Masset and Old Masset

Totem pole in Old Masset

With our two boat trips done, we still had a few days free in Haida Gwaii, and having seen just how small Queen Charlotte is, we decided to hire a car for couple of days to get a little further around the island. We were fortunate to get a car at short notice like this – indeed they originally said they didn’t have one, so I assume we got lucky due to a cancellation. If you are coming here, do book your hire car in advance. We used Gwaii Taxi and Tours, and they were very convenient, as they brought the car to us at our Airbnb and allowed us to drop it at the ferry in Skidegate when we left.

We decided spend our free full day going out to Masset and Old Masset, which were a good few hours drive away. It would have been nice to stop at Tlell on the way, especially if we had been allowed to be eating bad things, as the café there is apparently very good. Thankfully, being a bit short on time helped us to exercise enough willpower to avoid it.

Carving in Masset's main street

We arrived in Masset in time for lunch, and stopped at the Mile Zero Pub and Grill. The restaurant bit looked pretty dull, so we sat in the pub area, which has the same menu. The choices are pretty standard, but they are very friendly there and the quality of food was very good.

Happily fed, we set off to have a wander around Masset. That took about ten minutes. There really isn’t anything here.

So we got back in the car, and continued on to Old Masset. Some of you may recall that in a previous post, I mentioned that when the Haida people had to abandon their villages, this was one of the two places that they settled. As such, Old Masset is still largely inhabited by the Haida people, and so there are a number of totem poles dotted around the village here.

Totem pole on the school in Old Masset

We took a look at them as we drove, and took a few photos, but we didn’t want to loiter too much, as most are in people’s gardens, so it would have felt a bit intrusive. It was nice to see the poles that are newer, more colourful, and still in use, but I am not sure that we really would have felt it was worth the cost and time to drive up here for them alone. We may have felt differently had we not already been to S’Gang Gwaay though.

Gin Kuyaas Haida Art Studio and Gifts, Old Masset

What we did think it was well worth coming here for, were the Haida art studios and galleries. Some of them were a little overly touristy, some were a bit overpriced, and some just had incredibly expensive pieces, but we found two places in particular that we really liked.

The first was the art studio of Haida artist Alice White, which is located in her B&B. We enjoyed a good look around, and found many of the works interesting, but settled on a small eagle and raven pattern that was painted on paper made from red cedar bark. This appealed to us, both as a nice image, and the fact that with the traditional material and the crest of the two Haida clans, it felt like a good representation of our visit.

Canoe store and totem poles in Old Masset

The other was Gin Kuyaas Haida Art Studio and Gifts, which is run by a Haida couple from a traditional Long House, across the way from the family canoe store and totem poles. This is a nice, simple store, which had a number of very nice pieces, that generally seemed better quality and better value than we had seen elsewhere.

We had taken quite a liking to some of the argillite carvings, so had been looking for a piece that we might buy. Argillite is a black stone, and though similar stone can be found elsewhere, this specific composite is only found in Haida Gwaii, and comes from the Slatechuck mine, owned by the Haida, and fiercely protected by them. Only Haida people are permitted to carve it. They used to use it as something to sell to Europeans, often with jokes at their expense, but these days the images have been refined and more in keeping with Haida styles in other materials.

Totem pole in Old Masset

We had earlier rejected a piece in another shop, because though exactly the type of thing we wanted, it was very expensive and in my opinion, not that well made. In the shop here, we found a lovely little box, with a bear image, that we loved, and that was a far more reasonable price. It was only after we bought it that we realised that the carver, Derek White, is a relation of April, the artist whose painting we had bought, with both being direct descendants of a famous Haida Chief and artist called Charles Edenshaw.

We had to wait to pick up the painting, so we drove back to Old Masset and had a drink at the rather nice Ground Gallery and Coffee House, where we nobly resisted cake. After collecting the picture, it was time to drive back to Queen Charlotte.

We decided to make a small detour to drive through tiny Port Clements on the way, which was interesting to see, but as we knew that our Airbnb host was kindly making us dinner that evening, we carried on home.

Old Masset

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of S'Gang Gwaay

S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Our second full day in Haida Gwaii meant our second boat trip with Haida Style, this time with a very early start, as we were heading right down to the southern end of the archipelago. Our destination was Anthony Island, and the Haida village of S’Gang Gwaay, or Ninstints, which is the name that white visitors gave it, based on the name of the village Chief.

Rainforest, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Today, we were on the covered boat with James, and as it was a bit bumpy, and the journey was around 4.5 hours each way, we were quite glad of that. A few of our fellow shipmates felt a bit queasy in the rough patches as it was. Nic was OK though, as he had taken a tablet just in case, and I was don’t generally have any problem with seasickness anyway.

