The Power of a Name
The ‘Queen Charlotte Islands’ off the west coast of Canada have officially been renamed as Haida Gwaii which means “islands of the people” in local Haida language. We can see the power that names and maps have in the following quote from CBC news: “This is what the islands are named; they’re Haida Gwaii. The confusion is the fact that some maps say one thing, and other maps say another. So now, it’s official, and that’s great.” (1)
There is no doubt however that this is a result of vast political posturing on the part on the Government of British Columbia to smooth over relations with the Haida nation who are against offshore development (2) of the immense oil reserves located nearby Haida Gwaii. Haida chief Guujaaw called the plans of oil transport company Enbridge who want to ship oil by pipeline to Kitimat from Alberta where it would be shipped off to distant locations, “ludicrous” and “unbelievable” and that “the project would put the entire Haida way of life at risk for nothing more than the chance for investors and company officials to make money” (3).
1: Queen Charlotte Islands renamed Haida Gwaii in historic deal
2: Hands off oil, Haida Nation says
3: Haida Nation Says No Way to Oil Tanker Traffic
Nice piece J.