Discovering the Rich Indigenous Heritage of Haida Gwaii

Nestled within an unmarked forest on the rugged, remote west coast of Haida Gwaii lies the Mosquito Pole—a remarkable testament to human creativity and endurance. This exquisite carving, crafted over 200 years ago with tools made from bone and stone, showcases a variety of creatures from Haida mythology, including a beaver, a bear cub, and a trio of vigilant watchmen keeping their gaze in different directions.

Reaching this remarkable site is a challenging adventure. There are no roads or trails leading here, and it's a place few have visited. In September, I embarked on this journey aboard a small catamaran with Haida Style Expeditions. Our captain, James Cowpar, shared that the winds can reach up to 100 mph along this coastline, with late fall and winter bringing monstrous 40-foot waves. After landing on a pebbly beach, we hiked up a rocky path through a lush, moss-covered forest, ultimately discovering the frontal pole that narrates the lineage of the family who once inhabited the now-collapsed longhouse behind it.

For Cowpar, who carries Haida heritage, this site is a "beautiful place." Since childhood, he has navigated this region in various boats, uncovering burial sites and habitation caves with only a paddleboard and hard hat. He has explored ancient villages and even found, then concealed, the remains of his ancestors. Yet, tourists rarely visit this secluded spot; most opt for the smaller, more abundant poles located at the UNESCO-listed village of SGang Gwaay Llnagaay (formerly known as Nan Sdins or Ninstints).

The mere fact that the towering 40-foot Mosquito Pole was created and erected is astounding, but its continued existence is nothing short of miraculous. It has withstood centuries of relentless rain, fierce winds, seismic shifts, landslides, and acts of cultural vandalism. Similar poles have been dismantled and shipped to museums in cities like Liverpool and Chicago, where they were taken apart and reassembled for public display, Cowpar explained.

The Mosquito Pole stands impressively tall compared to its more renowned southern counterparts and predates the surrounding trees. Nearby, another well-preserved pole supports various tree species, such as huckleberry, hemlock, and spruce. While one side shows signs of weathering and erosion, the other side remains detailed, narrating the resilient story of Haida culture—a culture that has faced suppression but has been thriving in recent years.

For around 13,000 years, the Haida people have inhabited this archipelago off the coast of British Columbia, once thriving in the tens of thousands across numerous sites. However, following European contact in the late 1700s and a bustling sea otter fur trade, the population plummeted due to smallpox and other diseases introduced in the 1860s, leaving about 600 Haida. Most relocated to two towns on Graham Island, now known as Old Massett and Skidegate, and they comprise roughly half of the 5,000 residents, according to the Haida Nation.

The late 19th century brought missionaries to the area, who, while offering some assistance, oversaw the dismantling of traditional house and mortuary poles, replacing them with more conventional structures and urging the Haida to adopt English names. Additionally, potlatches—communal ceremonies celebrating significant life events like births and deaths—were banned by the federal Canadian government in the late 19th century, threatening the continuation of Haida traditions and the language itself.

Currently, the Haida language primarily exists in written form, with around 80 fluent speakers, as noted by Cowpar. However, a dedicated group is actively working to revive and maintain it. "They thought, 'We've solved the Indian problem,'" he chuckled, "but they were unaware of an underground effort to preserve the language. It's gradually making a comeback."

Over the past fifty years, there has been a slow but steady revival of Haida culture on X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay—the Haida name for the archipelago, meaning "island of the Haida people." A great place for newcomers to begin their exploration is Saahlinda Naay, or the "saving things house," located at the Haida Gwaii Museum just outside Skidegate. This series of buildings designed to resemble traditional longhouses has showcased art and artifacts since 1976.

A compelling video within the museum recounts the first pole raising in Old Massett Village in 1969, marking the first such event in a century. It was a historic and celebratory occasion, featuring hundreds of community members pulling on ropes tied to the poles, while elders donned in traditional attire watched proudly.

Marni, one of our guides for the week, known by her Haida name Aadiitsii Jaad, was just six years old during that pivotal event and has only vague recollections of it. She shared that the video evokes strong emotions for her, and she recognizes some familiar faces, including a boy who was around nine at the time and now, in his sixties, actively participates in raising poles. "He used to free climb up poles and untie the knots," she reminisced.

