| Haida Gwaii,
Queen Charlotte Islands, first was the home to the proud
Haida people for centuries. For thousands of years, prior to the
arrival of the Europeans, the forests and oceans were the livelihood
and the spiritual foundation for the Haida people. During this
period of Haida history the First Nation population living throughout
the Queen Charlotte Islands was an estimated 7,000 people strong.
In 1774, the way of life for the remote Haida people
was about to drastically change when a European explorer, Juan
Perez, discovered the beautiful islands. Followed by, in 1787,
another British explorer named Captain George Dixon who later
named the islands after his ship, the Queen Charlotte.
The coming together of cultures, brought trade
and disease. By the 1830's a smallpox epidemic swept down on the
Haida people. A once strong 7,000 people was now dwindled down
to just over 500. The decline in numbers wiped out villages forcing
them to relocate and combine resources.
First was the Cape Ball and Rose Spit Villages
moving to Skidegate in 1850 followed by the Cumshewa in 1889.
But after all was said and done, Skidegate and Masset Villages
were the only villages housing the Haida people. The combination
of villages living in Skidegate and Masset brought a combination
of cultures, language and stories together - each village arriving
with its own chief.
During this period of time, the provincial government
was encouraging settlers to move to the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The early European settlers decided to live, in what is now Naikoon
Park because of the low lying land and farming opportunities.
The poor drainage, harsh climate, poor access to markets and World
War One toppled the settlers and by the depression in the 1930s
the homesteads were abandoned.
Today, both Haida and other cultures live
together in the Queen Charlottes. The main industries being forestry,
fishing and tourism. The Haida art is gaining mass attention as
some of the finest First Nation art in the world. Today there
are more communities to enjoy including Masset, Port Clements,
Tlell, Skidegate, Queen Charlotte City and Sandspit, B.C., Canada.
|
BC Tourism Website Network 
History
