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<!--NOTE: The name change became official on June 3, 2010 when the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act received royal assent. Queen Charlotte Islands still remains as a common name for the archipelago; please ensure that all edits reflect that fact. -->
<!--NOTE: The name change became official in Canadian law when on June 3, 2010 when the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act received Royal assent. Currently "Queen Charlotte Islands" remains as a common name for the archipelago; please ensure that all edits reflect that fact. -->
'''Haida Gwaii''' ("Islands of the People"),<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii">{{Cite bcgnis|id=61561 |title=Haida Gwaii}}</ref> formerly the '''Queen Charlotte Islands''',<ref>{{Cite bcgnis|id=38615 |title=Queen Charlotte Islands}}</ref> is an [[archipelago]] on the [[British Columbia Coast|North Coast]] of [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: [[Graham Island]] in the north, and [[Moresby Island]] in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of {{convert|10180|km²|0|abbr=on}}. Other major islands include [[Anthony Island (British Columbia)|Anthony]], [[Langara Island|Langara]], [[Louise Island|Louise]], [[Lyell Island|Lyell]], [[Burnaby Island|Burnaby]], and [[Kunghit Island]]s.
'''Haida Gwaii''' ("Islands of the People"),<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii">{{Cite bcgnis|id=61561 |title=Haida Gwaii}}</ref> formerly the '''Queen Charlotte Islands''',<ref>{{Cite bcgnis|id=38615 |title=Queen Charlotte Islands}}</ref> is an [[archipelago]] on the [[British Columbia Coast|North Coast]] of [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: [[Graham Island]] in the north, and [[Moresby Island]] in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of {{convert|10180|km²|0|abbr=on}}. Other major islands include [[Anthony Island (British Columbia)|Anthony]], [[Langara Island|Langara]], [[Louise Island|Louise]], [[Lyell Island|Lyell]], [[Burnaby Island|Burnaby]], and [[Kunghit Island]]s.


The islands are separated from the British Columbia mainland to the east by [[Hecate Strait]]. [[Vancouver Island]] lies to the south, across [[Queen Charlotte Sound (Canada)|Queen Charlotte Sound]], while the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]] is to the north, across the disputed [[Dixon Entrance]].
The islands are separated from the British Columbia mainland to the east by [[Hecate Strait]]. [[Vancouver Island]] lies to the south, across [[Queen Charlotte Sound (Canada)|Queen Charlotte Sound]], while the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]] is to the north, across a marine border [[Dixon Entrance]] disputed by two Nation state claimants, Canada and the USA. Haida territories, continuously occupied before Canada or USA claims, include lands and waters on both side of this political disagreement. There is no evidence of a free informed prior legal transfer of competence over these territories from the Indigenous Peoples to either Nation state.


Some of the islands are protected under federal legislation as [[Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site]], which is mostly Moresby Island and adjoining islands and islets (Gwaii Haanas is the Haida name for Moresby Island). Also protected, but under provincial legislation, are several provincial parks, the largest of which is [[Naikoon Provincial Park]] on northeastern Graham Island. The islands are home to an abundance of wildlife, including the largest subspecies of [[American Black Bear|black bear, and also the smallest subspecies]] (''Ursus americana carlottae'') and the subspecies of [[stoat]] ''Mustela erminea haidarum''. [[Black-tailed deer]] and raccoon are introduced species that have become abundant.
In the Haida Gwaii archipelago all lands and waters are subject to the policies and jurisdiction of the Haida Nation. Additionally some of the islands are protected under Canada federal legislation as [[Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site]], which is mostly Moresby Island and adjoining islands and islets (Gwaii Haanas is the Haida name for Moresby Island). In all these instances the Haida Nation has pre established protected status and subsequently agreed to the limited Canadian jurisdictional declarations. The foundation document that permits this to occur without prejudice to the underlying issues of sovereign jurisdiction is the Gwaii Haanas Agreement which recognizes the dual presence of two governmental structures.


