STORY

Gian Lawrence is no stranger to adversity.  Known to many as “The Black Stonefly,” Gian grew up (and was nearly killed) in Tacoma’s notorious Hilltop neighborhood. Desperate for a life off the streets, he taught himself how to fly fish, and from that unlikely mediation, his new life began.  A life of character and accountability, of inner-fortitude and grace, qualities that would make him a better man, and a better father.  Qualities that drew the attention of Se’Si’Le, an indigenous-led non-profit that after viewing the award-winning biographical short film, The Black Stonefly, invited Gian to meet Jay Julius, the former Lummi Nation Chairman and Jewel James of the House of Tears Carvers in person.  Their acceptance bestows upon Gian a great honor and with that, a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to join them on their Spirit of the Waters totem pole journey in its mission to remove the lower four dams of the imperiled Snake River.

While a deeply divisive issue, with varying economic interest groups controversially in favor of keeping them intact to safeguard their own financial profits, the removal of the dams would undoubtedly ensure the return of wild salmon to their native spawning grounds and heal the environmental damage wrought by their declining numbers, namely the endangerment of awaiting southern resident orcas that depend on the food source for survival.  It is a crisis created by industry, but one that can be undone through awareness, advocacy, and legislation.

Gian Lawrence is no statesman.  In fact, Gian Lawrence is deeply introspective and reserved in manner and speech; however, he, like Jay, Jewel, and indigenous peoples everywhere, is intimately familiar with injustice.  Because of this, these men are compelled to act, but does Gian fully grasp the scope of this problem?  Maybe, more importantly, does Gian completely realize how he, a young black man from Tacoma, can contribute to its solution?  Not only for the sake of salmon and whales but to do what is right, ethically, as he continues to deepen his own connection with nature and the man he’s becoming.

The Spirit of The Waters totem journey will be an immersive experience for Gian, as well as the viewer.  Bursting with song and smoke and ancient rhythms that are at once foreign and deeply familiar, theirs will be a pilgrimage of understanding and self-discovery that will culminate in Gian’s return home and a speech at the University of Washington, where he will share with his audience a singular (and hopefully) resonant perspective on the damming of the Snake River, offering a bridge that will not only connect them to the problem but invite them to make a difference.

A Totem Bridge.