Xwemalhkwu Hero Stories with the Homalco First Nation

The “Xwemalhkwu Hero Stories” Comics Project is an ongoing collaboration between Education without Borders, the UBC Comics Studies Cluster, Homalco journalist and media personality Tchadas Leo, and the Homalco First Nation.

The project initially collaborated with Indigenous cartoonists Alina Pete, Gord Hill, and Valen Onstine to create these three short comics based on recordings of Homalco Elders from the early 90’s that were first produced into ahe “Remember” Podcast series by 100.7 FM the Raven. This archival recordings included Elder reflections on Homalco canoe travel, clam digging, river bathing, hunting and food preservation traditions and practices.

Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories: A Graphic Novel was published in November 2024, and the launch was celebrated with the members of the First Nation and project partners.

In addition to bringing awareness to Homalco culture, traditions and language, Xwemalhkwu Hero Stories has made a meaningful impact on Homalco Language and Cultural programs. Within a few short months of the launch of the Graphic Novel in November 22^nd, 2024, the sales of the Graphic Novel made over $7,000, which has directly supported  Homalco Language and Cultural programs. In particular, this funding financed the Nation’s 2025 Tribal Canoe Journey from Campbell River to Sooke. The funding paid for food, fuel for support boats, and other amenities required to make sure Homalco youth and Elders were comfortable along the way.

Thanks to the support of Drs. Bonny Norton, Liam Doherty, and UBC’s Department of Language and Literacy Education, Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories is now being partially digitized and transformed into an open-access teaching resource. This initiative will make the stories available not only as they appear in the original graphic novel, but also in ʔayʔajuθəm, providing an Indigenous-language version for educators, learners, and community members.

In addition, the team is developing a French-language edition to support French immersion and francophone classrooms across Canada. These expanded formats will ensure broader accessibility and deepen educational engagement with Homalco storytelling traditions. A work-in-progress version is available online at Indigenous Storybooks.

In recent months, with support from the UBC Comics Studies Cluster and Education Without Borders Canada, the Homalco Nation and our project team are pleased to announce the development of a second graphic novel. This new volume will feature the return of artist Valen Onstine, whose clam-digging story appeared in Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories. The project will also create space for a second emerging Indigenous cartoonist, whom we are currently in the process of identifying, to contribute to this growing body of Homalco storytelling.

Any individual or organization interested in purchasing the book is asked to reach out to the Homalco First Nation directly: heroes@homalco.com.

Produced in collaboration between Education without Borders (EwB), the Homalco First Nation in Campbell River, and 100.7 The Raven, the “Remember” podcast plays clips of archival recordings of Elders from the Homalco First Nation. Each clip explores life in Bute Inlet in decades past, with elders recalling their childhood, the history of the Bute Inlet, traditional customs and storytelling traditions of the Homalco First Nation, and important people in the community. The podcast hosts then discuss the recordings, providing definitions and a modern perspective for listeners.

The “Xwemalhkwu Hero Stories ” Comics Project used comic art to visually re-present three selections of the podcast’s recordings to produce graphic materials that engage with the podcast’s themes. The short 8-12-page comics thereby complement the podcast’s conversation around its collection of recordings and produced supplementary material that would be ideal for inclusion in K-12 education.

In November 2023, project collaborators and artists participated in a one-day site visit and 6-hour boat tour of Bute Inlet, during which Chief Darren Blaney and Elder Bill Blaney shared stories about their childhood, the history of the inlet, and their storytelling traditions. In November 2024, the team returned to Campbell River to celebrate the publication of the graphic novel.

This project is generously cosponsored by Education without Borders, the Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies (CENES), the UBC Comics Studies Cluster, the UBC Popular Media for Social Change Research Excellence Cluster, the UBC Community Engagement Office, and the Narratives Group in the UBC Centre for Migration Studies.