By : єdωαяd zнσu

The Queen Charlotte Islands used to be called the Haida Gwaii. Graham Island is the largest northern island.

This is a picture of a archipelago

The Haida are people from the first nation. They are born in the Raven Clan or the Eagle clan. The Haida lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands. The Queen Charlotte Islands are an archipelago off the west coast of British Columbia.

The Haida had two main clans. The clans were Raven and Eagle clan. The clans get passed down by the mother where she came from. If a Haida was in the Eagle Clan he/she had to marry a Haida from the Raven Clan.

* Matrilineal - tracing ancestral descent through the mother's line instead of the father's line.

Haida depend on the sea for their food. They would catch salmon, herring and other fish. They also hunted black bears. Bear hunters also went to Haida Gwaii to hunt black bears. There was 185 black bears killed on the island. The black bears are an endemic subspecies.

*endemic – “native to or confined to a certain region; "the islands have a number of interesting endemic species"

The Haida people by using some tools and materials. With the tools they made their clothes from animal fur, mountain goat wool, tanned skins, and cedar bark for clothing. The Haida people make their cloths of wooden fibers. The woman wore cedar bark robes.

This is a picture of what Haida men wore. They wore long capes. They are made out of red and yellow cedar bark. Their hats are made of spruce roots. The cedar bark kept rain off they’re heads.

The Haida lived in the long house. The long house was owned by a clan. It is owned by the Raven Clan or the Eagle clan.

Picture of an Haida house and totem poles.

The golden age of Haida art lasted half a century. It began in the 1850’s when new markets opened in Victoria. Argillite Carvings are still being sold in Vancouver and Victoria.

Picture of Haida Art

There are lot of symbols represented in Haida art - for instance the raven, bear, wolf, eagle, whale, beaver, sun, salmon, and sisiutl, a double headed sea serpent. The Haida picked these symbols because they have special powers that some animals don’t have. For instance sisiutl can transform man to animal. People tried to kill sisiutl because he has healing powers and skillful strength.

Sisiutl

Bill Reid was born in 1920. He was one of the greatest Haida artists that ever lived. He died in 1998. He made the Jade Canoe which was about the size of an war canoe. You can see this Jade canoe in the Vancouver international airport.

The Jade Canoe Made by Bill Reid

The Haida people believed that medicine people could gain super powers. The Haida people said that they lived beyond the world. They also said that medicine people could have the power of sun, moon, and the thunders. The Haida person who had the power usually had special clothes. They had an assistant that would play a drum. While the medicine person used their power to cure people who needed help because of sickness. They would make them healthy and well balanced again.

Northwest Coast Tribes practice the potlatches and the purpose is to redistribute wealth. The potlatches represented were an event to celebrate the naming of a chief or individuals.

Around 1860 the Haida ancestors died because outsiders came with small pox and 90% of the population was wiped out. The Canadian Government banned potlatches in 1884 and after a long struggle in 1951 they allowed potlatches again. The elders tried to remember what they could do to help the next generation rebuild the Haida history.

Picture of Small Pox

Differences between Small Pox And Chicken Pox

By : єdωαяd zнσu