Graham Richard — Haida welcomed about thirty Haíłzaqv Heiltsuk delegates to the Islands this September 25 to take part in a conversation kuuniisii ancestors began over 125 years ago. The Peace Treaty meetings are part of an ongoing international conversation formalized through potlatch law over a century ago. In 2015, Read more…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 19, 2016 The Haida Nation stands with the Heiltsuk Nation and supports their assertions regarding the speed of the federal government’s response, the environmental impacts to the community and subsequent economic hardship from the sinking of the Nathan E. Stewart and grounding of the barge DBL55. Read more…
Graham Richard — Dancing and singing recommenced in the afternoon on Tuesday, June 30, starting with a welcome by the Heiltsuk hereditary leaders. Then Heiltsuk children flooded the floor as they started the day. Their Haida visitors joined them in portraying the spirits and animals that inhabit Heiltsuk territory, forming Read more…
Potlatching began on Monday, June 29 at the Bella Bella Community Centre in Waglisla. Gathered outside the hall in the hot summer afternoon Haida nation representatives prepared to formally enter. Some of the singers quietly hummed tunes to themselves and hugged their drums close to their bodies to prepare for Read more…
By Graham Richard — This June eighty Haida traversed an ancient trade route, retraced infinitely by coastal ancestors over thousands of years: the inside passage. The group was on their way to a peace treaty potlatch in Waglisla Bella Bella. From the decks of a ferry, they watched the dramatic, Read more…
By Molly Clarkson — It’s a robin blue sky day on the central coast and hot. Gathered around a fire on a bluff overlooking a pristine white beach are Haida and Heiltsuk. They have gathered to put the spirits of Haida ancestors to rest with offerings of food and drink, prayer Read more…