At 22 years old, Demetrius George is a young man who is going somewhere.
He is the third eldest child of Dallas George and Elizabeth Robbins, and grew up on the Esket'emc (previously known as Alkali Lake) reserve, where he knows he will always return.
When he graduated from high school, like many young people, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life.
He got a job doing fuel management work around the reserve but it wasn't a good fit for him. When a friend told him about a job opportunity with Sugar Cane Archaeology, he applied.
George said he didn't know much about archaeology at the time and didn't think they even did much of in Canada.
But he started with the company as an archaeology technician level one in 2021 and has enjoyed the outdoor aspect of the job and learning as he goes.
One thing he has learned since taking the job is his grandmother, Virginia Robbins, a Secwépemc language teacher, had also worked in archaeology. She began telling him stories about documenting archaeology sites in and around his community.
As he learned more on the job, he also began to learn more about his family, his own culture and the history of his community and the Secwépemc Nation.
Now he has a real passion for the work, something Brittany Cleminson, his supervisor and CEO of Sugar Cane Archaeology has witnessed first hand, as she has helped mentor him into the role he has today as a junior field supervisor.
"Over the years we've really watched him grow and mature," she said.
"He's always putting himself in a leadership role, making sure that the crew is taken care of and that the work is done in a good way, so it's been really great to see," said Cleminson.
George now leads crews of four to five other people on different types of assessments and she said he really leads by example, while also supporting the more junior crew members as they learn the job.
"He's the first to be in there with the hard work," said Cleminson.
But George has faced challenges along the way while he tries to balance his hopes of pursuing a career and an education.
In 2022 he realized he needed help, and he went to a centre in Kitimat for three months of alcohol treatment. Because it was during Covid, he said the group was small and it was a great experience and helped him deal with his trauma.
He's been sober ever since and while he doesn't attend regular meetings, he finds support in his family and attends meetings to support other people at times, including his father, or goes for celebratory meetings. He recently marked his 1,000 days of sobriety.
He said his family means the most to him, and since becoming a father to his son Dion less than two years ago, he and his partner Shay Matthews have been working to balance raising a young child and being working parents.
George said he tries to give Matthews breaks in the evening and on weekends, and he heads out to Esk'et regularly, where he said his son enjoys spending time with family and he hears from elders and his grandparents stories about the community and people.
"It's really nice," he said, though he admits this isn't always easy.
"It's tough hearing the stories too, there's some sad parts," George acknowledged.
With an ear to the past, he also has his focus firmly fixed on the future with some key goals in mind.
He hopes to go to post-secondary school, likely once Dion is a little older, to pursue anthropology and archaeology, with a long term goal of operating his own archaeology business for his community.
"I really think with him and archaeology, the sky is the limit," said Cleminson, noting the shift towards Indigenous-led archaeology.
George said he also hopes to one day be chief of his community, the place he grew up and knows he will always go back.
