Those of you in the BC area are likely aware of the controversy surrounding the proposed Enbridge Pipeline; a 1,170km route stretching from Alberta’s tar sands to Kitimat on the BC coast. From there the oil would be loaded onto super tankers and navigate some of the most dangerous waters in the world before heading to Asian markets. The narrow inlets through which these tankers would pass are not only sensitive marine ecosystems teaming with biodiversity, but they also pass through the Great Bear Rainforest and traditional waters of the Haisla First Nations.
Norm Hann worked closely of with the people of Hartley Bay as a teacher and basketball coach and was adopted into the Hartley Bay Community in 2006. Norm, an influential person in the Standup Paddleboard (SUP) community, decided to a paddle the proposed 400km route in order to bring awareness to traditional food harvesting areas of the First Nations people and document the wildlife in the area that could be damaged should there be an oil spill. The resulting documentary was called Standup4Greatbear:
Seeing the original SU4GB documentary, representatives of Roxy/Quicksilver decided to sponsor a second documentary Stand. The follow up trip saw Norm paddle 350km, visiting each of the Haida Watchman sites along Haida Gwaii. A portion of the video also follows First Nations students from Bella Bella Highschool as they build they own standup paddleboards in class. The amazing cinematography and the strong message of conservation (both culturally and environmentally) make this film one worth watching (I myself have watched it a half dozen times now). View the trailer here:
Yesterday, Stand officially released its education package. It includes the DVD and a 17 page teaching aide that fits with BC’s Prescribed Learning Outcomes for Social Studies, Geography, First Nation Studies, Science, Geology, Sustainable Resources and Physical Education. This cross-curricular package seems to be an ideal and approachable way of incorporating First Nations topics into the classroom.