The Haida: Natives of
the West Coast
<The settlements of
the Haida Natives
The Haida Canoe
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
The Haida canoe was the main
source of transportation to move
goods up and down the coast from
settlement to settlement. Each
canoe ad a unique design which
varied between regions.
The average canoe was made
of one large red cedar tree and
was approximately 16 metres long
and needed 10 men to paddle and
a steersman (skipper, captain, etc.)
to control the boat. To further
increase it’s speed in the wind the
canoes were equipped with three
masts and sails. The canoes could
averagely carry five tonnes of
cargo.
Aggressive Natives…

The Haida were feared along the
coast because they would perform
quick raids on villages that had
little defense against them. Also
the point of them having an island
for a home added to the
aggressive posture they held
against all other places on the
mainland. This is how they
adapted the nickname “Indian
Vikings of the North West Coast“.
Haida Village
Stay standing, Haida villages
consisted of one or more rows
of houses placed along a beach.
Villages with two rows of houses
were common, but villages with
five rows or more of houses
existed only in myth time. The
house owned by the village
chief was larger than the rest
and stood near the middle of the
village.
Northern Style Kiusta House
Southern Style Skedans House
Social Life of Haida
Raven
Eagle
The Haida were divided into two social
groups, called Raven and Eagle. The
Raven group was subdivided into
twenty-two families, and the Eagle into
twenty-three families. The families
were not grouped into clans. All villages
contained representatives of several
families and most contained members
of both social groups. Marriages had to
take place between Eagles and
Ravens, rather than those who
belonged to the same families, and
children became members of the same
social group as their mother.
Haida Religion
The Haida believe Ne-Kilstlass, their ‘Supreme Being’
as being a Raven, who
brought light and order to
the world. Ne-Kilst-lass is
also presumed a
troublemaker.
Haida Language
Haida is an Alaskan language
whose origin is unknown. Many
linguists have considered their
language to be an Athabaskan
language, but others consider it a
unique language only spoken by
the Haida. Haida is spoken fluently
by less than a hundred people
today, all of them elders, but some
young people are working to keep
their native language alive.
Translated: Equality: "Sameness of rights"
Dignity: "Being respected, esteemed"
Rights: "What everyone must accept"
Haida Clothing
In times before contact, most items of Haida
clothing were made from red or yellow cedar
bark. After the bark was peeled in long strips
from the trees, the outer layer was split away,
and the inner layer was shredded and
processed. The resulting felted strips of bark
were soft and could be plaited, sewn or woven
into a variety of fabrics that were either dense
and watertight, or soft and comfortable.
Women wore skirts and capes of cedar bark,
while men wore long capes of cedar bark into
which some mountain goat wool was woven
for a decorative effect.
Hat>
Cape>
Leggings>
and
trousers>
Resources
Language:
http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/tribute/haida-e.html
Overall Info:
http://www.civilization.ca/aborig/haida/haindexe.html#menu
Images:
http://images.google.ca/imghp?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&safe=off