About
Empowerment through deep nature connection and sisterhood
through
sister
At Fire Woman, we gather together in nature, honoring the power of femininity and the seeded, ancestral wisdom that lives within us all. We circle around the fire to honor the sacredness of being together, nurturing the bonds that connect us, and touching the transformative power of tending the flames side by side. We believe in the strength of community, in the importance of women as caretakers, land tenders, and fire tenders.
Our workshops offer an invitation to connect with nature, build practical bushcraft skills, and empower yourself through hands-on experiences. We guide women in learning the art of fire making, knife handling, wood chopping, and other earth-based skills. By tending to the element of Fire, we not only tend to the fires around us but also the fire within us—awakening our inner strength, confidence, and connection to the rhythms of the earth.
Nature is our greatest teacher. Through dirt time and immersive learning, we deepen our relationship with the land and its cycles. We believe that there are signs and stories all around us, each one drawing us closer to one another and to the natural world. Together, we remember how to be with each other, to take responsibility, and to rise to our roles as stewards of the earth and leaders in our communities.
As we gather in a circle and engage in the ancient practice of fire building, we connect not just to the land, but to our ancestors—remembering the rhythms of nature that are woven into our very bones. Through these practices, we slow down, reconnect, and awaken the wisdom that has always been within us. This is a space where women come together to build confidence, cultivate new skills, and remember the power of our shared stories. In the firelight, we find the courage to rise and to support each other in creating lasting social change.
All this is embedded into the coyote mentoring from the 8Shields philosophy. find out more of this lineage by clicking here.
Click here for our
Land Acknowledgement
Land Acknowledgment
We are Claudelle Charette and Marie Whimbey, and currently reside and run our workshops In the Cowichan Valley that was founded on the unceded Indigenous land of the Quw’utsun, Penelakut, Ditidaht, Pacheedaht, Halalt, Stz'uminus, Ts'uubaa-asatx , Lyackson, Malahat, and Pauquachin peoples.
Marie was born of the salt water breeze on unceded Coast Salish Territories, specifically of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples in the so called Victoria area.
Claudelle was born on the Iroquois Indigenous land, called Stadacone, in the place known as Quebec city and was raised on the ancestral land of the W8banaki (Abénanis), people of the rising sun, on the Ndakina territory known as the eastern township.
{{The People}}
The team at Fire Woman honors the Indigenous Hosts whose land we reside on, we give thanks for keeping the land healthy for thousands of years, for their countless sacrifices so we may live in the privilege we do today, for the Elders and Knowledge Keepers, their Youth, their Matriarchs, we give thanks for their Survivors and for all the ways that their very existence is proof of their strength and resilience as a People.
{{The Land}}
We give thanks for this land that we’re on at this time, we honor that we share this home with western red cedar, scoulers willow, red-winged blackbird, chum salmon, pacific chorus tree frog, red squirrel, black bear, elk, varied thrush and all the beings that surrounds us.
We give thanks for the way the sky glows pink in the eastern morning sky, the feeling of soft rain in autumn, the grand presence in dense coastal forests, the fragrance of crushed grand fir needles, the sweet sound of american dipper along the river's edge.
{{The Facts}}
The Indigenous people of this land go by the names Quw’utsun, Penelakut, Ditidaht, Pacheedaht, Halalt, Stz'uminus, Ts'uubaa-asatx , Lyackson, Malahat, and Pauquachin peoples and speak the language of Hul’q’umi’num which includes 3 dialects.
There are 5517 members of the Cowichan Tribes. Their core traditional territory covers the entire Cowichan Valley, the surrounding area around Cowichan Lake, Shawinigan Lake and extends into the Gulf Islands, the Fraser River and Lulu Island, now site of the Vancouver Airport. It is worth mentioning that their ancestors were traveling on further territory in the summertime for fishing and hunting, as far as Yale, BC and as far south as Sumas and Nooksak in Washington State.
The Cowichan tribes includes 9 reserves and is made up of seven traditional villages: Kwa’mutsun, Qw'umiyiqun, Xwulqw'selu, S’amuna’, Lhumlhumuluts', Xinupsun, and Til'ulpalus.
In recognition of residing on Indigenous land & the privilege that has come from the many countless sacrifices made by our Host, we are committed to putting our privilege to right use by getting out of our comfort zone and being curious of the questions, protocols and reciprocities. With the best of our capacity, educating ourselves on how to be a good ally and applying what we learn.
I invite you to honor your indigenous Host by going to read on their website and learn and share a few facts about them, starting to learn a few words of their language and sharing it with your friends.
We consider ourselves in the beginning stage of this journey and acknowledge the little that we know about this. We keep doing our best to be in good relationships with the land and the people. We give our deepest Gratitude to Pulxaneeks, Xanuksiala First Nation for all the work she has done for us to inform ourselves and create this beautiful and formal Heart to Heart land acknowledgment. Her work is gold. Please take a look at her website : Home | Indigenous Relations Consultation
You can find here plenty of information on your hosts:
About Cowichan Tribes :: Cowichan Tribes
Cowichan Tribes | British Columbia Assembly of First Nations
First Nations Consultation | Plan Your CVRD (you can find a list of their personal website)
Cowichan Tribes Facts for Kids
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