You asked how the removal of our treasures has deprived us. When you go into museums, you see these pieces and you know that they were removed through colonial regimes—most of them, not all of them. Our art represents our identity, our history, our connections to the lands, waters, airways, each other, other beings and the supernatural. This is our form of writing. It's the companion to our Haida language.
When we are able to access even a single piece, the amount of information that comes out is mind-boggling. I could speak for hours about what I learned simply by showing a halibut hook to our elders. It goes far beyond the ability to fish.
The deprivation held back and holds back a lot of knowledge that is out there in the world and a lot of opportunity to heal. Moving forward, this can only strengthen our nation, strengthen our relationship with Canada and make us all stronger.