Haida people

Haida
	Haida carver Saaduuts, 2007
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.

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.

Year 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.

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

File:Totem RMBC 3.jpg

Haida totem pole at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, BC.^[2]

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.

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.

Potlatch

The Potlatch ceremony was a ritual based event which involved feasting and the exchange of gifts between cheifs and surrounding clans. The celebration was a time of plenty and was a way of re-iterating bonds between groups. The potlach ceremony was based on the concepto of reciprocity and endebtedness. Many would be held and the larger more granduous the occasion the more respect was given. The social bonds and coherence was also a substantial part of the potlach ceremony, something which the western world failed to take into consideration when they tried to ban it in the late 19th century as it was seen to rival christmas.

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.

Music

Mythology

Notable Haidas

Florence Davidson, artist and memoirist b
Reg Davidson, artist
Robert Davidson, artist
Freda Diesing, artist
Charles Edenshaw, artist
Gerry Marks, artist
Bill Reid, artist
Jay Simeon, artist
Richard Summers, U.S. Marine/Student/ All Around BMF.
Don Yeomans, artist
Skaay, mythteller
Gandl, mythteller
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, artist and innovator

Anthropologists and scholars

Below if a brief list of anthropologists and scholars who have worked with the Haida.

Notes

^ 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).
^ "Thunderbird Park – A Place of Cultural Sharing". Royal British Columbia Museum. Retrieved 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

External links

The Canadian Museum of Civilization - The Haida

[ethnologue-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 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."

[2]