Author

Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Aaron Hemens is a photographer, journalist and visitor in unceded syilx territory. He is Filipino on his mom’s side, and has both French and British roots on his dad’s. As a settler, he is committed to learning and unlearning in his role as Okanagan Storyteller, and to accurately and respectfully tell stories of Indigenous peoples throughout the region. Aaron’s work is supported in part with funding from the Local Journalism Initiative in partnership with The Discourse and APTN.

Aaron Hemens,'s Latest Articles

A screengrab of the Pípsell (Jacko Lake) area in Secwepemcúl’ecw from Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation’s (SSN) 2017 video, “Pipsell - a Secwepemc Nation Cultural Heritage Site.” Source

Regulatory hearings begin as TMX seeks to dig open trench through sacred Secwépemc site

By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ● News ● September 18, 2023

Pipeline company wants to excavate 1.3 km through Pípsell, something SSN says could cause ‘irreparable harm’ to important cultural place

punłp (Juniper) mrimstn (medicine) bundles are being handed out for free to syilx Nation members by the Okanagan Nation Alliance to help keep the air in their homes clean from toxic chemicals found in wildfire smoke. Photo by Aaron Hemens

Okanagan Nation Alliance handing out free Juniper bundles to ease risks from wildfire smoke

By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ● News ● August 29, 2023

punłp is just one of the many natural medicines found across syilx territory, with one of its many uses being an air purifier

A copy of the echoes exhibit booklet, which is on display at the Kamloops Art Gallery from July 15 to Sept. 9, 2023. The featured photo is a screengrab from Two-Spirit Man/Two-Spirit Woman Call Home the Salmon w/ Help, an art piece by Jeffrey McNeil-Seymour and Dayna Danger featured in the exhibit. Photo by Aaron Hemens

‘He was everywhere – he still is everywhere’: The continuing legacy of Jeffrey McNeil-Seymour

By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ● Features ● August 24, 2023

Everything that McNeil-Seymour stood for can be viewed in an art piece he helped create in 2018, which has found its way back to his homelands

Coralee Miller of Westbank First Nation, the docent at the Sncəwips Heritage Museum, stands inside the museum during the launch of its “What does it mean to be syilx?” exhibit on Sept. 30, 2023. Photo by Aaron Hemens

Sncəwips Heritage Museum hosts cultural competency training: ‘without acknowledgement, there can’t be reconciliation’

By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ● News ● August 16, 2023

The educational sessions are one of many options available for people in the territory to learn about syilx history and culture

The family of Caitlin Potts, a Samson Cree First Nation mother who’s been missing since 2016, stands outside Orchard Park Mall in syilx homelands on July 13. The Kelowna mall was one of the last locations Caitlin was seen before she went missing more than seven years ago. From left to right: Caitlin’s uncle, AP; her brother, Jeremiah Potts; her mother, Priscilla Potts; and her son, Shane Potts. Photo by Aaron Hemens

Seven years after her disappearance, family of Caitlin Potts reignites calls for justice

By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ● Features ● July 20, 2023

Loved ones of the Cree mother travelled from the prairies to the Okanagan to try to find answers about her case

Lillian Marchand of the Okanagan Indian Band poses at the North Okanagan-Shuswap (NOS) Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts club in syilx homelands on June 28, holding her Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships from her 2023 season. Photo by Aaron Hemens

At 16, Okanagan teen has Brazilian jiu-jitsu world in a chokehold: ‘She’s the person to beat’

By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ● Features ● July 11, 2023

Lillian Marchand of OKIB started practicing the martial art after being bullied — a decade later, she has multiple championships under her soon-to-be black belt