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The Haida and Haida Gwaii
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Haida
Regions with significant populations
Canada (British Columbia), United States (Alaska)
Languages
English, Haida
The Haida are an Indigenous nation of the west coast of North America. The
Haida territories comprise an archipelago called Haida Gwaii, off the coast
of British Columbia, and southeast of Alaska. Their main archipelago is
commonly known by the European applied name, the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The Haida are commonly referred to in Canada as being a First Nations "band"
(not "tribe" as in American parlance). Their ancestral language is the Haida
language, which has never been adequately classified by linguists because of
its uniqueness. In addition to those Haida residing on Haida Gwaii and in
Alaska, there are also many Haidas in various urban areas in the western
United States and Canada.
Territory
History
Haidas were traditionally known as the naked fierce warriors and
slave-traders, raiding as far as California. Haida oral narratives record
journeys as far north as the Bering Sea, and one account implies that even
Asia was visited by Haidas before Europeans entered the Pacific. The Haida
ability to travel was dependent upon a supply of ancient Western Redcedar
trees that they carved into their famous Pacific Northwest Canoes. Carved
from a single redcedar tree, a vessel could sleep 15 adults head to toe, and
was propelled by up to 60 paddlers (who often included women). In the event
of a battle at sea, paddlers were armed with heavy stone rings (18 to 23 kg)
attached to woven tree root or bark ropes. These devices, when thrown at
enemy canoes, inflicted substantial damage. Haida warriors entered battle
with redcedar armor, wooden shields, stone maces and atlatls. War helmets
were carved. It's been said that the war helmets that were carved were by
using special techniques. These techniques are unknown to anyone other than
the Haida people as they have kept it secret for many years. Even to this
day no one really knows how the Haida would carve their war helmets and how
they looked.[citation needed]
This short section requires expansion.
1774 and After
The archipelago was visited in 1774 by Juan Pérez (at Langara Island) and in
1778 by Capt. James Cook. In 1787 the islands were surveyed by Capt. George
Dixon. The islands were named by Capt. Dixon after one of his ships, the
Queen Charlotte, which was named after Queen Charlotte, wife of King George
III of the United Kingdom.
The first furbuying ships arrived in 1774. The hunting of sea otter in Haida
Gwaii serviced an international trading circuit: ships leaving the islands
brought the pelts to China where they were traded for oriental goods; the
ships then returned to the west, selling their cargo for substantial profit.
Within a century, few sea otter remained, coming close to extinction.
European Diseases
At the time of colonial contact, Haida Gwaii's population was roughly
10000-12000 people residing in several dozen towns. During the 1800s,
smallpox reduced the population by ninety percent; other diseases arrived as
well, including typhoid, measles, and syphilis, affecting more. The worst
single smallpox outbreak occurred in 1862, when the population fell by more
than half. In 1900, 700 people remained. Towns were abandoned as people fled
their homes for the mission towns of Skidegate and Masset, cannery towns on
the mainland, or for Vancouver Island. Some 3500 people live on the islands
today. Indigenous people (Haida) live throughout the islands, and maintain
two exclusive communities in Skidegate and Old Masset, each with a
population of about 1000 peoples. The European's killed off most of our
people with the diseases that they brought here with them.
Residential School
Tribal Government
Although much reduced by commercial activities[citation needed], the natural
abundance of forest and sea in the Haida archipelagos remains an essential
aspect of contemporary Haida culture. The Council of the Haida Nation
continues to pursue a policy of rescuing natural lands and waters. It is
also co-managing, with the government of Canada, the wild and diverse
islands of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site,
which is reserved for National Park status within the Canadian National Park
system.
The Haida of Prince of Wales Island traditionally lived in three villages on
the west coast of Prince of Wales Island and in one village on the island's
east coast. In 1911, with the encouragement and support of the U.S.
government and the Presbyterian Church, the three Haida villages of Cordova
Bay consolidated at Hydaburg. On June 19, 1912, President William Howard
Taft signed Executive Order no. 1555, establishing the Hydaburg Reservation
for the protection and civilization of the Haida. Hydaburg was modeled on
what would be known as the Metlakatla Plan, whereby the natives would be the
developers and proprietors of the community and its enterprises, and would
be treated as citizens of the United States while at home.
