Obama's Significant Act - Naming "Denali" Honoring the First Nations of North America
Renaming ceremony of the Queen Charlotte Islands to "Haida Gwaii" (2010) Photograph by: HANDOUT: Jack Litrell, Government of BC/Vancouver Sun
By Heather Gray
President Barack Obama's official renaming of the highest peak in the hemisphere to it's original First Nation name of "Denali" is so appreciated. The name comes from the"Koyukon Athabaskans who inhabit the area around the mountain and have for centuries referred to the peak as Dinale or Denali. The name is based on a Koyukon word for "high" or "tall" ( Wikipedia). While Denali is in Alaska - a U.S. state - the act of this name changing is in keeping with a trend in the western Canadian province of British Columbia and other provinces as well as. The above photo depicts an example of this. As a former Canadian, I am thrilled by these initiatives to honor the ancestral lands and culture of the First Nations of Canada and the United States. In fact, I am of the opinion that this should be done extensively in all the former British white settler colonies!
While in Vancouver, British Columbia in October 2014 I was educated about the Haida Nation and in particular that the Queen Charlotte Islands off the north coast of British Columbia had been renamed "Haida Gwaii"which literally means "islands of the Haida people". In fact, it is thought that the Haida people have been in this area for 13,000 years. The renaming took place in 2010.
In the photo above from the renaming ceremony, the following are pictured:
Premier Gordon Campbell (centre) and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation George Abbott (front row, 3rd from left) with the Haida Nation Hereditary Chiefs Council and President of the Haida Nation Guujaaw (back row, left) at the Giving Back the Name With Respect Ceremony in Old Massett. At the ceremony the Haida Nation formally returned the name Queen Charlotte Islands and restored the name Haida Gwaii, Thursday June, 17, 2010 (Vancouver Sun).
The islands were named the Queen Charlotte Islands in the late 1700's after being surveyed by British Captain George Dixon in 1787 (Wikipedia). Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) was the wife of George III. Interestingly, she is also known as the first "black" Queen of England as her roots were of Portuguese North African Moorish influence (Guardian).
In Vancouver I visited the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology that featured the art and culture of the Haida Nation. Below is a slide show of the exhibit:
The Haida Nation British Columbia, Canada
After the renaming of the islands, the Haida Nation raised its first totem pole on Gwaii Haanas in 130 years. Below is a photo of those in a Haida canoe who were on their way to witness the raising of the totem pole in 2013. Click here to photos of this event ( Globe and Mail).
A Haida canoe makes its way into Windy Bay in Haida Gwaii, B.C., August 15, 2013.
(John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail)
Regarding First Nation culture, I also encourage readers to consider the work of Elaine Keillor (my Canadian cousin) who is the lead author of the " Encyclopedia of Native American Music of North America" and which is the first such compilation of Native music. Here's a brief summary of Native American music not generally known:
Native American music has had a greater influence on Western music than most would realize. As examples, the first North American Christmas carol has indigenous roots and dates back to the 1640s. The fast vibrato and the falsetto tone produced from the back of the throat in blues music are rooted in some prominent Amerindian musical practices. Today, musicians with First Peoples' heritage have been influential in many diverse forms, including opera, hard rock, and country and western.
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Heather Gray is the producer of "Just Peace" on WRFG-Atlanta 89.3 FM covering local, regional, national and international news. She has been involved in agriculture advocacy and communications for 25 years in the United States and internationally. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia and can be reached at hmcgray@earthlink.net
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