Old Massett, named G̱aw in X̱aad kíl, is an

Indigenous Canadian In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations in Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada, Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fal ...

village on

Graham Island Graham Island () is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), lying off the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other pri ...

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 ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It lies on the east side of

Masset Sound Masset Sound is a saltwater inlet on Graham Island, the largest and northernmost of the Haida Gwaii islands of the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, connecting Masset Inlet in the island's interior with the open sea via Masset Harbour an ...

close to the town of

Masset Masset , formerly ''Massett'', is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Col ...

; the area of land it is on is legally designated Masset Indian Reserve No. 1, or Masset 1. The original name of the settlement was Uttewas, meaning "white-slope village" in the

Haida language Haida (', ', ', ') is the language of the Haida people, spoken in the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of Canada and on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. An endangered language, Haida currently has 24 native speakers, though revitalizatio ...

. It is populated by

Haida people Haida (, hai, X̱aayda, , , ) are an indigenous group who have traditionally occupied , an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years. The Haida are known for their craftsmanship, trading skills, and ...

of both Ḵuustak, the Eagle

matrilineage Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance o ...

, and Ḵayx̱al, the Raven matrilineage. The town is administered by the

Old Massett Village Council Old Massett Village Council is a band government of the Haida people, located in Old Massett, on Haida Gwaii. Old Massett Village Council is one of two Canadian band governments for the Haida Nation, the other is the Skidegate Band Council. The ma ...

. Its population has fluctuated over the last one hundred and fifty years; smallpox, especially the

1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic Year 186 ( CLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 939 ''Ab urbe con ...

, drastically reduced its numbers in the late 1800s, but in 1968, it had over 1,000 people and was the largest village in Haida Gwaii. In 2009, the Village Council counted 2,698 band members in the area; the 2016 census counted 555 living at the Old Massett townsite.

Culture

Old Massett is home to a number of

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually m ...

s: *''Chief Matthews pole'' by

Reg Davidson Reg Davidson (born 1954) is an Aboriginal Canadian carver and a member of the Haida band government. He was born in 1954 at the Haida village of Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. His parents are Claude and Vivian Davids ...

*''Geoffrey White Memorial pole'' by Christian White * ''Medicine pole'' by Christian White *''Morris White pole'' by Christian White *''Skilay (Ernie Collison)'' by Jim Hart *''Family Center pole'' by Vernon White *''New Town poles'' by Todd and Derek White *''Hospital poles'' by Jordan Seward and Cooper Wilson *''Old Massett poles'' by Donnie Edenshaw and Jaalen Edenshaw *''Playing field poles'' by Lawrence Bell *''Morris White memorial pole'' by Jim Hart and Christian White *''St John's Church pole'' by Robert Davidson *''Amanda Edgar's memorial pole'' by Paul White *''Sharkhouse pole'' by Reg Davidson *''gyaaGang Monumental pole'' by Kilthguulans Christian White File:Village_of_Masset.jpg File:PSM_V53_D175_Street_in_masset_queen_charlotte_islands.jpg File:Post_card._Main_street%2C_Masset_(Native_village)_B.C._-_NARA_-_297790.jpg File:PSM_V53_D178_Tattooed_haida_of_masset.jpg File:PSM_V53_D177_Haida_woman_of_masset_weaving_a_basket.jpg File:Masset,_British_Columbia_(S71-3612).jpg File:Masset_village,_British_Columbia_(259).jpg#/media/File%3AMasset_village%2C_British_Columbia_(259)_(cropped).jpg File:PSM_V53_D179_Ancient_house_of_chief_weha_in_masset.jpg File:Interior_of_Chief_Wiah%27s_house,_Masset.jpg

Popular culture

Some Old Massett artists star on the

Knowledge Network Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is owned by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crown co ...

television series ''Ravens and Eagles''.

References

External links

Language notes
First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia Haida villages {{BritishColumbia-geo-stub