I speak for the trees and they speak for (and to) me
Oh Majestic Grandmother photo by Sandra Butel
I am Sandra Butel and this is my beautywalk.
beautywalk is energy and light and love. It is steps and stops and silences and cries. It is me inside and out and in that wholeness my hope is that it connects to something within yourself as well.
Why Haida Gwaii?
My latest adventure led me to the wilds and wonder of the magical land of the Haida peoples where my partner Francis and I were guided with love and curiosity by our friends Gaetan and Carolyn to discover this wonder-full place of social, cultural and geological history.
As with so many of my beautywalks I started out on this trip not really understanding why I was being drawn to Haida Gwaii and what the purpose was of my time there.
Haida Gwaii is the land of old growth trees (some of which have been transformed by carvers and their apprentices into 50+ foot totem poles), access to the ocean and rivers and lakes, berry bushes and stories that have been passed on by a deep oral history tradition of supernatural beings such as Butterfly Woman, Rainbow Woman and Lady in the Moon. It is a land full of stories and tradition and a deep honouring and love of the land and the sky and the sea around.
Speaking to the Trees by Sandra Butel
The Golden Spruce
One of the stories that resonated deeply with me was the story of the Golden Spruce; a tree so vast and golden that it could be seen from far and wide amidst all its green counterparts. The oldest story of this magnificent tree has been passed down from generation to generation and involves a young boy who disobeys his grandfather and looks back into the forest, instead of ahead to where he is going.
As Haida Tourism describes it on their website The True Story of the Golden Spruce — Haida Tourism :
“For over 300 years, a remarkable Kayd Sitka Spruce prospered along the
banks of the meandering Yakoun River. The tree was unlike any other
in the surrounding rainforest, as a rare genetic mutation bore it striking
golden needles instead of the typical evergreen. When conditions allowed
slivers of sunlight to permeate the dense foliage, the Golden Spruce was
utterly spectacular; appearing to almost glow and glitter from within.
Known by the Haida people as Kiid K’iiyas Ancient Tree, the story of its
creation had been a sacred part of the culture’s oral history for generations.”
Kiid K’iiyas Golden Spruce Creation Story
(from The True Story of the Golden Spruce — Haida Tourism :)
A young man’s disrespect caused a terrible winter storm. The two survivors –
a young boy and his chinaay (grandfather) left in search of a new home.
His chinaay said to him “Don’t look back! If you look back, you will go into
the next world. People will be able to stop and admire you, but they won’t
be able to talk to you. When you get too old and fall down, you’ll grow up
again. You’ll be standing there till the end of the world. Don’t look back.
Having walked a long way, the boy looked back. Then his feet grew into
the ground. His chinaay tried to help to no avail, and the boy urged his
chinaay to go on without him. As he left, he said to the boy “It’s alright
my son. Even the last generation will look at you and remember your
story”. The boy became Kiid K’iiyas - the Golden Spruce.
*Source: HaidaNation.ca, April 2016
Two become one - how trees share by Sandra Butel
Into the Forest
I was eager to learn more about this tree and the stories surrounding it, both ancient and contemporary in scope. Francis and I piled into the truck with our trusty and passionate guide Gaetan and headed up island to discover the forest near Port Clements that bears the name of this magical tree. Port Clements is located on central Graham Island on the shores of Masset Inlet, north of Yakoun Bay.
Upon my first steps into the forest I was struck by a full body deja vu that resulted in goosebumps rising from my head down to my toes. Flushing with goosebumps has become a very good sign to me that I am connecting with my deepest self and my belonging to the earth around me. I was in awe at the grandeur of the trees and the energy around me left me with such a strong sense of safety and coming home. I felt a deep connection to these trees and knew without a doubt that they felt a connection to me as well.
