HAIDA

Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, and the southern part of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska (the Alaskan Haida are called Kaigani) who speak Haida, a language believed to be related to Athabascan. Numbering only about 2,000 in the late 20th century, they are culturally related to the Tlingit and Tsimshian (qq.v.). Among the Haida there were two major subdivisions, or moieties, assigned at birth and based on maternal affiliation. Each moiety consisted of many local segments, or lineages, which owned rights to economically important lands, occupied separate villages of one or more houses each, and had their own chiefs (the highest ranking member) and lesser house chiefs. Each lineage waged war, made peace, held ceremonies, and functioned economically independently of the others. Haida economy was based on fishing (especially of salmon, halibut, and cod) and hunting; their technology was one of skillful woodworking. They were particularly noted for the fine craftsmanship of their canoes. The Haida were also widely known for their art; they decorated utilitarian objects with depictions of supernatural beings in a highly conventionalized style. They produced elaborate totem poles carved with crests representing important events in family histories. These were used as housepoles outside and sometimes inside the house and as memorial and mortuary poles. The Haida potlatches, or ceremonial distributions of goods, were held to confer, validate, or uphold political rank, such as chieftainship, or social status. Potlatches were also given to mark events such as house building, totem-pole raising, and funerals; and for purposes such as vengeance or face saving. A person achieved status not with his own potlatches but with those given by his parents.