Skidegate ( hai, Hlg̱aagilda) is a

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 ...

community in in

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, for ...

, Canada. It is located on the southeast coast of

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 p ...

, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia across

Hecate Strait , image = HecateStrait(PittIsland).JPG , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = Hecate Strait and Pitt Island , image_bathymetry = Loc-QCS-Hecate-Dixon.png , alt_bathymetry = , caption ...

. Skidegate, which is located on Skidegate Indian Reserve No. 1 and was formerly home to the Skidegate Mission is also the northern terminal for the

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferr ...

service between Graham Island and Alliford Bay on

Moresby Island Moresby Island ( hai, Gwaii Haanas) is a large island () that forms part of the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia, Canada, located at . It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel f ...

. According to tradition, the village was named after an earlier village chief, Sg̱iida-gidg̱a Iihllngas = "Son of the Chiton”Hlg̱aagilda X̱aayda Kil, Haida language
at FirstVoices. Accessed 1 July 2017. whose name late 18th-century traders in

sea otter The sea otter (''Enhydra lutris'') is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smal ...

pelts recorded as Skidegate.G.F. MacDonald, kidegate https://www.sfu.ca/brc/virtual_village/haida/skidegate.html1983, SFU Bill Reid Centre. Accessed 1 July 2017. Between 1790 and 1820 the community was a hub for the exploitation of sea otter furs. Skidegate is home to a number of totem poles: *''T'anuu'llnagaay'' (Tanu) by Giitsxaa *''Hlknul'llnagaay'' (Cumshewa) by Gidansda Guujaaw *''HlGaagilda'llnagaay'' (Skidegate) by Norman Price *''K'uuna'llnagaay'' (Skedans) by Jim Hart *''Ts'aahj'llnagaay'' (Chaatl) by Garner Moody *''Eagle and Bear Mother'' by Dick Bellis *''Dogfish'', by

Bill Reid William Ronald Reid Jr. (12 January 1920 – 13 March 1998) (Haida) was a Canadian artist whose works include jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and paintings. Producing over one thousand original works during his fifty-year career, Reid ...

*''Unity Pole'' *''Chief Skedans Jimmy Wilson Memorial'' by Bert Wilson and Joe Mander *''Strongman'' by Tim Boyko, Skaadgaa Naay elementary school *''Chief Wiiganaad Sid Crosby Naa'uuwans'' (chieftanship) by Tim Boyko and Jason Goetzinger *''Weeping Woman of Taanu'' by Norman Price St *''Chieftanship Pole to Honour Matriarch Barb Wilson'' *''SGang Gwaay'llnagaay'' (Ninstints) by Tim Boyko *''Kaay Watchman's pole'' The Haida Heritage Centre is located in Skidegate along the town's eastern boundary. Haida Houses

References

External links

Skidegate website

{{Authority control Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Haida villages Graham Island

See also

References

External links