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Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson
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Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson
Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson KC (Haida: Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay Lalaxaaygans) is a Canadian First Nations lawyer, artist, activist, and author and a member of the Raven Clan from the Haida Nation. As a lawyer, Williams-Davidson specializes in Indigenous and environmental law, having represented the Haida Nation at all levels of court since 1996 and notably participating in the litigation of the Haida Nation's TFL39 Case to protect the old-growth forests of Haida Gwaii, a case that effectively altered the government's stance on the consultation and accommodation of Aboriginal Rights.
Williams-Davidson has also become an important figure in the preservation of Haida culture, using music and literature to revitalize the language and culture of Haida Gwaii. She has released four studio albums of Haida songs: 2008's Lalaxaaygans: Beautiful Sound, 2011's New Journeys, 2017's Grizzly Bear Town and 2025's Edge of the World as well as two books based on supernatural beings from ancient oral Haida narratives: Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii and Out of Concealment.
Born and raised in Haida Gwaii, Williams-Davidson was given the name "Lalaxaaygans" Haida for "Beautiful Sound" by her maternal great-grandmother Susan Williams, who was a song custodian. The influence of her great-grandmother became apparent at the age of 6 when she first began singing in public. She began singing in Haida at 13 and soon after co-founded a children's dance group "Skidegate Haida Dancers" in 1978.
Williams-Davidson's academic career began with a degree in computer science, which she received from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1990. While pursuing a degree in law she spent the summer of 1993 working for the Haida Gwaii Museum, where she catalogued and researched southern songs of the Haida Nation. The following year, Williams-Davidson received the name "Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay" held by her great-grandmother Susan Williams.
Williams-Davidson completed her degree and graduated from UBC in 1995. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia the following year and founded EAGLE (Environment-Aboriginal Guardianship through Law and Education), a charity providing free legal aid to protect land.
In 1996, Williams-Davidson married Robert Davidson, a renowned Haida artist.
She is the cousin of Gidansda Guujaaw.
Williams-Davidson represents the Haida nation at all levels of court, and has done so since 1995. Her involvement in litigating the Haida Nation's TFL39 Case is of particular note, as it is considered the leading case on the consultation and accommodation of Aboriginal rights related to resource development. She has also helped win innovative interim agreements with British Columbia and Canada as counsel for the Haida Nation's Aboriginal title case. In September of 2025, the BC Supreme Court pronounced an order recognizing the Haida Nation's Aboriginal title to the terrestrial areas of Haida Gwaii.
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Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson
Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson KC (Haida: Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay Lalaxaaygans) is a Canadian First Nations lawyer, artist, activist, and author and a member of the Raven Clan from the Haida Nation. As a lawyer, Williams-Davidson specializes in Indigenous and environmental law, having represented the Haida Nation at all levels of court since 1996 and notably participating in the litigation of the Haida Nation's TFL39 Case to protect the old-growth forests of Haida Gwaii, a case that effectively altered the government's stance on the consultation and accommodation of Aboriginal Rights.
Williams-Davidson has also become an important figure in the preservation of Haida culture, using music and literature to revitalize the language and culture of Haida Gwaii. She has released four studio albums of Haida songs: 2008's Lalaxaaygans: Beautiful Sound, 2011's New Journeys, 2017's Grizzly Bear Town and 2025's Edge of the World as well as two books based on supernatural beings from ancient oral Haida narratives: Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii and Out of Concealment.
Born and raised in Haida Gwaii, Williams-Davidson was given the name "Lalaxaaygans" Haida for "Beautiful Sound" by her maternal great-grandmother Susan Williams, who was a song custodian. The influence of her great-grandmother became apparent at the age of 6 when she first began singing in public. She began singing in Haida at 13 and soon after co-founded a children's dance group "Skidegate Haida Dancers" in 1978.
Williams-Davidson's academic career began with a degree in computer science, which she received from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1990. While pursuing a degree in law she spent the summer of 1993 working for the Haida Gwaii Museum, where she catalogued and researched southern songs of the Haida Nation. The following year, Williams-Davidson received the name "Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay" held by her great-grandmother Susan Williams.
Williams-Davidson completed her degree and graduated from UBC in 1995. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia the following year and founded EAGLE (Environment-Aboriginal Guardianship through Law and Education), a charity providing free legal aid to protect land.
In 1996, Williams-Davidson married Robert Davidson, a renowned Haida artist.
She is the cousin of Gidansda Guujaaw.
Williams-Davidson represents the Haida nation at all levels of court, and has done so since 1995. Her involvement in litigating the Haida Nation's TFL39 Case is of particular note, as it is considered the leading case on the consultation and accommodation of Aboriginal rights related to resource development. She has also helped win innovative interim agreements with British Columbia and Canada as counsel for the Haida Nation's Aboriginal title case. In September of 2025, the BC Supreme Court pronounced an order recognizing the Haida Nation's Aboriginal title to the terrestrial areas of Haida Gwaii.
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