The inaugural orientation program delivered to develop IPAC Ambassadors for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Snaw’naw’as on Vancouver Island led to a remarkable experience for the participants, one that inspired the project leads to expand the concept beyond provincial boundaries. The experience came as a result of a Coast Salish Elder sharing some very powerful stories about his people, and presenting an ideology that has since been adopted as the foundation of the Naut'sa mawt Initiative.

The Naut'sa mawt Initiative concept itself was started by RCMP Marine Services member and RCGS Fellow Bill Nadeau who, during his Masters research work met Canadian Geographic Director of Reconciliation Charlene Bearhead. Bearhead explained to Nadeau that the development of the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (IPAC) was in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action and the Canada 150 vision. Since then, the IPAC resources have become a vital resource for championing the truth seeking process through education. Bearhead added that despite the kits gaining popularity throughout Canada, it has been very difficult to get them into the more remote and coastal communities where they are also needed. That is when Nadeau saw an opportunity to partner with both the RCMP Indigenous Policing Services (IPS) and the RCGS College of Fellows to work towards getting the kits to where they needed to be.

 During the initial orientation and training with IPS and the RCMP marine unit, the team was joined by Snaw-naw-as Elder Mr. Jim Bob who blessed the giant floor maps and shared a number of stories describing how his community grew and developed the land around what is now widely known as Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island. Mr. Bob, who is a residential school survivor, was deeply moved by the efforts of the team remarking “Today, I would call an historical day for everyone. For me, my family and all of your families. The positive things that can happen, my children would be happy to hear this.”

 Nadeau notes that it was Mr. Bob who inspired the name of the initiative.

 "It was not just Jim's stories that we found humbling, but his life-long dedication to preserving the culture and language of his people. At one point in his presentation Jim shared with us a word that in his language means working together with one mind and one heart; Naut'sa mawt. It was brilliant and spoke to exactly what we were trying to accomplish.”

 After witnessing how successful the RCMP Positive Partnerhips IPAC Ambassador program was, both Nadeau and Bearhead realized the potential to expand it nationally. The Mounties modelled an eagerness to champion the effort which led Nadeau to asking why the RCGS Fellows could not do the same across Canada. The Naut’sa mawt Initiative was launched shortly thereafter.