Tofino Photography - W.C. Barnes
Haayuusinapshiilthl, "He Brings Ten Whales Up On The Beach Each Year", also known as Ron Martin, is one of ten children born to Cecilia Mabel Sport and Robert Martin Sr. Haayuusinapshiilthl's older brothers were trained as hunters, fishermen, and master canoe carvers of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation of Clayoquot Sound. Nuukmiis (Robert Sr.) noticed that Haayuusinapshiilthl had a good memory at a young age and began to train him to hold the family's history and teachings. Haayuusinapshiilthl can recall his genealogy back 26 generations, and has recorded over 700 family names.
Haayuusinapshiilthl studied history and anthropology at the University of British Columbia and Carlton University. He then worked in the planning and analyzing department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, at the BC regional office. At age 27 he was elected the youngest ever Chief of Council for the Tla-o-qui-aht. Because of his familiarity with the mechanics of INAC, he was successful in negotiating a precedent setting lease of the Tin Wis waterfront lands and was instrumental in the development of the Tin Wis Best Western Destination Resort in Tofino. This resort is the main source of revenue for the Tla-o-qui-aht Band, and has been operating for over twenty years. His vast knowledge of government also abled him to obtain money to build the Meares Island Cultural Centre and two pre-schools. Haayuusinapshiilthl also brought in money for social housing, enabling the band to build a record 22 new homes in 2 years.
Haayuusinapshiilthl has worked for the past 25 years in First Nations' administration in British Columbia. He specializes in community and organization development, strategic planning, health program development, innovative project development, and maximizing funding eligibility. He has also worked as a researcher, writer, workshop facilitator, and business consultant.
In 2005, Haayuusinapshiilthl had the honour of sitting on a Canada Council jury to award grants to aboriginal arts projects. In 2008, Haayuusinapshiilthl authored a children's book entitled "Which Way Should I Go?", and received the Best Aboriginal Read Award by the Ontario Library Association.
"We come from a rich, proud history, and a rich culture. Our teachings are simple, and strong, and we need to share them with the world. Our teachings rang true for our ancestors, and they will ring true for all future generations.
In our own language we are "kuu-as". Real, living human beings. It is sad that in this 21st century I still experience ignorance about who I am, and what I am. We never got the chance to introduce ourselves to the people that came to our lands to live, or to the millions that come every year as tourists.
I have been preparing for this moment for fifty years and want to thank you for taking the time to consider this project. Our voice has been muzzled for many years, and we have suffered the devastating effects of the Indian residential school colonialism.
We need to get to know each other -- what motivates us, what our beliefs are about our land, and ourselves. We need to reconstruct our identity, because we have been part of a social experiment that tried very hard to strip it from us, and succeeded in far too many cases.
There are things in this story that you will not find anywhere else, because they come from us. We are our own experts on our culture and our history, which has been denied in this country since the Europeans first arrived here. It is fair that our children get to learn their history. Many of our stories have been lost and our language is on the verge of extinction.
This film will instill pride in untold generations of our people yet to come, to understand that they came from good people, and that they are good people. Our children will clearly understand that we are here because we belong here."
Cam Baker strongly believes that mutual benefits arise from proper respect of First Nations' traditional territories, and educating people on the beauty of their culture and environment. With a background in archaeology and adventure tourism, Cam formed a partnership with the People to People Student Ambassador Program in 2002. People to People was founded by President Eisenhower in 1956 in an effort to promote peace through understanding, and their incredible marketing force has made Nomad Travel Ltd. the largest high end educational travel company in Canada.
Each year People to People sends tens of thousands of adventurers across the world to learn, teach, and build stronger relationships abroad. Thousands of young students have travelled from all over the U.S. to western Canada to learn about our diverse cultures and landscapes. Never resting, Nomad continues to be an industry leader and innovator.
Cam has helped in the past to stop logging in an area that housed a tipi camp his students were utilizing, with the argument that tourism is much more sustainable, and therefore more profitable than logging. With his ties to some of the largest travel companies in the world, he can help bring people to Clayoquot Sound to partake in cultural tourism, and hopes to inspire them to protect our earth. nomadtravel.ca
"It is a great honour to work on a project of such significance and magnitude. Not only can we tell an incredible story and create scenes never before shown by Hollywood, we can leave a legacy. We hope to inspire the younger generations to listen, and to create. If some learn and remember the names, their meanings, and where they come from, we can help a culture survive. If the youth learn to listen for the songs and the medicine in their language, we can make it thrive.
The film has many dimensions, the first being the story, which is a defining moment in the colonialism of North America. Then there is meaningful employment. In our perfect world there will be lots of carving and costume making to do, and many people of the west coast will be paid fairly to complete this task. People will find the third dimension in the Nuukmiis family teachings and historical events that have been woven into the script. They will learn precious life lessons, some protocols and beliefs of a different way of life, and will teach others. This project will trigger increased interest in west coast art and travel. The film sites will provide the fourth dimension when people come to the beaches to stay in the 100 % First Nations owned bighouses, where they can purchase art right from the source. Perhaps a fifth dimension could be soaring box office sales when people find out that their ticket price is going to fund social and environmental change in a way that has never been done before. The legacy of conservation will provide the sixth dimension, when many sail off on a healthier ocean to explore untouched old growth forests. A seventh dimension could be the growth of the operation. We will carve more canoes, stand more totems, and build more villages through philanthropy, film, tourism, volunteers, sponsors, and government. Other dimensions could include a decrease in health care and social assistance costs, along with an increase in protected areas, language preservation, cultural revitalization, demand for First Nations art, and tax revenues. These many things will bring a bit of peace and prosperity to nations all over North America.
Simple tactics in the art of war could reach the most powerful leaders in the world, whose continued ignorance to them takes innocent lives to this day. Perhaps enemies of all sorts could work through conflict and avert catastrophe by taking the time to get to know themselves and each other before resorting to war. We can learn from history to avoid repeat mistakes.
Please come visit us in Clayoquot Sound, where everyday is breathtaking and the people are so friendly and accommodating. The Tonquin is an epic tale, and not the only one from the area. The potential is enormous, and we are excited to meet people that share our vision."