In Alaska, the Haida have been involved in three distinct processes of
adjudicating their aboriginal claims. In 1935 a branch of the Alaska Native
Brotherhood and Sisterhood -- the Tlingit and Haida Central Council --
brought suit against the United States in a Court of Claims case that
awarded the Tlingit and Haida of Alaska $7.2 million for the taking of
aboriginal lands by the United States when it established the Alexander
Archipelago Forest Reserve (now known as the Tongass National Forest) in
1902. The Tlingit and Haida Central Council was designated as the
administrator of funds and programs derived from the court of claims case.
In April 1938, the Hydaburg Cooperative Association became the first
economic enterprise organized under the terms of the Alaska Reorganization
Act (and extension of the Indian Reorganization Act). Shortly thereafter the
association filed a petition with the US Department of the Interior for a
reservation and submitted to an adjudicative process for its creation. The
reservation was subsequently established, but in 1952 the agreement that led
to its creation was declared null and void by the U.S. District Court.
In 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was signed into law,
authorizing the creation of for-profit corporations for each of the native
villages in Alaska. Village corporations with significant Haida shareholders
include Haida Corporation in Hydaburg, Kavilco in Kasaan, and Shaan-Seet in
Craig, as well as the regional corporation Sealaska. These village
corporations incorporated under the laws of Alaska and received a total of
23,040 acres (93 km²) of land, much of it forest lands. The corporations are
looking at ways to enter into various business opportunities on Prince of
Wales Island such as forest-products, hospitality, charter-fishing,
oil-products, and rock-crushing operations.
In contrast to the Haida in Alaska, Haida in the towns of Masset and
Skidegate in the Canadian reserves were administered by the Canadian
Department of Indian Affairs. In the twentieth century, Haida in Masset
continued to make their livings primarily from fishing. Many employed women
worked in a cannery in nearby New Masset. Residents of Skidegate found work
in the logging camps on their reserves. During the 1960s, when the Canadian
authorities encouraged greater Indian participation in self-governance, the
Masset and Skidegate Haidas renewed their traditional arts, including the
erection of totem poles, the revival of dance, and the building of canoes.
In the 1980s, the two villages formed the Council of the Haida Nation to
support their political interests.
The issue most important to the modern Haidas continues to be the
establishment of a governing body that will have political and economic
control of their ancestral homelands. Problems with defining the role of an
officially recognized Haida tribe are complicated by the Indian
Reorganization Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the
institutions created under those laws
As for the Haida Nation in Canada, the 2004 Supreme Court of Canada in Haida
Nation v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests), [2004] 3 S.C.R. 511
declared that the Crown had a legal duty to consult with the Haida Nation
and accommodate their interests when issuing a timber license to a forestry
company for harvesting wood on lands claimed by the Haida Nation. This
decision is made in view of the Court's famous 1997 decision of Delgamuukw
v. British Columbia, [1997] 3 S.C.R. 1010 where the Court had established
the legal precedent that a First Nations band in Canada can make claim to
"Aboriginal title" to specific land, despite Crown sovereignty over all
lands in Canada, if they had occupied such land prior to the Crown asserting
its sovereignty over this land and if the specific land itself is integral
to the First Nations band's distinctive culture. The concept of "Aboriginal
title" extends beyond the mere right to use (e.g. to hunt and fish on)
specific lands, but it is different from typical private land ownership in
that "Aboriginal title" is a communal right linked to indigenous culture.
Culture and Society
The Haida theory of social structure is based on moiety lineages. That is,
the society is divided into two groupings, one called Raven and the other
Eagle. There are a variety of subgroups that fall into either of the
moieties. The moieties and their subgroups of Clans, or matrilineal
lineages, own unique combinations of crests and other intellectual
properties such as songs and names. People cannot marry a member of their
own moiety.
