About Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii Eagle

Because of ferry scheduling issues, we had a choice to spend four or ten days on Haida Gwaii.  We chose ten.  We have certainly found beauty and wildlife here.  We have, however, also found an island in recovery.  We expected to kayak along tidal pools brimming with sea life.  We also expected to hike among old growth forests.  They do not exist on Haida Gwaii... or if they do, we certainly could not find them.

As I mentioned in our first Haida Gwaii post, the fur trade took a tremendous toll on these islands.  It decimated sea lions to less than ten percent of their breeding population and exterminated sea otters from these waters   Unsustainable logging stripped the mountainsides.  Today the Haida Gwaii people work in concert with the Canadian government to protect these animals and islands.

While logging is still a major industry on Haida Gwaii, it is carefully monitored.  In many places we saw tall white pillars amid clear cut logging areas.  Inside each of the pillars was a tiny cedar seedling.

Cedar seedlings protected on Haida Gwaii

Cedar seedlings amid clear cut logging area on Haida Gwaii

Cedar seedling grows on Haida Gwaii

Ecosystems have been ravaged with the elimination of some animals and the introduction of others.  As an example, without sea otters keeping the kelp-eating sea urchin populations in check, sea kelp forests are now underwater deserts, eliminating habitat for sea stars and other marine life.  Additionally, land ecosystems have been radically altered with the introduction of several destructive species, including the Sitka black-tailed deer, raccoons, red squirrels, and rats.  

Deer were introduced for human consumption but because they have no predators, their numbers continue to increase.  Adding to the issue, deer can swim and now inhabit every island in Gwaii Haanas.  The deer strip the forest floors and change plant ecosystems. 

Pelt traders introduced raccoons for fur.  Foresters introduced red squirrels to collect spruce seeds from their cone caches.  Rats were accidentally introduced.  All three species eat songbird eggs and have vastly reduced their population.  These stories are stark reminders of the vulnerability of delicate natural balances.

We have also pieced together the history of the Haida Gwaii peoples.  Their cultural museum in Skidegate spoke about their artwork, their mythology, how they see themselves as part of their natural world, and how they are working to reclaim their land.  Surprisingly, it did not speak about their culture, including wars, religion, and burial practices. 

The Prince Rupert museum seemed to present a more balanced history of the northern coastal tribes than many of the other museums we visited.  As a result, we were able to piece together some of the missing components. 

The Tlingit, Haida Gwaii, and other tribes of the northwest coast were in intense competition with each other for political and economic dominance, often escalating into war.  They took slaves and burned the villages they conquered.  They were a very hierarchal society, with a class system determined by status and wealth.  Their religion was animism.  We learned that the Haida Gwaii burial practices were to take their dead into caves or special areas, leaving the animals to render carcasses to bones.  About a year later, the bones of prominent people were buried in bentwood boxes atop memorial poles.  Commoners had much less elaborate burials.  The Prince Rupert museum indicated that the bodies of slaves were often mutilated. 

Because of their focus on wealth and political dominance, tribes saw European fur traders as an opportunity to increase their status.  We read a timeline that included Haida Gwaii traders delivering over 1,800 otter pelts to the Russians.  In forty years (1770 to 1820), sea otters were hunted to extinction.

Between 1890 and 1920, a radical shift came to the coastal tribes. Colonization brought disease, education, and a monetary economy.  Diseases such as influenza and small pox took a terrible toll on native populations.  Children were often sent to government schools where they were forbidden to speak their native tongue.  Rather than dependence on the land, the peoples of the northwest coast tribes relocated to towns for stationary livelihoods.  Traditional ways of living and identities were on the verge of being lost. 

Today there is a cultural resurgence within the Haida Gwaii and other northwest coast tribes.  Once again their potlaches, songs, and dances are being passed down.  They teach their children to speak their native tongue.  They work to repatriate their dead from museums around the world. There is now cooperation between governments and the native tribes to protect the lands and revitalize ecosystems.  Their cultural artwork flourishes, along with their inherent stories and identity.  We wish them and their islands our best.