Also protected, but under provincial legislation, are several parks, the largest of which is [[Naikoon Provincial Park]] on northeastern Graham Island. The islands are home to an abundance of wildlife, including the largest subspecies of [[American Black Bear|black bear, and also the smallest subspecies]] (''Ursus americana carlottae'') and the subspecies of [[stoat]] ''Mustela erminea haidarum''. [[Black-tailed deer]] and raccoon are introduced species that have become abundant.
On June 3, 2010, the ''Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act'' officially renamed the islands Haida Gwaii as part of a reconciliation protocol between British Columbia and the Haida people.<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th2nd/1st_read/gov18-1.htm |title=Bill 18 — 2010: Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act |author=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |date= |work= |publisher=Queen's Printer |accessdate=17 March 2011}}</ref>

On June 3, 2010, the ''Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act'' officially renamed the islands Haida Gwaii as part of a reconciliation protocol between British Columbia and the Haida Nation.<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th2nd/1st_read/gov18-1.htm |title=Bill 18 — 2010: Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act |author=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |date= |work= |publisher=Queen's Printer |accessdate=17 March 2011}}</ref>


== Economy ==
== Economy ==
The economy is blended,{{clarify|date=December 2010}} including art and natural resources, primarily [[logging]] and [[commercial fishing]]. Furthermore, service industries and government jobs provide about one-third of the jobs, and tourism has become a more prominent part of the economy in recent years, especially for fishing and [[tour guide]]s, cycling, camping, and [[Adventure travel|adventure tourism]].
The cash based economy is blended,{{clarify|date=December 2010}} including Art and natural resources, primarily [[logging]] and [[commercial fishing]]. Furthermore, service industries and government jobs provide about one-third of the jobs, and tourism has become a more prominent part of the economy in recent years, especially for fishing and [[tour guide]]s, cycling, camping, and [[Adventure travel|adventure tourism]].

The custom economy which is mostly a Haida cashless system and depends upon access to the marine and terrestrial ecoystems includes a robust potlatch structure and a complex and active system of intellectual and incorporeal values.


== Population ==
== Population ==
At the time of colonial contact, the population was roughly 10,000 people,{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} residing in several towns and including slave populations drawn from other clans of Haida as well as other tribes. Ninety percent of the population died during the 1800s from [[smallpox]]; other diseases arrived as well, including [[typhoid]], [[measles]], and [[syphilis]], affecting many more inhabitants. By 1900, only 350 people remained. Towns were abandoned as people left their homes for the towns of Skidegate and Masset, cannery towns on the mainland, or for Vancouver Island. Today, only some 3,800 people live on the islands. About 70% of the indigenous people (Haida) live in two communities at [[Skidegate, British Columbia|Skidegate]] and [[Old Masset, British Columbia|Old Masset]], with a population of about 700 each. In total the Haida make up 45% of the population of the islands. [[Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site|Anthony Island]] and the town of [[Ninstints]] were made a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 2006; in the decision, the decline in population wrought by disease was referenced when citing the 'vanished civilization' of the Haida.<ref>[http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/157.pdf UNESCO World Heritage Site: Justification, 1981]</ref>
At the time of early Canadian colonial contact, the population was estimated to be one of the highest concentrations of hunter gatherer societies in the world. A lower estimate would be roughly 10,000 people,{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} residing in several full season and seasonal regionally influential towns and smaller settlements all with a carefully structured relationship to area marine and terrestrial "resources". The Haida were a slaving Peoples with populations drawn primarily from other regional Peoples. Ninety percent of the population died during the 1800s from [[smallpox]]; other diseases arrived as well, including [[typhoid]], [[measles]], and [[syphilis]], affecting many more inhabitants. By 1900, only 350 people remained. Towns were abandoned as people left their homes for the winter towns of Klinkwan (Alaska), Skidegate and Masset, cannery towns on the mainland, or for more urbanized centers in the US and Canada. Today, only some 3,800 Haida citizens live on the islands. About 70% of these Indigenous Peoples live in two communities at [[Skidegate]] and [[Old Massett]], with a population of about 1500 each. Citizens also reside throughout rural and urban centers in Alaska, Washington State and British Columbia.
[[Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site|Anthony Island]] and the island of [[Ninstints]] were made a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 2006; in the decision, the decline in population wrought by disease was referenced when citing the 'vanished civilization' of the Haida.<ref>[http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/157.pdf UNESCO World Heritage Site: Justification, 1981]</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
{{expand section|date=December 2010}}
{{expand section|date=December 2010}}
The archipelago was visited in 1774 by [[Juan Josef Pérez Hernández|Juan Pérez]] (at Langara Island) and in 1778 by Captain [[James Cook]].
The archipelago was visited in 1774 by [[Juan Josef Pérez Hernández|Juan Pérez]] (at Langara Island) and in 1778 by Captain [[James Cook]]. Haida narratives note that early contacts were made with Buddhist monks. The name Massett is also the result of earlier contacts and assistance given to Spanish ships perhaps as early as the 16th century.


