In the Land of Dreamers

In the Land of Dreamers tells the story of a 16 million-acre wilderness area in northeast British Columbia called the Muskwa-Kechika (M-K). Stewarded by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, the region is the last intact wilderness area of its kind with more biodiversity, and in greater abundance, than anywhere in North America—and very few know it exists.

The story follows the friendship of Ryan Dickie, a Dene-Kwagul photographer and filmmaker from Fort Nelson, and Wayne Sawchuck, a logger turned environmentalist and guide, as they journey by horseback into the M-K to explore the symbolism of Dechinn: an ancestral Dene marker erected by Dreamers from centuries past that safeguarded sacred areas to fall back on in the case their peoples ever came across hard times. Ryan sees the symbolism of the Dechinn as the key to ensure long-term protection for species, spaces and deepening his own relationship with his culture.

Though they each grew up in industry (Ryan in Oil & Gas, Wayne in logging), they reflect on change: both the internal fight for it and the external changes of the future. With only a fraction of the area currently protected, there is a movement afoot to reassert the M-K’s protection through a new Kaska Dena-led proposal called Dene k’éh Kusān (Always Will Be There). This is a story about environmental and cultural survival and the growing pains of finding a middle-ground in the 21st century.