KURATED NO. 260
CHRISTMAS SONGS
Haida Solstice by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson and sGaanGwa
CONTENTS
- PLAYLIST
– Haida Solstice in 12 songs on YouTube and Spotify - ONE SONG
– We Wish You A Merry Christmas - VIDEO
– excerpt from Happy Christmas (War is Over) (35 secs)
– Foam Woman (2.19 mins) - WEBSITE Raven Calling Productions – find out about Terri-Lynn’s music, books and publications
- TRACKLIST below
sGaanGwa is Claire Lawrence, Saffron Henderson, Camille Henderson, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, Jodi Proznic, Bill Henderson and Geoff Hicks (Farah Nosh photo)
HAIDA SOLSTICE
Touchpoints to Haida culture
Haida Solstice is a uniquely interlaced musical project that does more than anticipate the returning light and mark the yuletide. It encompasses place, spirit, culture and the laws of the Haida Nation – all sung in its ancient language with the simple aim of preserving and revitalizing it.
Fewer than 20 people worldwide speak the Haida language and Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson is one of them. Born on Haida Gwaii, the musician, author, artist, indigenous activist and lawyer has been singing Haida since age 13. After recording several albums with her band sGaanGwa over the last few years, the island’s elders asked her to make a Christmas album from seasonal songs they’d translated – music that would honour their ways and values.
At first she was unsure. “I was a little reluctant to do an album about Christmas because of what Christmas has symbolized,” Williams-Davidson told CBC North by Northwest host Margaret Gallagher two years ago. “Christmas has come to symbolize everything that is commercial and capitalism, and I resisted it.”
But the elders urged her on. “I thought this could be an opportunity to decolonize Christmas and add Haida worldviews and the Haida language,” she said. The elders, including her father, embraced Christmas carols. The music was the only way for them to sing while living in residential schools as their traditional songs were forbidden. At the same time Haida families practised Christianity. They enjoyed the ritual of sharing gifts and Christmas dinners because it connected them to Haida potlatches which were banned.
Remembering her father, Williams-Davidson told Stir magazine, “I spent a lot of time with him singing Christmas songs in church … he wasn’t allowed to sing traditional Haida songs. For a people who are very expressive and who express themselves through song, dances, and ceremonies Christmas became his way for his soul to sing, a way for him to work through colonization.”
The album’s artwork was done by renowned Haida artist Robert Davidson, Terri-Lynn’s husband.
About the album
Beautifully sung and arranged with excellent, varied instrumentation plus a smart track list, Haida Solstice is a good listen. The album’s 12 songs are split almost evenly between traditional Christmas songs like Silver Bells (this version rocks) or Silent Night while including inspirational pieces like Amazing Grace and Happy Xmas (War Is Over). The language interpretations offer various Haida Perspectives. The non-Christmas songs were included to embrace the broader theme of winter solstice.
“When I saw the translations, I was excited about the way elders had translated certain concepts and phrases and I thought the songs could be touchpoints to learn more about Haida culture,” Williams-Davidson says. “We’re at an important stage in the history of Canada trying to find our way through how to reconcile our past. I think that there are beautiful values and laws … that will benefit all of us and help us work through the history of colonization.
“For us, everything we do together is on the ground steps of reconciliation and learning more about each other and learning more about Haida culture,” she told the CBC.
05 December 2025
Track List
Haida Solstice has been slowly developed and recorded over several years. Some of the songs have been released before the album was formally launched this year. Last year, Terri-Lynn and her band played to a sold out crowd on December 21 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. I had the good luck of being there and getting a preview of a number of the songs on the album.