== Naming ==
== Naming ==
[[File:NWCoast1a.png|thumb|300px|left|The northern Pacific Northwest Coast, showing the position of the archipelago in relation to other islands in the region. The southern half of Prince of Wales Island is Kaigani Haida territory, but is not included in the term Haida Gwaii.]]In 1787 the islands were surveyed by Captain [[George Dixon (captain)|George Dixon]]. They were named the Queen Charlotte Islands by Captain Dixon after one of his ships, the ''[[Queen Charlotte (merchant ship)|Queen Charlotte]]'', which was named after Queen [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Charlotte]], wife of King [[George III of the United Kingdom]].
[[File:NWCoast1a.png|thumb|300px|left|The northern Pacific Northwest Coast, showing the position of the archipelago in relation to other islands in the region. The southern half of Prince of Wales Island is Kaigani Haida territory, but is not included in the term Haida Gwaii.]]In 1787 the islands were surveyed by Captain [[George Dixon (captain)|George Dixon]]. They were named the Queen Charlotte Islands by Captain Dixon after one of his ships, the ''[[Queen Charlotte (merchant ship)|Queen Charlotte]]'', which was named after Queen [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Charlotte]], wife of King [[George III of the United Kingdom]].


The name Haida Gwaii is of modern coinage and was created in the early 1970s as an alternative to the colonial-era name "Queen Charlotte Islands", to recognize the history of the Haida people.<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/> "Haida Gwaii" means "islands of the people", while "Haida" on its own means not only "us" but also "people". On December 11, 2009, the BC government announced that legislation would be introduced in mid-2010 to officially rename the Queen Charlotte Islands as Haida Gwaii. The legislation received royal assent on June 3, 2010, formalizing the name change.<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/> This name change is officially recognized by all levels of governments,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map?mapsize=428%20380&lat=53.25&long=-132.25&mapxy=-2282992.06598+1143926.84151&scale=5000000&feature_na=Haida+Gwaii&location1=59&unique_key=4310e2ccba3611d892e2080020a0f4c9&searchstring=Haida%20Gwaii&entity=ISL&layers=fapfeature+nodata_ntdb_50k%20north_arrow%20other_features%20roads%20hydrography%20boundary%20builtup%20vegetation%20populated_places%20railway%20power_network%20manmade_features%20designated_areas%20water_features%20water_saturated_soils%20relief%20contours%20toponymy%20contour&urlappend=%26unique_key%3D4310e2ccba3611d892e2080020a0f4c9%26map.layer%5Btextzoom03%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-2313122.1827+1166631.94386+END+TEXT+%22Haida%2BGwaii%22+END%26map.layer%5Btextzoom46%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-2313122.1827+1166631.94386+END+TEXT+%22Haida%2BGwaii%22+END%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom0%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom1%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom2%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom0outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom1outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom2outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands |title=The Atlas of Canada – Toporama |author= |date= |work= |publisher=[[Atlas of Canada]] |accessdate=17 March 2011}}</ref> including international name databases.<ref>{{GEOnet2|82578C2626B94BEDBEE57D9AF9FC53D3|Haida Gwaii}}</ref>
The name Haida Gwaii is of modern coinage and was created in the early 1980s as an alternative to the colonial-era name "Queen Charlotte Islands", to recognize the history of the Haida people.<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/> "Haida Gwaii" means "islands of the people", while "Haida" on its own means not only "us" but also "people". On December 11, 2009, the BC government announced that legislation would be introduced in mid-2010 to officially rename the Queen Charlotte Islands as Haida Gwaii. The legislation received Royal assent on June 3, 2010, formalizing the name change.<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/> This name change is officially recognized by all levels of Canadian governments,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map?mapsize=428%20380&lat=53.25&long=-132.25&mapxy=-2282992.06598+1143926.84151&scale=5000000&feature_na=Haida+Gwaii&location1=59&unique_key=4310e2ccba3611d892e2080020a0f4c9&searchstring=Haida%20Gwaii&entity=ISL&layers=fapfeature+nodata_ntdb_50k%20north_arrow%20other_features%20roads%20hydrography%20boundary%20builtup%20vegetation%20populated_places%20railway%20power_network%20manmade_features%20designated_areas%20water_features%20water_saturated_soils%20relief%20contours%20toponymy%20contour&urlappend=%26unique_key%3D4310e2ccba3611d892e2080020a0f4c9%26map.layer%5Btextzoom03%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-2313122.1827+1166631.94386+END+TEXT+%22Haida%2BGwaii%22+END%26map.layer%5Btextzoom46%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-2313122.1827+1166631.94386+END+TEXT+%22Haida%2BGwaii%22+END%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom0%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom1%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom2%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom0outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom1outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands%26map.layer%5Bpolygonresultzoom2outline%5D%3DDATA+fap_islands |title=The Atlas of Canada – Toporama |author= |date= |work= |publisher=[[Atlas of Canada]] |accessdate=17 March 2011}}</ref> including international name databases.<ref>{{GEOnet2|82578C2626B94BEDBEE57D9AF9FC53D3|Haida Gwaii}}</ref>