Potlatches, ceremonies to show wealth or to earn status in a community, were
closely linked to a man's moiety. Potlatches would have been a huge
celebration, hosted by a wealthy member of the community. A host would have
invited hundreds of guests. Guests would have come in best dress and in best
canoes, ready for up to 10 days of feasting. Afterwards, all the host's
possessions were distributed to guests. However, this would not have
bankrupted a host, as they could always rely on getting gifts from a
neighbours potlatch, if theirs was up to standard.
Although Haida societal structure is a living process, its roots are in the
ancient potlatch system and remain recognizable in contemporary political,
economic and legal functions. On that portion of Haida territory claimed by
Canada, the two communities of Massett and Skidegate have Band Councils that
experience varying degrees of influence and control by Canada's federal
government. The persistence of Haida government can be seen in that the
influence of the Band Councils, insofar as they may be seen as agents of
Canadian government authority, are regulated by a community governance
system of Matriarchs and Lineage authorities. The Haida were hunters and
gatherers. Because they lived so near the sea, fishing was crucial to them.
Salmon was a main source of food, which was filleted & smoked to keep
through the winter. The skeleton of the first salmon caught in a season was
always placed back where it was caught. This was an offering, so the Salmon
would return the following season.
The Haida people are well known as skilled artisans of wood, metal and
design. They have also shown much perseverance and resolve in the area of
forest conservation. These vast forests of cedar and spruce where the Haida
make their home are on pre-glacial land which is believed to be almost
14,000 years old. Haida communities located in Prince of Wales Island,
Alaska, and the Queen Charlotte Islands also share a common border with
other indigenous peoples such as the Tlingit and the Cape Fox tribes of the
Tsimshian. The Tlingit called the Haida Deikeenaa, "far out to sea people",
from the distance separating Haida Gwaii from the mainland and the Alexander
Archipelago.
Like all Indigenous peoples of the northwest coast of North America, the
Haida make extensive use of redcedar bark, which is still used both as a
textile for clothing, ropes and sails, and in its raw form, as a building
material or even armor. Most goods were fashioned from the wood of the
Western Redcedar, Nootka Cypress, Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce. Highly
prized plant bark and root weavers still create an array of clothing
including hats and containers. The ancient Naahinn form of weaving -- also
called Chilkat -- continues, although commercially produced wool is used
instead of mountain goat. The famous Haida totem poles were also carved on
the trunks of Red Cedar trees.
This short section requires expansion.
Clans
The Haida society is broken into two clans: the raven and the eagle. In this
"moiety" society, one cannot marry someone from the same clan, and must
marry outside of their own clan.
This short section requires expansion.
Language
Art
Haida art consists of two dimensional painting and three-dimensional
sculptural works. Painting was accomplished through the use of brushes made
from porcupine quills. Before contact with European traders, the Haida
derived pigments from natural sources. Lignite or charcoal produced black,
ochre a brownish-red and copper minerals provided greenish tones. In the
early nineteenth century vermilion was introduced through trade with ships
returning to the Northwest Coast from China. Pigments were mixed with a
medium derived from salmon eggs.
Painting and two dimensional art generally makes use of formlines that
outline basic shapes, often ovoid, in heavy dark outline. Images can be
built up from the positioning of formline defined shapes embellished with
mouths, beaks, claws, horns or other attributes of the person or animal
being depicted. Painting and sculpture both focussed greatly on natural
fauna. Charles Edenshaw was an important artist active in the late
nineteenth century.
The substitution of carved surfaces for painting represents a step toward
sculpture. Incised lines define the basic formline structures. A
particularly fine example is a carved Haida bent bowl from about 1850 (Royal
British Columbia Museum Catalogue No. 4114) that likely would have held food
for honoured guests at potlatches.