It was a long journey down to S’Gang Gwaay, and we were all pretty glad when we finally arrived, even if we were a little disappointed that in order to avoid missing our slot with the Watchmen, we didn’t have time to stop and watch the couple of humpbacks that we had seen in the bay.

Watchman Kelsey, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

The boats and away from the village site, in order to avoid spoiling the experience in the village, so to get there, we took a walk through the mysterious looking rainforest, with its dark moss and ancient trees. The main trees here are cedar spruce and hemlock, which we learned to tell apart by the patterns on their bark.

We were shown around the village by Patrick from Haida Style, and Kelsey, one of the Watchmen. They gave us a great tour around, with lots of interesting information and some lovely stories about the carvings on the totem poles.

Totems, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Like Skedans, there were some remains of Haida Long Houses, and some collapsed and decaying poles, but unlike that village, S’Gang Gwaay also has quite a number of memorial poles that are still standing, and while the colours are long gone, the intricate carvings are still very visible. It isn’t hard to see why this was granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Totems for guest Chief, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

We loved seeing the poles here. They may not be as well preserved as those that we might see in a museum or gallery, but there is something far better about seeing them still standing in the place that they were carved and raised, and where they served their proper purpose.

Standing here, they aren’t just a piece of artwork, they are a meaningful connection to the

people that once inhabited the village, as well as a stark reminder that those same people were decimated by disease brought by white colonists. Indeed, one of the poles, which stands a little away from the rest, at the edge of the village, is believed to be the mortuary pole of the Chief of another village, where the smallpox wiped out almost everyone, and the few that remained were allowed to join the village here.

Totems, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Now I’m definitely not one of those people who goes to places and claims to be able to ‘feel the spirituality’. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t recognise when a place is meaningful, and S’Gang Gwaay certainly is that. It helps that Kelsey and Patrick brought the stories to life so well, but even without that, there is definitely a sense that you are somewhere quite special and unique. This was certainly the highlight of Haida Gwaii for us.

But whilst we did consider that the destination is worth the journey, if it felt like a long way out to S’Gang Gwaay, it felt even further on the way back.

Steller Sea Lions, Haida Gwaii

For a bit of respite, we stopped off again at the rock where the steller sea lions haul out and hung out with them for a while. We did think at one point, that we were going to be ‘seen off’ by one of the big males. He seemed to be mouthing off at us quite a bit, and made his way down to the water, as if he was threatening to come over and deal with us.

I wouldn’t say that he looked agitated by our presence – and certainly none of the others did – and he didn’t even seem that aggressive, it just looked like a lot of posturing. Perhaps he was trying to show off to the ladies or youngsters. Anyhow, he did get in the water, but didn’t come anywhere near us, just went and had a little swim around.

Haida Gwaii

We finally arrived back at Queen Charlotte later than expected, and glad that we had kept something quick and easy to cook when we got home after our thirteen hour day.

If you want to read about our other trip with Haida Style, and see more information about them, you can check out our post about Skedans, here:https://aroundtheworldin8000days.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-trip-to-haida-village-of-skedans.html

S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Remains of a Long House, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Totems, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Totems, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Totems, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Rain forest and totems, S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

S'Gang Gwaay, Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii

Steller Sea Lions, Haida Gwaii

Steller Sea Lions, Haida Gwaii

Steller Sea Lions, Haida Gwaii

A trip to the Haida village of Skedans

Totem poles, Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

On our first morning in Haida Gwaii, we had booked a tour out to Louise Island, to visit an old village called Skedans, or to give it its Haida name, K’uuna Llangaay.

We did our boat trips with a company called Haida Style, which is owned by two Haida identical twin brothers, Shawn and James Cowpar, and they run it with their sister in the office, their cousin, and a few others. They are certainly a busy bunch, as alongside this company, most seem to have various roles in the management of the islands, ranging from conservation to politics. This really does seem to be the case of having a finger in every pie.

Steller sea lions, Haida Gwaii

For the two tours that we did, they ran two boats, one that is fully covered and enclosed, and the other a large open zodiac with bench seats. For the covered boat, you can just go in your normal gear, and walk on and off via a ramp, but for the zodiac, you have to get kitted out in waterproofs and wellies, and you may be stepping off into shallow water. They seem to generally split the passengers by age, with the older ones on the covered boat, and younger ones on the zodiac, so if you have a particular preference for which boat you want to go on, you should tell them when you book.

