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Topic

Unsettled Futures: Pathways for Indigenous Solidarity on Haida Gwaii

School of Environmental Studies

Date & location

• Wednesday, May 7, 2025

• 10:00 A.M.

• Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. James Rowe, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Emily Eaton, School of Environmental Studies, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Chris Dixon, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Hokulani Aikau, School of Indigenous Governance, UVic 

Abstract

Haida scholars and community leaders have made it clear that non-Haida people can (and should) contribute to the collective protection, well-being, and resilience of Haida Gwaii. There is a lack of clarity among many settlers, however, around their agency in the anti-colonial movement and methods for addressing settler colonial logics in the community. To address this gap, I reviewed literature on settler colonialism and non-Indigenous agency in collective social liberation and conducted 13 interviews with Haida and non-Haida community members. I explored three research questions. (1) What approaches, practices, and tools have been successfully used by other communities and social practitioners/organizations to support settler (un)learning and transformation? I found that helping people foster deeper relationships with land and ancestry, exploring shared place-based histories, engaging in reading, discussion, and embodiment-based courses, and using art as a tool for knowledge-sharing are examples of effective social/educational tools. (2) What past or current spaces/movements on Haida Gwaii have fostered dialogue around settler responsibilities and conceptions of Haida sovereignty? A key finding was that Haida Gwaii has a rich history of alliances between Haida and settler peoples – in support of Haida title and resurgence, to protect Haida Gwaii’s lands and waters, and in resistance to corporate industrial invasion – which have been powerful sites of personal transformation and solidarity-building. (3) What approaches, practices, and tools might be effective for settlers in Daajing Giids with various perspectives to critically interrogate and transform mindsets around settler identity and Haida sovereignty? How can passive allies or more neutral residents be brought more into the fold of anti-colonial action? I found that among local community organizers, a politics based on relationships and shared interests (such as a connection to place and the health of the community’s air, water, and food sources) was favoured over a politics of identity, shame, and deference; the latter of which risks homogenizing or unnecessarily burdening the Haida community. Neutral or passive allies could be engaged by creating opportunities for in-person relationship-building and supporting residents in witnessing Haida business at potlatches and other political/cultural events. Ultimately, I saw great interest among participants to strengthen networks and practices of mutual aid, support one another in subverting settler colonial habits and structures, and continue to build popular social power that aligns with the interests of the Haida Nation.