No longer in use is the older name 'Xaadala Gwayee' or, in alternative [[orthography]], 'Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai', meaning "islands on the Boundary of the world".<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/> Xhaaydla, 'Worlds' referring here to the sea and sky.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} A parallel name to Queen Charlotte Islands used by American traders, who considered the islands part of the US-claimed [[Oregon Country]], was '''Washington's Isles'''.
Still in use is the older name 'Xaadala Gwayee' or, in alternative [[orthography]], 'Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai', meaning "islands on the Boundary of the world".<ref name="BCGNISHaidaGwaii"/> Xhaaydla, 'Worlds' referring here to the sea and sky.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} A parallel name to Queen Charlotte Islands used by American traders, who considered the islands part of the US-claimed [[Oregon Country]], was '''Washington's Isles'''.


{{clear}}
{{clear}}


== Environment==
== Environment==
The last [[Pleistocene]] [[ice age|glaciation]] receded from the archipelago about 16,000 BCE, about 2,000 years earlier than the rest of the British Columbia Coast's ice age. That, and its subsequent isolation from the mainland, has produced what some call{{Who|date=June 2010}} the "[[Galápagos Islands|Galápagos]] of the North", a unique biological zone with many endemic kinds of plants and animals. Its climate, like that of the rest of the British Columbia and Alaskan coast in the area, is moderated by the [[North Pacific Current]], with heavy rainfall and relatively mild temperatures throughout the year.
The last [[Pleistocene]] [[ice age|glaciation]] receded from the archipelago about 16,000 BCE, about 2,000 years earlier than the rest of the British Columbia Coast's ice age. That, and its subsequent isolation from the mainland, encouraged Haida and environmental activists in the 1970s to use the term "[[Galápagos Islands|Galápagos]] of the North", a unique biocultural zone with many endemic kinds of plants and animals. The climate of this temperate north hemisphere forested region, like that of much of the British Columbia and Alaskan coast in the area, is moderated by the [[North Pacific Current]], with heavy rainfall and relatively mild temperatures throughout the year.


The islands are home to a wide variety of large native trees, including the [[Sitka spruce]], [[Western Redcedar|western red cedar]], [[Yellow Cedar|yellow cedar]] ([[Nootka cypress]]), [[Lodgepole Pine|shore pine]], [[Western Hemlock|western hemlock]], [[Mountain Hemlock|mountain hemlock]], and [[red alder]]. The ''Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands''<ref name="Flora QCI">{{cite book|last=Calder, James A., Roy L. Taylor, and Gerald A. Mulligan|title=Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands|year=1968|publisher=Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture|location=Ottawa}}</ref> describes plants known from the islands.
The islands are home to a wide variety of large endemic trees, including the [[Sitka spruce]], [[Western Redcedar|western red cedar]], [[Yellow Cedar|yellow cedar]] ([[Nootka cypress]]), [[Lodgepole Pine|shore pine]], [[Western Hemlock|western hemlock]], [[Mountain Hemlock|mountain hemlock]], and [[red alder]]. The ''Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands''<ref name="Flora QCI">{{cite book|last=Calder, James A., Roy L. Taylor, and Gerald A. Mulligan|title=Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands|year=1968|publisher=Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture|location=Ottawa}}</ref> describes plants known from the islands.


