West Coast First Nations of Canada

West Coast Native Groups

• The Haida are part of a large group of West Coast First Nations people
• They occupy part of British Columbia
• Close proximity led to similarities in lifestyle
• There are 70 First Nations Groups in British Columbia

Lifestyles

• Permanent Homes
• Similar food
• Shared customs
• Built boats
• Engaged in trade
• Engaged in inter-tribal fighting

West Coast Languages

• Geographic separation caused different language groups to form
• Some languages, like Haida, are unique
• There are 19 distinct languages within the group of First Nations in Canada
• There are 5 major language groups overall
• Major Language groups are:
  • Haida
  • Tlingit
  • Tsimshian
  • Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)
  • Salishan

Location

• The Haida lived exclusively on islands
• They lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands, now called Haida Gwaii
• The islands belong to British Columbia
• Haida Gwaii consists of 2 main Islands and many smaller ones
• The two largest communities today are Skidegate and Masset
• Some Haida communities are located on islands just north of Haida Gwaii, part of Alaska, USA

Haida Food

• British Columbia's west coast has a mild, rainy climate
• There is plenty of fish, marine life, vegetation, and animals
• The Haida were primarily hunters and gatherers
• They supplemented their diet with foraged food
  • grains
  • berries
  • mushrooms
  • roots
• They were skilled fishermen and caught all of the fish they needed

Salmon

• The Pacific Ocean was the main food source
• Pacific Salmon was abundant and most important
• Haida would use nets, harpoons and traps to catch salmon migrating upstream to spawn

Other Food Sources

• The ocean provided other fish such as halibut and smelt
• They caught shellfish:
  • crab
  • clams
  • oysters
  • mussels
• They harvested seaweed
• The Haida even hunted whales
• On occasion, they hunted:
  • sea otters
  • seals
  • sea turtles

The Candlefish

• The Haida used a lot of fish oil for flavoring food and powering lamps
• They got oil from whale and seal meat
• The Eulachon (candlefish) was a important and valuable fish
• Eulachon are similar to smelt
• Eulachon contain a high percentage of oil
• The oil was harvested for food and lamps
• Dried Eulachon can be lit and will burn like a candle
• They traded this fish and its oil with mainlanders

Haida Homes

• They did not need to move around
• Their homes were permanent
• They lived in rectangular cedar-plank homes with bark roofs.
• Their homes were up to 100 feet long
• Each home housed about 50 people from the same clan

Haida Home Construction

• Houses were made of red cedar
• The Haida cut the trees with stone axes and floated the trees to their villages
• A frame was built out of cedar logs
• Cedar planks were attached to the logs
• Overlapping planks kept the rain out
• Wooden pegs were used as nails

Longhouses

• Made with rectangles
• Had many posts
• Were covered with cedar planks
• There longhouses had no windows
• Smoke escaped out of a hole in the roof
• A single front door kept the heat in
• Low roofs made heating easier

Inside Longhouses

• They had simple furniture
• Each family had bunk beds against the wall
• There were storage areas and open shelves above each bunk
• Holes two feet deep kept food cool below the bunks
• Each family had fire pits for cooking
• Woven cedar mats hung from the ceiling for privacy
• The chief and family occupied a the largest, most private area separated by a wooden wall

Haida Villages

• Houses were clustered together
• Some villages had 1,000 people living in 30 houses
• Houses faced the water and were positioned side-by-side
• They painted houses and totem poles
• The pole's carvings displayed the family crest
• When a family member married, another section was added to the longhouse
• When the house became full, they'd build a new one for other families

Death of a longhouse owner

• If the owner died, the family gave the longhouse away or burnt it
• The spirit would worry too much if they stayed

Haida Clothing

• Men wore breechcloths and long cloaks
• A breechcloth is fabric made of tanned deerskin, cloth, or animal fur
• Breechcloths were worn between the legs and tucked over a belt in the front and back
• The women wore:
  • knee-length skirts
  • tops
  • poncho-like capes
• Haida Clothing was woven out of cedar bark
• Garments were made of deerskin and otter fur
• They wore moccasins and heavy caribou robes in cold weather
• Haida often preferred to go barefoot

Formal Wear

• The Haida people wore tunics, leggings, and cloaks during formal occasions
• The clothing articles were painted with tribal designs
• Chilkat blankets were worn by the wealthy
• Chilkat blankets were woven from:
  • cedar bark
  • mountain goat hair

Haida Canoes

• The Haida were known for large dugout canoes
• Canoes were made by hollowing out cedar logs
• These canoes were more than 60 feet long
• Canoes withstand stormy waves
• They could carry 10,000 pounds of cargo, like fish
• Other Northwest Coast tribes were impressed by the Haida canoes
• The Haida traveled the sea coast in canoes for:
  • trading
  • fishing
  • hunting
  • war

