The Haida

When the first European traders arrived in the Queen Charlottes in 1775, the Haida had a complex culture. They lived in substantial long houses made of cedar posts and planks, they carved totem poles to tell stories, and they lived on the abundant fish and game found around the islands. There were 10,000 people in the islands. By 1862, after the smallpox epidemic, there were only 1,000.

We hiked into the forest to see where the Haida cut cedar trees for canoes. There is a partly finished canoe there from the 19th century. The stump from the tree and the stern of the to-be canoe are visible. No one knows why the Haida didn’t finish the canoe, but one guess is that the canoe builders died of smallpox.

There was a 300 year old mutant spruce tree with yellow rather than green needles in the middle of Graham Island. The Golden Spruce was revered by the Haida and is mentioned in their legends. In 1997 a crazy Haida cut the tree down. This despicable act was criticized by everyone. The man who did it disappeared before he was prosecuted. Cuttings were taken from the Golden Spruce and grafted to spruce roots. One of the clones grows among yellow flowers in Port Clements.

To celebrate Aboriginal Day (June 21), the largely Haida community of Old Masset held a parade. It was formed from two fire trucks and this pickup truck. The children drummed and sang. Though the parade was modest, everyone was enthusiastic and had a good time.

For Hospital Day, a fund-raiser for the Haida Gwaii hospital, there was a parade in Queen Charlotte City. Among the participants were dancers from the largely Haida community of Skidegate. Notice the hats made from cedar bark.

Around Haida Gwaii there is evidence of how Haida life is different. People in the islands talk about "Haida time", a reference to the fact that precise schedules are not very important in the Haida culture. This characteristic is spoofed in a clock manufactured only in Masset. In Old Masset, it is common for people to have totem pole supplies in their yards.

We have many more fascinating pictures of Haida life, which we promised not to post on the WWW. Please visit us so we can show off the rest of the story.