Documentary Reflection

May 24, 2025 By: T00442593

In May 2024, the BC Government granted royal assent to the Gaayhllxid/Gíihlagalgang “Rising Tide” Haida Title Lands Agreement.  The passing of this legislation officially recognizing the Haida Nation’s Aboriginal title over all Haida Gwaii and it marked the first time in Canadian history that a province recognized Indigenous title through negotiation instead of litigation.

I fully support this recognition.  As a result of the doctrine of discovery, lack of treaties, broken agreements and the ongoing lack of recognition of Aboriginal rights and title by the provincial government, First Nations have had to fight lengthy and expensive legal battles to assert their Section 35 rights and establish title.  This agreement affirms the Haida Nation as the decision makers and original stewards of their lands.  It is a meaningful step towards the provincial government’s commitments to reconciliation.

The Haida are known as fierce defenders of their territory.  Their resistance to logging on Ahtilii Gwaii in the 1980s is one of the most profound Indigenous led environmental protests in Canadian history.  As highlighted in the East Haida News and the CBC documentary clip, the Haida’s peaceful blockade gained national attention and helped to bring awareness about Indigenous land disputes and the logging of old growth.

This mirrors the activist strategies shown in How to Change the World (2015), which highlights the origins of Greenpeace and its early acts of civil disobedience against whaling and nuclear testing.  The CBC clip also showed how the loggers are upset with the Haida for the blockade and not at the licensee for the logging practices.

Both the Haida and early Greenpeace activist used non-violent, direct action to raise awareness and protect the environment.  However, the Haida also pursued political and legal strategies demonstrating that civil disobedience and diplomacy can work together to achieve the desired outcome.

CBC News. “Haida Nation Aboriginal Title Legislation Gets Royal Assent in B.C. Legislature.” 17 May 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/haida-title-legislation-bc-1.7191354

East Haida News. “Looking Back: Logging Blockade on Athlii Gwaii.” https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/articles/looking-back-logging-blockade-athlii-gwaii

CBC. “Video: Lyell Island Logging Blockade.” https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.3594160

Rothwell, Jerry, director and writer. How to Change the World: The Revolution Will Not Be Organized. British Film Institute, 2015. YouTube, uploaded by George Hunsicker, 28 Mar. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-7saEKyThc