British Columbia’s government has claimed that over 20% of “their” forests still contain old-growth, but a recent independent study found only 2.7% could truly be classified as such. Despite the reality that such little of this ancient ecosystem remains, B.C. government and corporations continue to log across unceded forests. For this reason, in August of 2020, when it was revealed that Teal-Jones Group would begin road construction to log within the Fairy Creek Watershed, forest defenders quickly mobilized to halt logging operations throughout unceded Pacheedaht and Ditidaht territories. 

This week on For The Wild podcast we bring you an on the ground interview between Maia Wikler and xʷ is xʷ čaa (Kati George-Jim) that goes beyond old-growth logging and big tree activism to explore Indigenous sovereignty, the responsibility of bearing witness, the importance of distinguishing between short term actions and a long term movement-building, and the connections between land desecration and linguistic colonization.

Conducted in June 2021 at Sassin Camp on unceded Ditidaht territory, Maia and xʷ is xʷ čaa not only call us to challenge the extractivist mentality that is responsible for the desecration of old-growth, but also guide us to think about our responsibility in participating in true transformation that acknowledges Indigenous sovereignty as the bedrock of all movements for a just transition. 

xʷ is xʷ čaa, also known as Kati George-Jim, is Tsuk and W̱SÁNEĆ, “of the land, not the band nation”. The niece of Pacheedaht elder, Bill Jones, Kati has been leading the movement with Rainforest Flying Squad blockading attempts by Teal-Jones to log some of the last remaining intact ancient temperate rainforests on southern Vancouver Island within Pacheedaht territory. She was violently arrested while supporting forest defenders as a legal observer, during the injunction enforcement at one of the blockade camps in May.

Maia Wikler is PhD student, climate justice organizer, and writer. In June 2019, as a member of The North Face New Explorers Arctic Expedition, Maia reported from the Arctic Refuge on the impacts of the ongoing environmental and human rights crisis from the fossil fuel industry and climate change. She is directing a short documentary film for The North Face in the Arctic on the intergenerational, women-led fight to protect the Arctic Refuge. Her research focuses on memory as a tool of resistance and resilience in the face of corporate abuse, specifically related to deforestation and the climate crisis.

♫ The music featured in this episode is “Wolf’s Creek” by Lake Mary, “Moon Mirror” by Forest Veil, “Migration Patterns” by The Range of Light Wilderness, and “Hold On” by Ali Dineen.

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