Rocky James
Énthu Qwtiis (Qwuh-tees), i’ Siimultun (Sea-muhl-tun), i’ Thiyaustun (Thii-auhs-tun). My ancestral names are Qwtiis and Siimultun and Thiyaustun. Tun’ni tsun ‘utl’ Pune’luxutth. I am from the Penelakut Tribe. ‘I tsun taulut tu Hwulmuhwathun. I am learning to speak Hul’qumi’num all the time.
I am the Sole Proprietor of Salish Social Policy Design and Practice, which operates with the vision to prepare an increasing number of non-profit, private, and government sectors with the confidence to lead social policy change through Indigenous worldviews, transforming how we design and practice social policy. The mandate is to increase our motivation to see Indigenous worldviews as a human right across policy sectors by building on the following three foundations: (1) A strengths-based approach to community-based research for organizational change; (2). Training for cultural literacy and cultural competency; (3) An Indigenous human development approach to social policy design and practice. I am also an instructor at Vancouver Island University in the Department of Hwulmuhw/Xwulmuxw/Indigenous Studies.
My academic journey is a testament to my commitment to understanding and contributing to the field of Indigenous social science. I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hwul’muhw/Xwulmuxw/Indigenous Studies from Vancouver Island University and a Master of Arts Degree in Studies in Policy and Practice from the Faculty of Human & Social Development at the University of Victoria. Currently, I am enrolled in the Doctor of Social Sciences Program at Royal Roads University, embarking on a personal journey of learning and growth. My research title is Standing Two-Spirit People Up in Their Strengths Through Two-Spirit Human Development. I am also in my second year of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council Language Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP) with my mother, Dr. Florence James/Thiyaus.