The Haida refer to the trees as our mothers and grandmothers and I felt the motherly love surround me as they drew me into their arms, so strong and vast and varied. I started to cry with gratitude at this place and the rightness that it should exist. I found myself sneaking away from Francis and Gaetan and finding a space where I could feel the full depth of these transformational feelings. I went down by the river and sat on the ground and breathed in the air that has been filtered by the trees and that has been passed on from generation to generation upon the land.
I had come home.
As I sat by the river a very clear thought presented itself “This is my purpose in coming to Haida Gwaii”. This forest is where I was meant to be. This forest has a deep lesson for me on my journey. A lesson that I could use to continue my personal development and growth and one that I could share with all of you on your own journeys as well.
Coming Home photo Sandra Butel
In their own words: What the trees had to say to me
I started to think about Dr. Seuss’s character The Lorax and his efforts to speak for the trees as they had no tongues. I felt a deep connection to this forest and to all forests and to all that the trees have brought to us humans throughout human history. The Haida hold them in such reverence and invest such time and creativity and energy into ensuring that there are trees for the next generations to come. It struck me that the theme of my voyage to Haida Gwaii was all about the trees and about my connection to them and theirs to me.
There were beautiful cedar plaques that had been placed on a few of the trees and that carried deep messages of Haida ways of being. I have attached photos of these plaques for you to take a closer look and as a way to give voice to the trees, have summarized some of their wisdom below:
The trees are our Grandmothers
The trees grow to provide, nurture and teach.
The Haida make use of the trees' bark for weaving baskets, their wood for carving canoes, and their branches as canes for Haida Elders. They also make use of the trees to fashion paddles, medicines, art, nourishment, tools, clothes and homes.
The Haida acknowledge and thank the trees for providing and need take more than they need
The trees are life and are an ancestor of the people of the cedar and remain the heart of the Haida.
The forest is more than a forest - it is a lifeline within its canopy as a pharmacy for sustaining life as it provides proven remedies
The trees provide food, shelter and survival and in a reciprocal relationship the Haida bestow allegiance, thanks and respect to the trees.
Together the Haida and the trees live harmoniously.
The lesson
The last plaque I saw on leaving the forest left me with my lesson for my time on Haida Gwaii and a challenge for me to ponder on how I might make my time upon this earth a little more in keeping with the lessons offered by the trees.
“I am nature and a lesson of the Haida Culture. Look after each other and be generous. Never take more than you need. Enjoy, share and respect the lands and waters that sustain you. Everything I have has a purpose. Look after me, and in turn I will always look after you.
Do not look back. There is much more to see, feel and love..”
My heart was full as I read these final words and as I reflected on the message of the trees I knew that I was ready to let go of the past. I was ready to start anew with freshly oxygenated breath and to take the gifts of the trees with me on my journey.
I will take the energy I have been given in this mystical forest and will focus ever more deeply on the clear and abiding love that rests at the very center of my being. I will continue on my beautywalk with a sense of awe and presence as I reach forward with each outbreath for ever more connection to myself, to other humans and to the earth.
This is Sandra Butel and this is my beautywalk. What is yours?
Self-Reflection
What parts of your past have you gotten stuck in?
How might you let go of what has come before so that you might be more present in the here and now?
How might this letting go allow you to share more love and respect for yourself and for all the beings around you?
What small steps can you take today to more fully experience all that there is to see and feel and love in the world both inside and outside of yourself?
What steps can we all take today to join the Lorax and the Haida in protecting our earth and her precious resources?
What more can we learn about being in step with nature and treating her with respect and love?
Resources and Next Steps (when (and if) you are ready)
For more on the supernatural beings check out the work of Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson in her children’s book Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii or her book of whimsical photographs Out of Concealment
If you want to hear more about the Golden Spruce and its place in Haida history check out the bestselling novel by John Vaillant The Golden Spruce.
For more on the Lorax and the work that has continued in his name.
Dr. Seuss Warned Us 50 Years Ago, But We Didn't Listen To 'The Lorax' : NPR
If any of my beautywalk resonates with you and you want to delve into your own reach out to me to schedule a free beautywalk session
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