I still find my mind wandering back to the museum. Of all the exhibits, the ones that stayed with me longest were the displays documenting the repatriation of stolen items—artifacts that had been taken so long ago and have finally, rightfully, been returned home.

There is a profound, heartwarming shift that happens when you look at displays curated not just to show history, but to honor the living spirit of the people of Haida Gwaii.

One such experience completely stopped me in my tracks. It was a display dedicated to Hereditary Chief Skidegate, Lewis Collinson (1881–1970). In March 1966, Chief Collinson delivered what would become one of the most famous and enduring addresses in the history of the Haida Nation.

To explain the core of human community, unity, and resilience, he didn’t lean on abstract political concepts. Instead, he used the powerful, timeless metaphor of the forest.

“People are like trees, and groups of people are like the forests. While the forests are composed of many different kinds of trees, these trees intertwine their roots so strongly that it is impossible for the strongest winds which blow on our islands to uproot the forest, for each tree strengthens its neighbour, and their roots are inextricably intertwined.
 
In the same way the people of our Islands, composed of members of nations and races from all over the world, are beginning to intertwine their roots so strongly that no troubles will affect them. Just as one tree standing alone would soon be destroyed by the first strong wind which came along, so it is impossible for any person, any family, or any community to stand alone against the troubles of this world.”

(Note:  understandably, photos are not allowed to be taken inside the museum.)

The spirit and graciousness of the islands follow us as we walk the Golden Spruce Trail near Port Clements. True to form in Haida Gwaii, there is a deeply moving story waiting here.

For over 300 years, a remarkable Kiid K’iiyaas (Ancient Tree)—a Sitka spruce—flourished along the banks of the meandering Yakoun River. The tree was unlike any other in the surrounding rainforest; a rare genetic mutation gave it striking, radiant golden needles instead of the typical evergreen hue.
Tragedy struck in January 1997 when the Golden Spruce met its fate at the hands of Grant Hadwin, a deeply troubled forestry engineer. In an overnight act of misguided protest, he sliced his chainsaw deep into the base of the 50-meter giant. Left unstable against the gusty winter winds, the sacred tree fell just a few days later.

For the Haida people and the village of Gamadiis (Port Clements), which proudly called itself “The Home of the Golden Spruce,” the sense of grief and community loss was profound.

Yet, from that heartbreak, pieces of its legacy endure. In 2001, one of two surviving saplings grafted from the tree was returned home to Gamadiis Port Clements, while the other resides at the UBC Botanical Garden in Vancouver. Furthermore, the only timber collected from the felled giant was used to create another Canadian icon: the famous Six String Nation Voyageur guitar.

Continuing along the Golden Spruce trail, these plaques are displayed expressing the spirit of the forest, inviting hikers to pause and reflect on the profound interconnectedness of the surrounding ecosystem.

Etched with poetic reflections, local indigenous wisdom, and ecological insights, each marker serves as a quiet narrator for the ancient canopy above. They do not merely state facts; instead, they give voice to the whispering cedar boughs, the resilience of the moss-covered floor, and the enduring legacy of the sacred tree that once stood here. As visitors move from one plaque to the next, the walk transforms from a simple nature hike into a deeply contemplative journey, bridging the gap between human awareness and the silent, living heart of the woods.

More to come…