The Heiltsuk Nation is taking an oil shipping company and Canada to court over a catastrophic diesel oil spill in their territory. The Nathan E. Stewart sank, but the Heiltsuk are rising.
Backbone is honored to co-host this film screening of Raven People Rising and discussion. Admission is by donation, and all funds raised go to RAVEN. Can't make the film and want to donate? Click HERE.
Watch the Trailer HERE.
Will you stand with the Heiltsuk? Join Ana Simeon of RAVEN – Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs – to learn about the Heiltsuk's ground-breaking legal case to enshrine Indigenous governance of their territory and homeland into law. The Heiltsuk’s goal is to raise $425,000 for their legal challenge to strengthen marine shipping restrictions in the Great Bear Sea and challenge Canada’s dysfunctional oil spill response regime.
Raven People Rising is a film chronicling the efforts of Indigenous people to chart a sustainable and just course through the troubled waters of the Great Bear Sea. In this 30 minute film, set in one of the Earth’s last tracts of intact temperate rainforest, meet elders, youth, and tribal leaders who describe a mixed inheritance: on the one hand, the incredible violence of residential schools and cultural erasure, and on the other, an unbroken lineage of ancestral teachings that powerfully connect people to place.
Islander and Exxon Valdez survivor Dr. Riki Ott will join Ana to support the Heiltsuk cause with updates on the long-term harm from oil spill exposure to human health and marine ecosystems.
Many thanks to Vashon Theatre and Island Green Tech for making this evening possible.
