Their musical process is honed with Jiixa writing the lyrics and Weder transcribing them. When the two first began recoding rap tracks, it was very rough around the edge, but once the pair became comfortable on camera the raps began to flow, Weder said. РІР‚СљMy adoption was a transformative moment in my life, and I carry the gift of responsibility with me wherever I go.РІР‚Сњ It also fills me with a sense of responsibility to the people and the land of the Haida Nation,РІР‚Сњ she said. РІР‚СљI see my adoption as, first of all, an enormous honour and a gift not to be taken for granted. Weder has since been adopted into a Skidegate Eagle clan Naa РІР‚ВYuuwans XРњР†aaydaGРњР†aay (Big House People). SheРІР‚в„ўs such a giving person and willing teacher.РІР‚Сњ РІР‚СљI started learning it by just being around Jiixa because she teaches her helpers. I think we each sort of adopted each other as a family member,РІР‚Сњ Weder said. Making the songs is a team effort that started when Jiixa and Weder met volunteering at the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program, where Elders come together to record and preserve the Haida language. РІР‚СљI think itРІР‚в„ўs really cute that she put her mind to, and then they just made it happen,РІР‚Сњ her daughter said. She said they are reviving the Haida language by passing it to the next generation. They got their honorary doctorate through the language program because they put so much work into preserving the Haida language,РІР‚Сњ Vandal said. РІР‚СљThey actually got honoured through VIU (Vancouver Island University), which was really special. We have to get the language out somehow,РІР‚Сњ Jiixa said.Р”Р„long with the few remaining Elders who can pass the language on, Jiixa teaches traditional songs and also translates modern English songs into Haida. РІР‚СљSo many people are interested, and IРІР‚в„ўm sad for that because there are only a few of us fluent Elders left. Teaching the language to the next generation is her lifeРІР‚в„ўs work, Vandal said. РІР‚СљThe Haida language is very important to me, and I like to get it out there somehow so the younger kids will get involved,РІР‚Сњ Jiixa told The Northern View on March 24. The Elder first learned about the popularity of the rap genre through her five grandchildren. Jiixa, 84, was born and raised in Skidegate and has been a teacher of the Haida language for more than 25 years, her daughter, Brenda Vandal, said.

РІР‚СљI just burst into laughter yes absolutely. РІР‚СљThe idea sprouted from watching a New YearРІР‚в„ўs Eve special show a couple of years ago where someone was rapping, and Jiixa turned to me on the couch and said, РІР‚Вhey, we should write a rap,РІР‚в„ўРІР‚Сњ Weder said.

Marine mammals are also abundant, including sea lions, porpoises, killer whales and migrating grey whales.A musical duo from Haida Gwaii is passing on the traditional language to the next generation by rapping.Р”В®lder Jiixa (Gladys Vandal) and Julia Weder formed the rap group Siijuu Jaadas, meaning cool ladies in Haida, just over a year ago. It is also strategically located along the Pacific flyway, hosting huge seabird breeding colonies as well as being an important migrant stopover. The proposed marine conservation area lies along one section of the Queen Charlotte tectonic plate, and includes highly diverse living intertidal and subtidal marine communities. Natural features of Gwaii Haanas range from the highly dissected San Christoval Mountains, which form the backbone of the area, to fiords, 40 freshwater lakes, old-growth temperate rainforests and a rich diversity and abundance of wildlife. The natural resources of the area, with their abundance of essential ingredients for sustenance and growth, are an integral part of Haida traditional culture, and life with the land and sea. The rich and living culture of the Haida people permeates the area. Traditional narratives, songs, places names and language relate the park reserve area intimately to Haida history and way of life. As well, more than 600 archaeological features in the park reserve give evidence of Haida occupation and activities in the region. Two other remarkable former Haida villages, Tanu and Skedans, are located within the park reserve. The park reserve includes SGaang Gwaii World Heritage Site, a 3 km2 island inscribed in 1981 under cultural criterion (iii).

The size of the terrestrial area, which consists of 138 islands, is 1 495 km2, with a surrounding marine conservation area (proposed) of 3 400 km2. The Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site covers about 15 percent of the Queen Charlotte Islands, an archipelago 80 km off the northwest coast of mainland British Columbia that separates Hecate Strait from the Pacific Ocean.

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