Newsletter of the Council of the Haida Nation December 2015 Haida Laas - Newsletter of the Council of the Haida Nation
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2015 HOUSE OF INTERLOCKING THINKING IN ASSEMBLY PROGRESSIVE HAIDA pg 5 CHANGE pg 8 pg 7 HAIDA LAAS Newsletter of the Council of the Haida Nation December 2015 Haida Laas - Newsletter of the Council of the Haida Nation COUNCIL OF THE HAIDA NATION POLLING PLACES & TIMES Regular poll - December 12 (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) POLLING PLACES HAIDA LAAS NEWSLETTER of the COUNCIL OF THE HAIDA NATION Old Massett published by the Adult Day Program - 510 Nannii Street Council of the Haida Nation Skidegate Managing Editor Simon Davies Council of the Haida Nation office - #1 Reservoir Rd. Layout & Web Development Prince Rupert Mare Levesque Highliner Hotel - 815 First Avenue West Writer Graham Richard Vancouver Vancouver Pentecostal Church - 304 East 26th Avenue [email protected] p.250.559.4468 Council of the Haida Nation The best of the season to everyone who loves Haida Gwaii. Administrator from the Council of the Haida Nation representatives & staff Box 589, Old Massett Haida Gwaii V0T 1M0 p.250.626.5252 f.250.626.3403 The best of the season to everyone who loves Haida Gwaii. 1.888.638.7778 from Council of the Haida Nation representatives & staff [email protected] Council of the Haida Nation President Box 98, Queen Charlotte Haida Gwaii V0T 1S0 p.250.559.4468 f.250.559.8951 1.877.559.4468 [email protected] December 2015 www.haidanation.ca Cover Photo: Jags Brown – Photo above: Mary Helmer 2 December 2015 Photo: Haida Laas/Graham Richard Haida Laas/Graham Photo: New appointments Cliff Fregin Bob Brash HaiCo Chairperson HaiCo Chief Executive Officer Theo Assu Kelly Russ Workshop participants included Stanley Swanson, Museum Director Scott Marsden, Archie Stocker, Nadine Wilson, Camille HaiCo Board Member HaiCo Board Member Collinson, Gid Yahk’ii Sean Young, Staast David Vanderhoop, Yaahl Xunjuuaas Robert Kennedy, Jonas Prevost, and teach- ers Carole Dignard and Tara Grant. To have and to hold The many Haida objects stored in display them in ways to keep them safe. This collections around Haida Gwaii will now included packing and shipping basics and Sk’aal Ts’iid James Cowpar Gwaii Trust Chairperson benefit from improved care since ten some facility maintenance training. Haida took part in an Aboriginal Culture “The course was great. We learned a lot HaiCo extends a warm welcome to new Centre workshop at Xaayda Sahlinda about proper handling and storage, which board members Theo Assu, Kelly Russ Naay the Haida Gwaii Museum. is the most useful information for my line and Chairperson Cliff Fregin. They will The students completed a two-day of work,” said Camille Collinson, Gwaii join HaiCo’s four other members; Tamara workshop held Oct 14-15 with instruction Haanas Cultural Resource Management Davidson, Paul Wates, April Churchill, and from teachers Carole Dignard and Tara Grant Advisor. “Gwaii Haanas artifacts and Shawn Thomas. Leaving the board after years of the Canadian Conservation Institute. archaeological objects are all stored in the of service are Gahlaay Lonnie Young and The participants learned how to recognize Haida Gwaii Museum, so it was great to Chairperson Roslyn Kunin. and slow the deterioration of aging cultural learn about all that.” HaiCo also announces that Bob Brash was objects and how to handle, store, and the successful candidate for the position of Chief Executive Officer. The Gwaii Trust welcomes Sk’aal Ts’iid ATTENTION: Haida Nation Election James Cowpar as Chairperson of the Gwaii Trust Board of Directors. Mr Cowpar will be December 12 taking up the position in April 2016. The nation is preparing to elect it’s executive and representatives for the next three years. Nominations were opened October 26 and closed November 5. Four candidates were nominated for President and two for Vice-president. In Vancouver and Prince Rupert, three are vying for two seats each. In Old Massett nine are competing for four seats and in Skidegate seven are up for four seats. An advance poll will be held on December 5 with the election following on December 12. ‘Like’ Council of the Haida Nation on Facebook! 