In sculpture Haida masks are similar with those of other Northwest Coast
First Nations such as Tlingit or Tsimshian. Haida carving on totem poles is
more readily distinguishable. The last early Haida totem poles were carved
in the villages of Tanu and Skedans in the late 1870s. Stress on the culture
resulted in a near abandonment of traditional forms of art in the early 20th
century. Bill Reid, a sculptor born in 1920, began exploring Haida art in
the 1950s, influenced by old jewelry worn by members of his mothers family,
who were Haidapoo.
In ancient times, valuable items were also fashioned from copper. Haida
culture places high value on a sophisticated and abstract iconic art form.
Although most impressively expressed in large monumental totem poles, this
highly disciplined design is applied to a wide range of materials, including
the human body through tattooing. The diversity of Haida design today can be
seen, among other things, in its expression through Haida Manga.
In addition to wood, Haida sculpture is also commonly done today in
argillite. As a medium the carving of smaller scaled argillite totem poles
dates from the 1860s and argillite plates and platters from the 1880s. Bill
Reid's work included precious metals as well as wood, and his work is a
synthesis of Haida design and European jewelry techniques. Other artists of
the twentieth century include Robert Davidson, Freda Diesing and Gerry
Marks.
This short section requires expansion.
Notable Haidas
* Florence Davidson, artist and memoirist
* Reg Davidson, artist
* Robert Davidson, artist
* Freda Diesing, artist
* Charles Edenshaw, artist
* Gerry Marks, artist
* Bill Reid, artist
* Jay Simeon, artist
* Don Yeomans, artist
* Skaay, mythteller
* Gandl, mythteller
Anthropologists and scholars
Below if a brief list of anthropologists and scholars who have worked with
the Haida.
* Marius Barbeau
* Margaret B. Blackman
* Robert Bringhurst
* Kirk Dombrowski
* Wilson Duff
* John Enrico
* Christie Harris
* Marianne Boelscher Ignace
* Mary Lee Stearns
* Ulli Steltzer
* John R. Swanton
* Bill Holm
Further reading
* Blackman, Margaret B. (1982; rev. ed., 1992) During My Time: Florence
Edenshaw Davidson, a Haida Woman. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
* Boelscher, Marianne (1988) The Curtain Within: Haida Social and Mythical
Discourse. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
* Bringhurst, Robert (2000) A Story as Sharp as a Knife: The Classical Haida
Mythtellers and Their World. Douglas & McIntyre.
* Geduhn, Thomas (1993) "Eigene und fremde Verhaltensmuster in der
Territorialgeschichte der Haida." (Mundus Reihe Ethnologie, Band 71.) Bonn:
Holos Verlag.
* Harris, Christie (1966) Raven's Cry. New York: Atheneum.
* Snyder, Gary (1979) He Who Hunted Birds in His Father's Village. San
Francisco: Grey Fox Press.
* Stearns, Mary Lee (1981) Haida Culture in Custody: The Masset Band.
Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Notes
1. ^ Ethnologue. (2005). "Language Family Trees: Na-Dene, Haida." In Gordon,
Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th ed. Dallas,
TX: SIL International. Online (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-01. Follow links
for ethnic population figures, as follows: Northern Haida — 1,700 (1,100 in
Canada, 600 in U.S.); Southern Haida — 500 (all in Canada).
2. ^ Thunderbird Park – A Place of Cultural Sharing. Royal British Columbia
Museum. Retrieved on 2006-06-24. "Haida Pole, 1954. Carvers: Mungo Martin,
David Martin and Henry Hunt. Based on: Haida Memorial Pole. This is a
version of a pole that was purchased by Charles F. Newcombe at t'anuu 'llnagaay
(eelgrass town) in 1911. It was raised by a man named Checkgath around 1880
as a memorial to his wife and shows some of Checkgath's family crests. The
original pole is now in the entrance lobby of the museum."
References
* Macnair, Peter L.; Hoover, Alan L.; Neary, Kevin (1981) The Legacy --
Continuing Traditions of Canadian Northwest Coast Indian Art
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