Raised as a member of the Haida Nation on Haida Gwaii, a small group of islands off the coast of British Columbia, Patrick Shannon developed a passion for storytelling. According to oral history, Haida Gwaii has been inhabited for over 15,000 years, with a history shaped by geography and shared traditions. Patrick dreamed of seeing himself and the people he knew represented in a way that showcased Indigenous ways of knowing and being and told stories of the peoples who have occupied this land since time immemorial.
“Indigenous Peoples tend to be the least represented in media out of any ethnic group within the country. Up until recently, Indigenous Peoples were typically never allowed to be storytellers. Indigenous storytelling can often be dramatically different than Western storytelling styles. For us, we don’t take ownership of stories from anyone else, unless it’s been through a particular set of protocols. Understanding protocols and ways of being and respecting and sharing that knowledge is integral in how we operate as Indigenous storytellers,” said Patrick. “And the only way to address these issues is to have the storytellers from communities actually have a platform to be able to tell their stories authentically.”
Patrick decided to change that. He moved to Vancouver to work in the film and television industry. He met Julia Weeder, and together they co-founded the Haida Gwaii Media Collective, with the goal of bringing storytelling rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the mainstream. The seeds of this initiative were planted through dreaming of ways to weave Indigenous storytelling into mainstream media. Just three years in, the Haida Gwaii media collective is already having a meaningful impact. Patrick, Julia and the team run workshops and events in the community and provide educational resources, tools and office space to help facilitate storytelling, creation and connection.
“We empower locals to tell their own stories and start reinforcing our narratives in modern mainstream media, which traditionally we have been excluded from,” said Patrick.
The Collective is especially interested in promoting digital storytelling. Bringing together talented artists such as Rhona Lee McIsaac, an Anishnaubek journalist, writer, and artist, and Raven Ann, a multidisciplinary artist renowned for her performances and unique jewelry creations. The Collective strives to showcase stories of Haida Gwaii residents that can be transported worldwide.
“[For me] it’s the connection of people,” says Patrick. “That is the foundational element of what the media collective is.”. Creating a dedicated space to collaborate that is accessible to the community, the collective facilitates connection and a space to develop skills for members’ creative passions. The media collective has brought together more than 200 community members with diverse artists and facilitators for a range of knowledge-sharing workshops in photography, film-making, and documentary, to name a few. In May 2021, the Haida Gwaii Media Collective received $250,000 as part of the Indigenous Innovation Initiative’s ‘Advancing Indigenous Gender Equality through Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship’ program. In May 2023, the Haida Gwaii Media Collective received a $100,000 grant from the Indigenous Screen Office, thanks to the success of their proof-of-concept grant from the Indigenous Innovation Initiative. The Collective also collaborated with the Skidegate Youth Centre, which contributed $9,173, to screen the Tahltan Elders’ film, “The Klabona Keepers,” highlighting stories of resistance to colonial extractive projects.
The Indigenous Innovation Initiative is proud to support the Haida Gwaii Media Collective’s vision by providing seed funding for media workshops, equipment, and mentorship for community creators. By promoting a space for creative skills to develop and flourish, the Collective is supporting community-led storytelling and cultural revitalization on Haida Gwaii for future generations of storytellers.