Speaker Geoff Saunders
Our January monthly meeting was the first to be held at the new venue, St Joseph’s Church Hall. After a brief Special General Meeting the talk was presented by u3a member Geoff Saunders. His subject was “The Haida people of the Pacific North West”.
The Haida are one of Canada’s First Nations whose territory is centred on an archipelago off the coast of British Columbia, near the Alaskan border. The islands are known as Queen Charlotte’s Islands, or Haida Gwaii, and were one of the few areas of North America to escape the last glaciation.
Geoff showed photos of the impressive landscapes and mountains in both summer and winter. He also showed the totem poles which illustrated the heritage, recent history or deaths of local Haida leaders. The eagle or raven was a prominent emblem, in contrasting colours.
A potlatch
The potlatch – an opulent ceremonial feast at which possessions are given away to display wealth or enhance prestige – was an important feature of Haida social life when wealth was redistributed to all, even to one’s rivals and adversaries!
The Haida did not encounter Europeans until the 18th century, after which a brisk trade developed in sea otter fur, metals and tools. They were skilled in metalwork and woodwork: a boat for 15 people could be carved from the trunk of a red cedar tree.
However, early in the 19th century smallpox reached the islands and the population declined by about 90 per cent. Even now there are only a few thousand Haida, but a cultural revival is keeping the skills and heritage alive despite modern problems with alcoholism and emigration.
Robert Edmondson
Carving a totem pole at the Heritage Centre in Haida Gwaii (photo by Murray Foubister)