The Empty Seats Are Never Empty | Anthony Joseph

0:00Incoming transmission [music] from the future. Vancouver AI community meetup. >> Hey, welcome everybody. You're at the HR MacMillan Space Centre. I'm Kris Krüg. Welcome to Vancouver AI community meetup number 32 in a row. Yeah. Nice to see you. Armand, you snuck right in there at the end, man. Very good. Hey Chris, thanks for holding down the registration desk tonight, man, so I could barbecue. It's like my favorite thing to do. So, thank you very much for making that happen.

0:26Um thank you for being here. I'm going to say a bunch of tonight, but before we get started, I want to invite my friend and mentor Anthony Joseph up here tonight from the Squamish Nation. Um he's a counselor there. Last month he came right after um doing the World Cup opening ceremonies, uh drumming in all the players and stuff. Came with Johnny and and so uh tonight's a special night.

0:47I don't know I think I told you, but my best friend Dave Olson is in town from Japan. That's why I'm drinking this sake and wearing the kimono and uh >> I was going to ask you a question about the outfit. >> [laughter] >> I was wearing the white >> I was seeing you in the before of a raid on.

1:02>> And he he last uh gave a keynote presentation 13 years ago on this very stage and now he's back from Japan with his new wife and his son and stuff. And so, it's a really special night. There's a lot of people in the room who don't always come to our meetups who are just here to see Dave talk and stuff. So, uh anyway, without further ado, Anthony Joseph.

1:21>> Welcome. >> [applause]

1:55>> seats up. Take seats. So, I just want to raise my hands to each and every one of you guys for being here today. Uh special thanks to uh Chris and and his his friend. Uh take it would take a lot to uh I know it would take a lot to persuade Chris on what what he's going to wear today.

2:13>> [laughter] >> And uh but uh I think that's what I I love about Chris is the the personality just really brings it together. Welcomes everybody, but brings a bunch of special personalities to to be a part of this. For those of you don't know me, Anthony Joseph is my English name. Eesalaiya is my Kwakwaka'wakw name, my ancestral name. I share that with my younger brother Russell, my cousin Nigel from my same name of family in Nanaimo.

2:42Um just uh I'm just thinking how uh how special it is to uh um be a part of uh of this as well. I was thinking about uh all the good work. Especially right now cuz right now uh we're uh we have a canoe journey, tribal journey that's happening. Chris mentioned that when uh he was uh we were talking about the tribal journey.

3:10And just just how special that is. So, I thought like it's it's such good medicine to to uh to sing the songs, but also the protocols. So, uh I know many I know Chris was uh for those that don't know, Chris was our our support boat for our our mom mom that went up to the canoe journey in Bella Bella.

3:35What year was that, Chris? That was >> 2014. >> 2014. So, uh yeah. And it was definitely needed cuz I think they uh I think but Campbell River our canoe the canoes uh flipped. Uh and our our youth and our team were in the water for a while. And [snorts] yeah, and it was that that support that's appreciated on the water. So but our youth that went some of [clears throat] them came home before the end because it was the last little leg is really tough.

4:11I remember our youth came back and they really wanted to be a part of the celebration. So I got to take along >> [laughter] >> I didn't canoe pull but I got to be a part of the celebration and I know my what was it to wash states states out my work life Charlene Williams who is Johnny Williams mom she she was always she was always going to be get to take along have fun with us just say jump in sing and >> [laughter] >> what [clears throat] actually asked me to be a part of it so I just said I'd be honored to and that was actually you know come to think about it that was when I got to know

4:53Chris was probably around this time a year as well so just thankful for that but to start you guys off in a good way I'm going to sing Sistiana's Journey Song what was it this a song that we'd sing a lot of times a protocol when they would get to a new village you'd have to get up and sing and you would sing a certain x amount of songs sometimes it's three or four maybe more right Chris but and then they would say okay you may Squamish you did a good job you may work your way home and come on in right >> [laughter] >> yeah so good medicine so just want to share that before I get started but

5:39so this this song comes from Sistiana who's one of our tribal Chiefs he's our uh director of uh uh territory and culture uh Raven E. Crow, also known as Kawk Folk. But [snorts] uh this is a uh yeah, his journey song. Into Atmoos John.