[[Kiidk'yaas]] (The Golden Spruce), a naturally occurring [[mutation|genetic-variant]] yellow-coloured Sitka spruce tree, was located near the [[Yakoun River]], the largest on Graham Island. It was a popular tourist attraction until it was illegally cut down in 1997 as a protest against industrial logging practices.
[[Kiidk'yaas]] (The Golden Spruce), a naturally occurring [[mutation|genetic-variant]] yellow-coloured Sitka spruce tree, was located near the [[Yakoun River]], the largest on Graham Island. It was a popular tourist attraction until it was illegally cut down in 1997 as a protest against the BC legally sanctioned industrial logging practices.


For a very short time{{When|date=July 2011}} a popular attraction for tourists to the islands was the ''White Raven''. This was an albino raven with unusual colouring. The ''White Raven'' lived around Port Clements and would commonly be seen taking food handouts from locals and visitors alike. It died after making contact with an electrical transformer.
For a very short time{{When|date=July 2011}} a popular attraction for tourists to the islands was the second appearance of a ''White Raven''. This was an albino raven with unusual colouring. The ''White Raven'' lived around Port Clements and would commonly be seen taking food handouts from locals and visitors alike. It died after making contact with an electrical transformer. In 1985 as the Haida Nation prepared for its significant and ultimately successful challenge to Canadian jurisdictional claims over the forest a "White Raven" appeared in Old Massett. The White Raven is a potent cultural icon representing a fundamental transformative force and its appearance was a positive sign for the Haida Nation. This bird disappeared the same winter that the blockades of the logging roads in Lyell Island took place.


===Earthquake hazards===
===Earthquake hazards===
Line 81: Line 87:


== Transportation ==
== Transportation ==
The main transportation links between the Islands and mainland British Columbia are the [[Sandspit Airport]], the [[Masset Airport]] and the [[BC Ferries]] terminal at Skidegate. The westernmost leg of [[British Columbia Highway 16|Highway 16]] connects Masset and Skidegate on Graham Island, and Skidegate with [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]] on the mainland via regular BC Ferries service by the [[MV Northern Adventure|MV ''Northern Adventure'']]. There is also regular BC Ferries service between Skidegate and Alliford Bay on Moresby Island. Floatplane services connect to facilities such as the [[Alliford Bay Water Aerodrome]] and [[Masset Water Aerodrome]].
The main transportation links between the Islands and the continent are to the mainland of British Columbia through the [[Sandspit Airport]], the [[Masset Airport]] and the [[BC Ferries]] terminal at Skidegate. The westernmost leg of [[British Columbia Highway 16|Highway 16]] connects Masset and Skidegate on Graham Island, and Skidegate with [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]] on the mainland via regular BC Ferries service by the [[MV Northern Adventure|MV ''Northern Adventure'']]. There is also regular BC Ferries service between Skidegate and Alliford Bay on Moresby Island. Floatplane services connect to facilities such as the [[Alliford Bay Water Aerodrome]] and [[Masset Water Aerodrome]].


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 23:25, 31 July 2011

Haida Gwaii
Queen Charlotte Islands
Map
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates53°00′N 132°00′W / 53.000°N 132.000°W / 53.000; -132.000
Administration
Canada
Demographics
Population4800 (2008)[1]

Haida Gwaii ("Islands of the People"),[2] formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands,[3] is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island in the north, and Moresby Island in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of 10,180 km2 (3,931 sq mi). Other major islands include Anthony, Langara, Louise, Lyell, Burnaby, and Kunghit Islands.

The islands are separated from the British Columbia mainland to the east by Hecate Strait. Vancouver Island lies to the south, across Queen Charlotte Sound, while the U.S. state of Alaska is to the north, across a marine border Dixon Entrance disputed by two Nation state claimants, Canada and the USA. Haida territories, continuously occupied before Canada or USA claims, include lands and waters on both side of this political disagreement. There is no evidence of a free informed prior legal transfer of competence over these territories from the Indigenous Peoples to either Nation state.

