unique projects  •  timber frames  •  tiny homes •  green building •  renovations
Little Big House
Ma’amtagila Land Rematriation Project
2019 Victoria, BC





    Along with my good friend Catherine Wallace and a crew of countless volunteers, we built a “little big house” for the Ma’amtagila nation over the course of a week on the University of Victoria campus.

    The Ma’amtagila are a nation within the Kwakwaka'wakw. Building the little big house was the first step in reoccupying Hiladi, an old village site and “the place to make things right.” The Little Big House will enable Tsastilqualus, her son Makwala, their kin, and other Indigenous people to spend time on the land and water. In the process, the Little Big House will help to reinvigorate land-based cultural and spiritual practices, strengthen matriarchal decision-making practices that are integral to Kwakwaka'wakw governance, increase access to traditional foods and medicines, and (re)produce and share knowledge with younger generations.

    You can read more about the project here