“Yahgu dang ang: To Pay Respect” Series 1 Episode 12

Many Haida cultural treasures currently housed in museums around the world were looted from old and vacated Haida village sites. In their zeal, early explorers to Haida Gwaii took away grave goods and human remains, a questionable academic practice that continues to perplex aboriginal people. Today the Haida have begun the process of repatriation and the first to return are the ancestors themselves. Although they've encountered resistance, negotiators have brokered arrangements with local and Canadian museums, the first of these with the National Museum in Ottawa. In Yahgu dang ang: To Pay Respect, the Haida prepare to rebury the remains of seven of their ancestors in Skidegate, British Columbia with a traditional burning of food. Two key individuals in Haida repatriation efforts are featured.

Shot on British Columbia's rugged northwest coast, Ravens and Eagles: Haida Art delves into the roots of traditional Haida art and traces the genesis of today's generation of Haida carvers, singers, dancers, weavers and performers. Over two series, Ravens and Eagles explores some of the wider historical and political issues of the repatriation of Haida artifacts, the vital potlatch ceremony once declared illegal by the Canadian government, and the fight to preserve old growth forest on Haida land. Created by Haida filmmaker Marianne Jones and Jeff Bear, Ravens and Eagles approaches Haida art and culture from the Haida perspective.

Produced by: Jeff Bear, Marianne Jones, Ravens and Eagles Productions