Gwaai Edenshaw Pendants Available to Support Anti-Tanker Animation

Haida carver Gwaai Edenshaw has released photos of the detailed bronze and silver pendants that he has cast from the masks of characters from the Haida animation Haida Raid 2.  These pendants are rewards for the Indiegogo campaign to support the production of the animation’s sequel, Haida Raid 3: Save Our Waters.

The new animation will feature music from Alida Kinnie Starr with Jason Alsop from the Haida Hippies.  Haida Raid 3: Save Our Waters takes aim at the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project with a style unique to Haida Gwaii (In Haida Raid 2, Raven flew in and hacked the Enbridge mainframe!).

Please check out and support the Haida Raid 3 Indiegogo campaign and help K’alts’idaa K’ah and the producers meet their goal:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/haida-raid-3-save-our-waters

Gwaai will also make a gold pendant for as a higher level reward if someone goes for that level of support!

 

Culture of Consciousness Photo Voice Project from Haida Gwaii

Two Haida Gwaii Semester students have created an online presence for their Photo Voice project about “What’s at Stake” when we face the threat of increased tanker traffic on the BC coast.  Haida and non-Haida speak about the sealife and interdependency that exists on the islands and how their value is present in people’s everyday lives.  The project sets out with the following questions:

1. How does supertanker traffic affect (community) well-being in a coastal community?
2. What do you appreciate most about living in an intertidal zone?
3. What is your connection to the waterways along the super tanker route?

To view the project, please visit: cultureconsciousness.wordpress.com

Kinnie Starr Joins Haida Raid 3 Indiegogo Campaign

Haida Raid 3 needs your support!  This stop motion animation project is a home-grown Haida and non-Haida production — Puppet Activism that takes on Harper and his cronies on the Northern Gateway Pipeline and the expansion of oil tanker traffic on the Northwest Coast.  A collaboration between K’alts’idaa K’ah (Laughing Crow) Productions, a storytelling society founded by the Haida carvers Jaalen and Gwaai Edenshaw and Dr. Ken Leslie, an educator and neuroscientist, Haida Raid 3 will feature music from Juno winning musician Alida Kinnie Starr.  This year’s theme, “Save Our Waters” is a song from Kinnie that brings into focus what’s at stake in this new round of threats to our ocean from large-scale industrial development.

The collaborators in Haida Raid 3 have launched an Indiegogo campaign to support their work and we invite you to check it out.  It has many different levels of rewards for your contributions, including bronze, silver, and gold castings of the characters in the production to Haida prints and stickers. Please help raise funds to make this project a success and send a clear message to the government that we want a healthy coastal economy not an industrial disaster waiting to happen!

Check out the Haida Raid 3 Save Our Waters Indiegogo campaign at:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/haida-raid-3-save-our-waters

Nations United Against Enbridge T-shirt Campaign Launched at All Native Basketball Tournament

The Haida delegation at this year’s All Native Basketball Tournament brought T-Shirts with them promoting unity amongst First Nations on the coast. Members of Haida Gwaii CoASt screen printed the Tees in Masset to get a strong message out that we don’t want the pollution of our waters brought on by supertankers.

Watch for more T-Shirt and sticker campaigns in the upcoming months.  Let’s get the word out that we don’t need tarsands bitumen travelling through our waters. We want healthy salmon, killerwhales and people!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Haida Gwaii CoASt thinks JRP recommendation is shameful, but not surprising

HAIDA GWAII: Haida Gwaii CoASt is disappointed that the JRP approved Enbridge’s pipeline that would bring oil supertankers to Northern BC. Island communities came together to participate in the hearings and almost 200 spoke directly to the panel. Every single speaker stated his or her vehement opposition to Enbridge’s proposal for countless different reasons.

Haida Gwaii relies heavily on wild foods from the ocean and land. An oil spill puts all of that at risk and Island communities are not prepared to accept that risk. Haida Gwaii communities – both Haida and non-Haida – hold strong stewardship values. With a tradition of working together, we are committed to protecting our home from unsustainable, large-scale development projects. This was very clear at the JRP hearings – the Islands are strong and united against the Northern Gateway. Enbridge does not have social license for this project.

“The Panel’s recommendation doesn’t reflect our values. This whole project is absurd from start to finish – it’s totally destructive. We will not allow oil supertankers through our waters and we’re not backing down”, declared Gwaai Edenshaw.

“’The Haida Nation is the rightful heir to Haida Gwaii. Our culture is born of respect; and intimacy with the land and sea and the air around us. Like the forests, the roots of our people are intertwined such that the greatest troubles cannot overcome us. We owe our existence to Haida Gwaii.’ That’s from the preamble of our Constitution and that says it all,” explained April Churchill, former Vice-President of the Haida nation. “We have love and respect for Haida Gwaii, the Earth, and all of its beings. We will persevere in unity.” 

Contacts

Haida Gwaii CoASt Spokesperson, April Churchill:
250.559.2332 | aprilvictoriachurchill@gmail.com

Haida Gwaii CoASt Spokesperson, Gwaai Edenshaw:
778.828.9165 | haidaart@mac.com

Andrew Nikiforuk to Speak in Haida Gwaii May 24, 25

“Andrew Nikiforuk is one of the most astute, relentless and original writers of his generation.”

The Haida Gwaii Arts Council is pleased to host readings by Andrew Nikiforuk this weekend!

Everyone’s welcome–come out and hear from his new book, The Energy of Slaves. 

Skidegate – Haida Heritage Centre

Friday, May 24 starting at 7.30pm

Old Massett – Youth Centre

Saturday, May 25 starting at 7.30pm

If anyone would like to join Mr. Nikiforuk for dinner at Charters before the Masset reading, please RSVP before Friday: haidagwaiicoast@gmail.com