Ancient traditions celebrate a modern breakthrough in native relations JOHN LEHMANN AND MARK HUME
The Globe and Mail Published Friday, Aug. 16 2013, 6:56 PM EDT Last updated Saturday, Aug. 17 2013, 10:17 AM EDT http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/haida-totem-pole-ceremony-blends-ancient-traditions-with-modern-activism/article13824684/ When members of the Haida Nation raised a monumental totem pole in the forest on Lyell Island this week, it marked a historical moment in more ways than one. The 13-metre-tall carving, which features the dramatic images of animals, spirits and humans, is the first pole raised in the area known as Gwaii Haanas in 130 years. And it went up at a site where in 1985 native elders faced off against the RCMP to stop logging in the southern part of Haida Gwaii, a remote archipelago on British Columbia's north coast. The Lyell Island blockade ended logging that threatened to clear-cut the area and sparked talks that led to the creation of a national park reserve jointly managed by the Haida Nation and the federal government. The pole raising was held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the signing of that agreement. "The legacy pole tells the story of how we work together for the common good, resulting in the successful care of land and waters for the benefit of all people," says Peter Lantin, president of the Haida Nation. Arriving in kayaks, canoes, fishing and whale-boats, about 400 people formed a circle around the pole and watched as head carver, Jaalen Edenshaw, and his crew applied the finishing touches of paint and capped the top with copper eagle feathers. When the pole was raised, some people wept. Looking down at them were the fierce faces of the grizzly bear, the raven, Wasco, a supernatural sea wolf, and the "five good people," depicting those who blocked the logging road. The pole stands in a grove of pristine old growth forest, near the waters of Windy Bay, now part of a marine reserve. All around it stands land protected by the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. The pole-raising ceremony was a powerful symbol of the resurgence of the Haida Nation and, for Canadians, it celebrated the power of diplomacy, with the government being able to forge a new relationship with the native population after years of conflict. RELATED STORY Click here for more images of the Gwaii Haanas legacy pole WATCH Video: Celebrating protection of the land on Gwaii Haanas WATCH Video: Community comes together to raise historic totem pole WATCH Video: Making Southern Haida Gwaii's first carved pole in 130 years [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Native News North List info{all lists}: http://nativenewsonline.org/natnews.htm Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NatNews-north/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NatNews-north/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: natnews-north-dig...@yahoogroups.com natnews-north-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: natnews-north-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