6:10Oh, wait. NO, SORRY. >> [laughter]

6:23[singing]

6:36>> I YOU KNOW WHAT'S UH FUNNY? >> [laughter] >> ON MY WAY DOWN, I was thinking of uh a song that's uh >> [laughter] >> the becomes the the the national anthem uh Chief Dan George's song. >> [laughter] >> And it's it's been it's been with me, but uh

7:07>> [applause]

7:17>> Okay. Here we go.

7:36>> [music] [singing]

7:51[singing]

8:03[singing]

8:10>> I saw [singing] her. Here I go. I saw her. Here I go. I [singing] saw her.

8:26I saw her.

8:33I saw her. >> [singing] >> Here I go. I saw her. Here I go. I [singing] saw her.

8:50I saw her. >> [singing] [music] >> Here I go. Here I go. I saw her. >> [singing] >> Here I go. I saw her. Here I go.

9:22I saw her. Here I go. I [singing] saw [music] her. Here I go. I saw her. I saw her. >> [singing] [music]

9:46[singing]

9:59[singing]

10:04[singing] >> Wait for THE END. >> [applause]

10:13[applause] >> SO, JUST WANTED TO PLEASE BE HAPPY. THANK you guys for your patience. You know what kind of got me confused there was uh I was coming in here and and I was um I think it was I was hit by prior to see that when I looked back I could see the three towers uh Sin Alk and just it just hit me that our people are finally back. Our people have finally returned to where we've always been.

10:39So, just wanted to >> [applause] >> to share it out, please. And [applause] um so, this is uh the area we know as Sin Alk and uh it's uh it's a important piece for me. Uh I think about just how how rich we are in culture, how often our people were on the on the waters. Um and just look forward to the good meetings and and uh good energies shared. Thanking Chris for uh always having an open heart, open mind.

11:15But, also thank you guys for your patience. I know uh sometimes as a as a young night to to lead sing uh we got a few of those songs crossed cuz some of them sounds something really when you start, so and it's uh simple, right? So, but just I got so many songs out there on the chair.

11:36Like but don't stop the song. So, I thank you guys for your time, your patience, and I hope you guys have an amazing conference you know, presentations today. I was just sharing with a few people that it's their first time. It's always That's what I shared earlier too is that look forward to everyone watching but also learning and listen to the good words and the teachings that are shared cuz I always learn something new when I come and I'm honored to be here and do this good work with Chris for you.

12:12And and everyone else that's part of the team get to know everyone. Great job. >> Thanks a lot. Thank you, man. That was a That was a moment of like profound like strength and beauty in that like normal moment that or whatever and I went on my own little mental journey. I was like, you do have so many What's a yo yo night? Not everyone knows what that means.

12:30>> A yo night is a is a lead singer. So, a lot of times you got singers but we got yo night you got to learn and master the songs but also the tone, right? So, >> [laughter] >> the verses. So, it's that's that's the part when when we get emotional sometimes they can kind of shift the songs that we had in mind sometimes and and I think that's what it was is like I was touching my came in just like looking back and thinking of our ancestors coming back to cuz that in our ways of being we're taught in ceremony when we attend wherever we go, we witness work that when the seats are

13:11empty, they're not actually empty. Your ancestors are there. They're watching. They're listening. They're paying attention but when we speak our language, that shows them that we're doing the good work. We practice ceremony. It shows that we're continuing that good work that they laid the groundwork for our people so that those traditions live on and and their their descendants. So really thankful for that.

13:35>> That's awesome, man. Okay, I got a couple of quick things to say before you scootch off. One is like I'm not surprised that you like couldn't remember the lyrics and whatever at first because dude, every time you come here you give us a new song. You share a new song with us. I don't think you've ever done the same one twice and you come We've been doing this 32 months. You've probably been here almost half the time. So thank you for like digging deep into the back catalog, you know, like Yeah.

13:59And you know, I just wanted to say I guess while we're here like part of the reason why we do this is like I felt my energy just completely changed from like crazy barbecue guy host like organizer person like to to just bring us all you bring us all on the same page and then we get started and we get to kind of go from there or whatever. So it's really significant part of all this that you you helped bring. Thank you.

14:19>> Much appreciated. >> [laughter] [applause]