Excerpt from Following the Good River
Following the Good River is a biography of Cecil Paul s life as one North American’s more prominent Indigenous leaders.
Photo: Paul Watson/Can Geo Photo Club
December 14, 2020
Cecil Paul, also known by his Xenaksiala name, Wa’xaid, was born in the Kitlope and is one of the last speakers of the language of his people. He survived being placed in a residential school, struggled with substance abuse and eventually returned home to heal. During this time, he also has fought to protect the Kitlope, which is described as the largest intact temperate rainforest watershed in the world.