HAIDA, hi'cla, the native name for the Indians of Queen Charlotte Islands, in British Columbia and the southern end of Prince of Wales Island, in Alaska. The family name is generally given as Skittagetan. The Haida are very closely related physically and linguisti cally to the Tlingit and Tsimshian, and the three peoples are frequently grouped together. Juan Perez, a Spanish ensign who visited the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1774, is the first to men tion these regions and their people. Two other Spanish explorers had visited the islands by 1786. The following year Captain Dixon spent six weeks in exploring them and gave them their present name in honor of his ship, the Queen Charlotte. The fur trade was soon established on the Pacific coast and the Indians enlisted in its ranks of fur hunters and traders at which they proved very adept. But the change in the lives of the Indians, disease, especially smallpox, and immorality rapidly reduced their numbers and their moral stam ina. The Haida who were further advanced in civilization than most of the west coast tribes of the United States, were just civilized enough to conform to the ways of the white traders without having sufficient knowledge to resist the evils that the advance guard of white civilization brought with it The Haida were good seamen and skilful fishermen. Their oc cupation in this direction was extended, on the coming of the whites to the Pacific coast of Canada. At Skidegate, the Haida have long been employed in catching dog-fish and in the work of extracting the oil from the same, which is done in the town on a large scale. During the summer many Haida Indians work in the salmon canneries on the mainland, which have also become a very extensive part of the Pacific coast industry. The Haida and the lin guistically closely related tribes have taken naturally to the ways of the white men and have known, at the same time, how to turn many Of their own aboriginal activities to ac count. They were, when first discovered, builders of fine sea-worthy boats; and they still continue to be among the successful boat builders of the British Columbia coast. These they sell far up and down the coast and up the navigable streams, to their Indian neighbors and frequently to white traders, hunters, ex plorers and settlers. These boats are generally made of cedar or spruce. Practically all the Haida are at least nominally Christians as the result of the missions that have been estab lished among them for many years. The Haidas have long had the reputation of being the most civilized of all the Indians of the Pacific coast and they have always been noted for their skill as carvers, canoe-builders, paint ers, decorators and house-builders; and they still exercise these trades. Haida-carved ob jects of wood and slate are well known to all the British Columbia and South Alaska in habitants and to the visitors and tourists to these countries and they form no inconsider able part of the demonstrations of Haida civil ization in most Indian exhibits. The Haidas are very keen traders and property possession is on a firm base among them. When they first became known to the Europeans the Haida constructed fine and presentable dwellings of wood, with handsome carved totem poles and other ornamental features. Their canoes,
which are made of cedar trunks, were often of size sufficient to carry half a hundred men; and with them they venture into the stormiest weathers of the Pacific or carried their goods up the inland rivers and streams. The houses of the Haida were among the most noticeable structures of the aborigines of the United States and Canada. Built of planks and boards, made with stone tools, they often pre sented a striking appearance both on account of their size and the ornate, carved adornment presented by many of them. The most notice able feature of their houses, which were gen erally carefully painted outside, was a tall, carved totem pole which rose from the middle of one of the gable ends. Sometimes a house pos sessed several of these poles, all of which were elaborately carved. In this case they also ap peared on the front of the edifice. These totem poles are still used by many of the Haida, especially in Alaska. The Haida were not only among the most intelligent trading nations of North American Indians, but they were held in respect by all the neighboring races and tribes as skilful warriors to be seri ously reckoned with in any contest. On ac count of this general respect in which they were held, the Haida had great influence over the neighboring tribes; and this influence was often made use of by the Hudson's Bay Com pany and by independent traders to secure their ends in the Pacific coast countries. It has been claimed that the Haida believed in reincarna tion, though to what extent and under what conditions do not seem to have been fully as certained. In fact some of the best known in vestigators of Haida life, beliefs, customs and mythological and legendary lore appear to be none too trustworthy. Some of them are not even inclined to trust one another. This is un fortunate, since there is no Indian people north of Mexico more worthy of careful study and trustworthy presentation than the Haida, who erected mortuary posts to their dead and buried their deceased priests and chiefs in tombs con sisting of wooden houses, generally in full view of the ocean or the water front. The Haida of Alaska are generally known as Kaigani or Ketshade. In 1841 the population of the Haida was over 8,000, according to an estimate made by John Work. Since then the Haida have di minished very considerably through the inroads of disease and dissipation and the breaking up of the old tribal life. The latter led to irreg ular marriage relations between the tribal women and the white traders and trappers in the Haida country. Many of the Haida have become regular and formal citizens, especially those of mixed blood; and have often, in this way, been lost sight of as members of the vari ous Haida communities. In fact Haida In dians are often found far from their own rec ognized land limits, and not infrequently as far north as northern Alaska, or the Mackenzie River country in Canada. Therefore the pres ent estimate of 1,000 as the probable number of Haida, is, in all probability, considerably short of the mark, especially if those of mixed blood are taken into consideration. Consult Swanton, (Haid Texts' (New York) ; nology of the Haida' (New York 1909) ; Songs> (Leyden 1912).