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This site is currently under construction — content is still being developed and does not represent the final product. Thank you for your patience.
About us → Mission & values
The Raven Collective is guided by the belief that Indigenous stories, told in Indigenous voices, have the power to heal communities, bridge cultures, and shape a more just future for all peoples of the Pacific Northwest.
Our mission
The Raven Collective promotes the development of professional Indigenous theatre and arts in northwest British Columbia. We support Indigenous artists at every stage of their creative journey — from emerging voices to established masters — through funding, mentorship, production, and distribution of film, theatre, painting, carving, and digital art.
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Stories are the most powerful medicine. When we tell our own stories, in our own voices, we reclaim what was taken and give our children something to stand on.
— In memory of Larry Guno, Sim’oogit Ts’iidaawwiihl · Nisga’a Hereditary Chief of the Raven Clan
Our commitments
We commit to paying all artists, actors, directors, and crew at or above industry standard rates — never asking Indigenous artists to work for exposure.
Indigenous artists lead our productions. Non-Indigenous collaborators support and serve — never direct or define — the stories being told.
We ensure artists retain ownership of their work and that cultural knowledge shared in productions is used only with the explicit consent of the communities involved.
Every production is also a training opportunity. We invest in emerging Indigenous artists so the next generation of storytellers has the skills, networks, and confidence to lead.
Our values
We believe Indigenous artists and communities have the inherent right to control their own stories, art, and cultural expressions. We never speak for — only alongside and in support of — the nations and artists we serve.
Every production, exhibition, and program is grounded in respect for the cultural traditions of the nations involved. We work with Knowledge Keepers and Elders to ensure our work honours rather than appropriates.
We acknowledge the deep wounds of colonization, residential schools, and cultural suppression. The arts are a vehicle for healing across generations — and every production we support carries that responsibility.
We hold the work of our artists to the highest standard — not by external measures, but by the standards of the communities whose stories are being told. Excellence means truth, craft, and courage
Indigenous stories belong to everyone. We price performances to be as accessible as possible and actively bring productions to remote and underserved northern BC communities who rarely see professional theatre.
As a non-profit we are accountable to our artists, our communities, and our funders. We publish our financials, disclose our governance, and operate with full transparency in everything we do.
In memoriam · Our namesake
Larry Guno was born in 1940 in the Nisga’a village of New Aiyansh (Gitlaaxt’aamiks). He spent four years at the Edmonton Indian Residential School, an experience he channelled into his play Bunk #7. A lawyer, NDP MLA for the Atlin district from 1986 to 1991, and a pioneering architect of the Nisga’a Agreement — Canada’s first modern-day treaty — Larry was a visionary who believed deeply in the power of story. He died suddenly at 65 in Terrace while completing the final revisions to Bunk #7. The Raven Collective was founded in his memory by Marianne Brorup Weston and the Guno family, with a promise to bring his play — and Indigenous theatre — to all of Canada.
