In 2017, Hereditary Chief Ernest Alfred from the Nam’gis, Tlowit’sis and Mamalilikala First Nations looked at underwater footage of sea lice infested salmon and decided to do something about it. He and other members of the First Nations community occupied salmon farms near Swanson and Midsummer Islands in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia. The occupation lasted for 284 days. After an extensive political and judicial confrontation, the First Nations protesters were ultimately successful in eradicating many of the salmon farms from their territory. While marine life has been recovering significantly since this victory, some salmon farms still remain in the neighboring areas.
Musician Charles Van Kirk, Splice’s label lead Max Belau and producer Marisa McIvor traveled to the Broughton Archipelago to meet Ernest and local filmmaker Brian Hockenstein in order to learn about what sounds are distinctive to the area. They made recordings above and below water of humpback whales, sea lions, kelp forests, cedar trees, and even some of the remaining salmon farms. Charles Van Kirk transformed these sounds into instruments and beautiful music inspired by the biodiversity of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw territory.
Soundscapes Archipelagos is intended as a celebration of our planet’s natural resources. It was recorded and edited with the spirit of giving thanks and respect to nature. On the subject of harvesting and using these sounds from this sacred place, Ernest said:
When you take a sound or a photograph or a video within this area, I think there’s an expectation that people share that…but to do so with good intentions and respect. We all have it within ourselves to learn and the capacity to understand that these things are not ours, and that we just borrow. That we’re only here to caretake for the next generations that are following.
Special thanks to Ernest Alfred, the U’mista Cultural Centre, Aubrey Johnston and Captain Nicolette Audy.
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