We were on the zodiac for this trip, so once we were all dressed up in our gear, we set off. The zodiac is a bit faster, but also a bit bumpier, and being open, a lot breezier. We were quite happy though, as it was a lovely day, and we had time to fit in a quick visit to the rocks where the huge Steller Sea Lions haul out, and on a close by but separate rock, the seals.

Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

When we arrived at Louise Island, we landed at a beautiful little bay, that looked very inviting indeed. We peeled off our waterproofs, leaving them on the beach. We were warned, in no uncertain terms, that we should not leave anything like a phone or other shiny things on the beach – or indeed anywhere unattended – as there was a strong possibility of it being stolen. They have apparently got quite a problem here with prolific kleptomaniacs; the guilty perpetrators are not of the human variety though, here it is the ravens that you have to watch out for!

Remains of a Haida Long House, Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

We were met here by the Watchmen. The Watchmen are Haida people who come and stay on the island during visiting season, to look after the village. In the past, Watchmen would have been the lookouts for potential invaders or other threats. They are depicted on totems by the tall banded hats that they wore.

These days, the Watchmen can be male or female, and they are less worried about murderous invaders, and more concerned about tourists damaging or even stealing, the remains of the village. The Watchmen maintain the pathways, that are denoted by clam shells, and guide people around the village site, explaining the totems and telling their stories.

Mortuary pole, Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

After a cup of tea and some cookies, the Watchmen and our guides took us around the remains of the village. There isn’t a great deal here at Skedans, for a number of reasons. The islands have been abandoned for decades, as after the last outbreaks of Smallpox disease killed so many, what was left of the tribes all moved to new settlements in either Skidegate or Old Masset. Since then, the wooden structures that were here have largely decayed. That is, if the items weren’t already taken away by white people.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, many of the house posts and memorial posts were taken away to museums and art collections. Sometimes they were bought by agreement, although it is pretty dubious how much actual choice the Haida had, and whether they were given anything even vaguely resembling a fair price.

Memorial pole, Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

One of the more interesting, and still just about standing, or rather leaning, as it has gradually lowered itself halfway down to the ground, is the memorial pole. The very tall pole has the remnants of some carving at the bottom end, but is more notable for the horizontal bands carved all the way up it. These bands – I counted thirteen of them – each represent a potlatch held by the chief of the village.

After our tour, we had the lunch that the guys had brought with them. For fish eaters, there were two types of locally line caught salmon, and then there was some lovely tender local venison too, as well as potatoes and salad. It was all very fresh and very tasty, so we were all very well fed and happy.

There was also plenty of time for chats with the guides, and to hear their stories. We liked the very open and informative way that they all spoke with us, as it gave us a genuine chance to hear about the islands and the Haida people, both as they lived in the past and as they live now.

Long House and Legacy Pole, Windy Bay, Haida Gwaii

On the way back, we made an extra stop at Windy Bay, or Hlk’yah. The village here is significant as it was the site of one of the key logging protests, that eventually stopped the mass logging, and led to the creation of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site.

However, the main point of interest is the 42 foot tall Legacy Pole that was raised here in 2013, to commemorate the twenty year anniversary of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement. The pole was carved by Jaalen Adenshaw, with assistance from his brother Gwaai, and Tyler York.

The pole has a ‘Land, Sea, People’ theme, and the carvings (from the top down) are:

-        Eagle - represents the sky and the Haida clan of Eagle;

-        Three Watchmen – represents the Haida Watchmen, past and present;

Legacy Pole, Windy Bay, Haida Gwaii

-        Visitor – represents those who visit the islands;

-        Marten – is shown running up the centre of the post, which is said to be the sound that happens before an earthquake;

-        Dog – represents archaeological findings that date human life on Haida Gwaii to 13-14,000 years ago;

-        Wasco, or sea wolf – a supernatural being;

-        Sacred-One-Standing-And-Moving – a supernatural being that holds up Haida Gwaii. When he moves, the islands shake, and he represents the big earthquake that they had here in 2012;

-        Raven – represents the Haida clan of the Raven;

-        Five Good People Standing Together – represents the people who stood in protest against the logging;

-        Grizzly Bear – represents archaeological findings that suggest grizzly bears were once on the island, and their link to the old Haida stories; and

-        Sculpin – a type of fish, which represents the sea.

Bald eagle swimming, Haida Gwaii

This was only a brief stop, as we had to get back out of the shallow channel before the tide went out and grounded the zodiac. This meant that we almost had to leave a couple of people behind, as they had wandered off into the forest. They just made it back in time, but otherwise they might either have had to swim out to us, or stay the night with the watchmen!