3 Haida Laas - Newsletter of the Council of the Haida Nation Photo: Farah Nosh Farah Photo: Gaaw Xaad Kil: Sgadaang HlGaagilda Xaayda Kil: Sgaada.nga English: Black Oyster Catcher Latin: Haematopus bachmani Although there are over a dozen species of oystercatcher world-wide, sgadaang is the only member of its genus represented in the range covering the Aleutian Islands to Baja California. Mariners often spot their distinctive red beaks and long, bright legs, which Tllgaay guu Glaay.yii never carry them far from the rocky shoreline where they forage for taaxaw Peace on Earth mussels, skats’aguu limpets, t’aa chitons, An experienced eye and well-travelled feet the Middle East. Cultural devastation takes gawduuwal barnacles, ts’aa’am crabs recently returned to Haida Gwaii. Farah generations to heal. Today, post-war Iraq is and kunt'axung sand fleas. Nosh, an Iraqi-Canadian war correspondent, a nation full of post-traumatic stress. As the Although healthy, the sgaada. came home once again to calmer shores years progressed photographing the conflict nga population is surprisingly small, where she seeks solace from the extreme and loss in the Middle East, I wondered about numbering between 8,500 and 11,000. violence she has documented in conflict the recovery and healing of nations. This Sgadaang are loyal mates and zones around the world. transformed into a passion around Haida sometimes remain in pairs for much The award-winning photographer spoke Gwaii’s colonial legacy of language loss, and of their 15-year lifespan. Together the at Xaayda Sahlinda Naay the Haida Gwaii those that fight to revive it.” couples defend their territory where Museum at the opening of her exhibit, Iraq Experience of, and recovery from, tragedy they dig small bowl-like nests which are to Haida Gwaii on September 25. The new is a familiar theme in Ms Nosh’s travels. lined with shells and pebbles. The two exhibit portrays the striking contrast between “After each journey to the middle east, to three gray, speckled eggs can survive Ms Nosh’s worlds: everyday life inside a I would return to Haida Gwaii, trading the occasional submersion in the cold war-zone and everyday life in the Haida violence of Baghdad for the relative calm of waters of Tang.gwan the Pacific Ocean language community. Tlell in pursuit of a spirit balance,” Ms Nosh during their 28-day incubation period. Initially, her tragic images of war from continued. “My two passions, the Middle the Middle East appear to have nothing in East and Haida Gwaii, were at opposing common with the accompanying peaceful spectrums in war and peace. […] This Sgaad guuga pictures of Haida language learning. exhibition is my personal reflection on the Solomon Wilson said this However, Ms Nosh points out that the two experience of war, its subsequent traumas, expression is used when scenes are not so disparate. In both, the legacy and the path to regain solace.” sgaada.nga are noisy of colonization is palpable. Just as the Middle Ms Nosh’s images from conflict zones in before it rains. East struggles with foreign and internal strife, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, the Haida language strives to flourish in spite the West bank, Gaza, and Egypt have been of historical traumas. featured on CNN and in TIME, Newsweek “Haida society was transformed through and the New York Times. The exhibit runs its colonial past,” Ms Nosh explained. “I until January 6. contemplated loss through the historic conflict of these Islands as I documented it in 4 December 2015 2015 Annual House of Assembly THE NATION’S BUSINESS As a busy summer of harvesting berries Haida Title the Sea Treaty – an international agreement defining the rights and responsibilities of and fish came to a close, Haida citizens In light of persistent frustrations with the gathered at Naagudgiikyaagangs the nations – asserting that the oceans around reconciliation process, the House of Assembly Haida Gwaii were part of Haida territory and Skidegate Community Hall in HlGaagilda urged CHN to move forward with the Haida October 20-23 and 30. The assembly came not that of Canada. The HLC even outlined title case, passing Resolution 2015-11 on plans to protect the Islands from potential together to review the work that the Coun- Friday, October 23. In it, the HoA resolved cil of the Haida Nation completed over the marine pollution spills, years before the to “begin in-depth discussions to prepare a Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989. last year and to debate 29 resolutions, strategy to move the Haida title case forward passing 16 of them. to the next stage ”. Herring Since CHN’s formation in 1974 it has The work of going through boxes of Hakw’anaan accumulated an enormous collection of documents is part of the extensive preparation required to win a court case, (Don’t hesitate or waste time discussing evidence in support of title. Throughout 2015 and such research paid off this spring when something to much) legal counsel has been strengthening the case with evidence found in Canadian archives, CHN successfully protected herring from In June, the Council of the Haida Nation including Indian Affairs. A thorough review over-fishing. met again with Canada to discuss the of Indian Affairs material uncovered many On March 6, 2015 the BC Court of Appeal reconciliation of Haida and Crown title. treasures including documents confirming agreed with CHN’s position that opening the Over the last few years of talks, Canada has that Haida Gwaii had a population of at least fishery would cause herring stocks irreparable sent representatives to the table but with 30,000 prior to 1864.