''Kiidk'yaas'' (meaning "ancient tree" in the Haida language), also known as the Golden Spruce, was a

Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to just over tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth- ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

(''Picea sitchensis'' 'Aurea') that grew on the banks of the

Yakoun River The Yakoun River ( Haida: ''Yaaguun G̱andlee'') is the largest river of Haida Gwaii, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Located on Graham Island it flows about Length measured using BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, anToporama/ref> ...

on the

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; / , literally "Islands of the Haida people"), previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago located between off the British Columbia Coast, northern Pacific coast in the Canadian province of British Columbia ...

archipelago in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It had a rare genetic

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, ...

that caused its needles to be golden in colour (rather than the usual green). Kiidk'yaas was considered sacred by the

Haida people The Haida (, , , , ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. They constitute one of 203 First Nations in British Columbia and 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, tribes in Alaska. T ...

. Kiidk'yaas was felled in January 1997 by

Grant Hadwin Thomas Grant Hadwin (born October 25, 1949) was a Canadians, Canadian forest engineer. In January 1997, he felling, felled Kiidk'yaas (also known as "the Golden Spruce"), a Sitka Spruce tree located on the Haida Gwaii archipelago and considered sa ...

as an act of protest against the logging industry. Kiidk'yaas and its felling are the subject of

John Vaillant John Vaillant (born 1962) is an American Canadians, American Canadian writer and journalist whose work has appeared in ''The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic'', and ''Outside (magazine), Outside''. He has written both non-fiction an ...

's 2005 book '' The Golden Spruce''.

Kiidk'yaas in Haida mythology

Kiidk'yaas features prominently in Haida mythology. The Kiidk'yaas story tells of a young boy who disrespected nature and thereby caused a terrible storm to descend on his village. Only he and his grandfather survived the storm. As they fled the village, the grandfather warned the boy not to look back. The boy disobeyed, and was immediately turned into the Golden Spruce where he stood.

Felling

In January 1997, 47-year-old unemployed forest engineer

travelled to Haida Gwaii and purchased a chainsaw and other felling equipment. Early on the morning of January 20, 1997 he swam across the freezing

and made a series of strategic deep cuts in Kiidk'yaas. The cuts were designed to leave Kiidk'yaas standing but weakened, so that it would be knocked over by the next strong winds. The tree fell two days later. After cutting down the tree, Hadwin left the islands for Prince Rupert, British Columbia. He sent a fax to the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

and the Haida nation claiming responsibility for the act, saying that he was motivated by "rage and hatred towards university-trained professionals and their extremist supporters". The act outraged people throughout

and received extensive media coverage. Hadwin was arrested, ordered to return to Haida Gwaii to stand trial, and was released on bail. Hadwin planned to travel to his trial date by crossing the notoriously stormy and violent Hecate Strait (from Prince Rupert to Masset) alone by kayak in mid-winter. He departed Prince Rupert in February 1997 but never arrived at his trial. What is believed to be Hadwin's broken kayak and effects were found on Mary Island in June 1997. Whether he had been murdered, accidentally drowned, or left his belongings behind and fled into the wilderness is not known.Vaillant, John, ''The Golden Spruce'', W.W. Norton & Co., 2005, p. 209 His fate remains a mystery.

Post-felling

In 1977 a group of botanists from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(UBC) visited Haida Gwaii to take cuttings of Kiidk'yaas. These cuttings were grafted onto ordinary Sitka spruce, resulting in two golden saplings. The trees were grown in the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research. Upon hearing of the tree's destruction in 1997, the

arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

offered one of the two young trees to replace Kiidk'yaas. However, the sapling died in storage before it could be transported to Haida Gwaii. The second sapling survives at UBC.Vaillant, John, ''The Golden Spruce'', W.W. Norton & Co., 2005, p. 203 After Kiidk'yaas' felling, attempts were made to propagate a further 80 cuttings (with the permission of the

) in order to increase the chances of a successful offspring surviving. The only wood harvested from the tree was used by

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

luthier George Rizsanyi and broadcaster Jowi Taylor as part of Six String Nation, a guitar dedicated to Canadian history. Other pieces of the guitar include wood from

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

's canoe paddle and Paul Henderson's hockey stick.

References

External links

The Spirit of Kiid K'iyaas
(.pdf)
John Vaillant, "The Golden Bough", ''The New Yorker''The Golden Spruce written by John Vaillant

UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research homepage
{{coord, 53, 37, 12, N, 132, 12, 29, W, region:CA-BC_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Individual trees in British Columbia Demolished buildings and structures in British Columbia Political history of British Columbia Haida Gwaii Trees in religion Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America 1990s individual tree deaths Individual spruce trees

Kiidk'yaas in Haida mythology

Felling

Post-felling

See also

References

External links