In the Haida Gwaii archipelago all lands and waters are subject to the policies and jurisdiction of the Haida Nation. Additionally some of the islands are protected under Canada federal legislation as Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, which is mostly Moresby Island and adjoining islands and islets (Gwaii Haanas is the Haida name for Moresby Island). In all these instances the Haida Nation has pre established protected status and subsequently agreed to the limited Canadian jurisdictional declarations. The foundation document that permits this to occur without prejudice to the underlying issues of sovereign jurisdiction is the Gwaii Haanas Agreement which recognizes the dual presence of two governmental structures.

Also protected, but under provincial legislation, are several parks, the largest of which is Naikoon Provincial Park on northeastern Graham Island. The islands are home to an abundance of wildlife, including the largest subspecies of black bear, and also the smallest subspecies (Ursus americana carlottae) and the subspecies of stoat Mustela erminea haidarum. Black-tailed deer and raccoon are introduced species that have become abundant.

On June 3, 2010, the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act officially renamed the islands Haida Gwaii as part of a reconciliation protocol between British Columbia and the Haida Nation.[2][4]

Economy

The cash based economy is blended,[clarification needed] including Art and natural resources, primarily logging and commercial fishing. Furthermore, service industries and government jobs provide about one-third of the jobs, and tourism has become a more prominent part of the economy in recent years, especially for fishing and tour guides, cycling, camping, and adventure tourism.

The custom economy which is mostly a Haida cashless system and depends upon access to the marine and terrestrial ecoystems includes a robust potlatch structure and a complex and active system of intellectual and incorporeal values.

Population

At the time of early Canadian colonial contact, the population was estimated to be one of the highest concentrations of hunter gatherer societies in the world. A lower estimate would be roughly 10,000 people,[citation needed] residing in several full season and seasonal regionally influential towns and smaller settlements all with a carefully structured relationship to area marine and terrestrial "resources". The Haida were a slaving Peoples with populations drawn primarily from other regional Peoples. Ninety percent of the population died during the 1800s from smallpox; other diseases arrived as well, including typhoid, measles, and syphilis, affecting many more inhabitants. By 1900, only 350 people remained. Towns were abandoned as people left their homes for the winter towns of Klinkwan (Alaska), Skidegate and Masset, cannery towns on the mainland, or for more urbanized centers in the US and Canada. Today, only some 3,800 Haida citizens live on the islands. About 70% of these Indigenous Peoples live in two communities at Skidegate and Old Massett, with a population of about 1500 each. Citizens also reside throughout rural and urban centers in Alaska, Washington State and British Columbia.

Anthony Island and the island of Ninstints were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006; in the decision, the decline in population wrought by disease was referenced when citing the 'vanished civilization' of the Haida.[5]

History

The archipelago was visited in 1774 by Juan Pérez (at Langara Island) and in 1778 by Captain James Cook. Haida narratives note that early contacts were made with Buddhist monks. The name Massett is also the result of earlier contacts and assistance given to Spanish ships perhaps as early as the 16th century.

Naming

The northern Pacific Northwest Coast, showing the position of the archipelago in relation to other islands in the region. The southern half of Prince of Wales Island is Kaigani Haida territory, but is not included in the term Haida Gwaii.

In 1787 the islands were surveyed by Captain George Dixon. They were named the Queen Charlotte Islands by Captain Dixon after one of his ships, the Queen Charlotte, which was named after Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of the United Kingdom.

The name Haida Gwaii is of modern coinage and was created in the early 1980s as an alternative to the colonial-era name "Queen Charlotte Islands", to recognize the history of the Haida people.[2] "Haida Gwaii" means "islands of the people", while "Haida" on its own means not only "us" but also "people". On December 11, 2009, the BC government announced that legislation would be introduced in mid-2010 to officially rename the Queen Charlotte Islands as Haida Gwaii. The legislation received Royal assent on June 3, 2010, formalizing the name change.[2] This name change is officially recognized by all levels of Canadian governments,[6] including international name databases.[7]

Still in use is the older name 'Xaadala Gwayee' or, in alternative orthography, 'Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai', meaning "islands on the Boundary of the world".[2] Xhaaydla, 'Worlds' referring here to the sea and sky.[citation needed] A parallel name to Queen Charlotte Islands used by American traders, who considered the islands part of the US-claimed Oregon Country, was Washington's Isles.

