Haida
Land: The Haida are native North Americans that live in the northern parts of
British Columbia in the Queen Charlotte Islands. In early times, the Haida
resided throughout the entire chain of these islands. Most of the southern
islands have a very rocky and towering landscape. The largest southern island
is Moresby. The largest northern island, named Graham Island, has a landscape
that ranges from mountains in the west to a smoother, yet rocky land in the
east. Today most of the Haida live on this island. They
also live in the
southern part of Prince of Wales Island in Alaska.
Most of the Haida have left their island homes and moved to the
mainland. There they are employed in the fishing, canning, and logging
industries. In 1990 there were close to 2,000 Haida living in the United States
and another 2,000 living in parts of Canada.
Kinship: The Haida belong in one of two clans, the raven or eagle clan. The
clan is determined maternally at birth. Marriage among the Haida has to
consist of a person from each clan. The clans are then subdivided into local
groups that occupied villages.Ceremonies: Potlatches are a ceremony held by the Haida.
They have potlatches at events like house
building, totem pole raising, or funerals.Art: Haida are known for their canoes. They are made from red cedar trunks.
Canoe makers work on the canoes in the
autumn when they could find the best red cedar trees. Once enough snow fell,
the trees can be hauled from the forest to the village where they
are
finished. The Haida are also very artistic people. They create totem poles depicting
historical family events and to show their family crest. The houses of the
Haida are also decorated with their art.Traditions:
The
Haida built their villages along calm and sheltered beaches and
inlets. They did this to protect themselves from the strong winter storms that
occur along the pacific coast. In addition, they built their villages to
support their food needs. Their diet consisted of fish and sea animals due to
their close proximity to the ocean. They
traditionally ate salmon, halibut, black cod,
and shellfish. Salmon is the basic food of the
people. They travel to streams and rivers every
other year to fish for salmon. Black cod was the staple food for villages on the
west coast. They traditionally fished for eulachon in the runs along the Nass
River.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Haida.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the
web address of this page.
If you are Haida, your feedback is much appreciated.
Council of the Haida Nation: http://www.haidanation.ca/
Haida Art: http://www.spiritsofthewestcoast.com/gallery/haida-art.asp
References:
"Haida" Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0822358.html March 6, 2001.
"Haida" Britannica.com http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,39597+38802,00.html?query=haida
March 6, 2001.
"The Haida, Children of Eagle and Raven" CMCC (November 30, 1998) http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/fph/haida/haindexe.html#menu March 6, 2001.
Written by: Clint Warriner
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