In the video, Robert Davidson, the carver of the pole, reflects on the event, which he describes as ground zero. "When I refer to ground zero, it couldn’t get any lower," he explains. "Due to the laws that constrained us, silencing our ability to partake in ceremonies and express our song and dance, the very essence that nourishes our spirit." Another powerful artifact in the museum highlights this sentiment: a poignant photograph from the late 1800s showing Haida women allowed one last picture while wearing masks.

The event in the 1960s marked the dawn of a pole-raising revival. Outside the museum stand six modern poles, erected in 2002. Crafted from straight red cedar trees with minimal knots, these poles are adorned with various figures and crests that narrate stories as you gaze up from below.

Marni helped me interpret the stories depicted on the poles: a bear mother who was human and had bear offspring; a cormorant; hats etched with symbols indicating the number of feasts and potlatches hosted by the family; a dogfish; a wolf; and the raven, a pivotal figure in Haida mythology who brought the first humans into existence from a clam shell. Much like the Mosquito Pole, these structures symbolize a culture that has been reclaimed and celebrated. Today, modern poles can be seen throughout the islands, including one carved by Tim Boyko, raised outside a new hospital in 2019, accompanied by a sign that reads, "Nurses rock."

The potlatches have returned as well. Shortly before my visit, renowned carver Kihlyaahda (Christian White) and his wife Candace Weir-White raised a 53-foot pole, intricately carved to depict a grizzly bear, a frog, and a great white shark mother, all from an 800-year-old cedar tree, in front of their longhouse in Old Massett. Christian and his brothers, Todd and Derek White, each contributed a carved watchman. Candace prepared a feast for about 500 to 600 attendees at the event, which featured new masks, songs, and dances.

Tradition continues to thrive throughout Haida Gwaii, reflected in tattoos, cedar hats, celebrations, and beyond. In 2010, the archipelago officially returned to its original name, Haida Gwaii, after being known as the Queen Charlotte Islands since 1787.

During a traditional Haida dinner featuring salmon, venison, and herring roe on kelp at Roberta Olson’s home, known as Keenawaii’s Kitchen in Skidegate, Marni nostalgically recounted the ceremony where participants shouted "Charlotte Islands" into a cedar box and sent it away. This ritual has since inspired local actions; earlier this year, council members in the village of Queen Charlotte voted to restore the original name of Daajing Giids.

A new generation of carvers

On Graham Island, which makes up the northern part of Haida Gwaii, carvers like Garner Moody diligently work on cedar to keep the traditions alive. A spacious wooden shed overlooking the bay outside Skidegate is filled with wood chips and shavings, fueling a small burner that fills the air with the distinct scent of freshly cut wood, all while blues rock plays from a cassette player.

Garner has been carving since 1987, having started after apprenticing with the renowned Haida artist Bill Reid. He is a vibrant presence, eager to pose for photos—"Oh for sure; I say, geez, where do you want me?"—and is quick to engage in discussions about sports. When he learns I’m from California, he jokingly declares the Golden State Warriors have "ruined the game; they’re not sportsmen."

As slow blues bass lines transitioned to lively harmonica riffs, he described the pole-carving process in a way that made it seem surprisingly simple. He begins with a rough sketch on paper, where one inch represents a foot. "I get a general idea and build from there," he said, working from nine in the morning to noon for months on creations that he ultimately sells. As he humorously put it, "Somebody might nibble, or I’m stuck with a pole."

In Old Massett, located on the northern coast of Graham Island, Tyler York delicately shaped thin slices from a stunning eagle head intended for the top of a memorial pole. This pole, carved by brothers Jaalen and Gwaai Edenshaw, is set to be raised in honor of their late chief, Gaahlaay (Watson Price), at Xaayna, an ancient Haida village on Maude Island. York is also an accomplished actor, having received the Best Actor award in a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle for his role in the Haida-language film Edge of the Knife. A poem by fellow artist Iljuuwaas (Tyson Brown) decorates the studio wall: "Like a cedar chip // from a chisel tip // I lay in a heap on the floor, Willing myself // to find a broom // and sweep me out the door."

Conserving Nature

Throughout the islands, nature flourishes. In the ancient temperate rainforests, life thrives in the dampness, where vibrant shades of spongy green and yellow ripple, moss-covered branch stumps resemble boxing gloves, and plant life hangs everywhere. Dubbed the “Galápagos of the North,” this land is home to bears, puffins, and salmon, showcasing rich biodiversity and a commitment to preserving ecological integrity alongside Haida culture.