We had one final and unexpected treat in store on the return journey, when Shawn spotted an eagle swimming. Yes, I did mean to say swimming, and no, I had no idea that eagles could, let alone would, swim. It seems that this guy had caught himself a fish that was too large for him to be able to take off and fly, so he was swimming back to shore with it.

Bald eagle swimming, Haida Gwaii

We followed at a distance, with the intention of intervening and trying to fish him out of the water if it looked like he was in trouble, but he gradually edged his way there. Sadly, at some point he must have decided that the fish wasn't worth it and abandoned it, so after all of that effort, he was without his dinner, and he had to dry out his waterlogged feathers. Fascinating to see though.

Overall, this was a most enjoyable trip, even though there isn’t all that much to see at the Skedans village.

One small point about both of the trips that we took though, they did get back rather later than advertised. That wasn’t a problem for us, but is something you should bear in mind if you are thinking of planning anything that matters afterwards.

As it was late back, and we had not had the chance to do any food shopping yet, we decided to eat out at the Ocean View restaurant right next to the harbour. We had a pizza, and I have to say, it was excellent. The base was really light and airy, and the toppings were plentiful and tasty. I would certainly recommend the pizzas here, though they didn’t help our diets any!

And if you are have been reading this post in isolation, and want to know a bit more about the background to Haida Gwaii, then check out my previous post here

https://aroundtheworldin8000days.blogspot.com/2017/09/an-introduction-to-haida-gwaii.html

Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

Totem poles, Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

Totem poles, Skedans village, Haida Gwaii

Steller sea lions, Haida Gwaii

An introduction to Haida Gwaii

Before we get into what we did here, let me start by telling you a bit about where we are and what we are doing here. It is a bit long, but we found the place quite fascinating, and it really helps to understand a bit about the history here.

The Islands

Haida Gwaii, or the Queen Charlotte Islands as it used to be known, is an archipelago off the northern coast of British Columbia, reaching almost up to the edge of Alaska. There are around 150 islands in total, but the two main and largest are Graham Island and Moresby Island; we were staying in Queen Charlotte on Graham Island.

The islands are sometimes referred to as the northern Galapagos, because they have quite a diversity of flora and fauna, including various sub species, like the black bear here that is somewhat larger than those found elsewhere, or the type of stoat that is smaller than all of the rest. However, it was not the wildlife we were here to see – which is just as well, as we hardly saw any. It may be similar to the Galapagos scientifically, but I think you’d be disappointed if you came here expecting to have the kind of plentiful and fantastic wildlife experiences that you get in the real thing!

The Haida People

Unusually for us, we were more interested in the people here, than the wildlife. These islands have for centuries, been home to the Haida clans of First Nations People. It has been suggested that they may have arrived here around 13,000 years ago.

The Haida were a pretty fearsome bunch, known for their aggression in battle, and carrying out raiding parties against other First Nation tribes, including abducting people to be used as slaves in their villages.

We had read about these abductions of slaves before arriving, and we had wondered whether this would be discussed, or just glossed over. We were pleased to find that the Haida guides that we had were quite open about it. They did make a point of trying to differentiate between their actions and that of the Black African Slave Trade, by saying that, whilst people were taken against their will, and made to work, they were treated considerably better than slavery suggests.

We were told that, similar to the need to be seen to be generous at a potlatch, it was important that you were seen to treat your slaves well. Indeed, there are tales of them being taken back to their home villages so that they can be shown off for how well they are cared for. There are also stories that, with the need to try to avoid too much intermarriage, some slaves even married into the tribes, although of course being cynical as I am, I have to wonder just how much choice they had in that matter.

With having slaves to do most of their chores, the Haida had more time on their hands, and one by product of that is that they spent more time on artistic pursuits, meaning that their artwork and carvings are some of the most celebrated amongst First Nations people.

The Haida have two clan groups, The Ravens and The Eagles, and they lived in around one hundred settlements scattered about the islands. When the Europeans arrived, the Haida numbered around 3,000. The initial interaction was not too bad, focussed on trade and largely leaving the Haida in peace. However, in time, the British Colony started to encroach on their land, and began programmes of mining their resources.

And with increased contact, the Haida, like so many of the indigenous population, were devastated by outbreaks disease, mostly smallpox, brought over by the white settlers. By 1900, the Haida population had dwindled to only around 350 people, a loss of 90% of lives. Eventually, the individual villages were no longer sustainable, and those that were left moved to new communities in either Old Masset or Skidegate, on Graham Island, the largest island.

The islands here are a mixed community now. There are around 2,000 Haida people, with about a third living in Skidegate, a third in Old Masset, and the rest in other locations. The remaining 2,500 residents are other Canadians and some foreign settlers.

