Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-03
Queen Charlotte Islands and the Haidas

The climate of the Queen Charlotte
islands is excessively humid, and they
are almost everywhere covered with
magnificent coniferous trees. Mount
aims 1000 to 5000 feet high rise in their
central portion, and they are penetrated
on al sides by dark deep fords with
rocky walls.
To the northeast, it is true, wide
stretch Of low and nearly-level country
occurs, which may some day support a
farming population, but at the present
time its somber woods, filed with dense
underground, and barricaded with pros
trate trunks in every stage of decay,
offer little to induce either Indian or
white to penetrate them. The Haidas,
therefore, though cultivating here and
patches, are essentially fishermen. Few
paths or trails traverse the interior Of
the islands, and Of these some formerly
used when the population was greater
are now abandoned.
The halibut is found in great abund-
ance in the vicinity of the islands, and
1t IS more particularly on this fish that
the Haidas depend. Their villages are
invariably situated along the shore,
often on bleak, wave dashed parts of the
coast, but always in proximity to pro
ductive halibut banks. Journeys are
made Ill canoe along the coast. The
canoes are skilfully followed from the
great cedar-trees of the region, which,
after being worked down to certain
small thickness, are steamed and pre-
pared by the insertion of cross-pieces
till they are made to assume most
graceful form, and show lines which
would satisfy the most fastidious ship
builder. In their larger cannes tho Hal
das do not hesitate to make long vow.
agps on the open sea: and, in former
days, by their frequent descents on the
coast OF the mainland, and the facility
With which they retreated again to Their
own islands, they rendered themselves
more dreaded than any tribe from Van
couver to Sitka.
Ia their mode of life, and the in
genuity and skill they display in their
manufacture of canoes and other articles,
the Haidas do not differ essentially from
the other tribes inhabiting the northern
part Of the coast of British Columbia
and Southern Alaska. In the Queen
Charlotte islands, however, the peculiar
style Of architecture and art elsewhere
among the Indians of the west coast
more or less prominently exhibited ap-
pears to obtain its greatest development.
Whether this may show that to the
Haidas or their ancestors the intro
duction Of this is due, or indicate merely
that with the greater isolation of these
people, and consequent increased
measure of security, the particular ideas
Of the Indian mind we're able to body
themselves forth more fully, we may
never know. The situation of the
islands, and the comparative infrequency
with which they have been visited
for MANY years, have at least tended to
preserve intact many features which
have already vanished from the customs
and manufactures Of most other tribes.
As before stated, the permanent VII
lagos of the Haidas are invariably stu.
ated at the seashore. They consist gen.
orally OF a single long row Of houses,
with but narrow grassy border between
it and the beach, on which the canoes of
the tribe (for each village consists of a
chiettaincy) are drawn up. In front OF
each house stands a symbolical carved
post; while other carved posts, situated
irreguiarly, and differing somewhat in
form from those proper to the houses,
are generally memorials to the dead.
Such village, seen from little distance
OF, the houses and posts gray with the
weather, resembles strip of half-burned
forest with dead "rampikes." The lit
tie cloud Of smoke from the various fires
may, however, serve to indicate its true
character - George N. Doacson, in
Kaaper's Magazine.