K'iid K'iyaas - The Golden Spruce

The Golden Spruce was a sacred tree located on the islands of Haida Gwaii, in the Pacific north-west off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. This tree was named by the Haida people as Kiid Kiyaas, which loosely translates as Ancient Tree. The Haida believed that this tree embodied the spirit of a young boy who was instructed to flee his village as it was about to be destroyed by a snowstorm. Despite warnings not to look back the boy disobeyed, and instantly his arms turned into into branches and his legs became roots, as the boy transformed into a mystical golden spruce tree that became sacred to the Haida people and central to the mythological tales of their culture. Although genetically a Sitka Spruce this tree had a unique ability to survive over 300 years in a manner that defied all conventional scientific explanation. Lacking carotenoid, a form of arboreal sunscreen, the tree should have whithered and died. Instead it magically flourished for over 300 years along the banks of the Yakoun River where its inability to photosynthesize sunlight gave its needles a magnificent golden hue. All this came to an end in January 1997 when an eco-terrorist cut the tree down as an act of protest over clear-cutting taking place throughout British Columbia. Unbeknownst to this vandal the felling of this tree has triggered the fulfilment of an ancient Haida prophecy which states that if the tree is allowed to die the world as we know it shall soon follow. The purpose of this space is to help keep the spirit of this sacred tree alive by continuing to share the story of Kiid Kiyaas.Special thanks to Russ Heinl for permission to show his incredible photograph of this sacred tree, which is shown at the beginning of the slideshow below.Also included in the slideshow are 16 images of button blankets that were created by Haida artist Hazel Wilson. Hazel's blankets were on display during an extended run at the Marion Scott Gallery in Vancouver.These blankets collectively tell the life story of the mythological Golden Spruce, and give Hope that we as a human species can see our way forward to being more responsible stewards for our planet.Finally, please check out one of my Top Friends called The Green Chain. This is a new indie film that is based on a series of 7 monologues that collectively tell the interconnected stories of seven people who are each passionate about protecting our forests.The Green Chain also tells the story of the Golden Spruce in the monologue of The Executive, and I'd like to give special thanks to film-maker Mark Leiren-Young for helping keep the spirit of this sacred tree alive by sharing this important story with the world.