Haida Society

• Their society was ruled by wealth, not democracy
• The wealthiest clan had the most power
• Their society had different classes
  • nobles
  • commoners
  • slaves, who were acquired through war or bought
• The Haida were divided into basic social units
• The oldest and highest ranking person was named Chief of the family
• A person's rank was determined by their relationship with the Chief
• Chiefs were responsible for distributing wealth

Social Clans

• Families lived together, forming villages
• Every family was ranked in the village
• The chief of the most family became the chief of the village
• The village Chief displayed his family lineage on village totem poles
• Clans were:
• Raven
• Eagle
• Clan membership:
  • Passed through the mother
  • Married into other clans

Land Ownership

• Possession of property helped set the Haida people apart
• This feature set them apart from other West Coast Native Groups
• This set them apart from other First Nations people groups in Canada
• The Haida:
• Recognized ownership of land and property
• Families claimed good spots for fishing or hunting
• Claimed spots or accumulating contributed to wealth

Haida Totem Poles

• The Totem pole is the most well known part of Haida culture
• They were massive cedar tree poles
• They were built by a single person person or group of people.
• Each totem pole had many different faces
• The faces are totems

Haida Totems - contd

• Unique carving and coloring
• The totems were mostly animals familiar to the Haida
• hawks
• eagles
• bears
• ravens
• frogs
• fish
• The carvings do not accurately represent real animals

Haida Totem Pole History

• Experts believe the early totem poles were much smaller and less common
• After contact with Europeans the Haida totem poles became very large and common
• They reached their peak between 1850 and 1880
• Trade with the Europeans brought wealth
• Fur trading acquired axes, knives and carving equipment
• More wealth and better equipment allowed for more greater totem poles with greater detail

Haida Totem Use

• Totem Poles told the story
• Represented family history
• Told the story of the people
• The Haida did not believe that the poles had any religious or spiritual meaning
• Chiefs competed to see who could have taller and more detailed totem poles
• Carvers were in great demand

Types of Totem Poles

• To outsiders the poles most totem poles look the same
• Many kinds totem poles each with their own important purpose
• House poles:
  • Carved with symbols of family history
  • Positioned at the back of the house
  • Served as part of the house construction
  • Used to support the main beams of the building
• They could also be located beside the house or be free-standing

Frontal Totem Poles

• Some longhouses had a tall house frontal pole at the main entrance
• People entered the house through a hole at the bottom
• The hole was often the open mouth of an animal

Mortuary Poles

• Were burying places
• Carved for high-ranking individuals or chiefs after they died
• Had large holes cut out of the upper portion
• They were used by placing the deceased body into a painted box for a year
• The remains then moved to a smaller box inside the hole
• The front opening covered with cedar boards and painted to complete the design

Memorial Poles

• Stood alone, not connected to the buildings
• Tribute to a great chief
• Celebrated the achievements of the deceased chief
• Usually raised one year after death

Shame Totem Poles

• Used rarely
• Displayed when a group didn’t repay a debt
• It was built in public to embarrass them
• When the debt was paid, the pole was removed

The Watchmen

• Positioned at the top of the totem pole
• The totem pole is read from top to bottom
• The largest figure is featured in a story
• The "Watchmen" can be are attached to the chief’s house
• Their function was to warn the chief and the villagers of danger
• The middle watcher faced the ocean
• The 2 side watchers looked along the shoreline and kept watch over the village

Totem Pole Deacay

• Totem poles don’t last due to the rainy, humid climate
• Cedar wood rots
• No totem poles remain from the early part of the 1800s

Potlatch Ceremony

• It was the Northwest Coast First Nations celebrations
• Potlatch is derived from a First Nations word (pachitle) meaning 'to give'
• Was the most important celebration
• Often took a year to plan
• Occurred after a change in position
• Marriage
• Birth
• Death
• Coming of age
• Someone becoming chief
• Potlatches often:
  • Had a feast
  • Singing
  • Costumed dancers
• Potlatches sometimes lasted two to three weeks
• They were attended by thousands

Potlatch Gift Giving

• Potlatches allowed wealthy families to show off wealth by giving it away
• Potlatch attendants got gifts related to their position
• Large canoes or slaves were for the important people
• Carved dishes, food and eulachon oil were for less important people

Haida Wealth And Respect

• Haida culture valued the capacity in giving rather than showing one's wealth
• More respect and honor came with bigger gifts

The Golden Potlatch

• Held in Seattle Washington, USA in 1911
• Large Potlatch
• Happened every year from 1911–1914
• Thousands of Natives attended
• It was also attended by many non-Native people

Dignity Potlatch

• A dignity Potlatch occurred after a member of a high class did something that caused him embarrassment
• These potlatches were small, quick and included only the people in the little village
• The event allowed a person to get back some of their dignity and respect...for a price