Koyah, also Xo'ya, Coya, Coyour, Kower, Kouyer (

Haida Haida may refer to: Places * Haida, an old name for Nový Bor * Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People", formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands * Haida Islands, a different archipelago near Bella Bella, British Columbia Ships * , a 1 ...

: ''Xhuuyaa'' - "Raven" ( 1787–1795), was the chief of

Ninstints SG̱ang Gwaay Llanagaay ("Red Cod Island"), commonly known by its English name Ninstints, is a village site of the Haida people and part of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on Haida Gwaii on the North Coast of Briti ...

or Skungwai, the main village of the Kunghit-

during the era of the

Maritime Fur Trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in ex ...

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Hecat ...

off the

North Coast of British Columbia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, Canada. Koyah was involved in more conflicts with ship captains than any other chief of his period and figures prominently in histories of the fur trade and coastal exploration.Report for the Year 1957
Provincial Museum of Natural History and Anthropology, Province of British Columbia Department of Education At first Koyah's encounters with maritime fur traders went smoothly. There was successful trading with George Dixon in 1787,

Charles Duncan Charles Duncan may refer to: Politics and law * Charles T. Duncan (1838–1915), American lawyer and Virginia state judge * Charles Duncan (politician) Charles Duncan (8 June 1865 – 6 July 1933) was a British Labour Party politician and t ...

in 1788, and Robert Gray in 1789. Then Koyah had two clashes with John Kendrick in 1789 and 1791. The second of these turned violent and many natives were killed. In 1793 Koyah helped Haida Chief

Cumshewa Cumshewa, also Go'mshewah, Cummashawa, Cummashawaas, Cumchewas, Gumshewa was an important hereditary leader of the Haida people of Haida Gwaii on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. His name is believed to be of either Kwak'wala or Heilt ...

capture the American brig ''

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''. In 1794 Koyah's Haida captured Simon Metcalfe's brig ''Ino'', resulting in the murder of all but one of the crew. In 1795 Koyah participated in an attack upon John Boit's ship ''

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

''. Despite the violence that marked Koyah's encounters with fur traders, his territory remained a popular port of call due to the quantity and quality of furs available.

See also

References

Further reading