Northwest Coast Indian people of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), B.C., Can.
, and southern Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, U.S. Their language, also called Haida, belongs to the Na-Dene language family. Each child born was assigned at birth to one of two major tribal divisions, or moieties
the Raven and the Eagle
based on maternal descent. Marriages between two members of the same moiety were taboo. Each moiety consisted of lineages that owned rights to land, had their own chiefs, waged war, held ceremonies such as potlatch es, and functioned as economically independent units. Haida economy was based on fishing and hunting. The Haida continue to be known for their craftsmanship and their art, which includes the carving of totem pole s. At the turn of the 21st century, they numbered about 3,500.