Environment

The last Pleistocene glaciation receded from the archipelago about 16,000 BCE, about 2,000 years earlier than the rest of the British Columbia Coast's ice age. That, and its subsequent isolation from the mainland, encouraged Haida and environmental activists in the 1970s to use the term "Galápagos of the North", a unique biocultural zone with many endemic kinds of plants and animals. The climate of this temperate north hemisphere forested region, like that of much of the British Columbia and Alaskan coast in the area, is moderated by the North Pacific Current, with heavy rainfall and relatively mild temperatures throughout the year.

The islands are home to a wide variety of large endemic trees, including the Sitka spruce, western red cedar, yellow cedar (Nootka cypress), shore pine, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, and red alder. The Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands[8] describes plants known from the islands.

Kiidk'yaas (The Golden Spruce), a naturally occurring genetic-variant yellow-coloured Sitka spruce tree, was located near the Yakoun River, the largest on Graham Island. It was a popular tourist attraction until it was illegally cut down in 1997 as a protest against the BC legally sanctioned industrial logging practices.

For a very short time[when?] a popular attraction for tourists to the islands was the second appearance of a White Raven. This was an albino raven with unusual colouring. The White Raven lived around Port Clements and would commonly be seen taking food handouts from locals and visitors alike. It died after making contact with an electrical transformer. In 1985 as the Haida Nation prepared for its significant and ultimately successful challenge to Canadian jurisdictional claims over the forest a "White Raven" appeared in Old Massett. The White Raven is a potent cultural icon representing a fundamental transformative force and its appearance was a positive sign for the Haida Nation. This bird disappeared the same winter that the blockades of the logging roads in Lyell Island took place.

Earthquake hazards

The islands are located along the Queen Charlotte Fault, an active transform fault that produces significant earthquakes every 3–30 years. The fault is the underwater meeting of the Pacific and North American Plates along the archipelago's west coast.[9] The most recent earthquakes were on Nov 17th 2009.

Culture

Totem pole in Liverpool Museum

Visual arts

The artwork known as Spirit of Haida Gwaii, by Bill Reid, is featured on the reverse of the Canadian $20 bill.[10] It depicts a Haida Chief in a canoe, accompanied by the mythic messengers Raven, Frog and Eagle (the first casting of this sculpture, Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Black Canoe, is on display in the atrium of the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, the other, Spirit of Haida Gwaii: the Jade Canoe, is on display in Vancouver Airport). Haida art is also frequently seen on large monumental sized cedar totem poles and dugout canoes, hand-crafted gold and silver jewellery, and even as cartoons in the form of Haida Manga.

Haida language

The Haida language was proposed for classification as part of the Nadene family of languages on the basis of a few similarities with Athabaskan–Eyak–Tlingit. Many linguists, however, consider the evidence insufficient and continue to regard Haida as a language isolate. All 50 remaining speakers of Haida are over 70 years old. Telus and Gwaii Trust recently completed a project to bring broadband internet to the island via a 150 km (93 mi) microwave relay. This enables interactive research to be carried out on the more than 80 CDs of language, story and spoken history of the people.

Transportation

The main transportation links between the Islands and the continent are to the mainland of British Columbia through the Sandspit Airport, the Masset Airport and the BC Ferries terminal at Skidegate. The westernmost leg of Highway 16 connects Masset and Skidegate on Graham Island, and Skidegate with Prince Rupert on the mainland via regular BC Ferries service by the MV Northern Adventure. There is also regular BC Ferries service between Skidegate and Alliford Bay on Moresby Island. Floatplane services connect to facilities such as the Alliford Bay Water Aerodrome and Masset Water Aerodrome.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Population Estimates". bcstats.gov.be.ca. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Haida Gwaii". BC Geographical Names.
  3. ^ "Queen Charlotte Islands". BC Geographical Names.
  4. ^ Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. "Bill 18 — 2010: Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act". Queen's Printer. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  5. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Site: Justification, 1981
  6. ^ "The Atlas of Canada – Toporama". Atlas of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  7. ^ Haida Gwaii at GEOnet Names Server
  8. ^ Calder, James A., Roy L. Taylor, and Gerald A. Mulligan (1968). Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Ottawa: Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "On This Day August 22, 1949", National Post, pp. B14, August 22, 2008
  10. ^ "Banknotes". Retrieved 28 October 2010.