By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine Capilano University (CapU) is set to honour Lil’wat Elder Saw̓t Martina Pierre with an honorary doctorate in recognition of her contributions to reconciliation, empowerment and cultural preservation. Pierre is a residential school survivor and lifelong educator whose work revolves around revitalizing the Nation’s traditional language—for others as much as herself. “I had always wanted to be a teacher, and I had always wanted to revive my culture and language and my spirituality, [my] rights as a legal person,” she told Pique. “After I had my family, I learned my language to be a teacher.” Starting a community school Pierre was instrumental in starting up Lil’wat’s first-ever community school in the 1970s. The Nation had a day school run by nuns as…
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