 

The fight for control of the islands

In 1974, whilst the islands were still under the authority of the Canadian Government, the Haida people set up the Council of the Haida Nations, to try to establish some degree of control for themselves and to make a claim for the title of the land. These title claims are a complex issue for the Canadian Government and Courts, and the issue has still yet to be resolved.

For once though, the old Indian Act came may well come to the aid of the Haida people. In the simplest of terms, it contained a clause that enforced any land agreements made between the white settlers and the First Nations people; this is often a bad thing, as those ‘agreements’ were often unfair and forced, but it does mean that an agreement was necessary. In the case of the Haida though, they never signed such a treaty, and so it seems that they have a considerably better chance of arguing that their lands had been taken incorrectly.

In the meantime, they have already made significant progress towards gaining control over their lives and lands. This came about after the small-scale logging on the islands was massively increased in scale in the 1980s. The Haida people had already been trying to protect the southern part of the islands since 1974, but as the logging escalated, so did their protests. The most important of them was the Lyell Islands protest, and they succeeded in stopping the logging.

The subsequent South Moresby Agreement in 1988 provided safeguards to protect the southern part of the islands, with the creation of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, and placed the lands under a shared stewardship with the Haida people.

This was further improved in 1993, with the signing of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, which created the Archipelago Management Board, which has equal membership from the Council of Haida Nations and, at the time Parks Canada, but now more widely from the Government of Canada. Then in 2010, the Haida Gwaii Reconciliation Act created a marine reserve in the area, and also changed the name of the islands to Haida Gwaii (Islands of the People).

This joint decision making was reinforced by a court ruling in 2004, which specifically prevents the Canadian authorities from making decisions that may have a negative impact on their lives and lands, without consulting with the Haida people.

What's so special here?

One advantage of the islands being remote and hard to each, is that, unlike many old First Nations villages on the mainland, many of the settlements here were not taken over by white settlers. Instead, the villages were simply abandoned and, whilst a combination of time, weathering and the scavenging of collectors, means that there is not all that much to see, it is possible to visit some of them, to get a glimpse of how they used to live.

Anthony Island is home to a particularly good example, the old Haida village of SGang Gwaay. This village remains here are sufficiently impressive that, in 1981, the site was granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It is this that we have come to see.

Another day, another ferry, this time to Haida Gwaii

Today’s ferry wasn’t as early, or nearly as long as the last one, but it wasn’t such nice scenery either. The journey was fine, but there wasn’t much to look at most of the way, which I suppose was good in a way, as it gave us both a chance to catch up with some of our tasks, including getting a few more blog posts written. And this time, we did a better job of sticking to our meal plan too.

We arrived in Skidegate, collected our bags, and went to queue for a taxi, only to be met by a rather grumpy man, who told us that we should have booked a taxi, that he was waiting for someone who had booked, and various other unhelpful comments. We were trying to establish whether we could book a cab now, or put our name on a list or something, but he really wasn’t listening, so we were getting nowhere. Then just as we were considering going off to try to hitch our way to Queen Charlotte – hitching is apparently a vey common mode of transport here – he suddenly said, “OK, get in”. I have no idea what changed, but we didn’t argue, and hopped in.

I wish I could say that this was the end of his grumpiness, but no, it continued for the entirety of the journey. It wasn’t directed so much at us, but he grumbled his way about various other people. He also reckoned that the address we were going to didn’t exist. Now, Queen Charlotte isn’t a big place. We only stayed there six days, and by the end of that we were giving other new arrivals directions, so given that he reckons he’s been driving a cab here for 25 years, I just don’t believe that he didn’t know where it was.

But we went on a little mystery tour nonetheless, before suddenly and miraculously, he worked out where to find it. It wasn’t even a ploy to get more money, as he charged us the standard fare, so I can only assume that he just likes being cantankerous. We spoke to a local about him later, and they knew exactly who we were talking about and confirmed that this was his usual jolly self.

Anyhow, we arrived at our Airbnb, and were made very welcome by our host and her longer-term guest. We got ourselves settled in, and then tottered our way down the short but rather steep hill down towards the visitors’ centre, and to take a look around, before heading back to the house to make ourselves our dinner.

On the subject of food, if you do come here and plan to self cater, then if you have the opportunity, bring a few groceries with you. We had a bit of trouble getting to the supermarket around our day tours, and when you do get there, they don't have a great deal of choice and prices are fairly high. Thankfully, we had bought the first day's dinner with us. Of course, if you are happy to eat out, there are a few decent places around, which I will mention as we get to them later on.