Christopher Auchter’s NFB documentary, The Stand, is the story of a people who peacefully and powerfully fought a Province, Government, and industry over many years to protect their lands and their right to call them home.
On an autumn morning with dew on the ground and a light mist in the air, a forest road on Lyell Island in the Canadian Province of British Columbia became the place where the Haida people, the traditional guardians and people of territories including southern Alaska, Haida Gwaii and the surrounding oceans, forests and lands made their stand.
The year was 1985, and Canada was slowly recovering from a recession; Bill Bennett was Premier of British Columbia, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister, and logging and wood harvesting were a cornerstone of the Canadian economy, with little regard for the Indigenous lands, logging trucks and felling equipment trundled over or the environmental costs of destroying ancient habitats.
The Haida people had seen their culture, community, traditions, and history pushed to the brink of destruction over a century of colonial rule. However, as Frank Beban’s logging company, subcontracted by Western Forest Products, arrived on Lyell with provincial agreements to harvest their sacred forests, the Haida people said no. Christopher Auchter’s NFB documentary, The Stand, is the story of a people who peacefully and powerfully fought a Province, Government, and industry over many years to protect their lands and their right to call them home.
Using archival film from the Haida people, news coverage and interviews led by journalist Jack Webster on his BCTV talk show, Webster! Auchter’s documentary is a fascinating journey back in time that highlights the ’80s attitudes, beliefs and actions that sought to continue the oppression of Indigenous communities. That oppression was often covert, and Jack Webster’s interviews highlight this. From the outset, it is clear that Webster was far more interested in logging and the jobs associated with it than in the Haida people, their land, or any environmental protections (in fact, it later transpired that he had shares in Western Forest Products). Statements such as “Aren’t the Haida people just a front for the environmentalists?” trip off his tongue with ease, instantly diminishing the history, culture and beliefs of an entire people. You would think this would have led to rage among the Haida people and a desire to fight aggressively, but it didn’t, and it is here that Auchter’s documentary is at its most compelling.
The Haida people had no interest in violence, criminal damage, or aggressive protest; they simply stood firm, blocking roads to logging vehicles not with barricades but with music, silent protest, dance and community spirit while continually engaging in debate and discussion with police, loggers and media.
Haida elders in their sixties and seventies sat on wooden stalls peacefully, stating that these were their lands while smoking cigarettes and reading passages from scripture, knowing they could face jail. At the same time, younger members played traditional Haida music while holding constructive discussions with police, never seeking anything but a peaceful resolution from the politicians who ignored them. It is clear that the local police respected this and the Haida people, attempting to find a path through the legal disputes that were equally as peaceful; in fact, when police were instructed to arrest the protestors (72 in total from October to December 1985), it’s clear this was both uncomfortable and unwanted by officers.
The power of this peaceful protest, built on debate, strength, and togetherness, is only further cemented when the Haida people invite the loggers and their families to a meal. Together, we watch two communities share food, stories, and laughter, with leaders from both groups making statements that show respect and love despite their disagreements over the surrounding land and forests. It’s beautiful to watch, and a poignant lesson in our divided modern world, where people, communities, and nations are unwilling to listen to each other, let alone break bread to build understanding or maintain peace. Our 21st-century world could learn much from the strength, resolve, willingness to communicate, debate and respectful fight of the Haida people.
The Haida people won their battle through resistance, resilience and peace, with logging on Lyell Island coming to an end years later. Of course, that wasn’t the end, and the fight for their lands would and does continue. Still, their united stand on Lyell Island was a vital step forward in their larger fight for Indigenous people, culture, history and community in a land where the oceans, forests, and mountains echo with the sounds and spirits of a proud people who understand the delicate balance between nature and human civilisation.
Christopher Auchter’s The Stand had its European premiere at Sheffield DocFest and is available to stream in Canada on the National Film Board‘s site. The Stand is awaiting a release date in the UK.
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