your face (something I am known for doing).
How we forge our relationships with our surroundings is a complex and deeply personal process that can be challenging to articulate. I have always endeavored to return home every few months to see my family, get re-grounded and maintain my connections within my communities. Unfortunately, like so many others, I am struggling to adjust to being unable to do so. It is in times like these, however, that I am grateful for the humour and resiliency of my people even when old wounds are reopened like they are now. We rally, we support each other, and despite all the hurdles in doing so – we teach our elders how to use Zoom. Or rather we try to (Sorry, Mom).
What issues in sustainability are you most concerned about?
There are several high visibility issues surrounding sustainability that have garnered considerable attention over the last few years, but I think what concerns me most is how we are educating on these issues. Discourse is, in my opinion, distractingly if not understandably segmented where we may need it to be as complex and diverse as the systems that led us here and resulted in these issues to begin with. We have some of the most engaged and proactive generations rising to positions of influence now and over the decades to come, and I am hopeful that the gaps will continue to shrink and that our conceptualization of our place in the world evolves to reflect that.
What development(s) have excited you most in the field?
With how easy it is to be lost in the uncertainty and doom-fatigue of our current shared reality, I think we forget that sometimes you need storm clouds to get silver linings. Movements and advancements in sustainability have historically not always had clear paths forward, but there are a lot of gaps that are closing in terms of innovation and adaptation. We are beginning to think differently en masse in a way that doesn’t happen very often, new voices are at new tables, and sometimes those old tables are being tossed out the front door.
“This is what truly excites me, not just a new piece of technology or a minor breakthrough in national policy but rather a changing of the guard. This, I think, will result in the biggest generational interruption to environmental degradation that we’ve ever seen.”
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future, and why?
I try to maintain a healthy balance, enough optimism to keep me passionate and enough pessimism to keep me critical. There are admittedly a lot of uncertainties on the horizon, but I think that a lot of brilliant people are connecting in ways and on a scale that we have simply never seen before. The interim will be uncomfortable, but the future has promise and I have faith that whatever challenges may come we will meet them head on.