Solidarity protests erupted across Canada when Witsuwit'en leaders called for support against Coastal GasLink
The Shut Down Canada movement brought Canada’s multibillion-dollar shipping industry to a standstill
A note about the spelling of Witsuwit'en in this article:
Both Wet'suwet'en or Witsuwit'en are correct. The film Yintah uses the spelling "Witsuwit'en" as this is the preferred spelling of Witsuwit'en. A distinct Witsuwit'en orthography was developed by a linguist working with the language speakers for decades. Please see below for more details.
In February 2020, Sleydo' Molly Wickham posted a video on Facebook calling for solidarity with the Witsuwit'en Nation.
"Right now, the colonizers have been trying to remove us from our land once and for all. They want us defeated. They want us to give up. They want us to lose," says Sleydo' in this excerpt from the documentary Yintah.
"They're not going to stop trying unless we shut this down. Stand up and fight back with us. Shut down Canada."
Sleydo' — a wing chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Witsuwit'en Nation — and other Witsuwit'en leaders were fighting the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline through their traditional territory.
Shut Down Canada movement brought Canada's shipping industry to a standstill
In 2020, anti-pipeline protests and rail blockades erupted across Canada in support of the Witsuwit'en, resulting in cancelled freight and passenger trains. Canada's multibillion-dollar shipping industry came to a standstill.
Yintah, the Witsuwit'en word for land, is about an anti-colonial resurgence fighting for Indigenous and human rights. It follows Sleydo', Witsuwit'en leader Howilhkat Freda Huson and their fellow land defenders for over a decade in their fight for sovereignty over their ancestral territories.
Where to watch Yintah
Yintah had its Canadian premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival earlier this year. It won the Hot Docs Audience Award and the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary.
Watch Yintah on CBC Gem and the CBC Docs YouTube channel.
What is the correct spelling: Wet'suwet'en or Witsuwit'en?
Both Wet'suwet'en or Witsuwit'en are correct.
The spelling "Wet'suwet'en" is most commonly used in the media because it matches the spelling used by various Wet'suwet'en organizations, such as the Office of the Wet'suwet'en, and is consistent with the spelling used throughout the landmark Delgamuukw-Gisday'wa Supreme Court of Canada decision.
The film Yintah uses the spelling "Witsuwit'en" as this is the preferred spelling of Witsuwit'en. A distinct Witsuwit'en orthography was developed by a linguist working with the language speakers for decades.
