Kwantlen First Nation Welcome Message

On behalf of the Kwantlen First Nation community, we welcome you to the 2023 Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival.

This event has been growing in size and popularity in recent years, and we are happy to offer some words of welcome to this special community and place that we call home for event guests, artists, performers, organizers, sponsors and volunteers. 

The land and resources in and around Fort Langley and areas up and down the river have been our place of home for countless generations.  We need to give honour and respect always to our sacred lands and resources for all that they have provided and continue to provide, and never take them for granted.  We are blessed to call this area home, and we all owe a responsibility for their protection and preservation for our next generations. 

Music and art are important features and expressions of all cultures.  At Kwantlen, we have very deep and longstanding practices in singing, dancing, drumming, art, design and storytelling, and much of this is tied to our long-standing connections to land, resources and each other. 

We honour all the artists and performers who are a part of this festival and encourage you to celebrate the diversity of performances that will be a part!  Please check out the indigenous art and culture stage, the arts zone, the celebration of young artists and main stage shows!  Enjoy, tread lightly and our best wishes for a wonderful event!

All our relations,

Chief Marilyn Gabriel
Kwantlen First Nation