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