The launch of an Indigenous cryptocurrency is near

Plus, three stories you may have missed.

Author

Allison Gacad
January 12, 2023

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Dine Around and Stay In Town Victoria

Welcome to this week’s Thursday Feature, brought to you by Dine Around. In this issue, meet the Cowichan family building Indigenous sovereignty on the blockchain and learn from Victoria tech leaders' career journeys.

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Meet the Coast Salish family building in Web3

Physical copies of tetla in hand. Photo: Meaghan Champion

In 2011, Meaghan Champion, a member of the Cowichan Tribes, first launched a currency called tetla for use in her community. Since then, tetla has been used to pay for things at participating businesses in Duncan, Victoria, and Langford, as well as to support Hul'qumi'num language lessons. Now, tetla is eyeing to launch as a cryptocurrency on the Cardano blockchain.

The desire to build in Web3 came from an interest in asserting Indigenous financial rights. Historically, the Cowichan had a form of currency, called tela in Hul'qumi'num. They also exchanged value through gift giving at potlaches. "We gave and received money as gifts. We loaned money and borrowed money. We had our own currencies and our own banks. That is why we have words in our language for money, loans and banks," said Champion in a white paper on the project.

The project has evolved into a desire to build a sovereign stock exchange on the Cardano blockchain. On this exchange, Cowichans would be able to list businesses and buy shares of stock in these businesses, even if they don't work there. "It is time to assert all the rights that other nations around the world have," Champion said in the white paper. "One of those rights is the right to have our own economy, run our own way with our own currency, our own stock exchanges, our own banks and everything else a strong economy can have."

Champion says that the project is still in its early days of financing and planning, as led by her family. But her ultimate hope is to use the profits to invest in the health of the Cowichan community through a biotech hub, in partnership with American medtech entrepreneur Michael Vassar. "We want to research aging, and longevity. We want to make Cowichan home to the best geriatric care in the world," she said to Victoria Tech Journal. "The goal is to measurably increase the number of years that Cowichan people are living, as well as improve the quality of life that they are experiencing."

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Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria

Calling all foodies - Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria returns this January. This foodie festival features multi-course menus at your favourite Victoria eateries, and special hotel rates so you can enjoy a true night out!

Brought to you by Destination Greater Victoria and the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, this 17-day culinary adventure features over 40 local restaurants, pubs, and bars, each serving up delicious multi-course, prix-fixe menus ranging from $25 to $65 per person.

Treat yourself to a Victoria staycation and take advantage of special rates at ten local hotels. Soak up some luxury at a great price - hotel rooms start at $139 a night!

Start planning your Dine Around and Stay in Town experience here.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🏙️ A day in the big city: Justin Tse of Feature Media shares a day in his life across the pond in Vancouver, including his mobile productivity desk setup. Watch on Youtube. 

🐦 Thinking about Twitter: Jeff Doctor, impact strategies at Animikii Indigenous Technology, analyzes how the social dynamics of power play out on Twitter. Read in Forbes.

🌾 From a farming family to top investor: Jason Warner, managing director at Redpoint Ventures, discusses his humble beginnings in tech to his time as CTO at GitHub, and now as a local investor. Listen to The Hard Part with Evan McCann.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

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Join us on January 18!

Next Wednesday, you’re invited to the Capital Daily Festival, an exclusive event for Capital Daily Insiders that brings together some of the city’s brightest citizens as speakers and panelists, and performances by local artists.

See and hear music by ASTROCOLOR, Wolf Parade co-founder Spencer Krug, Nicky MacKenzie and Old Soul Rebel, and speakers like Gregor Craigie, Luke Mari, Julie Angus, Andrew Wilkinson, and many others. Not an Insider? Join today to get in.

📅 Upcoming events

February 1: Pitch in a Castle

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

Have something or someone we should know about? Reply or email [email protected] so we can work together to spotlight the lesser-known stories of Victoria's tech ecosystem.