Skidegate () is a Haida community in in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. It is on the southeast coast of Graham Island, the largest

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

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

Hecate Strait Hecate Strait (; Haida language: ''K̲andaliig̲wii'', also ''siigaay'' which means simply "ocean") is a wide but shallow strait between Haida Gwaii and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It merges with Queen Charlotte Sound to the south a ...

. Skidegate, which is 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., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

service between Graham Island and Alliford Bay on

Moresby Island Moresby Island () 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 from the other princip ...

Naming

According to tradition, the village was named after an earlier village chief, 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 Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of ...

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.

Totem poles

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 *''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 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

Naming

Totem poles

See also

References

External links