A deep respect for nature is woven into Haida life, and they have long fought to safeguard the islands’ old-growth forests, waterways, and ecosystems. In 1985, after years of clear-cut logging that left the islands barren, islanders protested on Lyell Island. Marni flew in to support the cause, only to be arrested and held in a logging company's garage. This pivotal moment helped lead to the creation of Gwaii Hanas National Park Reserve and the Haida Heritage Site at Ninstints, now protected by Haida Gwaii watchmen.

Currently, approximately 53 percent of Haida Gwaii’s land is protected, along with 72 percent of its foreshore, due to a 2009 agreement between the Haida Nation and the Province of British Columbia. Naturalist Phred Collins guides us through the orchard, forest, and organic gardens surrounding the Haida House hotel at the southern tip of Naikoon Park. Born in California to Canadian parents, he soon realized his true home was with the Haida, arriving as a “kayak bum [content] with four bottles of wine, a good book, and a fishing pole”—and eventually becoming an authority on local flora and fauna, especially birds. People travel from “all over the world” to learn about the community, forestry, and culture, he noted.

A new approach to travel

Travel to Haida Gwaii has transformed in recent decades, with cultural and eco-tourism somewhat replacing traditional hunting and fishing practices. The Haida House was briefly a bear-hunting lodge before the Council of the Haida Nation decided to halt recreational hunting and acquired the last remaining licenses for the property. Meanwhile, Marni and others established the Daughters of the River group to challenge sportfishing lodges that continued to operate (unregulated by the fisheries department) while others were closed during COVID.

However, there is a limit to how much tourism of any kind the small archipelago and its infrastructure can support. Haida Tourism invites travelers to take the Haida Pledge—a commitment to honor the destination and the "Haida Ways of Being," review an orientation document, and contribute to a stewardship fund.

These funds can support programs that promote Haida heritage, such as youth culture camps, where young people learn essential skills in cultural stewardship, survival, health, physical fitness, and social development, including clam digging, tide reading, and visiting historic village sites. Marni shared details about the camps when we paused at the renowned Balance Rock, expressing her desire to take time off to bring her niece and her niece's children to one soon.

This conversation reminded me of a quote about the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program that I had seen at the Haida Heritage Center, attributed to Tlingit linguists and poets Nora Marks & Richard Dauenhauser: "Preservation is what we do to berries in jam jars and salmon in cans. While books and recordings can help maintain languages, only people and communities can truly keep them alive."

On our second-to-last evening, Phred guided us on a beach and forest bathing meditation walk. We weaved through the trees lit by our iPhone torches before standing in a line ten feet apart, our feet in the sand, gazing at the star-filled sky above the tranquil edges of the notorious Hecate Strait. My thoughts drifted back to the timeless tales I had heard and their recent expressions on newly erected poles.

Haida Gwaii is often called the edge of the world, and in some ways, that is accurate. It’s encircled by vast expanses of water, with northern British Columbia on one side and distant Russia on the other—but to many islanders, whether Haida or not, it is the very heart of the world.

An older name might be even more fitting, translating roughly to "islands on the boundary between worlds," which refers to the blurred line between this reality and the supernatural. As John Vaillant, author of The Golden Spruce, describes, they embody a sort of existential intertidal zone. That evening, while gazing at the water, facing continental North America but seeing only bioluminescent glimmers, faint possibly imagined lights on the horizon, and gentle waves illuminated by the distant glow of Venus, I began to understand that concept.

How to Explore Haida Gwaii

There are several accommodations in Haida Gwaii, but we spent our week at the Haida-owned Haida House, a lodge located along the Tlell River, which flows parallel and just inland from the east coast of Graham Island. Here, new cedar cabins with oceanfront views come equipped with hot tubs and outdoor showers; guests can choose from three-, four-, or seven-night packages that include meals, transfers, and locally guided Haida excursions. Since there’s no public transport on the islands and car rentals are limited, this is a great way to maximize your time and immerse yourself in the local culture.

For your two-hour flight from Vancouver, consider picking up Robert Bringhurst’s A Story as Sharp as a Knife: The Classical Haida Mythtellers and Their World and John Vaillant’s The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed. Both books offer insightful perspectives.