Reconciling with Indigenous Peoples Through Official Recognitions

The government of British Columbia, Canada, officially recognized the Haida Nation as the rightful owner of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. This precedent could positively change Canada’s path to reconciliation with the Natives.

“What it signifies,” says Gaagwiis (Jason Alsop), president of the Council of the Haida Nation, “is a new foundation based on Yah’guudang, or respect, of recognizing this inherent title that preexisted [European contact] and will continue to exist as the basis going forward. And, essentially, the province kind of ceding their claim to this land.”

The Haida Gwaii archipelago is a 10,000 km² of forested 200-plus islands located some 650 km northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, which happens to be the Haida’s home for at least 13,000 years. In the Gaayhllxid/Gíihlagalgang “Rising Tide” Haida Title Lands Agreement, the BC government formally recognizes Haida ownership of all the land of Haida Gwaii. For the first time in the country’s history, the colonial government recognizes this Indigenous title across an entire terrestrial territory and outside the courts. First Nations have always struggled to enforce Indigenous titles without legal backing. So far, only two Canadian courts have done so. “The idea that each legal system is recognizing the other one is a turning point. It’s also radically democratic and participatory,” explains John Borrows, a Chippewas of Nawash First Nation member and an Indigenous law expert at the University of Toronto.