It really bothers me to sit around and justify my existence on the islands to them, they've never justified their existence on these islands to us. After all, Collison is only one in a generation of Haidas that have occupied these islands for thousands and thousands of years. It's all in the way that you look at it. We have a reverence and respect for the history that has come before us. We have the respect of the land, we come from these lands, and we go back to these lands.
History has to be respected a lot more than it is.
For that reason, if title were recognized, Collison believes it will put an end to an energy consuming distraction and allow Haida traditions and culture to flourish. It's never going to go away, but it will be stronger when we aren't constantly defending it. And he feels much the same way about the land. Charles Gee's tenure on the school board has provided him with some insight and confidence into the interaction between Haida and non-Haida communities on the Islands. Like Collison, Gee recognizes how diverging perspectives and values between the two cultures can be an impediment to successful negotiations on the title front.