Warrior Lawyer Profile: Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson

DaanXan dang haana ga, Kwaay.yaay Ts-uu (You are so beautiful, older Cedar Sister!)

The Cedar stands strong behind her as the guitar and sax drift gently around her. Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson sings soothingly to those cedars as a sign of respect and gratitude. The song is Cedar Sister, sung in Haida words about what the cedar gives us. She describes the shelter it provides, the lessons it gives, and how it lives in harmony with all beings like the bear and salmon. Beyond being beautiful and artistic, the song has significance in the Canadian legal landscape and specifically for the Haida people and their awakening indigenous law.

Williams-Davidson is the Indigenous renaissance woman of the 21st century. She is a singer, songwriter, activist, author, lawyer, and founding partner of White Raven Law. Born in Skidgate in Haida Gwaii to the Raven clan, her passions in culture and law began in her youth. Williams-Davidson began singing in her community and founded a children’s dance group. “I learned that songs come from the land, and are a reflection of the land,” she says. In her youth she traveled to the United States and was inspired by elders fighting against a uranium mine to protect the environment. This was the catalyst for her journey to law.

The world must have been daunting for Williams Davidson. Her academic career started with a degree in computer sciences from the University of British Columbia. From there she got her JD at Allard Law. She entered these fields where there was a clear imbalance in the representation of women and Indigenous people.

One of Williams-Davidson’s crowning achievements is the part she played in the Haida Nation’s victory in Haida Nation v. British Columbia. Williams-Davidson was co-counsel for Haida Nation. The case examined what it meant to consult and confirmed the Crown’s duty to consult where Crown activity could infringe Aboriginal rights or title. The court decided that even in unsettled claims the Crown has a duty to consult.