Gerry Thomas

Gerry Thomas is the son of the late and much-loved elder Mary Thomas, who held an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria for her work in identifying the uses for native plants and efforts to reintroduce them to the wild. It is through his grandmother, mother and other Neskonlith elders that Gerry learned about his rich culture. Told according to the seasons, Indigenous stories have always been used to teach moral and practical lessons, often with a delightful sense of humour and Gerry is looking forward to sharing a few at the Saturday night gala. For example, the tale of how Bear and Coyote describes their fight over whether there should be only dark nights or light days. A compromise resulted in hours of both daylight and darkness that we experience today.